It’s unusual for BMW to renew a whole model series in one go, but that’s exactly what it’s about to do: these are the first official pictures of the updated BMW 6-series, 6-series Convertible and 6-series Gran Coupe, with the new M6 thrown in for good measure.
Has anything actually changed?
It’s not the most radical of facelifts, granted. New LED headlights and foglights, nine bars in the kidney grille instead of 10 (for improved cooling) and an altered front apron with a full-width air-vent are the main changes at the front.
At the back there’s a bit more chrome on the boot and bigger tailpipes on six-cylinder models. New wheel designs and a few new paint colour choices round off the exterior changes, while on the inside there are more glossy bits, leather bits and LED-illuminated bits than before. BMW’s ‘ConnectedDrive’ sat-nav system is standard.
Aerodynamic improvements (including slipperier mirrors) have helped improve the 6-series’ fuel-efficiency slightly. The 640d diesel Coupe now returns 54.3mpg (officially, at least) and enjoys the lowest CO2 emissions of the range at 139g/km – not bad for such a bulky car, especially one where even the base model can get from 0-62mph in 5.5 seconds.
Any technical changes?
There are more mix-’n’-match settings for the dampers – so it’ll take even longer to get the car just the way you want it – and the latest rear-wheel steering technology makes the car more stable in fast bends and quicker to turn into slow ones.
All petrol models have a sport exhaust system as standard with a switchable valve that reduces back pressure and allows a throatier noise when activated.
What about the M6?
Not a lot new to discuss, really. It’s still monumentally quick, it’s still available with two doors or four and with a roof or without, and it still looks much the same as it did before. It’ll get from 0-62mph in 4.2 seconds (or 4.3 for the convertible) and as before top speed is electronically pegged at 155mph.
Fuel economy and CO2 emissions, if M6 buyers are interested in such things, stand at 28.5mpg and 231g/km respectively for the Coupe.
2015 BMW 6-series model range
640d (six-cylinder diesel) 309bhp, 465lb ft
640i (six-cylinder petrol) 316bhp, 332lb ft
650i (V8 bi-turbo petrol) 444bhp, 479lb ft
M6 (V8 bi-turbo petrol) 552bhp, 502lb ft
All are available with two-door Coupe, convertible or longer-wheelbase four-door Gran Coupe bodies. The latter now makes up nearly half of 6-series sales.
UK specs and prices will be confirmed at the Detroit motor show in January, where BMW will simultaneously whip the covers off the new 6-series Coupe, Convertible and Gran Coupe. Expect three main trim levels, SE, Sport and M Sport.
Read CAR’s first drive of the pre-facelift BMW M6 here, and find out how it fared in a group test against the Merc SL63, Bentley GTC and Jaguar XKR-S here.