First drive: BMW M6 Competition

By topgear, 29 June 2015

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What's this?

The very subtly facelifted BMW M6, complete with one very tempting option. This car is fitted with the Competition Package. It's basically the power from the '30 Jahre' special edition M5, plus a few choice chassis tweaks.

What exactly does the Competition Package add?

Power, mainly. An ECU tickle swells the 4.4-litre bi-turbo V8's outputs by 40hp and 20Nm over the hardly slothful regular M6, to a total of 600hp and 700Nm.

That lot still arrives at the rear wheels only, via the seven-speed 'M-DCT' dual-clutch gearbox, but you and your 1900kg coupe arrive at 100 km/h 0.3 seconds sooner.

Fear not, niche fans - the same tweaks are also available for the M6 soft-top and gorgeous Gran Coupe.

BMW claims the M6 Comp will duck the four-second barrier, charging to 100km/h in 3.9 seconds, and do 0-200km/h in 11.8 seconds.

That's a chunky 0.6 seconds faster than the standard car. Top speed? 250km/h as standard, or 305km/h for an extra fee. German power wars, eh?

Does it feel as quick as the numbers suggest?

In truth, you'll struggle to tell the Comp version is that much faster without breaking out a stopwatch.

Make no mistake, this is a stupidly rapid car, but if you've stepped out of the standard M6 non-plussed by its straight-line shove, you probably need some fairly rapid medical testing.

In ultimate Competition guise, the M6 is capable of strolling effortlessly into license-melting territory hilariously easily.

Part of that comes from the lack of V8 burble - BMW's had a crack at enhancing the turbo motor's vocals through the hi-fi, but it's not an especially memorable or exotic-sounding powerplant, so it's quite easy to waltz past into triple figure speeds without noticing.

Doubt that excuse will wash with the local constabulary, mind...

What about those ceramic brakes and gold calipers?

Still an option, we're afraid. Those handsome (and lighter) 20-inch rims are thrown in as standard, though, along with a tweaked active M differential for greater traction (you'll need it) and apparently revised steering.

The latter is fine - you can place this big hefty bus without breathing in or wincing - but you'd never call it communicative. And then we come to the suspension...

Not good news?

Afraid not. Even in Comfort mode - the adaptive dampers also offer Sport (silly) and Sport Plus (unusable) - the M6 Competiton is extremely firm.

Jarring, sometimes. It doesn't like British A or B-roads at all, and fidgets like a petulant toddler.

BMW doesn't quote just how much it's stiffened up the Competition's springs, dampers, and the anti-roll bars, but on the evidence of a short British road-based test, Munich's overcooked it.

Such a rigid ride would be more logical if this was some sort of stripped-out M4 GTS track special, but the M6 is more intercontinental express than pit-lane refugee.

Is this for me?

If you really get a kick out of baiting Z06 Vettes, 911 GT3s and Nissan GT-Rs on a circuit, then the Competition Package is worth it.

It does sprinkle a little fleck of outrageousness, some sense of humour, into the rather austere 6 Series.

But if you're not aiming to track your two-tonne GT, the cheaper, road and back-friendly standard car is where it's at.

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