DIESEL 4-Dr Coupe SHAKEDOWN: BMW 6-Series Gran Coupe vs. Mercedes CLS vs. Porsche Panamera

In the four-door coupe kingdom, there are a handful of amazing vehicles; however, while it initially started off as a luxury endeavor, it has quickly morphed into high performance vehicles but now there's a new movement entering the fray.

That, my friends, is diesel power.

BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche have all tossed their hats into this competition with their 6-Series Gran Coupe, CLS and Panamera but the question at the end of the day is simple: Who walks away with style, efficiency and a trophy to put in its cabinet?

In Auto Express' latest test, here are the results:

1) Mercedes-Benz CLS350 CDI
2) BMW 640d Gran Coupe
3) Porsche Panamera Diesel

The latest to join the pack is BMW. Its 6 Series Gran Coupe arrives this month, from £61,390. The four-door is essentially a stretched version of the 6 Series Coupe, and straddles the 5 Series and 7 Series line-ups in BMW’s busy range. It’s available with a pair of six-cylinder engines from launch, and here we test the £63,900 640d SE.

Having started the four-door premium coupe sector all that time ago, the CLS has the advantage of being one step ahead of the competition. It’s now in its second generation, and offers head-turning looks, a broad engine range and sharper dynamics than its predecessor. We’ve chosen the mid-range CLS 350 CDI Sport, priced at £54,210.

Completing our test trio is the Porsche Panamera. It sets the standard for driving thrills in this class, plus in £62,134 diesel guise it should be affordable to run.

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jeffy210 - 7/10/2012 9:21:16 AM

+3 Boost

I'd be happy to own any of them.... oh wait, not sold in 'merica. :-\

JRobUSC - 7/10/2012 11:10:56 AM

+6 Boost

so... the Benz won because it was the cheapest. Seriously, that's what the article says -- that the other two cars were better in pretty much every way (faster, better handling, more comfortable, higher quality, etc.), but because the Benz was cheaper it was "good enough".

Car4Life - 7/10/2012 11:34:30 AM

-1 Boost

The Benz won because it is simply the best here. These are 6 cylinder workhorse diesels wearing better looking suits made for hard working middle to upper class who want to look good in a car they must rely on daily.

These drivers are not as concerned about performance, as a V-8 buyer, and care more for the styling, prestige,reliability and originality which leaves one standing, the CLS

JRobUSC - 7/10/2012 1:08:23 PM

+3 Boost

really? You might want to read the article. It won because it was the cheapest, it says exactly that right at the end. They spent the first five paragraphs explaining all the ways the CLS is inferior to the 6GC and Panamera, and the last paragraph says "but we can overlook the failings because of the savings." I've never seen a comparison "winner" praised less, had it not been cheaper than the others I am fairly certain it would have come in last place.

cidflekken - 7/10/2012 3:11:31 PM

+1 Boost

Yes, the article stated that, price exempt, the BMW would have come out on top. But, clearly its performance and styling advantage wasn't worth $10,000 more. That's the bottom line. The article stated the CLS is a well balanced package, with some disappointing areas. The reality is that BMWs are always going to perform better and handle better than non-AMG MBs. That's by design, though the current 5 and 7 might beg to differ. MB wants to offer a distinct product from BMW because consumers have different tastes. But back to this comparison, nowhere in the article did it say that the CLS was a failure or was bad. It just basically said that the GCs performance and styling advantage wasn't work the extra money.

Yonder7 - 7/10/2012 3:33:17 PM

+1 Boost

Even with same price tag as the others, I would chose the CLS...is a more distinctive design not a 6 series with 2 extra doors or a 911 with front engine. Beside the quality...Thats a thing that only the time will tell you which one is better...the Quality of the BMW interiors wont last as the one of the MB or even the AUDI, thats my personal experience and the main reason to choose Benz....

dayday - 7/11/2012 3:28:19 AM

+2 Boost

I think the article is pretty much saying that, go buy the 6GC if you rich, go buy the CLS if you short on cash, and forget about the Panamera...