BMW’s 6GT is a fantastic car. The problem is that India isn’t quite the country for it
last week, I wrote about the third-generation BMW X3 on its way to India. But that was not the only car I drove around Sintra, Portugal. On the long highways bypassing lisbon and the mountain roads around it, I also drove the all-new BMW 6GT. Now, to start off, you must keep in mind that this is a bit of a nomenclature change. The 6GT is actually the second generation of the 5GT and the underlying architecture of the car is the same as the new 5-series. A reason for the nomenclature change is possibly two-fold, one to prevent cannibalisation of 5-series sales and also highlight how big this car actually is.
The version I drove in Portugal was the 6GT M40i, which is the same 350-horsepower three-litre six-cylinder twin-turbocharged engine I drove on the X3. like the X3, the 6GT will also come with the three-litre diesel and it is likely that BMW India will bring both engine options to India, although there will be a huge bias towards the diesel engine. Straight off the bat, this engine is fabulous. On the highways around lisbon, Sintra and Cascais it accelerates to the speed limit of 120 kilometres per hour in a jiffy. After that, as you wind past the hillsides that all seem to be topped with massive wind turbines (I didn’t see too many birds in coastal Portugal, wonder if there is a correlation here), it always has just the right amount of power. While the same N55 engine does service on the M3/M4 (as the S55), you really think that this much power is perfect in the 6GT.
Now, a few months ago I wrote about the BMW 330i GT, which is the younger sibling of this car. The 3-series GT is an immensely comfortable car and thanks to its longer wheelbase than the regular 3-series, a car that I would recommend. But with the 6GT, while I love its engine and when I drive the 30d model, I’m sure that will be fun as well. There is a problem with this car though. It is very big. And here is the thing about both GT cars that BMW makes, these are both cars that demand to be driven.
The system warns you to keep your hand on the wheel but it does do a lot else. There are some major changes from the old generation and even the 3GT; the major one is that BMW has managed to integrate the lift arms for the notchback into the frame of the car, so those ridiculously large D-pillars are gone. Of course, there are the looks. This is a handsome car but the rear profile isn’t the best, better than the 5GT, but still a lot of metal. like on the X3, the taillights now have a three-dimensional shape, and the light pattern on the rear lights does make the car look a lot nicer at night.
You can easily sit at the back of a 3-series or 5-series being chauffeured around but the GT are cars that make long-distance driving fun. Seriously, the new 5-series is a beautiful car if you like BMWs and don’t want to drive. But the GT is a car you buy when you drive long distances yourself, with or without your family. The car is available with optional air suspension and a Bowers & Wilkins audio system, both of which the press car had equipped as standard. It also came with all sorts of tech toys — active lane assist and active cruise control. I tried both features and I must admit on Portugal’s highways, they make long distance cruising almost autonomous.
But here is the thing, with its size and immense comfort over long distances, this is a vehicle you would not mind driving from lisbon to Barcelona and further leaving you no worse for the wear. The air suspension really made the ride comfortable and while the highways didn’t have too many winding corners, although there were a few reducing radius entrance and exit ramps where the car never felt uncomfortable and then the smaller B-roads through Portuguese villages on the cliffs overlooking the Atlantic, this car proved that it is great to drive.
It is the sort of car I would drive from Delhi to Mumbai and back. But highway driving in India is a bit insane, crowded and fairly deadly to boot. Which is why so many people fly over distances where they can drive in India. While I am yet to drive this within the city, I’d possibly avoid keeping such a big car inside its limits. But you never know, those new roads the government is talking of building, those may be the best place to have this car. Until then, I’d probably drive this only in Europe and keep the X3 in India.