640d 3.0 M Sport Auto 4dr

Velvety smooth… like Galaxy chocolate!

Upon opening my the door to my newly acquired BMW 640d, in sonic speed blue with its light oyster interior, I was greeted with a bright, clean smell. Like new leather but sweeter.

Unsure of its origin, be it natural from the car itself or from the cleaning products used by its previous owner, I settled into the very luxurious cabin and began setting up my Drivers profile.

My immediate first impression was that the infotainment system (iDrive 6 NBT EVO) was lacking in some of the newer connectivity bells and whistles that modern cars benefit from.

Newer iterations of iDrive, appear to have very animation heavy graphics, liken to overly bright High Street advertising boards. This older system, while functional and clean, seemed almost a little too simplistic.

Similarly and perhaps my biggest early disappointment, was the clarity of the Surrounding View and Reversing Camera’s. Both optional extras and both reasonable in good light, but very poor and pixelated in dark settings.

However, a pleasing point of note (having previously owned both the G20 and G30 with the upgraded HK sound system), was that the 6’ers HK set-up set up was far superior. With my audio profile, I found I could only manage 3/4’s of its maximum level before things got uncomfortable.

With my profile and musical preferences set up, I was able to look past the older tech and focus on getting to know my cars driving dynamics. Within a few short miles it was evident that this car absolutely lives up to its online reviews.

Taking the vehicle out of the town and pootling around the town roads, the vehicles steering felt heavy by comparison to the dead, dull modern electric racks. But as heavy as the steering feel is, the servotronic rack coupled with the extremely tactile steering wheel from the F-Generation of BMW’s, gave a feelsome and responsive return.

Traversing the residential speed limits of the town, it was easy to sense how little the big 2,993cc, 6 cylinder beast of an engine, was being worked and how eager it was to open up and release its’ power.

Yet the car remained utterly composed and surprisingly agile in the duck and weave of town traffic flow.

Soon enough, I was leaving the town behind and began making my way along the various A roads heading for the M25 and home… once again, I found myself in quiet agreement of the reviewers comments regarding the 6’er.

Perhaps an unfair comparison, but having recently owned/driven a Mercedes CLA 220d, with its horrible, jerky 8 speed DCT and inconsistent driving dynamics. It was a refreshing revelation to drive a vehicle where the gearbox and engine are so in sync and tight that they clearly sing (it’s very true that for a diesel, the engine is quite sonorous and not at all unpleasant to listen to when revving up the range).

When the opportunity to put my foot down arose, the car responding impressively!

This car moves!…Overtaking is simply not a chore and not many vehicles can keep pace with it.

As the car set about covering the miles, it was noticeable how subtle the power delivery is, building at a controlled consistent rate, rather than the all or nothing approach of the set-up used by other manufacturers.

Similarly with braking. These brakes weren’t grabby or inconsistent… just responsive and smooth.

The biggest challenge during my return leg, was literally ensuring that the gap in traffic on the A and M roads, was big enough to slide into. But, once in that space, a press of the pedal and a rush of power described above, propelled me forward and past all obstacles with reassuring ease.

As the journey progressed, I found myself appreciating the aesthetics and comfort of the cabin, which is extremely well put together, with premium and robust feeling materials. It may not have had 64,000 colours of ambient lighting, nor a touchscreen, nor the pretty PlayStation-esq graphics… but the setup if far more driver focused, while being relaxing and easy to use when in motion.

I could sense the car wanted me to drive it, to engage with it during our journey, not find distraction in another voice guided instruction or touchscreen menu.

I say our journey, because the car feels alive! Like a dependable horse and me… it’s jockey.

While the car felt big and had a definite, tangible heft to it. Its handling was comfortable, responsive and fast. Because of all the power on tap, any request made of the vehicle feels effortless and smooth. As an analogy, I could imagine flying the Starship Enterprise would feel like this…

Finally, arriving at my destination, I alighted the vehicle without the typical feeling of wariness I would normally get after a long journey.

As I closed the door with that reassuring BMW build quality thud, I found myself immediately thinking if there were any other cars which could match the 6’s driving dynamics for the money it cost (£19,995).

As I walked away made a quick comparison against some of my other vehicles… while some of the larger engined cars felt like a slab of steak… big and meaty. This car was a slab of Galaxy Chocolate… smooth, rich and satisfying!

I looked back at the car and for the first time in a long while thought… I may want to keep this car for a good while to come!

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