First Drive Review
M6, we hardly recognize you. The nameplate first appeared in the mid-1980s, when it was attached to a lithe, agile coupe fitted with a manual transmission and the race-bred, naturally aspirated inline-six of the M1 supercar. And today? The third-generation M6 comes equipped with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic, packs a twin-turbo V-8, and tips the scales at well over two tons. It’s a luxury-car-sized behemoth, complete with a long list of high-zoot amenities such as electronic soft-close doors. But, hey, at least BMW has fitted a carbon-fiber roof, which undoubtedly shaves off a few pounds.
The car looks damn good, though, with nicely chiseled flanks and a contemporary, elegant, and sufficiently aggressive look. Among the M6’s unique touches is a jet-fighter-like air intake—a styling element developed under former M chief designer Ulf Weidhase. The matte-gray paint of the Euro-spec example we recently drove adds drama and depth, and the M6 wears it especially well. The downside is that it attracts all kinds of unwanted attention. You’d order it only if you’re cool with constant requests to rev the engine from drivers in tuned Honda Civics and Hyundai Tiburons.
Not that those guys would stand the slightest chance against this 4.4-liter V-8, which is derived from the powerplant offered in the 650i. In the M6, the nearly square engine gets its own pistons and is modified to turn out 560 horsepower at 6000 rpm. Instead of building up torque slowly, the M6 is catapulted right onto a lofty plateau of 500 lb-ft that stretches from 1500 to 5750 rpm. The burly V-8 note sounds appropriately sinister from outside the car but is a little too quiet within, as in its near twin, the M5. We’d love to hear more of it, complemented as it is by the moan of the two Honeywell twin-scroll turbochargers placed between the cylinder banks.
The output translates into earth-scorching performance: 60 mph arrives in an estimated four seconds flat, and on the highway, the sweet and forbidden zone of triple-digit velocities is never more than a couple of heart pumps away. If you keep pushing, the rush does not end until an indicated 160-plus mph, although you’re probably actually traveling at the governed 155 mph promised by the specification sheet. (As with many cars, BMW speedos are often slightly generous.) In Europe, BMW will issue new software orders that permit a lofty 190 mph.
With lightning-quick shifts, the M6’s seven-speed dual-clutch automatic does its best to serve up a purist driving experience. (For a truly pure experience, spec the manual transmission, which is newly available in all M6s for 2014. Although maybe don’t, as we found it fairly unsatisfying in the M5.) Under certain shift conditions, unburned gasoline enters the exhaust and is burned off with delicious pops and crackles. But we dislike the automatic's fiddly console shifter. Drivers are advised to read the manual thoroughly before they go ape trying to find the gear selector's nonexistent park position, or get stuck in a U-turn, desperately trying to navigate between drive and reverse amid a warning bell, a tutorial screen, and rapidly approaching traffic.
