MaxTimeOff
06-28-2006, 12:53 AM
A few moons ago I was a more frequent poster on the 6 series and ED boards. I owned a black/beigh cab and absolutely loved it. I did a ED on that one and that whole experience just solidified the fact that the 6 series is a very fine automobile. When BMW announced the arrival of the M6 I knew I just had to have one. While the 6er was great, the M6er is astonishing, amazing, shocking, incredible! They may have similar looks, but the comparisons stop there! :thumbup:
These are not my words, but they are worthy of repeating:
"The M6...if you have the means, I highly recommend it!!"
I just can't agree more. This car is special.
The setup:
My wife and I took delivery in Oregon where we met up with family. We then headed south for a nice tour down the coast. The trip covered about 1,200 miles in 54 hours!! It provided a good variety of driving conditions, perfect to properly break in the car. The first part of the trip was all Highway 1 which provided less speed, but more variation of speed and RPMs, just what the doctor ordered. We had some highway driving towards the end of the trip, about 300 miles. The coast was foggy and the Inns at Pebble Beach and Carmel were sold so we cut the coastal portion of the trip a little short and headed down I-5 instead. On this trip, we just picked up the car and hit the road with no reservations booked and only a skeletal trip plan (just the way I like it). The cut over to I-5 was fast, beautiful and welcomed as I was able to stretch it out a bit (as defined here in the U.S.) from the 80 to 120 MPH range as conditions (read lack of CHP) permitted. I enjoyed that, the wife....not so much!! When it comes to marriage, the navigation system helps to keep everything calm, while the M button will usher you quickly to your next wife! This I have heard before, and it's spot on.
We didn't take a ton of pictures, but hopefully enough to provide a flavor of our delivery.
The M6 and society:
There were more looks and comments on this car than I ever thought there would be. My wife was confounded, she just didn't understand this car.........she does now!! I sort of feel vindicated in that this car is really all that I said it was. Getting gas, a frequent occurrence, I got comments, rolling down the freeway a guy in a blue M3 was taking pictures. Picture taking on the freeway happened at least twice that I know of. Several people were lingering in my blind spot just so they could get a prolonged look. I had to be mindful of that. I think a nice thing about the M6 is that most have no clue about this car, but the people who know, know, and are not bashful at all about approaching and engaging you in one form or another. I went to a very very small dealership to get oil (forgot to pick up a quart at the selling dealership). As soon as they heard there was an M6 present all 3 service techs and others came out and we had a nice chat.
The M6 and the law:
Happy to report, no tickets....which is amazing for a couple of reasons.
First, the car just simply hauls ash. I did take it easy and followed/are following the break-in procedures, but you can still get it going. I pressed the M button and ran it up to 5,500 RPM's (within procedure?) and you can just tell this thing is a monster. Hard to keep it below 105 and accordingly went to about 120 a time or two but after it had over 900 miles on the clock. 120 MPH is absolutely a walk in the park for this car and I suspect anything under 180 MPH is very very easily attained (North American versions limited to 155MPH).
Second, Oregon state police and CHP's are all over the place. Several cars pulled over, they were just all over, more than I ever remember. Must be state governments looking for revenue! You really have to pick your spots and have some luck as I feel I did. Any prolonged high speed runs would have got me nailed for sure. So, all good on that front.
The Car:
I ordered Black/Sepang full leather with the light olive wood. I was concerned about this combo......best choice I ever made, although I would still prefer Jet black over metallic black. It turned out to be a very classy/elegant look. Not race oriented, but on this car I was looking for the luxury GT look and this combo provided that in spades. The light olive wood has a nice grain to it. My wife described it as "special, not something you see on every car". I think it looks exotic, and I could not be happier.
I did have some blue transfer off of my blue jeans to the Sepang leather just like my creme beigh seats in my previous 6er. It cleaned up very easily, but the lighter color seats will take some maintenance, certainly more than a black interior would, and most likely somewhat less then Silverstone II.
Full leather, a MUST HAVE. It looks so nice. All of the stitching on the dash makes the car feel more high end. I just would not buy this car any other way. For $3k it really makes an impact. You also get the alcantera which is also a nice touch. The alcantera looks much better than I thought it would and it gives the cabin a rich look and feel.
SMG, what's not to like? It will and does take some practice to be smooth, but you can be smooth. The key to smoothness is throttle modulation. If you back off the throttle slightly during shifts you will be smoother. The drive mode (auto) works fine as well when you just want to kick back. This was better than anticipated as I have read so often that the auto mode is very jerky, I disagree. To be clear, my use of this was during unspirited driving. I have not "got on it" in auto mode yet, so no comment there. As the trip progressed I became smoother, but, as we drove through San Francisco I could tell that I needed more city driving practice. In all fairness, that was really the first time I was not on a back road or freeway but I did O.K. Give me a week around my stomping grounds and I'll have it mastered.
The blips of the throttle on the down shift are awesome. First it is functional, but it is also a way of expressing that this is not an ordinary car. The tone of the exhaust is another example of this. All of these things let you know that this is pure bred and not made for the masses. It's not over the top, but you can tell that something is going on here. I just love it. No need to smack someone over the head with a 2x4 and shout LOOK AT ME, ala Ferrari, Lambo etc., if someone cares to know, they will. And lots do!!
Build quality/fit and finish seems supreme. I am probably smitten right now and I will no doubt get more critical as time moves forward. But, after 1,200 miles behind the wheel, the car feels planted and rock solid, a fine example of German engineering and craftsmanship. I really have no issues. No rattles, squeaks etc. On rough roads the Contis seem to make a lot of noise, but different tires will probably take care of that.
The end for now:
The car is scheduled for the 1,200 mile service this Thursday. I will keep you all posted as my car matures, and I will post more detailed pics of the car after I clean her up.
I wonder how many hours it will take me to get through the rest of the break in? Vegas anyone?
These are not my words, but they are worthy of repeating:
"The M6...if you have the means, I highly recommend it!!"
I just can't agree more. This car is special.
The setup:
My wife and I took delivery in Oregon where we met up with family. We then headed south for a nice tour down the coast. The trip covered about 1,200 miles in 54 hours!! It provided a good variety of driving conditions, perfect to properly break in the car. The first part of the trip was all Highway 1 which provided less speed, but more variation of speed and RPMs, just what the doctor ordered. We had some highway driving towards the end of the trip, about 300 miles. The coast was foggy and the Inns at Pebble Beach and Carmel were sold so we cut the coastal portion of the trip a little short and headed down I-5 instead. On this trip, we just picked up the car and hit the road with no reservations booked and only a skeletal trip plan (just the way I like it). The cut over to I-5 was fast, beautiful and welcomed as I was able to stretch it out a bit (as defined here in the U.S.) from the 80 to 120 MPH range as conditions (read lack of CHP) permitted. I enjoyed that, the wife....not so much!! When it comes to marriage, the navigation system helps to keep everything calm, while the M button will usher you quickly to your next wife! This I have heard before, and it's spot on.
We didn't take a ton of pictures, but hopefully enough to provide a flavor of our delivery.
The M6 and society:
There were more looks and comments on this car than I ever thought there would be. My wife was confounded, she just didn't understand this car.........she does now!! I sort of feel vindicated in that this car is really all that I said it was. Getting gas, a frequent occurrence, I got comments, rolling down the freeway a guy in a blue M3 was taking pictures. Picture taking on the freeway happened at least twice that I know of. Several people were lingering in my blind spot just so they could get a prolonged look. I had to be mindful of that. I think a nice thing about the M6 is that most have no clue about this car, but the people who know, know, and are not bashful at all about approaching and engaging you in one form or another. I went to a very very small dealership to get oil (forgot to pick up a quart at the selling dealership). As soon as they heard there was an M6 present all 3 service techs and others came out and we had a nice chat.
The M6 and the law:
Happy to report, no tickets....which is amazing for a couple of reasons.
First, the car just simply hauls ash. I did take it easy and followed/are following the break-in procedures, but you can still get it going. I pressed the M button and ran it up to 5,500 RPM's (within procedure?) and you can just tell this thing is a monster. Hard to keep it below 105 and accordingly went to about 120 a time or two but after it had over 900 miles on the clock. 120 MPH is absolutely a walk in the park for this car and I suspect anything under 180 MPH is very very easily attained (North American versions limited to 155MPH).
Second, Oregon state police and CHP's are all over the place. Several cars pulled over, they were just all over, more than I ever remember. Must be state governments looking for revenue! You really have to pick your spots and have some luck as I feel I did. Any prolonged high speed runs would have got me nailed for sure. So, all good on that front.
The Car:
I ordered Black/Sepang full leather with the light olive wood. I was concerned about this combo......best choice I ever made, although I would still prefer Jet black over metallic black. It turned out to be a very classy/elegant look. Not race oriented, but on this car I was looking for the luxury GT look and this combo provided that in spades. The light olive wood has a nice grain to it. My wife described it as "special, not something you see on every car". I think it looks exotic, and I could not be happier.
I did have some blue transfer off of my blue jeans to the Sepang leather just like my creme beigh seats in my previous 6er. It cleaned up very easily, but the lighter color seats will take some maintenance, certainly more than a black interior would, and most likely somewhat less then Silverstone II.
Full leather, a MUST HAVE. It looks so nice. All of the stitching on the dash makes the car feel more high end. I just would not buy this car any other way. For $3k it really makes an impact. You also get the alcantera which is also a nice touch. The alcantera looks much better than I thought it would and it gives the cabin a rich look and feel.
SMG, what's not to like? It will and does take some practice to be smooth, but you can be smooth. The key to smoothness is throttle modulation. If you back off the throttle slightly during shifts you will be smoother. The drive mode (auto) works fine as well when you just want to kick back. This was better than anticipated as I have read so often that the auto mode is very jerky, I disagree. To be clear, my use of this was during unspirited driving. I have not "got on it" in auto mode yet, so no comment there. As the trip progressed I became smoother, but, as we drove through San Francisco I could tell that I needed more city driving practice. In all fairness, that was really the first time I was not on a back road or freeway but I did O.K. Give me a week around my stomping grounds and I'll have it mastered.
The blips of the throttle on the down shift are awesome. First it is functional, but it is also a way of expressing that this is not an ordinary car. The tone of the exhaust is another example of this. All of these things let you know that this is pure bred and not made for the masses. It's not over the top, but you can tell that something is going on here. I just love it. No need to smack someone over the head with a 2x4 and shout LOOK AT ME, ala Ferrari, Lambo etc., if someone cares to know, they will. And lots do!!
Build quality/fit and finish seems supreme. I am probably smitten right now and I will no doubt get more critical as time moves forward. But, after 1,200 miles behind the wheel, the car feels planted and rock solid, a fine example of German engineering and craftsmanship. I really have no issues. No rattles, squeaks etc. On rough roads the Contis seem to make a lot of noise, but different tires will probably take care of that.
The end for now:
The car is scheduled for the 1,200 mile service this Thursday. I will keep you all posted as my car matures, and I will post more detailed pics of the car after I clean her up.
I wonder how many hours it will take me to get through the rest of the break in? Vegas anyone?
