2014 BMW M6 Review

If you turn down the pace, the M6 managed to offer a safe feeling though. As long as you stay on the grip, this thing hugs the road with confidence. What’s more, it also displays BMW’s array of safety features, from Night Vision to Lane Departure Warning.

Nevertheless, the active rear diff shines from under the car. There’s a multi-plate limited-slip diff that can offer up to 100 percent lock. This all means that you won’t know what understeer means and you’ll feel the car arching its back a little as you push harder.

And while we’re at it, we might just go past the M Dynamic Mode (MDM) mode we’ve been using for the last hour or so. This partially tranquilizes the DSC, so you can enjoy the RWD feel. However, we’ve put the electronics away altogether now and this brings up a whole new face of the BMW M6.

BMW’s M division may have changed its ways, but when you’re up for some hooning, the old hooligan spirit of the car is still here. The M6 is a sweet tool for drifting. That active rear diff offers superb throttle control over the car’s direction.

And while in the E63 M6 you had to rev that naturally-aspirated V10 hard to extract the performance, the story is different now. To wag the M6’s tail from one bend to another, you can simply use moderate throttle inputs, feeding off the twin-turbo V8’s furious mid-range grunt.

It’s a pity then that BMW hasn’t made the M6 lighter, so that you could also fully enjoy all this on the road, not just when you’re out for tire smoke.

You see, when you’re done fooling around, you’ll notice that the pair of twin-scroll turbos placed between the cylinder banks of the S63Tu 4,395cc V8 are good, very good. But not magical.

While you have to wait until 6,000 rpm for the full 560 HP of the V8, the peak torque of 502 lb-ft (680 Nm) is claimed to be on tap between 1,500 and 5,750 rpm. Yes, the wide torque band is definitely a joy, but you never really get to feel that “apocalypse is coming!” acceleration feeling.

At 4.2 seconds to 62 mph and 12.6s to 124 mph (200 km/h), the M6’s figures look brilliant, as with any BMW in the range. However, out on the road, the engine feels less meaty than both Audi-Bentley’s 4.0-liter V8 and AMG’s 5.5-liter V8.

And when compared to the E63 M6, the new one is faster, but not all the way. Sure, it is 0.4s quicker to 62 mph, but the gap closes as the speed increases.

However, the new BMW M6 is certainly more suitable for everyday use. While we can live with the trade-offs required by that, there’s one thing that really left us wishing for more - the soundtrack.

BMW’s Active Sound system employs speakers that generate extra engine noise into the cabin, but you won’t see one hair raising on your body thanks to actual soundtrack in the car.