Mike5215

Very few cars impress me having driven S Class of one form or another for so long. I've always admired Bimmers from afar, because their styling is really gorgeous, but the love affair ends with the test drive. The interiors seem cheap and the ride quality is very stiff. Granted, BMW's mission is sport performance with a nod to luxury here and there, where MB is the inverse.

So, my expectations were not especially high for the current gen 6 series. Let me say that I think the 6 Coupe is among the best looking luxury sport production cars on the road. Maybe an Aston Martin trumps it, but not much else.

Generally cars in the abstract that seem great often disappoint in person. Not the case with the 6. First up was a 650i (TTV8) with a Full Merino Leather interior (Merino is their step up from Nappa, which is a step up from Dakota. Dakota is that over processed brittle crap like they used to put in the C Class. Nappa is akin to the S Class base leather. Merino is like a Nappa's vagina)

The full interior treatment gets you an S600 level of double contrast stitched soft leather and alacantra everywhere you look...dash, doors, you name it. It's beautiful and in a two tone interior it's really striking. Still not a fan of the very fake looking wood trim options (again, a nod to luxury here and there but their hearts aren't in it), but there's an optional Piano Black that looks more appropriate.

The 6 has a double LCD screen dash set up like the W222. The big difference is that in the 6, the main dash cluster still looks like a conventional analog cluster. Only when you light it up do you realize it's 99% simulated (the speedo and tach bezels are physical) versus the sort of Ipad-In-Your-Face approach MB took with the W222. Much better execution by BMW in this instance IMO.

The secondary screen is also tastefully integrated into the dash and again it doesn't look tacked on. The base audio is a harman/kardon surround deal, but this car had the $3700 optional B&O with those cool "acoustic lense" tweeters in the W221 B&O upgrade. There's also a lot more tonal control (in either system) with a 7 band EQ and some DSP options to play with. Being an audio ***** like I am I expected to like the B&O and I did, but I later heard the base system and had zero complaints, which would leave me with almost $4k to put elsewhere.

On the road, the ride is firm, although there are a lot of chassis/drive train configs to choose from...Comfort +, Comfort, Sport, Sport +, Eco...that vary suspension damping and shift points on the 8 speed tranny. The 650 had 20" wheels which look great but are probably too large for the car. Still, the 650 did a nice job handling rough pavement and felt very settled and composed.

There was a great HUD that put all kinds of info, even media player stuff, up on the windshield. Power wise, no complaints rom the TTV8. Sounds great and plenty of torque. It's a $10k premium over the 640i TT6 though and I'd probably want to spend that money over at the Options & Packages store.

Next up was a 640i, also full leather but with the base audio. Not quite as full and detailed as the B&O but very good and probably sufficient with some minor tweaks. Performance was obviously a couple of ticks shy of the 650 but good enough for me to go with the TT6 and save the $10k. Unfortunately this particular 640 had been sitting awhile and some flat spots on the tires spoiled the ride, so the drive was short.

Last up was a 650i Convertible. Not as sexy as the Coupe of course, with a soft roof that looks a little tacked on. Still, it's double lined so the cabin feel of the vert with the top up is very close to the coupe, and of course with the top down it feels very special. The car felt solid, no cowl shake or any of the other anomalies you sometimes find in a vert. The only trade off I could see was price and a less striking looking exterior vs the coupe.

Price wise, you can mix and match performance, body style, high end options and finishes and end up with a very nice car between $90k and $100k, or a range of $1300 to $1500 a month on a sign and drive 36/15k lease. At the high end that money will also put you in a base W222, but I'd much prefer the 6.

Is this the car that could possibly break my eight year S Class addiction? Yeah, it could. Everything the Tesla P85D failed to impress me with the 6 nailed. It's enough of a departure from the S to feel like a new experience, but close enough in terms of luxury and power.

1bad540

was actually considering a 650 gran coupe before I picked up the s550, the n63 engine is still a pile of sheet sadly. Awesome car tho. aside from the engine oil burning issues and recalls left and right, a truly cool car.

Mike5215

Thanks! Is the N63 the TTV8? I know z--e--r--o about Bimmers. I had read some spotty owner reviews re: oil consumption on the 8. I'm always either under a CPO warranty or leasing under a regular warranty so that stuff isn't a huge concern generally. How about that TT6? What's the skinny on that. It seems like that engine has been around awhile, right?

1bad540

Im a bmw guy, I just couldn't do the tt8, hence y I did the benz. Cars awesome, engine just has continuous issues with long dealer trips. tt6 is suposidly better, just couldnt do a 6...

DaveW68

The 650i compares very well with the E550 coupe....in looks and performance. The E550 gives a more supple ride, yet doesn't give up anything in performance. Personally, I think the E coupe looks better on the outside....especially the front end. The Bimmer's front end is too overdone IMO, yet is a vast improvement over the previous E63's heinous looks. Thankfully Chris Bangle is no longer penning their designs and they've gone to a somewhat more conventional look.


Believe it or not, the nod in reliability goes to MB....in every model throughout the range. BMW's are also more expensive to maintain than comparable Benzes. BMW's and Benzes are now very close competitors throughout the model ranges these days when it comes to looks and performance. These days, I'd put Audi a step below both of them. At the top end of performance, it seems that AMG is now trumping M. Never expected to see that day.

Mike5215

Yikes! I hate the E Coupe (and sedan). Those weird shaped headlamps and the goofy rear quarter fender arch. Dash is very flat, very linear and one dimensional. Seats kind of suck. I don't think they're selling a ton of those. I remember reading somewhere that MB is rushing a replacement to production. I'd like to see sales numbers, 6 series vs E/CLS. The E holds no appeal to me at all.

In terms of appeal I'd slot the 6 Series square between the E and the S. I guess the CLS is a close approximation to the Gran Coupe, although I'd much prefer the BMW. Too many E Class bits in the CLS and very cramped interior. Really the only MB that has ever appealed to me whatsoever has been the S, and maybe the prior gen SL. With the 222 they've totally lost me. Beautiful car, well executed, lavishly appointed and boring as f*ck to me.

Audi...I have a new Q7 now and had a 2012 A5 Coupe. Really its some kind of magic act to turn VWs into high end cars. I don't get the appeal. My wife loves them, which explains a lot because she's clueless when it comes to cars.

WHPH28

This was at the show saturday....freaking beast. I was just looking online and the new CTSV is supposed to be 640hp, 630tq and run 0-60 in 3.7 seconds. I was honestly thinking about how they ride and this is before any mods are even done to it. Definitely a killer car engine wise but not sure how it rides...I'll be testing it when it comes out. Same as the Hellcat...stock it's over 700hp running high 10's all motor. It's amazing that cars are coming out like this and are pretty cheap.

Mike5215

I've heard the M's are notoriously "firm" or "brutal" depending on your normal expectation of comfort. Coming from a 600 I'm gonna say "brutal" to you, but I'd love to know what you think.

Mike5215

Yeah, I'm normally an engine snob myself. The idea of a six just sounds too pedestrian and average to me. In the case of the 640, it reminded me a little of my old Datsun 280ZX with the inline 6 and I'm fine with it.

WHPH28

I had 2 7 series and I loved both of them...very reliable as I drove them from MD to FL all the time.

The M6 I am sure is brutal. I feel like a girl that can't take little bit of a bumpy ride....I used to be good with lowered cars and didnt mind the bumpy rides but I don't know what happened to me...One day I just couldnt take it and had to have a smooth ride.

This guy from what I have heard invested like 50k in to the motor and it's super crazy ferrari, GT3 and lamborghini eating fast. It definitely souded good when he started it and it was sitting idle. There is a guy around also that has an 1100hp twin turbo gallardo.

I'll just stick to my 600 quiet car...I think the 6 series is a nice looking car. The 4 door is nice too. If you decided to go for it would definitely be a nice switch. I would definitely take this over the tesla.

DaveW68

I had the E60 M5 prior to my S600. There were 3 different suspension settings. The softest setting was very firm. The highest setting was definitely brutal. You could feel cracks in the road that weren't even there and need a chiropractor appointment after any length of time in that mode on anything but the smoothest roads.


And speaking of brutal....turn the shift firmness up to level 6 and under WOT, the AMG shift was so brutally fast that it felt like the tranny would explode.

Mike5215

Oh, the Tesla is off the list after the 640. Too gimmicky a play for me. I have a feeling I'd wake up one morning and think "WTF did I just do?"

For the first time in about 20 years I no longer need a 4 door. The S's have really been first class family haulers for us...no complaints. But now that I can get away with a coupe a lot of possibilities open up. Unfortunately the 221 based CL's are kind of homely looking to me, especially the nose, and the new S Coupes are too much money. In the running is the 640, and the Jag XK. I've driven the Jags a couple of times and they're good looking cars and drive great, but the tech is ancient.

Meanwhile the S is on AutoTrader getting a feel for the market. Nothing at $37k, non-stop calls and texts at $34,900. Looks like just below $35k for a 2010 with 73k miles is where it'll go when I decide to pull the trigger. I stopped advertising the remaining 16 months of CPO and backed the value out of the ask because nobody cares about a warranty until after the car's been sitting in their driveway for a couple of days. Hoping I'll find some kid who gets jazzed about the S63 clone look. He'll be joining the forum asking all kinds of insightful, well articulated questions no doubt.

WHPH28

Good choices!

WHPH28

Or slapping some 6.3 badges on it with some glued on fender/door vents.

Mike5215

I need to be proactive and get those vent stickers now.

DaveW68

NOT a good idea! I hear that they will void your warranty.

Mike5215

I gotta remember to pull em off before I drop the car.

aznevoviii

that M6 is my friend's Matt's M6.
He just got that car not too long ago, and spent good $20k on top to make it FAST and look PERFECT!
love his collection of cars!

Mike5215

He must have a really good trust fund

BenzV12

Thanks for your review and thoughts , I appreciate that .
For looks I would prefer BMW I8 , may not be not as practicable as the cars you reviewed though
It's amazing only 1.5 liters and with great help of electric engine 0-60 mph is under 5 seconds

WHPH28

I would actually just go all out and buy a 2016 Ford Fusion.

DaveW68

Ahh....the baby Aston Martin.

marthyh

In Dubai they know:

Mike5215

Yes. Very subtle and tasteful.

wilassasin

I was in the market for a grand coupe once upon a time, that moment has passed test drive and all.