BMW 630I vs Lotus Emeya

What's the difference?

This isn't a car for everyone's tastes, but if you fit in to the buyer group that just doesn't really know what they want in a luxury car, it could be the perfect fit for your family. The 6 Series GT is a practical large prestige car, albeit one that will likely find very few buyers.

As both the conclusion to this Lotus trilogy, but also a car in its own right, the Emeya earns a positive review. It was fitting that I happened to drive the brand’s three newest models in the order I did - Emira, Eletre, Emeya - because it turned out to be the most interesting way to experience them.

The Emira is the swansong for Lotus as we knew it, while also giving a hint of what is to come, while the Eletre rockets into a dramatically different realm. But the Emeya manages to combine elements of both - the dynamic edge from the Emira with the luxurious and electric influence of the Eletre - resulting in a very likeable modern sports sedan.

There is no denying the 6 Series GT looks better than the old 5 Series GT. It isn't as frumpy, it looks more sporty, and to me it appears to have grown into its identity with more conviction than its predecessor.

That said, I don't necessarily like the look very much - it's a bit like a BMW X6 that has been rounded off a little and lowered down substantially. But I can appreciate some of the finer design aesthetics that it offers up: the frameless windows are a nice touch, and the swooping roofline looks smoother than a duck's back.

Other things like the active grille shutters and the air breathers ahead of the front doors are nice functional touches, and to my eye it lives up to BMW's hope of it looking "smooth but muscular". You can get the 630i with either the M Sport package, like you see here, or the more sedate Luxury Line, which is, well, more luxurious looking.

The M Sport styling and equipment package you see in the images here - with M aero kit and 19-inch wheels (ours had been upgraded to optional 20s) - help out with the athletic look of this very big vehicle.

It's huge in fact. The length of the 630i is 5091mm long, it measures 1902mm wide and sits at 1538mm tall, with a lengthy 3070mm wheelbase.

All that equates to a lot of room in the cabin, and what a sumptuous and delightful place it is to be - leather, wood and plush finishes abound.

It may be a contemporary electric sedan, but the latest Lotus design language does have a clear visual connection to the brand’s most iconic model - the Esprit. The angular lines create a wedge-like silhouette that harks back to the 1980s Esprit, albeit with a more modern appearance.

It does also have some less glamorous angles, especially around the rear three-quarter but it certainly doesn’t fall into the trap of having the non-descript, aerodynamic shape that some EVs can.

Inside the cabin is very luxurious and premium, taking the same styling from the Eletre and carrying it over. That means a very slim instrument display and a very large central screen for the multimedia systems. 

The overall level of fit and finish is impressive and gives the Emeya an unmistakably high-end feeling.

Now, I said before that this is a bit like an X6, but it has heaps better interior space than that SUV.

As soon as you slide into the driver's seat, you feel like your inside a large car. The cabin space is plentiful, and there's an abundance of storage on offer, too: there's a split-lid armrest between the seats, a pair of cupholders, a phone storage nook with wireless charging, and big door pockets with bottle holsters.

In the back you have access to door pockets, a flip-down armrest with cupholders (that middle part of the seat can fold down completely to allow storage of longer items), and there's excellent room on offer. How many seats in the BMW 6 Series GT? Five - like, five full-size seats.

Because the roofline doesn't rake as sharply as a four-door 'coupe', headroom is excellent for adults (even of the 183cm variety, like myself), and legroom and toe room are equally very good. This is bigger in the back than a 5 Series, but maybe not as plush as a 7 Series… so I guess it makes sense numerically for its nomenclature.

Of course you get climate control in the front (and in the rear if you option it), and the materials are excellent. The media screen is tablet-style, proudly displaying 10.25 inches of high-def real estate that is both touch-capacitive and controllable by way of the central rotary controller with touchpad. And get this - you can even use gestures to control certain elements like volume, swiping and changing tracks… but you have to option that.

The fully digital instrument display is bordered by a set of incomplete dial rings, which is just odd. BMW, back yourself - your buyers can handle just having a digital screen in front of them, particularly when it's as good as this one.

This grandiose hatchback's boot is commodious - with the back seats in place it has a huge 610 litres of cargo capacity, which extends to 1800L with the 40/20/40 seats folded down using the quick release levers in the boot area.

There is no spare wheel (the BMW range is fitted with run-flat tyres) but it does have a secondary hidden storage area under the boot floor for hiding items or stowing wet gear, bathers/swimmers or muddy clothes.

For context, the X6 has 580L seats up, 1525L seats down.

Even though the Emeya carries over much of the same interior design as the Eletre SUV, it’s still not the most practical sedan.

There are two cupholders in the centre console, a small shelf underneath the wireless smartphone charging pad and a centre console box, but aside from that, there’s no other significant storage space in the front.

The door pockets are quite narrow and while very plush, the cabin feels more like a sports car than a luxury limo.

The multimedia system, which runs through a 15.1-inch HD OLED screen looks very slick and is fairly easy to use, but does take a couple of days to get comfortable with it completely.

Where the Emeya impresses inside is with its space, the front seats are comfortable and offer good support, but in the back there’s a generous amount of room.

This is thanks to the length of the Emeya, which is why it looks a little awkward from some angles externally but it has allowed Lotus to create more internal room.

The Emeya is nearly 200mm longer than the Taycan overall and in its wheelbase, creating more legroom in the rear for passengers.

Those in the back also get access to a small screen to control the air-conditioning, recline their seats and even adjust the glass roof between opaque and clear. There’s also two USB-C ports and a pair of cupholders in the central armrest.

There are three models in the sedan’s line-up - Emeya, Emeya S and Emeya R. We tested the middle of the range model, which is priced from $209,990 (plus on-road costs). The range begins at $189,990, while the Emeya R crowns the line-up at nearly $259,990.

For comparison, the Porsche Taycan RWD is priced from $175,100 and the Taycan 4S from $216,300, while Audi’s e-tron GT is priced from $181,784 and the RS model from just over $250,484. Which means the Emeya is certainly in the same ballpark as its key rivals, giving the brand a good chance to compete against the more established pair. 

Befitting Lotus’ new premium era, standard equipment is a long list of luxuries and technology, including matrix LED headlights, 20-inch alloy wheels, air suspension, keyless entry and start, a key card with NFC (Near Field Communication) function, four-zone climate control, eight-way power adjustable front seats and heated front seats.

There’s also a KEF 1380-watt premium sound system with 15 speakers plus a wireless charging pad as well as a 12.6-inch digital instrument panel and a 15.10-inch OLED central multimedia screen.

Stepping up to the Emeya S adds 21-inch wheels, lightweight brake discs with six-piston calipers, ambient light and sports pedals. While the Emeya R gets a unique powertrain, its own 21-inch alloys, 'Track Mode', active roll bar and rear-wheel steering. 

Under the bonnet of the 630i is a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, which produces 190kW of power (at 6500rpm) and 400Nm of torque (from 1550-4400rpm). It uses an eight-speed automatic transmission, and is rear-wheel drive.

That may not seem a lot considering the size of this machine, but consider that some of the steamiest four-cylinder hot hatches have nearly the same outputs, and you realise this engine offers up a far-from slouched approach to propulsion.

The 640i xDrive has a 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbocharged engine with 250kW of power and 450Nm of torque. It gets the same eight-speed auto, but as the xDrive naming indicates, it's all-wheel drive.

But this is the one you'd prefer if you want to hit highway speed in a hurry - the 0-100km/h claim is 5.3 seconds, where the 630i takes a full second longer (6.3sec) according to the company.

The switch to electrification means Lotus has been able to share the same powertrains from the Eletre with the Emeya. Not that it’s a bad thing from a performance perspective, with the Emeya and Emeya S dual motors making 450kW and 710Nm.

The Emeya R gets more powerful motors - producing a seriously impressive 675kW and 985Nm - and a two-speed transmission for faster acceleration.

Lotus claims the Emeya and Emeya S can run 0-100km/h in a rapid 4.1 seconds, while the Emeya R takes just 2.7 seconds. Top speed for the Emeya is 250km/h, while the R is slightly faster at 256km/h.

BMW claims fuel use of 7.0 litres per 100 kilometres, and you'll need to use 95RON premium unleaded when you fill up.

On my trip with the car, I saw about 9.0L/100km across mostly high-speed driving - some freeway, some highway, some country back road touring, and quite a bit of corners and city stuff thrown in as well. I think that's pretty respectable.

What wasn't so great was the lack of premium fuel in some of the 'away from civilisation' places on my route home. Keep that in mind if planning your own GT long-distance cruise.

All three Emeya variants share the same 102kWh lithium-ion battery and 800-volt architecture. Lotus claims the entry-grade and Emeya S models have a WLTP range of between 500-610km, while the more powerful R can manage between 435-485km. Thanks to its lower, sleeker body that’s approximately 75km and 35km more than the equivalent Eletre.

Lotus also claims the Emeya is one of the fastest charging EVs on the market today, capable of going from  10 to 80 per cent capacity in just 14 minutes when using a 400kW DC fast charger. 

I'll put this out there - if you like to drive, there are BMW models for less than this one that will put a much bigger smile on your face. Like, a 440i Gran Coupe, or even just a 330i sedan…

But if you're in BMW's target market - that being older executive buyers who want space and luxury as a priority over thrills at the wheel, you could do a lot worse.

That's because the 6 Series GT lopes along the highway without fuss - the engine easily coping with the demands of overtaking moves, the adjustable drive modes allowing a light steering and wafting suspension feel to wile away the kilometres.

There are 'Comfort' and 'Comfort Plus' modes, but the latter is a bit too spongy and can be boaty feeling. The Comfort setting is made for the highway.

It is actually pretty agile for its dimensions.

If you decide to deviate from the straight sections, you'll be able to explore a little bit of dynamic range, especially when you dial up the 'Sport' mode, which changes the damper settings, steering weight, throttle and transmission response, and even the digital dials in front of the driver to a more aggressive look.

Our car had the 'Integral Active Steering' setting, which is a variable ratio steering system that includes rear steering - that essentially helps make is more turnable in corners at highway speed, and easier to park at lower speeds. It's difficult to say whether the assistance is excellent or not short of driving a car without the tech, but to this tester it was hard to hide the size and weight (1835kg kerb weight) of the vehicle.

That isn't to say it's clumsy or lumbering - it is actually pretty agile for its dimensions, though it makes a lot more sense on long drives and coastal cruises than it does in the narrow and twisty alpine roads of the Snowy Mountains Highway that I tested it on.

There's good grip from the tyres, and strong response from the powertrain - but if it were my money, and I had to have a 6 Series for whatever reason, I'd be looking towards the 640i model, which has a thumping six-cylinder with 250kW/450Nm - certainly an engine that would be more at home in this car. Plus that model comes with AWD.

When I drove the Eletre I was struck by the challenges of making modern electric vehicles feel unique and special across each brand. There is a ‘generic’ level of performance that makes it hard to tell the difference between a Lotus or BMW or another EV. 

That’s noticeably less of an issue with the Emeya, which may be bigger and heavier than the brand’s former sports cars, but it does have a surprisingly agile and responsive chassis when you get it out on the open road.

Lotus may be leaning on Geely for its EV knowledge, but when it comes to ride and handling, the British brand has a deep well of talent and experience to draw from.

Does it feel as agile and dynamic as the Emira or an Exige? Of course not, but it is a genuinely enjoyable and engaging car to drive. Certainly compared to its direct rivals, the Emeya has no trouble holding its own on a challenging section of winding road.

Safety is another area where Lotus has made dramatic changes as part of its luxurious makeover, adding a huge amount of the latest technology. As such, all Australian Emeyas are equipped with 'Lotus Pilot Pack' which includes adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, rear cross-traffic alert, blind-spot monitoring, driver monitoring and traffic sign information, as well as front park assist and rear park assist, to help you get into your spot.

There’s also the optional Highway Assist Pack, which includes four LIDAR while also using cameras and other sensors to allow for mild-autonomous driving capability; which is a dramatic change for a brand that was once only focused on making the driver feel fully engaged.

Neither ANCAP nor Euro NCAP have tested the Emeya, as the safety authority rarely tests such expensive and niche models.

BMW runs a condition-based servicing plan, which means the car will tell you when it needs servicing. But you can rest assured it won't (theoretically) cost you much, with the brand's 'Service Inclusive' pack. It covers you for basic maintenance as and when required for five years/80,000km. According to BMW, that includes "annual vehicle checks, oil changes, all filters, spark plugs and labour costs for the duration of the package".

BMW offers a three-year/unlimited kilometre warranty plan, and you get the same cover for roadside assistance.

Lotus Australia doesn’t offer capped price servicing, so you’ll need to discuss the on-going maintenance costs for your Emeya with your local dealer. The recommended service interval is 24 months or 30,000km.

However, every new Lotus model is covered by a five-year/150,000km warranty for the car, with eight-year/200,000km cover for the drive battery.