BMW 640d Gran Coupe review: Super Six!

Of late we have been reviewing quite a few premium machines here at Motoroids. More than two hundred horses, 500Nm of torque, 250 km/h of restricted speed, lightening quick auto transmissions, dashboards with hi-res screens and cabins packed tight with gizmos – it was all beginning to appear rather commonplace. Too much of everything is bad, and we were getting rather bored with what would make some people’s eyes sparkle with excitement. With so much technological indemnity, such surefootedness, an abundance of luxury having titillated us frequently, we needed something which raised the bar, offered even more power, more excitement, a bit more scare, even.

And then we laid our hands on the BMW 640d Gran Coupe – the first ever four-door coupe in the history of the carmaker whose acronym unfolds to ‘Brings Me Women’ for most testosterone heavy males across the world. An exhilarating fusion of earth shattering performance, extraordinary design and cutting edge tech, the 640 Gran Coupe emphatically reminded us why we love automobiles so much. While parallels are drawn with the Merc CLS and the Audi A7 as regards concept, BMW prefers considering the Gran Coupe a fitting competitor for the Porsche Panamera and the Aston Martin Rapide. A few hundred kilomteres with the car, and we knew why BMW has a reason to think that way. Hang on to the handles, as we share with you our invigorating experience with this unique driving machine.

Design and visuals

Long, low and extremely sharp – the 640 Gran Coupe, visually, is like a blade, potent enough to slice whatever comes its way in two. Inspired by the idea of a sharp object cutting through water, and the resultant lines and forms, the Gran Coupe is an embodiment of forward motion, even while being at a standstill. The long bonnet, the low roofline, the extended wheelbase – that blade like form lends the 640d a sense of dynamism rarely witnessed in the relatively tall modern cars.

The long bonnet has two power exuding chiseled curves tapering towards the nose. The Swept back headlamps have intricate detailing and some of the most tastefully put together LED clusters. The bumper houses the iconic kidney grille in the upper section, and has two side air intakes defined by chrome inserts. Sitting right above the intakes are rows of extremely powerful, and equally beautiful LED fog lamps.

The 640d Gran Coupe looks best in profile, where the protracted bumper, along with the low roofline and a balanced posterior lends this Bimmer a silhouette which is an embodiment of the idea of rapid forward motion. Massive 19 inch wheels add more muscle and are complemented by the strong beltline running through the handles. The front fender ends in a dramatic surface which extends all the way across the lower portion of the doors adding some more rippling muscles to the 640d’s profile. A chrome lining around the greenhouse balances the equation by adding loads of elegance and class.

The Sporty character carries over to the rear end with a boot which looks rather stubby as compared with the rest of the car – a virtue, for it adds to the resolute forward motion exuded by the car. From behind, you get to see the most exquisitely designed tail-lamps which look even more beautiful when lit. There’s a characteristic stop lamp spanning the width of the rear windshield. Together, the three lamps look beautiful and define the character of the 640d at the rear end.
The 640d is one of the most intricately detailed piece of metal on our roads today. Incomparably more beautiful to look at in the flesh than in pictures, the Gran Coupe is a sublime fusion of aggression and elegance. It has a very strong character, and in our honest opinion, has the authenticity to inspire many a designer in the future.

Engine and transmission

At the heart of the 640d is a maddeningly exhilarating, 3.0 liter straight-six twin turbo power plant dishing out 313bhp of raw diesel power, complemented by 630Nm of torque capable of moving mountains. While the peak power is attained at 4400 rpm, that tsunami of torque is available from as low as 1500 rpm and upto 2500 rpm. For those of you who don’t understand what it means, the 640d can out accelerate any regulation car from 20km/h in fifth gear, even if the competitor is allowed to shift up from first gear. With so much power and torque produced within such a useable band, it doesn’t matter which gear or what revs you’re in, the 640d just lunges forward with an intent to pierce through the horizon.

Mated to that diesel power house is an eight-speed automatic transmission. Silken smooth and flashing fast – the transmission works beautifully well with the engine. You can manually shift gears using the drive selector on the central floating panel, or via the steering mounted pedals. If you actually do that on the road, though, you’re a big show off, because for all practical purposes, using just the drive mode would be enough for you to have (much) more than sufficient power for any situation. If that amazes you, here’s the clincher – the car has an ARAI fuel efficiency rating of 18.8kmpl. And you may officially start scratching your heads now.
You can choose from four drive modes – Eco Pro, Comfort, Sport and Sport+, all of which have various mappings for transmission behavior, steering stiffness, suspension stiffness and throttle response.

Next page for performance, ride and handling>>>