The GT in BMW cars stands for Gran Turismo. An Italian term, it translates into English as ‘grand tourer’. The GT is a performance or luxury vehicle capable of making long-distance, high-speed journeys in comfort, yet provide driving thrills when demanded. GT is a very European concept—well-laid-out highways in Europe ensure high-speed driving and covering distances of over 1,000 km a day. So, a GT makes sense there.
But does it make sense in India?
I am not sure if you can do a 1,000-km road trip in India in a day without getting tired, but the 6 Series GT performs another role also: It fills the gap between the 5 Series and the 7 Series—to attract that one extra customer to the brand. As compared to the 5 Series, the 6 Series GT looks much more premium and more expensive, even though it’s just about Rs 5-6 lakh costlier.
The new front- and rear-end design of the 6 Series GT reflects BMW’s current design language—the new BMW kidney grille is the front-end’s defining feature, and the twin exhaust pipes make the rear-end look sporty.
The cabin is typical BMW—the driver-focused design of the cockpit, high-end leather seats, and the overall premium feel. The raised seating position provides the feeling of driving a low-slung SUV, and the rear seat comes with an electrically adjustable backrest angle for comfort and two 10.25-inch touchscreen monitors for work and entertainment.
A very usable comfort feature missing in the 6 Series GT is ventilated seats (which even cars priced one-fourth, like Hyundai Creta, come equipped with). There are both petrol and diesel engines on offer—mated to the eight-speed Steptronic transmission as standard. I drove the diesel, whose cabin is as quiet as any fine petrol car’s cabin, whose acceleration is almost as fast as a premium electric car, and whose suspension provides a ride comfort as smooth as any Rs 1 crore plus luxury car.
The closest competitor to the 6 Series GT (priced from Rs 67.9 lakh to Rs 77.9 lakh) in India is Mercedes-Benz E-Class LWB (Rs 64.5 lakh to Rs 69.3 lakh; AMG Line for Rs 82.1 lakh). While the E-Class LWB may appear to have a more luxurious cabin, the 6 Series GT comes across as a more exclusive car—it’s like one of those limited edition models that many of your friends may not own.