2007 BMW M6 Review

Driving the BMW M6 might remind you of the Batmobile. After all, like the M6, the Dark Knight’s ride bristles with technology. But once we put the BMW through its paces, another car came to mind: The Green Hornet’s sleek, sophisticated and powerful Black Beauty. Like the Black Beauty, the M6 is capable of slipping quickly and quietly through the thick of freeway traffic. Or you can unleash the BMW’s power in demanding situations. Sleek styling cloaks a machine that’s as much finesse as brute strength. You can almost picture Bruce Lee as Kato behind the wheel.

By Bob Beamesderfer Photo credit: Oliver Bentley

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BMW provided us with an M6 Coupe equipped with the seven-speed sequential manual gearbox; a standard six-speed manual transmission is available at no extra cost. Base price for the coupe is $102,295, including $695 destination charge and $3,000 gas guzzler tax. Among the options were $3,500 Merino leather, $1,000 head-up display, $500 HD radio, $595 satellite radio, $300 carbon fiber interior trim and $1,000 comfort access system. All told, our test vehicle was priced at $109,190. Dealers almost always add a premium onto the price of cars like the M6. Expect a waiting list unless there’s one on the lot.

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With 500 horsepower and 383 lb.-ft. of torque, the only question to ask about performance is: How much can you use at any given time? Acceleration is rapid to blindingly fast. Zero to 60 mph is achieved in less than five seconds. The 5.0-liter V-10 pulls strong from just off idle all the way to redline. BMW is coy about this engine’s relationship to the V-10 it used to build for Formula 1 race cars. But with stepless variable valve timing, a special lubrication system and 10 individually controlled throttles, “inspired” sells it short.

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Our test vehicle had BMW’s SMG, a seven-speed, semi-automatic transmission. This is a manual gearbox without a clutch pedal. Sophisticated electronics engage the clutch, blip the throttle and hydraulics change gears in less than 100 milliseconds. The driver can select manual – paddle shifters or a stick – or automatic, and adjust how quickly it shifts. It’s a techno marvel, except for one annoyance: Shifting at lower rpm from first to second often caused the car to lurch. It’s far less noticeable from second to third and practically not there with higher gear changes. Still, not the ultimate driving we expected.

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While the M6 won’t be mistaken for a small, light sports car, it still handles decently in slow, tight situations. Expect the traction control to step in often. But it really shines when the road opens up some and speeds are higher. There are several adjustments, including electronic damping control and stability control. With stability control at its next to lowest setting, the system didn’t engage during high-speed cornering. Immense disc brakes are capable of serious but stable stopping power. A large race track is the place to find the limits; suffice to say the M6 performs very well.

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Visibility is very good out the sides and back, especially for a two-door coupe. The C-pillar doesn’t block a significant portion of the view to the right-rear. It should be noted that front visibility is somewhat dependent on driving position; for example, in some situations, the A-pillar impeded looking ahead into left-hand turns, but a slight shift in body position alleviated that. Mirrors are big enough to provide useful information, but more confident lane changes require a look over the shoulder. Our test vehicle came with the optional head-up display. It’s a nice feature, user programmable, but with polarized sunglasses it vanishes.  

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Exhilarating performance is always fun, and the M6 has plenty. It’s not like a small, nimble sports car, but that’s not what we expected. It is a very capable GT luxury coupe. The complexity of it will fascinate some and frustrate others, but it’s part of what allows some aggressive, no-compromise settings. BMW hosts an advanced driving class for M buyers at its track in North Carolina, and it’s essential for a car like this despite all of the safety features. If there’s one thing that might cut the fun factor it’s the poor fuel economy: We averaged 11.5 mpg.

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Front seats are as comfortable as you can make them. Nearly every adjustment is available, including the vertical position of the lumbar support and the fit of the side bolsters on the seat back. A section of the seat bottom pulls forward to increase leg support. Passengers aren’t short-changed, they get the same adjustments. Head room was ample. The driver is treated to a slightly fat, leather-covered steering wheel equipped with paddle shifters, downshift on the left, upshift on the right. The gear selector lever is a nice, functional shape, leather and aluminum with a back-lighted indicator and M logo.

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No surprise here, despite the 2+2 configuration, four large adults will not be comfortable in this coupe. While the front seats move up and forward to allow relatively easy entrance and exit, when they’re back in normal position foot room disappears. Headroom also shrinks compared to the front seats. Suffice to say that 2+2 translates to two adults + two smaller people.

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We expect a quiet interior in a luxury car, but some noise in a car with high performance ambitions is acceptable and even desirable. That said, there is noticeable wind noise off the mirrors and some road noise. But overall the interior is quiet; enough so that you can hear the change in airflow when you pass other vehicles. Of course, you can treat yourself to the V-10 symphony by down shifting a couple of gears and stepping on the gas. Or you can leave it in seventh gear and turn up the audio system. Nice choices.

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The trunk opening is low enough to make loading easy. Space is ample and, there are four tie-down loops. There’s ski bag port in the front of the trunk. Tubular hinge arms don’t interfere with luggage space. One drawback, however, is that the opening is only about 17 inches front to back. Still, only a steamer trunk will pose a problem. The entire trunk is finished in gray carpet and a couple of plastic panels. Under the trunk floor are the battery, a few tools, some fuses and a tow hook. No spare tire in order to cut weight.