BMW 6 Series F06

Today we are going to talk about BMW F06 Gran Coupe and before we start the story about this car, we wanted to go a little deeper into the history.

Especially for fans and fans of the brand.  Why is the 6 series deprived of car models? There are only three generations. Despite the fact that the car has been produced since 1976, the first six in the twenty-fourth body came out in 1976. What is the reason for this? Why let’s say that the 3 series has already changed 6 generations, but the six has only 3. This is due to the fact that after the release of E24 six and the appearance of the new E63, it took quite a long time. Because the E24 was withdrawn in 1989. And the E63 didn’t appear until 2004. Sixth series for BMW is not the most successful project from the economic point of view. Therefore, the car was recognized unprofitable and costly, because there was a fuel crisis in Europe at the time of release. To the great dismay of fans never came out the car with the index 8. Although it has already been developed.

Let’s return to the new BMW 6er III F06 F13 F12. The cars appeared at the end of 2010 and were produced in 2 types of bodywork. Coupe and convertible. Naturally, BMW company does not yield to its traditions and develops convertibles with soft top on electric drive. In 2012 the revolutionary car Grand Coupe is released, today we will talk about how it is radically different from its predecessors, from E24, from E63.

Appearance

Let’s start about the design of the car. It is a recognizable car, which is said not only by journalists, but also by BMW F06 reviews. It stands out with its smoothed and “soft” image.  Here, BMW did not take a risk and make some controversial design. Concern BMW has kept all the main traditions, except for one:

First of all, these are native German eyes, there is an adaptive LED optics, and it looks stunning. If we compare with BMW I8, in the new spaceplane from BMW concern, removed the recognizable front optics and many fans of the brand, noted that this can not be done.

Engineers in the BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe have removed a recognizable attribute of all cars of the concern. There is no usual shark fin on the roof, which acted as an antenna. This attribute was present on almost all cars, from the beginning of BMW’s automobile career to the cars produced in 16-17 years. Now this antenna is located in the trunk lid. Germans also installed an additional stop signal in the space between the rear glass and the upper part of the body. Moreover, it is not present on the cabriolet and coupe.

Engine

As for the engines of the BMW 6 F06, the lineup is rather modest, but worthy of attention. A small line of motors is installed on the car. This is due to the fact that the car is quite specific. It would be silly to put a four-cylinder two-liter engine. The car would simply not be bought. The six should be fast. If you compare this car with the previous generation, the cars have become much faster. The smallest engine is able to develop the first 100 km h in 5.4 seconds. And we are talking about 640 gasoline and 640 diesel. They have almost the same technical characteristics.

By the way, on modern BMW cars, the numbers on the nameplate have nothing to do with engines. If before, by the last two digits you could determine the engine displacement, now you can’t. The line of engines N55, which are put on the 6 series BMW – is a modernized N54. Only significantly improved, a turbine is installed, while its technical characteristics remain decent.

The motor is good. If the gasoline engine is compared to the diesel, with the same specifications, it has much higher torque. The diesel version has 640 Newtons per meter, in the gasoline version the torque is 120 Newtons less. Also, the 6 Series BMW lineup has more serious engines in 4.4 liters. These are cars that have the index 650. The N63 engine is installed there. It’s a V8 engine, 4.4 with twin turbos. In restyling, it is installed on the top configuration of our hero.

In our version, compared to the previous BMW Gran Coupe six, this car got 450 horsepower. When the old one had about 410. But the dynamic performance of these powertrains is amazing. With all-wheel drive, the car hits the first 100 kilometers per hour in 4.6 seconds. And that’s truly the level of the BMW M-series.

In the pre-restyling, this engine took about 5 – 5.4 seconds to 100 km. There is also a version of the M6, which exists in both coupe, convertible and grand coupe versions. The 63 engine is installed there, which is installed on the X6M, but here it is a little bit finalized. It has tuning issues. BMW has made it so that the simplest interventions don’t allow you to increase the car’s power. The M6 has 560 horsepower, 680 newton meters of torque 4.2 seconds to 100 kilometers per hour. There is, of course, no four-wheel drive.

Interior

As for the interior, let’s start with the rear row of seats. Naturally, the car has door closers. This thing comes in the basic equipment of the car. Comfortable access to the rear row of seats should be emphasized. There is enough space for a small passenger on the back row. In the basic configuration there are two seats, but optionally there are configurations for three people.

The seat belts are made in the same way as in the coupe and convertible. They are not on the pillar, but are located separately. There are also levers near the headrest, which allow the seat to move horizontally back and forth. It is comfortable enough for a person with height of 175-180 cm. If to remember 63 body, when guys with big height complained about low ceilings and lack of comfort. But there was more sporty landing. And the six has much more space. At the back there is also a small armrest, opening the lid there are all the most necessary things, in view of a cup holder and various niches.

The rear seats also have child seat anchors. The rear row is made in accordance with the business class, quite competently and comfortably. The design of the driver’s seat has not undergone serious changes compared to the prerestyling version. The steering wheel has three spokes, indicators of tachometer and speedometer are analog. Engineers took care of the nerves of oldfags and made the trim like on the old models.

Let’s talk about the console. In the upper left corner there is the Start-Stop button. Further there is a climate control unit, which can be adjusted both vertically and horizontally. The console is crowned by a touch screen, which can be controlled only by mechanical buttons below and to the right of the gear lever. Below the climate control unit is the regulator for the first, even lower down is the stereo. On the front console there is also a niche for glasses, or a cell phone.

It is interesting that BMW concern does not seriously experiment with interior design. Engineers have chosen a certain style, convenient, really functional and install it on all cars. The right side of the center panel has undergone changes. Engineers have drawn a line from the upper part of the torpedo, which is in front of the passenger in the gearshift console.

The dashboard in comfort mode has white-red, traditional backlighting, in sport mode gets red, sport plus has also red backlighting, and in economy mode has blue color.  Excellent and very convenient paddles. The interior is made conveniently, competently. The steering wheel is simply amazing. It is comfortable, made in the traditions of BMW.

Electronics

The car’s suspension has almost all the options you may have read about in our previous articles. It has integral steering.  The rear axle can turn a small angle. How does it work? The rear wheels of the car, at low speeds of up to 60 km, steer in the opposite direction to the front wheels. This is done in order to significantly reduce the turning radius of the car. To make it more maneuverable in tight spaces.

After 60 km, the wheels start to steer towards the front wheels, which significantly improves the car’s handling at high speeds.  All modern technologies in the chassis of BMW concern are also installed here. Such as active steering, EDC shock absorbers, which are optional. They are able to adjust the rigidity of the car and give it either comfortable or sporty style. Everything that the company has gathered in recent times, it has applied to it.

Features

Let’s talk about the chips of the BMW F06. First of all, the car got all-wheel drive. For the first time, a Model 6 car has four doors. What did BMW do that for? To attract new buyers to the 6 Series. Previously, this car was for a selfie or a couple in love. If we talk about the convertible, this car is absolutely not necessary for everyone. It is designed for a rather small circle of people. The same story with coupes. They are impractical cars, weekend cars. We have four doors, all-wheel drive and the six has become more popular, more in demand on the market.

Options

Buying a Gran Coupe in the basic configuration, the driver and his passengers will get dual-zone climate control, multi-control, power steering column and memory of positions, electric front seats with memory function for the driver’s seat, Hi-Fi audio system with nine speakers, navigation system.

The multifunctional display, which serves as the instrument panel, has a diagonal of 10.25 inches. Sports seats are covered with high-quality leather, front seats have excellent lateral support and a lot of electric adjustments. And thanks to the formula of rear seats 4+1 it can accommodate up to five people – to make room for one more passenger, you can fold down the central rear armrest. This option, however, is suitable only for short trips. The car is now equipped by default with LED headlights and 17- and 18-inch wheels of a new design, and optional 20-inch wheels and sports exhaust system perfectly complement the athletic appearance.

Continuing on about the BMW 6 Gran Coupe equipment. The first one is 640i AT xDrive. The car is equipped with a three-liter engine with the index N55B30 F06 useful volume of 3 liters for 320 horsepower, all-wheel drive and 8-speed gearbox.

640d AT xDrive

Three-liter engine with 313 horses. Automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. Engine make is N57D30

650i AT xDrive

Gasoline engine with a capacity of 4 liters, which is able to give 450 horsepower. The power is sent to the wheels by an automatic transmission. Engine index N63B44TU.

Difference between restyling and prerestyling

Let’s talk about the visible differences in the BMW F06 Gran Coupe between the 2004 and 2010 versions.  The first thing to pay attention to is the carbon fiber insert when opening the rear door. It has the Gran Coupe inscription engraved on it. In the car, the rear doors and hood are aluminum. The front fenders are made of plastic as well as the trunk lid. There are side cameras on the front bumper, which are directed towards the front door and it is quite a convenient solution. When you leave the parking lot, which is densely “populated” with cars, then perfectly view the blind spots. This feature is installed in all configurations of 6 series.

If we talk about the safety of this car, the car has received five stars according to Euro N-Cup, and if we compare this car with the 3 and 5 models, the protagonist of our review has made a huge step forward in terms of safety.

The body of the Gran Coupe has become longer by 111 millimeters than the regular coupe. From the rear and front, the Gran Coupe body is completely identical. The trunk opens with a BMW nameplate, the handle is made in the form of a lock. The same badge houses the rearview camera. Strangely, the F06 business class car does not have an electric trunk lid. The trunk closing option is present in the car, but it doesn’t work as it should. It closes in the usual grandfatherly way.

The rear seats can be folded down. As a result, in addition to 450 liters, you can get another 1300 liters of usable volume. Everything you need will fit in this car.

As for the gearbox, it is installed eight-speed, ZF, works perfectly. The box weighs less than a six-speed box, which saves a lot of weight in the car. Because there are more gears, the driver feels the shifts less, which is important for the Comfort of people buying a business class.

Generations and configurations

3 generation – restyled

03.2015 – 05.2018

3 generation

06.2012 – 02.2015