BMW M6 2012 review: first drive

It's hard not to like the new BMW M6 twins. I know I shouldn't be attracted to the go-fast German coupe and convertible because they are big and heavy and thirsty and expensive and - let's be honest - selfish.

But then I turn catch sight of the cars and crack the first smile, and when I hit the starter button and the twin-turbo V8 comes to life I'm forgetting all the rational stuff. And that's what moves people to park an M6 or a Porsche 911 or a Benz SL in the driveway.

They just want one - and they don't care that the bottom line is going to be around $290,000. "You have at least two cars in one," Siegried Friedmann, head of M6 development, tells Carsguide. You have a very comfortable car on one hand and you can run it like a real sports car on a racetrack. "It's three cars if you have the convertible, which is my favourite."

VALUE

The new Msters are very very expensive and that means owners can - and will - expect a lot. It's almost a given that the cabins are wrapped in leather, studded with a giant colour display, fitted with chilluscious aircon and a punchy sound system, with all the luxury that Chinese-car buyers can only dream about.

But the M6 coupe also comes with a lightweight carbon fibre-reinforced plastic roof and the convertible - old-school, with a folding canvas top - has space for four adults in the cabin.

BMW has a history of hiding lots of nice stuff on the list of extra-cost optional equipment but about the only thing that's worth adding to an M6 - apart, perhaps, from special paint and a custom fit-out in the cabin - is the M division's first carbon-ceramic brakes.

The special stoppers will migrate rapidly across the M-car range but they will never be cheap, adding around $18,000 - my Carsguide guesstimate - the showroom sticker.

TECHNICAL

The M6 twins are really an M5 sedan after a - long and expensive - trip to the plastic surgeon. They're longer and lighter - 20 kilos in the case of the coupe - but with a shorter wheelbase to sharpen the handling.

The mechanical package is taken directly from the M5, which means a 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 engine that makes 412 kiloWatts and 680 Newton-metres - so 0-100 in 4.2 seconds, top speed 305km/h, thirst 9.5 litres/100km - the M division's signature seven-speed double-clutch manumatic transmission, rear-wheel drive with an active differential, giant brakes and driver adjustable steering, transmission, engine and suspension settings.

The attention to detail includes huge work to get enough cooling air into the engine bay, and even a tiny lip spoiler on the boot of the M6 coupe. "It's a totally new car and we have developed a good package. We have achieved everything. Actually, it even over-fills the requirements that we had at the beginning," says Friedmann.

DESIGN

The M division has taken the basics of the 6 Series coupe and convertible and then added the usual muscle. That means bigger wheels, more aggressive noses, the rocket-launcher exhaust pipes, and M tweaking of the seats and wheel and transmission controller.

The end result is just what you expect - a car that already turns heads now snaps them around. The review cars in Spain are bright blue for the convertibles and the coupes are a metallic goldy-red, topped by the black of the carbon fibre roof.

SAFETY

The M6 twins should definitely be five-star NCAP machines, based on their airbags and enough safety acronyms - from the usual ABS and ESP to infinity - covering active and passive assistance for all the systems that can get you out of trouble. The most obvious one is the traction control, as any car as powerful as these Msters can be difficult to control if the road gets oily or you're struck by a sudden downpour.

DRIVING

Strapping into anything from the M division guarantees a memorable drive, and my time with the M6s in Spain runs from a leisurely country loop in the convertible - mostly with the top up to combat blistering 40-degree heat - and a full-on Ascari thrash in the coupe.

The most impressive thing is the cars' ability to cover long distances with almost zero fuss, whether that's cruising on a freeway at 120km/h, hustling up and down mountain passes, or just battling stop-star city traffic. The twins - ok, they're non-identical - have the rare ability to compact space into time and make life easier.

But that's not what M cars are about. BMW's motorsport division made its reputation with rapier-sharp driving cars and the M6s are more like meat cleavers. Effective, without doubt, but not particularly subtle and very heavy and - yes - a little imposing.

And that's what has happened to M in recent years, as the twin-turbo engine originally developed for the hulking X6 and X5 SUVs has spread through the M5 and into the M6. It's also meant more weight, more complication and less of the track-focussed intensity which made the original M3s - and even the V10-powered M5 - so special.

Big, heavy, fast cars make a lot of sense in Europe and these Msters are brutally fast any time you can get the power to the ground. They are motorcycle-quick for overtaking, yet somehow manage fuel economy that is good for a mid-sized commuter car.

They also have lots of X-box type things to fiddle and tweak, supposedly tailoring the car to the driver, but I find it's best to leave the engine-transmission-suspension in the baseline setup for everything but the track. The gearbox doesn't need any help, the suspension provides great grip while masking the cars' weight, and the engine is force-fed extravagance.

By the numbers, the M6 should be impressive and it's easy to have fun. But I'm still wondering if M has lost the way, confusing fast for focussed. At the end of 36 hours of M6 immersion, topped by Ken Block-style fun at the track and then an economy-run dawdle home that's as relaxing as a non-M BMW, I'm impressed by the cars. They have usable 2+2 cabins that put them up against a string of impressive rivals, and I rate them ahead of some big names.

But I'm not in love. The feelings are strong, and that's important for such emotional cars, but the M6 twins don't tug nearly as hard as the Mercedes SL63 AMG I drove last month, or the latest Porsche 911 and Boxster.

VERDICT

The sun shone and we had a good speed. But the M6 is like a heavy steak and a beer when what you really want is a satisfying chicken salad with a mineral water.