REVIEW: BMW M6

I've not always been very kind about BMW owners. While their cars are usually hard to fault - apart from the 1-Series, of course - they seem to be driven by angry businessmen and skinny women (role models: Alan Sugar and Teri Hatcher). In a rash moment in one piece, I may actually have branded all BMV drivers as "bad people". This was a stupid thing to say, for all sorts of reasons, not least because I used to own a BMW.

My model had little in common with the new BMW M6 I tried this week, however. It was an old crock that had escaped from a scrapyard under cover of darkness and spent some time foraging in the woods before being trapped by the second-hand car dealer who sold it to me. It went very, very slowly. Because it had an iffy carburettor and dodgy brakes, it did this even when I would have preferred it to have stopped, so I often had to plan ahead to ensure there would be a bollard or wall to bring me to a halt, at which point I would jump out, lift the bonnet and fiddle with the carburettor until the engine died. Visits to marinas were a no-no.

Full review here

PlanoA4 - 5/30/2006 11:08:47 AM

+1 Boost

Nice ride, always have liked the styling of the 6 series. Too bad BMW has decided not to match the M Series across the entire line up similar to the ambitions of MEcedes-Benz(AMG) and the S Series that Audi is going to apply across the line up as well.

I guess the "NO" campaign means NO direct comparisons. That might be bad for them since the auto rags will match them up any way.

Quote from the interview:

BMW won’t expand its “M” lineup to all of its models, says Howard Mosher, executive vice president of operations at BMW North America. In an interview with Automotive News, Mosher said BMW doesn’t plan to take on Mercedes’ AMG head-to-head with high-performanmce versions of every car. He also said the philosophy behind “M” cars is to build cars that are a “whole concept” rather than a powerful engine in a regular car. He also said BMW’s M vehicles are consistent with the automaker’s image of bot being “over the top.” You won’t find any “quirky body parts” on a BMW M model, says Mosher.

PlanoA4 - 5/30/2006 1:15:01 PM

+1 Boost

Face it bubba, the arrogance that BMW is showing will backfire. Right now the M Series is trailing on three fronts. They are getting a bit complacent in their status and the marketing is drawing one big bulls eye on their back.

General Motors did this in the 80's too. Look where they are, every time you flush a bit of GM comes back up.

Yonder7 - 5/30/2006 2:16:18 PM

+1 Boost

Good Car but NO, NO is no a comparasion for SL or CL but is good for BMW M8 or CSI850 (BMW is good doing M cars) but Small, like M5 or M3. Bigger than that size They are walking in the dommains of MB. M6 is not as Sharp like M3 or 5, is to heavy to wear that badge and do reach the MB levels. If you are going to build a heavy car it should be with a high torque , not a high Reving weak engine. Defenitly they are Right, NO Way, now if you compare it agains AM or Jag may be...

PlanoA4 - 5/31/2006 9:57:01 AM

+1 Boost

You bring up some good point on overlapping models. However it is not uncommon for a performance model to cost more than the base of the next model up the rung. The problem is some magazine will eventually test an AMG or an S against a non M series and they will win or at least fair better than expected. Then they will pose the question “Is BMW still the Ultimate Driving Machine?” Not fair? You have a point, but it will happen.

BMW is not one to take getting beat at anything readily nor will they run and hide. They will be forced to up the ante. You can see this with the new M3 coming out, whether or not it is a reaction, or what to the RS4, (sure looks like it) the public perceives it as such. Audi makes a V8 rocket, and BMW does the same. Actually the general thought from the forums was that a V8 would never go into a 3 series. It was simply not needed. Guess they were wrong, and the BMW forums now hail it as brilliant. (figure that out)

No matter which side of the fence you are on. None of the German companies will take defeat lying down. Let those tree huggers and the penny pinchers relish in reliability nuances and hybrid nonsense for their Japanese brands. The Germans improve the breed not just copy it.