BMW M cars in India test drive

This is my last article about the BMW cars in India. No, this isn’t an obituary as one would believe. Rather it is a resigning statement that I am done with the BMW cars. If I can, atleast for a month or so, I would refrain from writing about the BMW cars in future but work is worship as they say and you never know about the future. So this is going to be about all the tuned up BMW cars in India namely the M cars from the BMW stable. I know they are the very niche when it comes to cars in India and even a Buggati Veyron would outsell them but as I have iterated and may be would reiterate, BMW makes cars for the niches so that one isn’t left for wanting. Check on Road Price

There are 5 versions of the M cars. One car, the BMW X6 M was covered in a previous article and so doesn’t make sense in getting it back for this article. So I have the BMW M3 Coupe, BMW M5 sedan, BMW M6 Coupe and finally the BMW M6 Convertible. The moment I set my eyes on these cars, all my weariness regarding BMW cars vanished. Tickling me was the fact that these were some rare cars in India and one which you usually don’t find on the streets here. Looks are menacing enough for all these cars and I wouldn’t go into depths with each one of them. The difference between their regular as well as tuned up variants starts with the looks. All the BMW M cars in India have that sinister look from the Fast and Furious breed of cars. The way you can differentiate between both is by all their side skirts, sometimes air intakes, the spoilers and those tail pipes. The cars mentioned before, have all these things. Oh, I forgot that they have blackened out alloy wheels as well.

Get into the interiors and you will find some sort of difference than the regular versions. The convertibles for example have a different color roof than the normal ones. This makes them have a distinct hue. Inside, you will find the launch control button along with the usual things found in the cabin of the regular BMW cars. Use of more customization options help one in giving their car the distinct aura from other M owners. Not that there would be too many but move onto the more affluential areas in Mumbai and you will sight more of Lambos and Ms moving around. One sure shot way of finding a M labeled car is to check its wheels. If they are multi spoke alloy wheels with a black effect, then that’s it. Viola! You have found one.

All the M models like the BMW M6 Convertible, BMW M5 sedan, BMW M3 Coupe as also the BMW M6 Coupe have exceptional handling. The suspension as well as the steering provide the best feedback that can be had from any car. Firmer suspension bushes mean that the ride quality is back breaking and this is what exactly happens with these cars. I wasn’t expecting any mercy from any one of them and my sore back at the end of the drive just confirmed my suspicions. Even the comfort mode in these cars are scarcely comfortable. NVH. What is that. These cars are meant to be floored every time you sit in them. My friend at BMW tells me that this cars are tuned for their acoustics so that they produce the right kind of sound when revved. But then on part throttle, they seem as meek as their saner cousins. Lots of electronics work underneath the car to ensure that nothing gets out of hand. Unlike the regular versions, we can cannot turn off Dynamic Traction Control off. This means the some of the sideways action fun is lost out on.

The best change in the BMW M cars in India is their engines. The BMW M3 Coupe gets a 4.0 liter V8  petrol engine. It makes 419 Bhp of peak power 8300 rpm whereas the peak torque is 400 Nm @ 3900 rpm. It is mated to a 6 speed auto transmission. Because it is a test drive, I couldn’t put my time testing equipment to use. Also, remember, I had to check out 4 different cars. But then each experience was similar to a scalded cat running for its life. The BMW M6 convertible gets a 4 liter petrol V 10 engine which churns out a whopping 506 Bhp of peak power at 7750 rpm whereas the peak torque of 520 Nm is delivered at about 6100 rpm. It gets M Drivelogic Sequential Manual Gearbox which is a 7 speed unit. The BMW M5 sedan gets the same engine as the M6 as also the power and torque. It too gets the M Drivelogic 7 speed Sequential Manual Gearbox. For the BMW M6 coupe, the figures and features remain the same as its Convertible version.

Brakes are also uprated and some of the carbon ceramics find their way into these cars construction. ABS, EBD, DSC and many other technologies ensure that the performance of the car is matched with its stopping power. The usual safety gadgets also find their way into these cars.

Fuel efficiency is not the talking point of these cars as say their much nobler cousins. The combined average of all these cars would barely make it to double digits. This is something which you would have to sacrifice for all the performance and thrills you get.

There is no point in reviewing each and every BMW M labeled car in India since I have already either test driven or reviewed their sober cousins. People who are in their good senses wouldn’t go for a M series car, not atleast in India. The very reason been that these cars compromise on the ride comfort as also have low ground clearances than their other BMW stable mates. Moreover, they are the least fuel efficient of the BMW brigade in India. They have monstrous petrol engines which provide you with the thrills but then deplete Mother Earth of her natural resources faster than we can count 1-100. But then for a rich person, such things wouldn’t count and these cars are just a show-off piece. The BMW M cars price in India tags are also monstrous like their engines. The price of the BMW M3 Coupe is Rs 74 lakhs. The price of the BMW M6 Convertible is Rs 1.31 crores, BMW M5 sedan costs Rs 1,1 crores whereas the BMW M6 Coupe costs Rs 1.24 crores. All these prices, needless to say are ex-show room, Mumbai. So, okay, I am finally done with the BMW cars for India and all for a hard day’s work. Did I just hear someone saying that we haven’t touch based the BMW X3 on our website? Man, I am deaf and blind as well now.