BMW Makes Stealth Announcement of 2013 BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe

The BMW 6 series coupe is by most definitions a great vehicle but it's just too damn big for a coupe. Simply put, it's bloated but it's going to work great as a four-door coupe. People blanched when Porsche introduced the four-door Panamera. They should rejoice at the 2013 BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe.

The BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe will be offered as three distinct models in the USA. The TwinPower Turbo 6-cylinder powered 2013 BMW 640i Gran Coupe is the initial model and arrives early this summer. Later in the summer, the TwinPower Turbo V-8 powered 2013 BMW 650i Gran Coupe and the all-wheel drive 2013 BMW 650i xDrive Gran Coupe will join the range.

No pricing details have been announced for the new four-door coupe. However, a reasonable estimate would be $77,600 based on a $73,600 starting price for the 2012 two-door version. Expect this car to be unveiled at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January.

Speaking of the Panamera, the 6 series Gran Coupe is a belated reaction to that four-door coupe but seems more directly to be a response to the well-received Audi A7. It's as if BMW wasn't willing to accept the response to the Panamera but figured it was time to get serious when the A7 made such a splash.

In one of the great PR understatements of all time, BMW proclaimed in a news release sent to TorqueNews, "the Gran Coupe is 4.4 inches (111 mm) longer than its 2-door coupe sibling. A significant part of this extra length has been used to enhance seating comfort for the rear passengers." Let's face it. There was no seating comfort for rear passengers. Possibly, two people 5'4" tall could sit back to back but even children found it uncomfortable to be stuck in the rear seat.

The 2013 BMW 640i Gran Coupe has a 4.5-inch longer wheelbase than its two-door counterpart, all of which has to be in the rear passenger compartment. The front-seat passengers never lacked for space in the coupe. The four-door coupe also gets a real trunk measured at 16.4 cubic feet.

The innovations in the new BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe also extend to lighting technology, in the shape of optional Adaptive LED Headlights. Innovative for BMW but a staple of the new Audi lineup just in case one had any doubts that the Bavarian automaker was playing catchup.

An M Sport package developed specially for the BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe is available from the launch of the new car. Among the features included are an M aerodynamics package with uniquely designed front fascia, side skirts and rear fascia. The M Sport package also includes exhaust tips in black chrome, black-painted brake callipers, LED foglamps, a sports exhaust system for the BMW 650i Gran Coupe and 19-inch light-alloy wheels in M double-spoke design. 20-inch light-alloy wheels in M double-spoke design are also available as a package upgrade. Customers ordering the M Sport package may also opt for the M paint finishes Carbon Black metallic and Imola Red non-metallic.

The two-door coupe makes an excellent sporty convertible (in spite of its bulk). Unfortunately, BMW will probably not convert the four-door coupe into a convertible in spite of how much people like the Nissan Murano convertible.