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Do BMW’s get any better-looking than the sporty 6 Series?

Now the German manufacturer has added frugality to performance with the BMW 635d – a diesel version of the car which returns more than 40mpg.

We tested the BMW 635d to find out whether it lived up to the billing.

View our BMW 6 Series slide show

Looks | Looks Inside | Practicality | Ride and Handling | Performance
Running Costs | Reliability | Safety | Equipment | X-Factor

1. Looks

The BMW 6 Series was a thing of beauty when launched in 2004 and minimal cosmetic changes in 2007’s facelift has kept this long-bonneted lookers’ appeal intact. The most visible changes are to the re-sculpted rear. This includes a revised boot lid design, integrated spoiler and alterations to the light clusters (these have been implemented at the front too). It’s subtle but turns heads.

9/10

2. Looks inside

It’s a Gran Tourer so it needs to deliver driving fun coupled with the ability to eat up the miles – and crucial to that is a liveable interior. The front seats are roomy and comfortable with the simple information display and control stack kept uncluttered thanks to navigation and entertainment controls housed in the iDrive system located between the front seat passengers. Critics claim this system is hard-to-use and it certainly requires a little time to get the hang of. But once mastered it is pretty simple and helps reduce the amount of time you’re looking away from the road. The best solution would be to have a play with it in the showroom to find out whether it suits you.

8/10

3. Practicality

It’s certainly more fun in the front but the rear seats of this three door coupe are easy to get to and offer a reasonable amount of room. The boot is a decent size and low and wide access make loading and unloading easy.

8/10

4. Ride and Handling

It’s a big car which offers the kind of drive which makes you want to take it out just for the sake of it. Fast and agile through corners, the 6 Series delivers on its driver duties. And in-cabin comfort means long drives shouldn’t take too much of a toll, though the ride is on the firm side.

8/10

5. Performance

The model we drove - the BMW 635d Coupe - is a superb addition to a previously all-petrol line-up. It uses the six-cylinder 3.0-litre diesel engine already found in the 3 and 5 Series and can produce 286bhp to power the car from 0-62mph in 6.3 seconds. It also delivers masses of pulling power, 427lb/ft – 95 per cent of which is available at just 1,500rpm. The rest of the range offers a choice of six, eight and ten cylinder models in the shape of the BMW630i, BMW 650i and the flagship 507bhp M6 with its 4.6 seconds 0-62mph time.  All models boast an electronically-limited top speed of 155mph. The diesel option makes masses of sense (see running costs) and doesn’t compromise on the ability.  Power is delivered through a six speed gearbox and ours, like that specified by most buyers, was the automatic version which felt very natural once we became accustomed to the gear positions.

9/10

View our BMW 6 Series slide show

6. Running Costs

The BMW 635d Coupe combines great performance with more economical motoring than the rest of the range can match. It’ll return in excess of 40mpg and – thanks to emissions of 183g/km (190g/km for the convertible) – falls outside the highest tax bracket. This, says BMW, enables the car to be driven a “theoretical” 629 miles between fill-ups. EfficientDynamics technologies work to improve the car’s aerodynamic qualities and regenerate energy from braking to improve this economy.

7/10

7. Reliability

The BMW 6 Series has been through one facelift since its 2004 launch and figures are as yet unavailable for its reliability. But this is a very well-put together, well-finished car which suggests problems will be few and far between.

7/10

8. Safety

BMW’s Dynamic Stability Control is supplemented by five additional safety features: brake drying, brake pre-tensioning, soft-stop, hill-start assistant, brake fade compensation. Anti-Whiplash head restraints have been added as standard. No EuroNCAP rating but driver, side and passenger airbags are all included.

8/10

9. Equipment

The BMW 635d and 630i are supplied with 17” alloy wheels and leather upholstery as standard. Lane departure warning system is standard on all but the 630i model, on which it is a £350 option. Standard equipment on our 635d included: Dynamic Stability Control, heated, electric front seats, start/stop button and iDrive. Options include 18-inch or 19-inch alloy wheels, Head-up display and Digital Radio.

7/10

10. X-Factor

Great to drive, fairly practical, and a good long-distance runner: but if we had to pick one thing about this car it would be appearance. Subtle but with the ability to keep the petrol-heads’, erm, heads turning as you drive past. A good case for best-looking BMW on the market now.

8/10

View our BMW 6 Series slide show

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