BMW M6 Coupe

7.0 WowScore – This is the average score given by leading car publications from 7 reviews

Good points

·         Great performance

·         Impressive handling

·         Surprising economy

Bad points

·         Poor rear seat space

·         Expensive

·         Lacks drama

Reviews of the BMW M6 Coupe aren’t actually as positive as you might expect. It isn’t that it’s a bad car, more that testers are bemused by BMW’s cheek in offering what’s essentially a BMW M5 with a great deal less practically for a great deal more money.

You’re looking at a £20k premium for a car that isn’t notably faster than the M5, and that’s a bit hard to stomach. Get past that though, and you do get an insanely quick coupe with a truly great engine, even if this isn’t one of the great M cars.

Interior – The M6’s interior is at least different from the sombre 5 series from which it’s derived. The M6 gets a sculpted dashboard with a neat three-spoke sports steering wheel. This gets gearshift paddles for the seven-speed automatic transmission, and the lever sprouting from the centre tunnel can also be used to work the slick dual-clutch unit.

It’s very comfortable in the front of the cabin and the seats are great, while a splash of carbon fibre trim enlivens the dashboard. But as a coupe, it’s a long way from being as practical as the M5 saloon. The rear seats are “hopeless” according to one review, and if there’s one main criticism it’s that the M6’s cabin doesn’t feel any more special than “lesser” 6 series. There’s little rear clue you’re in a hardcore M model.

Driving – For a car weighing in a 1,850kg, the M6 does well. It has “amazing body control” when changing direction and “equally flop-free responses when you stick its tail sideways”, something that isn’t far away with all that power going to the rear tyres. It’s particularly effective when sportier chassis controls are dialled in, turning it from a wafting cruiser into something not unsuitable for the odd daddle on track.

It’s perhaps a little emotionless for an M car though. One review in particular is heavily critical of the car, saying “it doesn’t feel or sound alive”, and while scenery will pass you quickly outside the windows “sensation is lacking” – it’s a car that “doesn’t make you tingle”.

Engines – If the driving experience leaves some people cold, the engine is at least a bit hotter. It’s the same you’ll find in the M5 and in other M6 models like Gran Coupe – a 4.4-litre, V8, twin-turbocharged unit out 552 horsepower (or more, with the competition pack and 502 pounds-feet of torque.

It’s enough to clear the 0-60mph sprint in just 4.2 seconds (the competition pack is 0.1 seconds quicker) and like all BMW’s it headbutts the limiter at 115mph. You’ll get there very quickly – “effortless” is how one review describes the M6’s performance – is very strong, it’s also surprisingly civil. If anything, it’s “less explosive than the numbers might have you believe”.

Value for money –At £20,00 more than an M5, the M6’s price is off-putting for some testers. Worse still, the pricetag puts it within firing distance of some seriously desirable competition, including hotted-up versions of the Porsche 911, the Jaguar XKR-S, or high-end Maseratis. The M6 is reasonably economical for its type, but depreciation will sting – cars like this rarely hold their value very well.

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