James Bond would feel right at home in a BMW M635CSi. Emergencies in the Balkans would be in easy reach of the motorway-gobbling big coupe. Those Alpine-switchback games of tag with the sinister forces of SPECTRE would be easy sport for the BMW’s acceleration and handling, even with a full complement of Q’s death-dealing devices in the ample trunk. More critical yet to 007 than mere life and death, the Bavarian coupe has the proper blend of racy lines and understated elegance for whisking luscious double agents away from the baccarat tables of Monte Carlo.
Such images seem incongruent with the BMW coupes we know in America. Our 6-series cars never got their full share of the sporting legacy left by their 2800 and 3.0CS forebears. They had the misfortune to arrive in our market just when most European manufacturers were inclined to neglect performance in the wake of American safety and regulations. Recent examples are much improved, but the early image has been hard to shed. In Europe, however, with such versions as the bespoilered, 218-bhp, 140-mph 635CSi on the scene, the situation is quite different. BMW works hard to maintain a sporting image in the home market, its latest move being the introduction of the M635CSi at last fall’s Frankfurt show.
The “M” stands for “Motorsport,” the branch of BMW that spawned the legendary M1. This new M-coupe perpetuates the bloodline with an updated version of the mighty six-cylinder M1 engine, complete with a twin-cam, four-valve, pent-roof combustion-chambered head; a big-bore, short-stroke version of the 3.5-liter block; a tuned intake system with six individual throttles; and a sensuous bundle of six intertwined exhaust headers. The mechanical fuel injection of the M1’s big six has been replaced by a Bosch Motronic system, which controls the spark timing and the electronic injectors with far greater precision. This has allowed the compression ratio to be bumped from 9.0 to 10.5:1. As a result, the new engine develops 286 bhp at 6500 rpm, up by 9 bhp from the original and 251 pounds-feet of torque at 4000 rpm, a peak 12 pounds-feet higher and 1000 rpm earlier than the original. Fuel economy is about 15 percent poorer than the two-valve 635CSi’s, but most of the difference is due to much shorter gearing (3.73 versus 3.07 final-drive ratio).
In addition to the new powertrain, the M-coupe gets low-profile 220/55VR-390 Michelin TRX tires on new modular aluminum wheels, a firmer suspension, and beefier front disk brakes. The only interior alterations are a pair of firm and supportive sport seats and a Motorsport steering wheel. Outside, the M-coupe is distinguished by leading and trailing M-badges and a slightly deeper front spoiler.
BMW claims a top speed of 158 mph and a six-second zero-to-sixty time for the M-coupe—figures we weren’t able to verify with proper testing, since we drove the car only in Europe. We can say, though, that the big coupe easily kept up with a 231-bhp Porsche 911 Carrera on the straights at Hockenheim raceway. Another convincing demonstration took place on the Côte d’Azur, where we blew off a Honda 750 motorcycle in the serious local stoplight grand prix.
BMW hasn’t quite forgotten low-speed manners in its quest for performance. The race-derived engine can claw for its 7000-rpm redline one moment, then murmur along contentedly at 1000 rpm in top gear the next. In either case, the engine is refined in sound and feel. One can sense the motor’s efforts, but never any strain.
Such broad sophistication is not offered by the M-car’s suspension. It’s definitely locked into the high-speed mode, becoming smooth and supple only when kilometers are being devoured. Low speeds don’t really generate any serious harshness, but neither is the suspension particularly absorbent. On the other hand, there’s never any bobbing, weaving, or instability at any speed. The limit handling is unusually forgiving for a BMW, with slight understeer controllably giving way to oversteer as the throttle is lifted.
Sad to say, but BMW will probably never bring this M-coupe to America. Its combination of impeccable breeding, faultless manners, and upper-crust demeanor, concealing a core of sinewy strength and barely controlled energy, has a more narrow appeal in America than in Europe. Americans tend to be more single-purpose in their automotive desires, preferring to leave James Bond cars in movies.
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Source: Reviews - aranddriver.com
