BMW 6 Series Gran Turismo

Due to be launched at next year’s Auto Expo is the 6 GT a high-class 5 Series or a cut price 7 Series?

 

- Bob Harper

IT WOULD SEEM THAT it’s all about finding niches to fill these days and one look at the current BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi line-ups ably demonstrates this. These not-quite-core models are sometimes derided and BMW’s 5-series GT was one such machine. So it may have come as something of a surprise that it’s reimagined the model and moved it a little further upmarket with a 6 Series moniker. In truth it’s really aimed at buyers in China, South Korea and India where it will take on the long wheelbase E-Class.

The previous incarnation of this car – the 5 Series GT – was often lambasted for its gawky styling and while the 6 Series version hasn’t quite pulled off the ugly duckling metamorphosis, it makes a passable attempt at a swan. Overall it’s 21mm lower than before, and perhaps most crucially the rear end is 64mm lower and along with the increase in length by 87mm the overall shape is sleeker than before. Its main rival, the Audi A7 Sportback does look better resolved but the 6GT does offer more than the A7 in terms of accommodation and equipment.

On the road seen in amongst other traffic the GT doesn’t look overly large and hides its bulk well, the less intimidating kidney grilles (they’re more akin to the 5 Series than the 7 Series’ overly large nostrils) help here. There’s some neat detailing too, the LED rear lights are strongly sculpted while the ‘Icon’ BMW LED headlights retain the family look.

It’s inside that BMW has really concentrated it efforts and the overall architecture is shared with the Five and the Seven which are now at the top of their game. The 10.25-inch monitor can be used as a touchscreen or with the iDrive controller and the Professional Multimedia system is second to none being both intuitive and informative.