BMW has unveiled the 6 Series Gran Coupé, a new four-door designed to battle the Mercedes-Benz CLS and Audi A7 Sportback.
The Gran Coupé is the third body style available in the 6 Series range, after the Coupé and Convertible models launched within the past year. Although inspired by the Coupé, the Gran Coupe is 113 mm longer for extra rear legroom and in terms of its four-door design, it fits into BMW’s range in between the 5 and 7 Series.
On the styling front, the addition of two extra doors has done little to spoil the lines of the regular 6 Series Coupé, while the front and rear is unchanged from the look of its siblings.
Inside, the cabin is luxuriously appointed with leather, heated front seats and dual-zone automatic climate control. There’s also a “4+1″ seating arrangement, meaning that while you’ll get a third person in the rear, you shouldn’t expect comfort to go with it, and the boot holds 460-liters of luggage. Options include ceramic accents, GPS navigation and a Bang & Olufsen audio system.
In Europe, the 6 Series Gran Coupé will launch with two petrol engines and one diesel.
The 640i has a turbocharged 3.0-litre inline-six with 235 kW and 450 Nm of torque. It enables the car to accelerate from 0 – 100 km/h in 5.4 seconds and hit a top speed of 250 km/h.
The 650i uses a twin-turbo 4.4-litre V8 with 330 kW and 650 Nm of torque, good for 0 – 100 km/h in 4.6 seconds and 250 km/h.
Finally, the 640d has a 3.0-litre diesel engine with 230 kW and 630 Nm of torque. Despite having the least powerful engine in the lineup, the car offers respectable performance as the dash to 100 km/h takes 5.4 seconds and the top speed is 250 km/h.
All engines drive the rear wheels via an 8-speed automatic transmission.
Whether other drivetrains will join the 6 Series Gran Coupé range is unclear, but – as with reports of a similar treatment for the Coupé and Convertible – we can likely expect an M6 version (or the “Gran Coupé M,” perhaps).
Local availability for the Gran Coupé has yet to be announced, but we can likely expect this one to hit South Africa in late 2012 or early 2013.
