Rossen Gargolov Test BMW M6 Coupé against Porsche 911 Carrera
30.01.2013
V or a few years, shortly after Start of work in Weissach and Garching: Swabian-nasal and Bavarian-grumpy, some clever minds smoke over the specifications for the latest project. The BMW M6 Coupé and Porsche 911 Carrera are now in the pit lane of the Hockenheimring for the comparison test, the traffic light is red.
Which one is the real one Sports car?
The BMW 6 Series should provide the answer to the question of whether it still has a basic engine due to the spacious body and numerous comfort extras, while the Porsche 911, given the significantly larger dimensions and manual transmission can already be a real sports car. This is exactly what this comparative test should be about, sheer engine performance and different base prices play a subordinate role for once.
The pit lights prevent further automotive philosophical excursions by turning green. The 4.4-liter V8 engine in the BMW M6 Coupé is already booming at operating temperature, and the keyboard to the left of the selector lever of the seven-speed dual clutch transmission has already been played accordingly. Top button: stability control off. Second button: engine in Sport Plus mode, so particularly gas-hungry. Third button: damper in Sport-Plus, as dry as a muesli, after all, the asphalt has no waves here. And finally: The hydraulic steering for sport, steering and restoring forces are the best compromise here.
BMW M6 Coupé with 560 hp at 305 km /h
But now please not that Cut through carpeting with the accelerator pedal, because the biturbo unit with its output of 560 hp and maximum torque of 680 Newton meters (already at 1,500 rpm) brings every single lamella of the variable rear axle lock to the limit of its load capacity. The preheated, 295-millimeter-wide rear tires wrestle for a long time for mount and traction, so quickly zap through the gears. With the help of launch control, the 4.90-meter-long BMW M6 Coupé shoots from zero to 100 in 4.1 seconds during the test, reveals the 200 km /h mark to ridicule in 12.1 seconds and only wants to do it Do not accelerate further at 305 km /h. With that the results of the measuring line would be listed, on the small course in Hockenheim the ant curve is approaching long ago.
The 8,700 euro carbon-ceramic brake bites andconveys a clearly defined pressure point - and the almost 1.9 tonnes BMW M6 Coupé pushes, steers slightly understeer. David Copperfield's master student does not work at M GmbH, only a lighter basic vehicle helps here. When accelerating out, please remember again: soulfully! Otherwise, the BMW M6 Coupé will be immediately transverse due to the brute use of power, which can usually be parried well with the precise steering. Even before the 20-inch wheels fling the crossbar beneath them, one thing is clear: the BMW M6 requires sensitive handling, even though the chassis with double wishbone front axle and integral rear axle rigidly bolted to the body enable M-worthy agility. At the same time, the adaptive dampers in Comfort mode allow a high level of suspension comfort.
BMW 6 Series can also be comfortable
In addition, there is a generous amount of space, comfortable and very well supporting sports seats as well as an infotainment system that is difficult to beat and of course optional. So when the traffic on the autobahn is only rolling forward moderately, the commute to work is blocked again or the car should just leave you alone, the BMW M6 Coupé stops all provocations.
Basic 911 with 350 hp at the start
The Porsche 911 Carrera doesn't succeed, it teases as ever. However, its driving comfort also reaches a level that would suggest a Mercedes chassis under the Porsche shell to 911 fans from the very beginning - after all, adaptive dampers can also work under the body, which also has the longest wheelbase in 911 history br>
But in the rear of the test car, the six-cylinder boxer gurgles and bubbles as standard. The 3.4-liter unit celebrates the classic sports engine, revving fearlessly evenly up to the limiter at 7,800 rpm. If it had a throttle cable, there would be a loop at one end that the driver could tie around his big toe - at least it reacts so directly. It roars defiantly, as if a revolution had to be instigated over the regiment of downsizing claqueurs.
Meanwhile, the transmission allows the seven gears to be sorted easily and precisely by hand using a traditional H scheme. Salad in the Porsche 911 Carrera? Only gross motor skills can bring it together. Everyone else can manage to sprint from zero to 100 km /h in 5.1 seconds (factory specification: 4.8 s). For a quick lap on the Kleiner Kurzs in Hockenheim, however, a shorter overall gear ratio would be helpful. With the dual-clutch transmission, things would probably go faster again, but also somehow a little bloodless.
Porsche 911 Carrera at the front at the Hockenheimring
In contrast, the ride across the racetrack in the Porsche is very hot-blooded911 Carrera. If he shows soft, sometimes even slightly spongy reactions in the 18-meter slalom, precise radii can be milled into the asphalt on the fast lap. Of course, in the test comparison with the BMW M6 Coupé, there was some speed on the straights, but in the corners the 911 initially countered with pointed turning, followed by an almost unshakably neutral self-steering behavior. Body movements? Pah, ridiculous.
Basic 911 or high-end six?
By the way: A real basic 911 model is of course not the test car, Porsche obviously considers the PASM chassis including 20-inch wheels and the Sport Chrono Package to be indispensable. Completely dispensable, however: 14,400 euros for the S model, because the Carrera already meets all expectations of a Porsche with the basic engine. So the better sports car compared to the BMW M6? No. More like the other sports car.
