With comfy rear seats and a spirited 2,993-cc motor, the 6 GT is as appealing to the passengers as it is to the one driving it. Thumb the start button and the oil-burner comes to life with a mild grunt. The acoustic insulation is top-class as it keeps the diesel muted and the cabin feels extra premium. This refined motor makes 265 PS but the stunning aspect about this in-line is that the massive wave of torque, 620 Nm to be precise, surges in between just 2,000 and 2,500 rpm. So, even while cruising at 120 km/h on the highway, the engine remains well-heeled in the mid-two-thousands. That takes care of your relaxed, cruising mood. Else there are the engine modes such as Sport, Comfort, and Eco Pro which can tweak the power delivery as per your needs. If you really can’t decide, then there’s even an Adaptive mode that does all the brainwork for you.
Don’t be misled by the large proportions of this car and its diesel engine. The 630d GT is fast! The larger diesel engine makes it even faster than the 2.0-litre petrol-powered 630i GT. Using the standard launch control system, we managed to clock 0-100 km/h in a stunning 6.76 seconds… that’s just half-a-second off the claimed figure. The terrific mid-range never lets you down as the GT gallops ahead of pretty much everything on the road. It’s effortlessly quick. On empty stretches of roads, the BMW takes less than 27 seconds to cover a kilometre while the speedo comes close to an exciting 200 km/h.
Even at these speeds, the large GT is surprisingly well behaved… in fact, enjoyable. Like its petrol sibling, the 630d also gets air suspension as standard which, in the city, glides over usual undulations and at high speeds becomes taut, diminishing any pitching or wallowing. True to its Munich genes, the handling of this grand tourer is
just what you would expect of any BMW. Sporty, engaging, and sharp. The steering has a nice weight to it and remains well-connected even when driven hard. You do get a hint of the 1,885-kg kerb weight during fast-paced direction changes, but just traces of it. The GT makes travelling between cities a breeze and you’ll start to look for opportunities to go on long drives.
Then there’s the extremely efficient Eco Pro mode in which the coasting function decouples the powertrain whenever the driver lifts off the accelerator between 50-150 km/h. This, along with the automatic engine cut-off, helps in stretching a litre of diesel to 17 km on the highway. In the city, the 630d GT returned a respectable 10 km/l. The BMW is really a surprise package: stylish and sensible. Nothing in its class comes close to the luxury, performance, and comfort that this Grand Tourer brings to the table. It’s one of those rare breeds that’ll appeal alike to the enthusiasts and those who prefer to be chauffeur-driven. This one finds a place in our “really, really a good car” list.
