BMW has put the top on its all-new 2012 6-Series with the presentation of the Coupé model ahead of its world premiere at the Shanghai Auto Show in China in April. The new 6-Series Coupe comes shortly after the convertible model that received its public debut at this year’s Detroit Motor Show in January.
Based on last year’s ‘BMW Concept 6 Series Coupé’, the styling of the Bavarian firm’s premium GT is the work of BMW design boss Adrian van Hooydonk, who replaced Chris Bangle in 2009. The new 6er features a far less controversial but somewhat more bland styling than its predecessor, with a pronounced front end sporting a busy set of headlamps, auxiliary lights and a relatively low roofline. At 4 894 mm long, 1 894 mm wide and 1 369 mm tall, the 2+2 coupé is 75 mm longer, 39 mm wider and 5 mm lower than its predecessor. It also rides on a 75 mm longer wheelbase at 2 855 mm, which promises to improve space for the rear passengers. Boot capacity stands at 460-litres.
The interior design is the same as on the soft-top model, with the more driver-orientated cockpit and the large display on the center console standing out. At launch, the new 6-Series Coupé will be offered with a choice of two powerplants, a 3.0-litre turbocharged inline-six for the 640i and a 4.4-litre twin-turbocharged V8 for the 650i. Both the 650i Coupé and 640i Coupé transfer their power to the rear wheels via a standard eight-speed Sports automatic gearbox with steering wheel shift paddles. However, in the U.S., BMW will also offer a 6-speed manual gearbox for the 650i Coupé.
The 640i’s straight-six produces 235 kW at 5 800 r/min and 450 Nm of peak torque between 1 300 and 4 500 r/min, allowing the coupé to complete the sprint from rest to 100 km/h in 5.4 seconds, with a top speed of 250 km/h. Average fuel consumption in the EU test cycle stands at 7.7 L/100km, while CO2 emissions come in at 179 g/km.
In EU-spec, the 650i’s V8 engine kicks out 300 kW from its 4.4-litre displacement between 5 500 and 6 400 r/min and a peak torque of 600 Nm between 1 750 and 4 500 r/min, for a 0 – 100 km/h sprint time of 4.9 seconds and an electronically-limited top speed of 250 km/h. It returns a combined fuel economy of 10.4 L/100km in the EU test cycle, together with CO2 emissions of 243 g/km.
The BMW 6 Series Coupé is expected to arrive in South Africa around September.
