Luxury… at a price

Starting at almost €100,000, BMW’s new Gran Coupé is close to the price of a small house. Seán Creedon took to the road to find out if this elegant car is worth the price tag…

It is often said that a motorcar is the second biggest lifetime purchase for most people, after a house. With house prices continuing to fall, it may soon be possible to buy a small house for a cheaper price than a car. That would certainly be so in the case of the car I was testing last week—the BMW 640D Gran Coupé, which starts at a whopping €97, 960.

A picture tells a thousand words and regardless of how I attempt to justify the price, readers will probably make up their own minds from the photograph of the car on this page.

I drove a black model of this elegant, sleek car, which is a full 113mm longer than the two-door version of the 6 Series; so long, in fact, that it resembles a limousine.

BMW has taken a long time to deliver this four-door coupé, but it has been worth the wait. This is the first car BMW has built entirely from computer design, and without a prototype. I think the carmaker’s tech staff deserve a bonus.

What do you get for all that money? Well, the car looks great, and will be the envy of your neighbours and workmates. It’s also a fine combination of power under the bonnet and extreme comfort for drivers and passengers alike. The 3.3l eight-gear Gran Coupé can go from zero to 100km/h in just over five seconds. After that it’s just plain cruising, and with its advanced chassis technology, the Coupé truly seems to glide along.

Anyone with an opportunity to take it to a track such as Mondello Park will be able to check if it can reach a speed of 260 km/h, the maximum on the dial. Many years ago, drivers used to try and set land speed records on the Carrigrohane Straight—when the road was closed of course.

The front is graced by the familiar BMW ‘double kidney’ effect on the grille, and gorgeous Xenon headlamps. The car really has been designed beautifully, with an elegance that is enhanced in the black coloured version.

Opening the door, the frameless front windows slide down and then immediately up again when the door is closed. The sunroof brightens the interior, with its tan-coloured leather seats.

Unlike the BMW 3 Series, which I tested a few weeks back, with its almost entirely cream interior colour scheme, these seats would not be as difficult to keep clean.