BMW 6 Series: testing the new GT

A lot better than the 5 Series GT, but the new 6 Series GT is still an odd choice for UK buyers

Even BMW’s top brass admit that the old 5 Series GT had its "less good points". That’s as close to an admission of regret that you’re likely to get from a manufacturer.

This new 6 Series Gran Turismo aims to put those failings right while taking into account owners’ views of the 5 GT's better points. With the same wheelbase as the latest 7 Series, it’s 8cm longer than its predecessor, with much of that being given over to expanding the previously criticised boot.

Some en-sleeking has gone on with the roofline and rear deck to answer complaints about the old car’s dumpy looks, and a bit of brainpower has gone into incorporating the struts for the electric hatch into the tailgate, opening up the boot aperture a little.

You still get a raised seating position (6cm higher than a 5 Series saloon) because owners liked that as much as they did the 5 GT’s roomy and comfortable cabin. Rear head room hasn’t been cut by the sportier roofline.

BMW’s chassis team took on the challenge of making the new car handle like a BMW by reducing its weight by an across-the-range average of 150kg. The suspension arrangements combine current-gen 7 and 5 Series components in a selection of choices that can be all-round air or the standard rear self-levelling setup with active roll control and four-wheel steering. A new aero package includes an active boot spoiler and radiator grille flaps, a front air curtain and turbulence-reducing breathers for the front wheels.

Engine wise, UK buyers will be offered a 255bhp 630i petrol, a 335bhp xDrive all-wheel-drive 640i petrol (the car we tested), or a 261bhp 630d diesel. All three come with an 8-speed paddle-shift automatic gearbox.

Despite being even bigger than it was before – and it was big then – clever cabin craft has defused any untoward sensation of size in the new car. It’s designed to transport four people for many hours in a high degree of luxury, and you’d have to say it succeeds in that objective, especially when the panoramic roof is fitted.

You’re never short of go in the 335bhp 640i, or of traction thanks to the all-wheel drive. In normal use the syrupy transmission keeps you out of the engine’s upper reaches, but if you push it you’ll hear a six-cylinder rort that’s unfamiliar to anyone used to the old-school silky sixes BMW was known for.

Our heavily-specced car had the Executive Drive pack whose four air springs, active anti-roll, adaptive dampers and active steering gave the 6 GT a lot more agility and willingness than the 5 GT ever had. The car’s mass makes itself felt during heavy braking and turning exercises, but generally speaking it delivers a contained performance.

The ride is super in Comfort mode and supple enough in Sport. Hitting a bump in mid-corner can upset cars with active anti-roll, but the GT deals confidently with such scenarios. It’s quiet at speed too, courtesy of BMW’s aerodynamic and sound deadening efforts.

Naturally, the options are extensive. You can bundle kit up in packages like Rear Comfort, M Sport Plus, Premium and Surround Sound, and have fun picking through a welter of connectivity, chassis, trim and electronic protection systems.

This new 6 GT is tremendously spacious and versatile. It hits the genuine definition of a GT car, if maybe not the popular one of (say) Aston Martin elegance.

Still, it’s a lot better looking than the 5 GT, and it combines the usual BMW standards of finish, comfort and security with high-seat imperiousness. This time around, if you tick the correct dynamic option boxes, you can also add ‘BMW driving DNA’ to that list. It’s also attractively priced, quite a long way below the 6 Coupé and Gran Coupé.

It’s likely that the bulk of the 6 GT production will find its way to China and South Korea, as most of the 150,000 5 GTs did, but there are now fewer obstacles standing in the way of UK success than there used to be.

BMW 640i xDrive Gran Turismo M Sport

Price £57,570
Engine 6cyls, 2998cc, turbocharged petrol
Power 335bhp at 5500-6500rpm
Torque 332lb ft at 1380-5200rpm
Gearbox 8-spd automatic
Kerbweight 1835kg
Top speed 155mph
0-62mph 5.3sec
Fuel economy 35.3mpg
CO2 rating 183g/km
Rivals Audi A7, Mercedes-Benz CLS, Porsche Panamera