BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe

Production Cars 12 Dec 2011

BMW has presented the 6 Series Gran Coupe, a four-door version of the 6 Series, featuring a length of over 5 meters and a 4+1 seating capacity.

First unveiled as a concept at the 2010 Beijing Auto Show, the new 6 Series Gran Coupe is defined by BMW as its first four-door coupé.

Based on the platform and design of new 6 Series Coupé, it showcases imposing dimensions, with a length of 5,007 mm, a width of 1894 mm, a height of 1,392 mm and a wheelbase of 2,968 mm.

Compared to its main competitors – such as the Mercedes-Benz CLS and the Audi A7 Sportback – the silhouette of the 6 Series Gran Coupe showcases a three-box layout rather than an actual coupé-like profile, thus is more easily recognizable as a sedan.

Nevertheless, it has some distinctive and dynamic proportions, mainly due to the long, sweeping hood, the long wheelbase, the low, shallow roofline and the pushed back passenger compartment.

Both the front and the rear end are characterized by the current styling cues of the brand, already present on the 6, 5 and 3 Series.

For the body, in order to save weight, BMW designers have adopted a mix of materials: the four doors – with frameless side windows – and the hood are made of aluminum; the front sidewalls are made of thermoplastic and the trunk lid of glass fiber composite.

The resulting total mass ranges from 1,750 kg (640i) to 1,940 kg (650 xDrive).

In addition, the passenger cell makes use of higher-strength multi-phase steels and hot-stamped ultra-high-tensile steels.

The 4+1 interior combines a driver-oriented, sporty cockpit with an exclusive atmosphere, achieved through a mix of full-leather trim – including the seats, the dashboard and the door panels – and Alcantara – used for the roof lining.

The interior color scheme – Opal White and Amaro Brown – as well as the leather trim were specially developed for this model.

The luggage compartment capacity ranges from 460 to 1,265 liters.

The range of models will include three main variants: the BMW 640i Gran Coupe with a six-cylinder in-line gasoline engine (235 kW/320 hp); the BMW 640d Gran Coupe (230 kW/313 hp); and the flagship BMW 650i Gran Coupe with a new eight-cylinder engine (330 kW/450 hp), and available with the xDrive all-wheel drive transmission.