Having recently tested BMW’s new M3 Coupe and M3 Sedan, we were excited to get some more time in BMW’s M-series of cars. This time around, we were provided with a M6 Coupe, boasting a 500-horsepower V-10 engine and looks that stopped many people dead in their tracks. With an as-tested price of just over $111,000, however, we can think of some better alternatives on how to spend a budget that big.
Click through the jump to read our full impressions and click the images below to launch a gallery.
Nate Luzod
Art Director
The M6 has been and will always be a sweet drive. What’s not to love about a 500-horsepower, V-10 BMW coupe? You can hit triple digits in this thing and not even feel it (so we hear). It’s an absolutely perfect high-speed machine, so smooth in execution that it’s almost unemotional.
Until I drove the M3, this was consistently one of my favorite BMWs. So much has happened in the past year, though. While I love the M6 in a manual, is that love worth $111,320 and a tank you have to refill every other day? Would I rather have this one car more than both an M3 and a 1-series (both of which are more fun and have more personality)? Would I rather have this one car more than a 3-series for the summer and an X3 for the winter (a far more practical choice)? Or even three different 1-series in three different colors (a selection which might be as insane as spending $111K on this one vehicle)?
As great a drive as the M6 is, so much more fun can be had for so much less.
Laura K. Cowan
Chief Copy Editor
I’ve never been stared at so much in one day. The M6 is such a rarity on the roads that people really noticed it. Security guards came by to say hi; little boys did triple-takes. Yes, the car is really expensive, and yes, you could buy multiple great cars for the price of this one, but it’s still worth driving it once in a while. The M6 is an experience. I couldn’t even come close to maxing out its power on public roads, and even though the car is heavy (you can feel it), there still seems to be bottomless power to haul this machine around, and the handling is great. There is great feedback through the pedals and steering wheel, and the car feels balanced at all times.
Our tester came with all the goodies, and the only one I didn’t really appreciate was the HD radio, because all it seemed to define was the static on AM and FM stations. Everything else was a positive: the thick sport steering wheel, the heads-up display (it’s good to be reminded how fast you’re going in this car), and even the satellite radio, though I preferred to drive sans music with the windows down to listen to the awesome engine do its thing. I don’t know that I would want to drive this car on a daily basis, as it wants to be pushed hard all the time, but it’s worth a test drive just to see how sports cars should be engineered.
Steven J. Ewing
Production Assistant
I had lunch with David E. the other day, and I took the M6 to him because I remembered him telling me how it’s one of his favorite BMWs. When we first took delivery of an M6 Coupe into our test fleet about two years ago, Mr. Davis remarked that everything about the car was absolutely perfect, but that he hated the seven-speed SMG transmission. When I told him that our current M6 test car was equipped with a real six-speed manual, his eyes lit up. While sitting at the Chinese restaurant down the street from his new office, he told me about how when the M6 was launched, he thought it was quite possibly one of the most beautiful automobiles on sale and that he still has similar thoughts to this day. I must say that I agree.
For me, though, the M3 is a better fit. Sure, the M6 has a glorious V-10 under the hood, and if you stare at the car long enough, you may find that you’ve wet yourself because of the beautiful styling, but the M3 has this certain punchy feel that the M6 cannot compare to, and for about half the price. One hundred and eleven thousand dollars is a lot of money. For that purse, I can think of two or three cars I could buy and have just as much fun driving, if not more. Sign me up for an M3 Coupe, Subaru STI, and a good Honda Fit just to round off the whole budget. Still, this M6 is indeed a glorious machine.
Seyth Miersma
News Writer
The M6 is an impressive car to drive, both in its ability to turn heads and its capacity for performance. I was repeatedly pointed at and waved to while driving the BMW, which doesn’t go unnoticed by many in this nearly purple shade of blue.
The 5.0-liter V-10 is of course massively entertaining. It’s almost difficult to keep the speeds below triple digits on the highway, as the BMW feels as comfortable at “get me arrested” speeds as it does at 60 miles per hour. Acceleration in the first few gears is nearly telepathic and made occasions of passing on two-lane roads completely effortless. The low-down power was also wildly fun while winding the BMW around some twisting lanes. I must say that the gear change was sort of average though—longer and less precise than I would expect of a BMW sports car.
The M6 cabin was stylish, restrained, and absolutely appropriate for a $100K grand tourer. I even really like the iDrive setup in this car, finding it pretty natural to use, especially with the iPod interface.
2008 BMW M6 COUPE
Engine: V-10, 5.0 liters, 40v
Output: 500 hp/383 lb-ft
Transmission: Six-speed manual
0-60 MPH: 4.5 sec
Top Speed: 155 mph (electronically limited)
Weight: 3909 lb
Fuel Economy, city/hwy: 11/17 mpg
Base price: $99,300
Silverstone II Merino Leather: $3500
Heated steering wheel: $200
Comfort Access system: $1000
Carbon fiber black trim: $300
iPod and USB adapter: $400
Heads-up display: $1200
HD radio: $350
Satellite radio: $595
Enhanced premium sound: $700
Destination: $775
Gas Guzzler Tax: $3000
Price as tested: $111,320
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The Hammer
Administrator
(I know two totally different cars).
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