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Torque Monster Practicality over tradition? The Diesel Supercar is here to stay and the BMW 640d is the first Text: cyrus dhabhar Photos: Makarand Baokar
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one are the days when the first thing that came to one’s mind when asked about a diesel engine was the rata-tat-tat soundtrack and black smoke emitting from one’s tailpipes. Modern diesels are just about as powerful and clean as their petrol counterparts, being more efficient and cheaper to run at the same time. So then why is it that no one has thought of putting a diesel engine in a supercar yet? Well, it may well be solely down to the fact that a petrol car still is a little cooler than a diesel car but the BMW
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640d throws that theory right out the window. The BMW 6 Series, available in both coupé and convertible forms, is possibly one of the best Grand Tourers available in the country today, with its lovely V8 petrol in 650i guise and the new diesel in 640d guise. But BMW haven’t gone mad with their numbers for this diesel engine; it is a conservative straight-six, 3.0-litre, twin-turbo mill making a mere 313 horsepower. But it isn’t the horsepower that comes into play when you are driving the 640d, it’s the mammoth
640Nm of torque; enough to have you glued to the seat’s back rest under acceleration. The switchgear to select the different driver modes is extremely driver-centric with Eco Pro, Comfort+, Comfort, Sport and Sport+ as the options available. The Eco Pro setting makes the gearbox change up quicker and the engine rev at a more relaxed pace thereby allowing maximum efficiency to be squeezed out of the straight-six whereas Sport+ partially turns off the traction control giving the best feedback and driver feel.
BMW have genuinely made a fantastic engine package here. There is virtually no turbo lag and sudden power delivery makes this a very fast yet very civilised car and easy to drive quickly. The 8-speed gearbox is an absolute joy to use thanks to BMW not skimping on the paddle shifters and its quick overall response time. But, this is no sports car. It will not thrill you the way its contemporaries will, but it will do everything that the other supercars can only dream about. As a distance-covering tool, there is possibly no other july 2012 Auto India 51
testrack vw polo cup car in this country that does a better job. With all its Bavarian horses and all its torques, the 640d still returned a staggering 8.5 kilometres per litre and all that while driving briskly. The ride is another aspect the BMW trumps up on. BMWs are known to be set up slightly on the stiffer side, but we found that theory quite absurd when put to the 640d. The ride was more than just acceptable, it was pleasant; and BMW have not made sacrifices in terms of handling either. The only aspect of the car
spec check Price (lakhs): 74.99 (ex-showroom Delhi) Engine: 2993cc, inline 6-cylinder, twin turbo diesel, 313bhp @ 4400rpm, 640Nm @ 1500-2500rpm Drive: Rear-wheel drive Gearbox: 8-speed sports automatic Brakes F/R: 348/345mm ventilated discs Tyres: 245/45 R18 Dimensions L/W/H (mm): 4984/18941369 Wheelbase (mm): 2855 Kerb Weight (kg): 1845 EQUIPMENT Alloy wheels Anti lock brakes Airbag Audio system/MP3 Central locking/remote Climate control/rear A/C vents Electric mirrors/retracting Electric seats Parking sensor with camera Tilt steering Traction control 52 Auto India july 2012
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