If you want to feel like BMW’s M technology and performance are ergonomic extensions of your body, the M6 is your car. While the M6 coupe is more expensive than the four-door M5 sedan ($101,700 MSRP vs. $85,100), it justifies its price with superior handling, power, and, to most eyes, exterior style.
For 2009 the M6 has a new iDrive control wheel mounted on the center console and Carbon Black Metallic is a new color choice, but otherwise the M6 is essentially unchanged. It's still offered in both coupe and convertible form. Other than price ($107,500 for the ragtop) and weight (the convertible weighs an extra 500 pounds), the two are identical.
If you want to feel the sun on your head, go with the convertible, because the coupe doesn’t even offer a sunroof. But there’s a good reason for that: a carbon-fiber roof that's one-quarter the weight of steel. This super-light roof lowers the car’s center of gravity, which increases speed and helps in turns. More weight reductions in the front end further increase the car’s agility.
Of course BMW does much more than just shed weight to improve the M6’s handling. All-aluminum suspension bits with electronically controlled gas-strut shocks allow you to smoothly cycle through Normal, Comfort, and Sport spring rates. BMW’s Dynamic Stability Control provides better grip on slippery roads, and the Variable M Differential Lock offers more traction and power coming out of turns. The Double VANOS technology lets the engine “steplessly” choose valve timing for intake and exhaust camshafts to maximize engine response, efficiency, and emission control and provide a smoother idle.
Drivers will be glad to have all that technological help harnessing the power of the M6’s 5-liter, 500-hp, high-revving V-10 engine. Of course you don’t have to have all 500 horses if you don’t want – the variable valve timing allows you to work with “only” 400. But just to make sure you’re getting the most out of this engine, the M6 comes with a seven-speed Sequential Manual Gearbox that lets you have the interaction and control of a manual transmission without a clutch.
When you’re finally ready to stop this driving phenom, its four-wheel vacuum-assisted, ventilated, cross-drilled antilock compound disc brakes will do nicely, as will the radial-spoke, light, cast-alloy wheels with 255/40 front and 285/35 rear performance tires.
The interior doesn’t get forgotten here either, although the backseat probably isn’t suited for a long-distance trip. The iDrive wheel controls all entertainment and navigation functions as well as the adjustable power, suspension, and steering settings for the M-Drive. The 14-way power adjustable seats offer a snug fit. The Merino leather interior is extended and also includes a leather-wrapped sport steering wheel that telescopes and tilts.
By Tim O'Sullivan
