Ekona Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 (edited) So with the prospect of moving the 911 onwards this year, my search for a new car starts with one of Munich's finest. The E63 M6. Yeah, awful pics! The ad itself is here, which is much better. Still, no-one wants to see pics of it really. What you really want to know is whether a fat, lardy-arsed barge with a stonking great lump up front could possibly replace the greatest sports car ever. No chance, surely? Initial impressions are quite positive. It's not that much bigger than the 911, certainly not in width but then the Porker does have that posterior which helps the girth comparisons. The M6 is bigger, of course it is, but the lines and possibly the deep black of this car help shrink it to the eye. It's very subtle too, with just the single labelled badge on the rear to accompany the two M logos on the side strakes by the repeaters. The biggest giveaway that this is something special is the trademark quad exhaust, the sure sign of an M-car. Considering this is a Bangle-era car, it really doesn't shout too loudly, and maybe my aging 34 years finds this to now be a plus point. The doors open with a solid movement, and clunk with that reassuringly expensive Germanic manner. Dropping into the seat is a cinch with the large door opening, and the seat itself is a curious combination of a sofa chair (big padded bolsters) and a race seat (a billion motors in those bolsters to lock you in place).It's comfy, sure, but it's also grippy. There's leather everywhere and it's held up well in this car, with only a smidge of wear on the door cards giving away the 50k miles this 2005 model has done. The steering wheel is like new, which is pleasing, unlike the scratchy centre console plastics. It's better than the Zed, but still disappointing. What isn't disappointing is the noise. Not of the interior, although the Logic 7 stereo is superb, but of the engine. It throbs into life with a smoothness to settle the slightly busy idle, but at this point it's still maintaining the subtlety of the outside. Click the SMG III lever across from neutral to drive, and off you go. It's a fully automated manual 'box, unlike my dual-clutch PDK in the 911, so there's no creep at all. I make a somewhat jerky move away, which is my fault rather than the car, but it's a pussycat. If you know all about this era M5/M6 you can skip this next part, but I'm a gadget freak so I love this stuff. The car starts up with only (!) 400bhp, with the SMG in slowest change mode, and the three-stage EDC dampers in soft. Like this, it's a lovely wafting bargemobile. It feels docile, but it's got more than enough shove to overtake with ease, and with plenty in reserve. You can then push the power button to give you the full fat 500 bhp, and then you can change the shift mode into a more aggressive change whilst adding manual changes with the paddles if you prefer, and then finally cranking up the damping level. I settle for P500S, SMG 5 and EDC 2. The S in the P500S stands for Sport, which is activated only by pushing the M button to recall your favourite settings. Basically, it's a sharper throttle response, and activates the HUD which shows gear, speed and rev counter so you no longer have to adjust focus when pressing on. And finally, after all that, you find a straight and you press the throttle to the carpet. And then you hold on. Make no mistake, my 911 is a quick car, but the M6 makes it feel like a diesel Fiesta. The rate at which it gathers speed is utterly immense, and it's done with a soundtrack that gives you a full aural eargasm. The V10 wants to rev, and when you really ring it out to 8500 RPM it's got that beautiful metallic tingle right at the top, a proper vee-ten shriek. It's not like some uber-barges where you don't know what speed you're doing: Every millisecond that goes by, you're acutely aware that this thing is shifting hard. I've never driven something so ferocious, yet had so much control because it's NA not the false shove you get with a turbo. Honestly, I could rant about it for days, but make no mistake that this is a very special powerplant. I've topped 175mph in the 911 which has a max speed of 186mph, but the grunt this thing has leaves me in no doubt that it'll hit 200mph. It's savage. Watching the rev counter climb higher and higher into those big numbers would never get tiresome, although keeping an eye out for blue lights might. And yet, it never feels out of control. The steering is perhaps lighter than I'm used to, but it's accurate and I had no troubles placing the the car on some very tigt twisty bends. It doesn't feel any bigger than the 911 either, which is good, so I know that when I chance upon the right road the M6 won't leave me hungry for Pork. The middle EDC setting seems well suited to the British B-road, and the nose settles very quickly allowing you to press on with confidence. The brakes are typical BMW sharp, and I suspect they'd wither on track, but on the road? They're solid, and stop the 1700kg+ with ease and more importantly with feel. So would I change? Well, my love for a Temper Orange HR 350 is still there, so I need to drive one of those to find out exactly where I want to go to next. It's not certain the 911 will even go, I'm just exploring options right now. The one issue I may have with the M6 is that it's too quick for the UK roads, which is a criticism I've laid at the door of the 911 in the past. That said, I've still found many occasions to enjoy the flat six to the full, so is it less of an issue now I have a dedicated track car? I'm not sure. What I do know is that I adore the M6 in a way I never did with my very brief flirtation with the V8 M3, and I'd be very happy with one in my garage. Although I need a bigger garage for that, as the M6 is 191.8" and my garage is only 192" long, and I'm not that good at parking Edited February 9, 2014 by Ekona Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMballistic Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Very interesting read and great write up Dan. Tbh I'd love either of those car's but after reading your impression on the BMW I think I'd go for the M6 if I was ever able to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmc Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Excellent write up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhackyWill Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Nice bit of kit and getting affordable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragon Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Great write up and a very tasty car Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KyleR Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 What about the handling of the ship? I'd love an M6, but I'm not a track day guy (yet) so the handling wouldn't make a huge difference to me. Compared to the 911 how does it go around corners because I imagine it to be a little understeery due to the weight. I wanted to suggest you go for the temper HR, but then I thought to myself, if I had the cash to buy either, where would I go? The answer the the M6. For you it may be a little different however, since you enjoy your track days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stutopia Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Nice write up, as usual I'm sure the M6 could restart the earth if it ever stopped spinning and for sheer practicality it'll win by a mile, but it just doesn't look as flat out sexy as the Porsche. If you showed the first pic to 100 people and offered them the keys to either, which do you think would require a trip to a locksmith to get most keys cut? No one's ever got a sideways glance from a dusky French maiden on the streets of Paris in a saloon BMW, but the 911 would get said Mademoiselle wetter than Jamie Oliver's chin. It has that certain je ne sais pas, which numbers can't conjure. Just my 2p. They're both awesome machines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoogyRev Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Great write up Dan Unfortunately the urge to vomit every time I looked at it would put me off a tad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dashurik Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 (edited) my mate has new m5 .. drove as a passenger..very comfy,quite inside,great acceleration....Love the speedo which is reflected in the windscreen ,so you don't need to look down to check your speed etc....Handling is amazing! Edited February 9, 2014 by Dashurik Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davectr Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Great write up! It's one hell'uva car, especially with its stealth looks - it depends if you want to get noticed or not. All that performance for that price 😳. The only thing that would concern me is the housing estate in the background of the pics looks a bit dodgy 😄 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted February 9, 2014 Author Share Posted February 9, 2014 What about the handling of the ship? I'd love an M6, but I'm not a track day guy (yet) so the handling wouldn't make a huge difference to me. Compared to the 911 how does it go around corners because I imagine it to be a little understeery due to the weight. I wanted to suggest you go for the temper HR, but then I thought to myself, if I had the cash to buy either, where would I go? The answer the the M6. For you it may be a little different however, since you enjoy your track days. Handling was much better than I expected. Put it this way, on some very narrow roads I was able to get the nose tucked in with ease, and that's assuming it's on a very basic geo setup: Who knows how good it could be if you tinkered with it? Much like the Zed is a bit understeery from OEM, but you can get it perfect. On a flowing track I doubt it would see which way the 911 went, but then it's never going to see a track so I'm not convinced it would matter. It's not floaty like I expected, but neither is the suspension too harsh. It carried the weight well, and I've no doubt on slightly more open roads with a few more miles under my belt I'd feel happy using the power to get the back end to rotate. I'm sure the M6 could restart the earth if it ever stopped spinning and for sheer practicality it'll win by a mile, but it just doesn't look as flat out sexy as the Porsche. If you showed the first pic to 100 people and offered them the keys to either, which do you think would require a trip to a locksmith to get most keys cut? No one's ever got a sideways glance from a dusky French maiden on the streets of Paris in a saloon BMW, but the 911 would get said Mademoiselle wetter than Jamie Oliver's chin. Top wordage! You're right, of course, there's no doubt the 911 is more desirable and tbh it does everything the M6 does, but with more panache. What it doesn't have is that engine, and as good as the DFI flat six is, it's not quite at the same peak as the V10. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK350Z Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Time has arguably be kindest on the M6 out of all the Bangle-era BMWs. Those black wheels look preposterously cheap on it though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted February 9, 2014 Author Share Posted February 9, 2014 They are awful, aren't they? And that's coming from a fan of black wheels, as a rule. Definitely standard ones for me. If I go that route, of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glrnet Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Great analytical write up Dan, but god damn that Bimmer is fugly IMHO. Temper 350 FTW and mod the hell out of it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bems Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Great write up. Bargain of a car ATM along with M5's although eye wateringly expensive if anything goes wrong with that engine. HUD is a great toy too. Have it on my X3 & although its not something I would have originally specced with the car I have to say its probably one of my favourites now & would spec it in any future BMW. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted February 9, 2014 Author Share Posted February 9, 2014 Warranty is pretty good on used Bee-Ems, about £100pcm and it covers bumper to bumper. There's various different levels of cover too, so you can pay less for less if you want. I think it's quite handsome, in a unique way. 911 and 350 are definitely prettier though, no argument here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suits Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 M6 is the outright fastest car I've ever been in. The V10 sounds a bit naff on idle but get it revving and it sounds great, if you can hold onto your ears while it moves forward at silly pace. Nothing I've been in moves at such ridiculous pace after 100mph as one of these, its almost frightening. Not my cup of tea but it depends what you want it for or what you expect it to do i suppose. All IMO. Insane machine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtbiscuit Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 I love the 6 series, nice cars Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Humpy Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Great write up dan and a big fan of the 6 series. Sounds like fun In that V10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ioneabee Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Neighbour up the road from has just bought one of these - it sounds immense ................ shame he's such a knob 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMT Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Good right up! Its not the...prettiest of things but when you look at these sort of cars M6, M5 (V10), M3(V8) with not too much mileage you can pick them up at pretty 'good' prices! Very tempting if you've got the means I nearly mentioned fuel economy..but lets be honest if your able to even look at a car with a V10 and consider it you won't be bothering too much about mpg... lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted February 10, 2014 Author Share Posted February 10, 2014 The salesman did proudly state that this car is in the lower tax bracket, to which I pointed out the difference was about two tanks of fuel or 400 miles 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ponsonby Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 For £18K I would be happy to sell you my Temper Orange 350 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brillomaster Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 as mentioned, if you're considering fuel economy, this isnt the car for you, but in all seriousness... any indication of mpg from your drive? not expecting a lot, but surely it'd get mid twenties on a cruise? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bems Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 A friend of mine recently sold his v10 m5 for the new v8. In the time he had it he averaged 17mpg mixed town & motorway driving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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