A diesel coupé? Surely not. But the diesel BMW 6-Series might just be the educated choice. Paddy Comynreports
The first time I drove the BMW 6-Series, I really didn't like it. Perhaps it was down to biorhythms. According to the encyclopedias, the theory of biorhythms claims that one's life is affected by rhythmic biological cycles, and it seeks to make predictions regarding these cycles and the personal ease of carrying out tasks related to the cycles.
Each cycle oscillates between a positive phase and a negative phase, during which bioelectric activity strengthens and weakens. The waveforms start, in most theories, at the neutral baseline at the time of birth of each individual.
Each day that the waveform again crosses this baseline is dubbed a critical day, which means that tasks in the domain of the cycle are far more erratic than on other non-critical days. The purpose of mapping the biorhythmic cycles is to enable the calculation of critical days for performing or avoiding various activities.
It might sound like mumbo-jumbo, but this has been taken very seriously by the airline and rail industry. Pilots in Japan are monitored and can be prevented from flying on these critical days. That first day I drove the 6-Series there must have been something amiss in my biorhythms, because I feel very different about the car now.
Since the arrival of the car a few years back, we have seen some additions and some changes to the range. The first car was the 645i, with its powerful V8 engine and this was later joined by a 3-litre petrol V6. The V8 was superb, while the V6 didn't quite feel like enough. Then the M6, with its 5-litre V10, arrived and gave us a taste of madness.
Since then the 645i has been replaced by a more powerful 650i with a 367bhp V8 to put more distance between the models, and there is now a more efficient 630i.
But the engine that raised the most eyebrows has been the diesel.
Now you can order your 6-Series with a twin-turbocharged 3-litre diesel. And I really don't see why you would need to look any further than this.
With biorhythms back to normal, the dark blue 635d with five-spoke star alloys arrived, and if there are cooler-looking cars than this for the money then I have yet to see one.
There will always be much pub debate about the design of BMW cars these days, especially ones that Chris Bangle has had a hand in. Some might not like the rear, which looks like a Porsche 911 with a boot, but like so many of the designs from the Ohio-born stylist, time seems to work kindly on the car.
A 6-Series will still catch your eye, almost four years since we saw the first one on Irish streets. Perhaps Bangle really did know what he was doing after all.
There are purists, and perhaps you are one of them, who would suggest that a diesel engine doesn't belong under the bonnet of a sports coupé.
If your memories of diesel technology growing up are cars like the Opel Record diesel or some of the old Mercedes diesel saloons, then it is time to revise your thinking.
Diesels these days are not just about taxis or Transit vans. They offer some of the most long-legged performance you could wish for, and offer something of a stop-gap solution to our emission problems.
When fitted with the right diesel-particulate filters, much of the rubbish that used to be expelled from such engines can be controlled, and when you consider that this, a vast, powerful coupé puts out just 183g/km and returns 6.9 l/100km, then you could start to feel a little better about choosing a luxury car.
The sooner our Government taxes these cars based on their emissions, and not just their engine capacity, the better.
But trying to justify this car based on how much cleaner it is than its petrol rivals, or how much fuel you can save, would really be missing the point. The twin-turbocharged 3-litre diesel engine is an absolute masterpiece, no matter which engine bay you place it in.
With 286bhp and, almost more crucially, 580Nm of torque, this unit has the guts to haul the 6-Series's vast bulk perfectly. This is a different kind of power - think Paul O'Connell versus Brian O'Driscoll.
You put the foot down in the 635d and there is a confident growl, the rear wheels stamp into tarmac, forcing the traction control light to flicker, and with minimum fuss you charge towards the horizon.
YOU DON'T SO MUCH COVER ground in this car as conquer it. This might not suit some who want their performance coupés to be all fire and brimstone. But if you like to use power for confident overtaking and assured cruising, then there is a clear winner.
And it is not as if you are losing out either. For numbers fans out there, the 635d gets to 100km/h 0.1 seconds slower than the 630i, has 14bhp more than the 630i, has 260Nm of torque over the 630i, puts out 49g/km less CO2 than the 630i, and will use around one litre less fuel per 100km (or 5.1 mpg better) than the six-cylinder petrol version.
Sure, it costs €8,600 more than the 630i at base level, but when you are spending this sort of money, let's not get too picky.
The steering feels really nicely weighted, and the new six-speed automatic transmission features paddle shifters behind the wheel that work really well when you want to control the power yourself.
Sure enough, you initially notice that you can't rev the car up to levels that you would from a petrol-powered version, but there is so much low-down torque and it is delivered so seamlessly that none of this really seems to matter.
On the motorway, the car is composed and comfortable, and while there has been much criticism of the fitting of run-flat tyres to its range, there are no noticeable negative issues.
There is plenty of space for driver and passenger in the front, but don't expect too much from the rear seats unless you are a child.
On the other hand, the 450-litre boot space should cope well enough with the golf clubs that are very likely to reside in it.
The feeling driving this car gives you is one of coolness and the engine is nothing short of brilliant. You'll also make fewer fuel stops than you would expect in this type of car.
There are, of course, some tough questions to ask when you look at the rivals we have mentioned below.
You can have a Mercedes-Benz CLS diesel for much less money, and you are getting one of the most striking cars on Irish roads, albeit with an inferior diesel engine.
You could buy the Jaguar XK and with that too, have a car that will turn your head every time you walk away from it, and that is dripping in class.
Or you could stump up a little more cash and have that mecca of motoring, the Porsche 911. Few of the self-made or ready-made success stories of this world who have the means to buy any of these cars will not have dreamed one day of owning one of those.
The 635d says something different to all of these.
It says that you want a car that looks superb, drives brilliantly and the engine choice doesn't mean you are a skinflint or tight, it says you know your stuff.
The 3-litre twin-turbocharged diesel is one of the best "real-world" engine BMW makes, aside from their masterful M-powered units.
It is expected that the 635d will account for 50 per cent of the 200 or so cars that will be sold here in 2008, but don't be surprised if the ratio ends up much higher than that.
It certainly should be. Just make sure when you test drive that your biorhythms are right.
Factfile
ENGINE:2,993cc six-cylinder diesel engine putting out 286bhp @ 4,400rpm and 580Nm of torque @ 1,750rpm. Six-speed auto transmission
SPECIFICATION:Standard features include 19" alloy wheels, leather upholstery, automatic air conditioning, dual, side and curtain airbags, remote keyless entry, tilting steering column, four-channel ABS, power windows, front and rear fog lamps, CD player with MP3 player jack and steering wheel mounted audio controls, Xenon lights, lane change departure warning system.
The Sport model gets the M Sport steering wheel with sports seats, electric front seats with driver memory, heated seats.
Options include:electric glass sunroof (€1,128), Dab digital radio (€347), navigation-system professional (€2,453), bluetooth phone preparation (€562), tv function (€993), exclusive leather (€1,382), star-spoke alloys (€431), soft-close automatic doors (€353), adaptive headlights (€562), dynamic drive (€2,244)
L/100KM (MPG)
Urban: 9.2 (30.7)
Extra-urban: 5.6 (50.4)
Combined: 6.9 (40.9)
CO2 emissions: 183 g/km
ANNUAL ROAD TAX:€1,109
PRICE:€115,075
(€110,600 to €126,725)