2021 BMW 6 Series Gran Turismo Road Test Review
BMW has been on a roll lately in India launching a string of models in our market. The latest being the highly updated 2021 6 Series GT. Well the GT or Gran Turismo also known as Grand Tourer is known for their long distance comfort and ride quality due to their sheer space, size and overall dynamics. We drive the latest version of the 6 Series GT to know what has changed and how does it actually perform in our real world drive conditions, read on to know all.
Food for Thought
BMW launched the 6 Series GT in 2017 replacing the 5 Series GT at the 2017 Frankfurt Auto Show. Hussein Al-Attar designed the BMW 6 Series GT. The 6GT is larger than the 5GT and is based on BMW’s Cluster Architecture (CLAR) platform. The 6GT is known for its standard Air Suspension that automatically lowers by 9.9 mm when travelling at speeds over 120 kmph.
Exteriors
To start off the BMW 6GT is a fairly large sized car. The car stands at 5091mm in length, 1902mm in width and 1538mm in height which puts it way away from the 5 Series and into the 7 Series category in terms of dimensions. In terms of looks the 6GT comes with the latest generation BMW kidney grille which is bold and large in size adorning chrome surrounds and 16 vertical slats. The bumper too is all new now with sharp lines and a large wide mesh air dam along with glossy black inserts on either edges. The headlights too are all new with twin ‘L’ shape DRL and a neat blue band eye lid, these are adaptive Laser LED head lamps that also get non dazzling high beam assist along with Matrix technology. The bonnet is long and comes with typical BMW character lines.
Coming to the sides, well this is the profile where you can actually see the sheer size of the car. Side profile is highlighted with a very large glass area, blacked out glass frames and piller, sharp sloping roofline that mates with the notchback rear end, air intakes on the fenders, 19 inched smart looking petal shape dual tone alloys (upgradable to 20 inches) and the dual tone wing mirror. The sharp waistline defines the side profile while the large fixed quarter glass confirms its sport notchback styling.
Coming to the rear the key highlight here are the latest generation all LED 3D type tail lamps, electric spoiler that can be manually deployed too, dualtone rear bumper with sharp bodylines and the sloping rear wind shield depicting the GT character of the car and also the dual trapezoidal exhausts with chrome tip placed on either edges of the bumper. You also get slim strip type stop reflectors placed on the bumper.
The 2021 6 Series GT will be available new paint shades which include Phytonic Blue metallic, Piemont Red metallic and Bernina Grey Amber Portimao Blue metallic finish (on M Sport) and Tanzanite Blue metallic(on BMW Individual).
The fit & finish is very premium with trademark BMW standards and the 6GT demands a lot of road presence with ease.
Interiors
The cabin area is one of the key USP for the 6GT wit key USP here being its spaciousness and comfort. Step inside this GT and you are cocooned into trademark BMW premium interiors. The large flat dashboard is made of premium soft touch rubbery material and also gets wood inserts with metal strips. The lower dash gets tan color making it looks very rich. The key highlight of the dash is the two 12.3 inch screens that make for the AVN touch-screen system and the instrument cluster. The touch screen system comes loaded with all the connectivity features including Apple Carplay, Android Auto, BMW live cockpit professional, radio, mobile connectivity etc. Below this is the new generation climate control unit with touch-screen for setting the fan speed. The steering unit is a three spoke design with metal inserts on it. The steering feels meaty and very premium to grip and also gets all electric adjust for height and reach along with paddle shifters. Coming to the instrument screen this large sized color screen is very informative and customizable as per the drive modes and needs.
The climate control is a 4 zone unit with temperature and fan speed settings available for all the zones.
The centre dash gets the i-drive shifter, control dial and the drive mode muttons placed in glossy black surrounded with metal inserts. You also get control buttons for deploying the electric spoiler and air suspension placed here. Front seats get full electric adjust including head rest adjust along with memory function. Front seats are fairly large in size and offer support and comfort to the best along with good visibility in the front. Rear seat comfort is another key highlight on the 6GT, here you have tons of leg room, head room, knee room and shoulder room even with the front two seats set to their maximum back position. The 6GT also gets electric adjust for the rear seats back rest enhancing comfort to a large extent. Rear seat comfort and privacy is further enhanced with the electric window blinds that can be rolled up at the press of a button. You also get ambient lights and carpet lighting along with dynamic interior lighting on the 6GT.
The 2021 BMW 6GT also comes with rear screen entertainment screens. These are two 10.25 inch full HD touch screen units that work on BMW operating system 7 giving full control to the AVN system to the rear passengers when needed. You get one USB charge port and two USB C ports in the front while at the rear you get four USB C ports and also a HDMI port. Wireless charge port is also standard on the 6GT package.
You also get a 16 speaker Harman Kardon sound system that plays some impressive audio. Also standard on the package is a large panoramic sun roof. The 6GT boasts of a large boot area that of 600 liters that can be further increased to 1800 liters at a press of a button those folds down the rear seats.
The interiors on the 6 Series GT oozes premium quality and trademark BMW styling. There is tons of space, comfort and the cabin feels the best place to be for long drives or after a busy day at work while being chauffeured back home.
Engine – Drive – Transmission
The 2021 BMW 6GT is available in two petrol and three diesel engines for India. Powering the 630i is the 2.0L petrol engine that makes 258hp of power and 400Nm of torque. The 620d gets its power from 2.0L diesel engine with 190hp and 400Nm of torque. The top of the line 630d GT gets its power from the 3.0L 6-cylinder oil burner that makes 265hp and 620Nm of torque. Transmission option on all the engines is the 8-speed steptronic sport units.
We drove the 630i GT and here is our drive experience. You instantly realize the smoothness and refinement of this engine. Slot the shifter into the drive mode and you can feel the spirited drive that the GT can give you. The power delivery is very good and always available when needed. The steering feedback is nice and can be changed by shifting the drive modes (Eco, Comfort, Sport). The drive modes also alter the power intensity and the way the car handles along with steering feedback. The gear shifts are very smooth and not felt. The comfort levels is pretty high in the cabin. Overtaking with the 6GT is bliss while the overall drive feel is very satisfying and involving. The car feels very agile and spirited at all times and the 630i lives to the BMW brand name in all departments.
In terms of drive quality the 6GT gets air suspension which can be raised by 20mm till 35kmph when it comes back to its regular height. Also after 135kmph the car lowers itself further and also deploys the rear spoiler automatically. Overall ride quality is excellent and the air suspension works flawlessly ironing out the bad roads, pot holes and speed breakers very nicely offering some top class drive quality that you can think of in this class.
Verdict
The 2021 BMW 6GT is a perfect car for you if you want something more than the 5 Series but don’t want the 7 Series. Something that you can be chauffeured around from Monday to Friday and you can take to the wheels on the weekends. The 6GT boasts of loads of space, premium features and stands out in terms of styling making it a very good option in its class.
