Ireland is not the place where you can quietly go about your business in a 507bhp V10 grand tourer. In my time testing the Bavarian mile muncher I’m sure I caused hundreds of whiplash injuries as people did double takes at the phenomenal 330km/h (205mph) car!
45kgs lighter than the five-seat BMW M5 but with all the same engineering brilliance, the M6 trades off practicality for beautiful lines but still manages to combine real world super-car performance with luxury car comforts. The leather seats fit two adults comfortably with just enough room in the back for two small kids! The 6 series is all about big car road presence with sleek, coupe looks. The M6 is subtle (if a 6 series can be) and dare I say, modest looking despite the considerable power and driving dynamics to hand. There are some tell tale signs that this no ordinary coupe like massive 19-inch race derived alloy wheels, the carbon fibre weight reducing roof not to mention the vented brake discs that are the size of most cars wheels! The most impressive thing about any powerful car is its ability to scrub off excess speed when needed and the M6 doesn’t disappoint.
Like the amazing BMW M5 power comes from a V10 normally aspirated petrol engine. It produces an enormous 507bhp - that’s equal to the combined output of five 1.6 litre family cars or two and a half Golf GTIs and we all know that’s a great car!
The BMW has a host of electronics to manage the car’s power, gear change ferocity, stability and traction control, suspension damper settings and even ‘launch control’. You do need to study up a bit on how to dial up the exact way you want the car to perform but it is logical and reasonably simple. The steering wheel houses the most magical button you could ever press. The ‘M’ button can be programmed to change the M6’s settings to maximum performance, i.e. stiffen suspension boost power from the default 400bhp output all the way up to 500 or 507bhp and sharpen throttle response.
All the power is delivered to the rear wheels through a seven-speed sequential manual gearbox (SMG). You can use the box in automatic mode or manually shift the gears with the stubby gearlever (pull back to change up/push forward to change down) or use the F1-like paddle shift mounted on the steering - my preferred option. With all that immense power you really don’t have time to look down at dials so as with M5 science fiction is now science fact with the super jet fighter-like heads up display. Projected onto the windscreen directly in front of the driver is a display of revs, gear and speed. It sounds less than subtle but is brilliant and not obtrusive.
Why so much power? In Europe this car makes sense as you literally can gobble up kilometres (and Porsche 911s) with ease especially on German autobahns. Apart from the tiny range of the fuel tank and the 13mpg I managed this is a usable super-car that is utterly fantastic. The M6 is joyous and must be celebrated but I’d still prefer an M5 - and it’s thirty grand cheaper!
Michael Sheridan
