Thirty years ago, it was pretty easy to keep track of the big German luxury car manufacturers’ lineups because they only sold a handful of cars. However, thanks to a strong shrug toward the prospect of internal sales cannibalization, those small lineups eventually expanded to fill every niche, no matter how small. It eventually reached the point where so many cars were on sale, some of which simply fell through the cracks. This is the often forgotten BMW 640i Gran Turismo, and not only is it unusual and practical, it’s also a rare sight on American roads.
For the 2018 model year, BMW rolled out the 640i Gran Turismo, the successor to the 5 Series Gran Turismo and one last shot of making the sedan-based liftback stick. By the middle of 2019, the automaker announced that the 640i Gran Turismo would be discontinued stateside, meaning it only had a lifespan of two model years. So what went wrong?
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Well, it certainly wasn’t the powertrain. This is the only 6 Series variant to use the B58 three-liter turbocharged inline-six, a considerable upgrade in reliability over the old N55 that offers a nice balance of power and efficiency. In the 640i Gran Turismo, it made 335 horsepower and 332 lb.-ft. of torque, good enough to get this big hatchback from zero-to-60 mph in a hair under five seconds. What’s more, it came attached to the excellent ZF 8HP eight-speed torque converter automatic transmission and BMW’s xDrive full-time all-wheel-drive system, exactly the sort of setup you want for four-season commuting.
Although the 640i Gran Turismo may look a bit like the old 5 Series GT, it actually rides on the same CLAR platform as the previous-generation G30 5 Series and the Toyota GR Supra. This offered several benefits, from cleaving 330 pounds from the curb weight to dropping the roofline by nearly an inch to adding 3.9 cu.-ft. of additional cargo space, but the biggest thing is that it features BMW’s late-2010s body electrical system, meaning you get all sorts of modern toys. A digital instrument cluster, full LED headlights, wireless smartphone charging, a panoramic moonroof, automatic emergency braking, and lane departure warning all came standard, and the options list went even deeper. How about four-wheel-steering, massaging seats, a 360-degree camera system, night vision, power sunshades, or a Bowers & Wilkins audio system?
Loads of equipment there, yet it was all fairly easy to operate. The 640i Gran Turismo came with iDrive 6, arguably the last iteration of BMW’s infotainment system with a clear rotary knob-first focus. This means you get simple menu structures, real buttons for several shortcuts, and one of the few good uses of capacitive touch technology—lightly pressing your finger to any of the preset buttons would cause a small banner detailing the shortcut to flash on the screen so you don’t accidentally select the wrong thing. Nice.
This weird 6-er didn’t fall apart in the corners, either. When Car And Driver tested it back in 2017, the magazine summed the car up as “Not a crossover. Not a wagon. Better than either.” And had this to say about its ride and handling balance:
The test car was equipped with the $4100 Dynamic Handling package that includes active steering, an adaptive air-spring suspension with adaptive dampers, and dynamic anti-roll bars. What it amounts to is a car that remains flat during cornering and utterly serene during cruising. And it’s freakishly quiet. The earth could open up beneath the 640i GT and the driver wouldn’t know about it until the car fell into the abyss.
All that suspension tech pays off in a 0.90-g skidpad performance and almost no nose dive under braking. With a 160-foot stop from 70 mph, it brakes well, too. There’s nothing about this beefy machine that screams high performance, but it performs.
So far, the 640i Gran Turismo sounds compelling, yet BMW pulled it from the U.S. market mid-way through 2019. While BMW didn’t break down exactly how many of these hatchbacks were sold here, with 3,762 examples of all 6 Series coupe, Gran Coupe, convertible, and Gran Turismo models sold in 2018, total sales numbers for this five-door variant are looking low. So what went wrong?
Well, to start, the 640i Gran Turismo came out of the gate at a base price $13,000 more expensive than that of the X5 SUV. That’s a huge price delta, and I wouldn’t be surprised if most BMW shoppers looked at it and just went with the X5. Then there are the looks, which are definitely on the weird side, albeit less weird than the 5 Series GT this thing replaced. Also, the naming scheme was confusing. Why was this a 6 Series considering every other 6 Series was markedly different?
Fortunately, low sales volume and lack of public awareness means these things are pretty cheap second-hand for what amounts to a lot of car. Check out this 2018 model, up for sale at a BMW dealer in California. Sure, it might not have the M Sport appearance package or the fancy Bowers & Wilkins audio system, but it’s covered a mere 39,056 miles since new, sports a clean Carfax, and has an asking price of $27,491. That’s a lot of upscale family car for the money.
Looking for a higher spec? This 2018 640i Gran Turismo up for sale in Iowa has the M Sport package, the power sunshades, Harman/Kardon audio, the 360-degree camera system, and the upgraded advanced driver assistance suite. While it does have 74,511 miles on the clock, that’s about normal for a seven-year-old vehicle, and the fact that this thing has a clean Carfax and is good enough for a BMW franchise dealer to retail it bolsters appeal. The asking price? A reasonable $24,991. Not bad.
If I may be bold, the BMW 640i Gran Turismo has some cult classic potential. It’s rare, it’s interesting, and it comes with a story. It also seems like a surprisingly good daily driver, which means it’s an unusual car that doesn’t have any particularly unusual needs like two-stroke premix, isn’t difficult to source parts for, and has space for pretty much whatever you want to throw in the back. If you’re looking for a left-field daily and aren’t afraid of German car maintenance, maybe add this to your list.
Top graphic image: BMW
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My BMW salesman buddy tried talking me into one of these, but you’ve made a more compelling argument. We ended up buying a uniquely-spec’ed 440i GC with the B58 from him, but it is rather small for our family, if I’m honest. It was a good deal to get us through the next couple years.
No no no, the future cult classic of that gen 6 series is absolutely going to be the M6 Gran Coupe with 6 speed manual. I don’t recall how many years that was offered but it was offered!
These are strangely proportioned, borderline hideous. Also that’s a lift back, like the civic, not a hatch. Which means it’s worse than a wagon or crossover (not sure what that reviewer was smoking in 2017.
Honestly might be one of their better products. Since we’ve expanded the definition of coupes to include (shutters) four door sedans, this (don’t call it a hatchback, don’t call it a wagon) grand tourer works.
The comfortable, well styled (no beaver teeth!), reliable six series becomes more practical too. Everyone wins.
Sure but let’s talk about how the 5 series GT was both a traditional sedan and a hatchback. The sedan mode, which preserved the integrity of cabin air, was for megacities like Beijing with poor air quality.
I’m afraid of German car maintenance, so this car isn’t for me. But dump the moonroof and make it cheap and easy to maintain, and I’d be all over it. This is a good-looking car, has a bigger trunk than a lot of crossovers and SUVs, and the interior looks nice in the pic. I love hatchbacks. I keep seeing BMWs that I like, but the maintenance and insurance costs make them a no-go for me. I’ve driven nothing but Toyotas for 27 years, so something German is intimidating.
Most German cars have known problems, and they usually revolve around oil seals or the lack thereof. Find a MT E9x (sedan, coupe, or wagon) and it will go forever with proper maintenance. Above gaskets, cooling system (NBD to swap out) and water pump are the big items.
BMW thought Americans would prefer this instead of a proper station wagon due to the “higher roof and seats”. Big mistake…
It is car design ego. Never admit a mistake. If you make a mistake they don’t back track to the most current successful vehicle they take the failure and try to modify it to be successful. Like Coca cola was successful but they said New Coke and everyone hated it. They didn’t go back to the original they came out with classic coke. If you make a mistake listen to Sheldon revert to the last successful version and start from there.
The 5GT was so weird and didn’t sell well, I never understood why they brought out the 6GT. I always had a strange attraction to the 5GT and its goofy little VW Cabrio trunk opening, classic German over-engineering.
I liked the 3 series GT and really wanted either the 5 or the 6 GT, given I was trying to get away from a SUV, but needed the roominess for dogs that, while I could use a sedan, wanted the more “dog proof” cargo area. If only BMW hadn’t decided to option package everything into unobtainium.
I looked at getting one as a company car in the UK when they first came out. But the list price (on which tax is based) and lease rates were way out of kilter with the equivalent 5 Touring even when you take into account the higher equipment levels. So not surprised it was a flop, much rarer than the hideous 5 GT it replaced. They were available in a fantastic colour called Royal Burgundy brilliant effect if you’re into unicorn hunting.
Quite cool, though rare enough that they were practically unobtainium when I was looking a few years ago, especially since I insisted on getting a wagon or a hatch in an actual color. Ended up with a blue 18 440i GC that, now with just over 50k on the clock and often parked as I spend more time as a contractor asshole driving beater trucks than a real estate asshole driving a bimmer these days, may last me another 10 years…
Make the right move; BMW work site beater! Safari 440?
Many years ago when first getting started in the trades I did roll around with my tools in (and often lumber sticking out of the back of) an FC RX-7…
I thought the Audi A7 was a beautiful car. I wish Mazda, Honda or Toyota would make something like this. I’m done with German vehicles.
Love the A7!
A neighbor has one of these in a dark almost-black blue. It isn’t an M-Sport car, but it is oddly proportioned and not attractive in my eyes.
I am so excited to see this article! It’s such a great car and not a lot of people — even enthusiasts – really know much about it. I’ve had mine (Bluestone Metallic with M-Sport package) for several years and cannot imagine ever selling it. When I bought it, I was looking for something with a lot of legroom (I’m 6’6″) that was fun to drive, could carry a lot of stuff, and fit (other tall) people in the seat behind me. 5-series and X5 were too small and the 7 did not have the cargo versatility. Even the X7 lacked the second row legroom. The sales guy pointed me to this and I have been in love ever since. I realize I am a somewhat rare use-case, but I have to imagine this car would work well for a lot of people. Glad BMW took a risk to fill this niche
i actually liked these you get 7 series room and cargo capacity for 5 series money. also the more ground clearance the better i always say.
I’ve thought about these and the 5-series GT. I like hatchbacks, and a “premium” hatchback with some power is a rarity in the US market.
It was a 6-series because it’s a coupe. Same reason an X6 is an X6, and a corresponding 4-series hatch is a 4-series.
And no, “coupe” has nothing to do with the number of doors. Neither does sedan for that matter.
Thanks for this. I am sick of people getting angry at anything other than a two-door being called a coupe, given that the number of doors in not a requirement.
It is a hill I am prepared to die on. 🙂
You and me both, mate!
Nice to have some company on this hill – gets lonely up here.
This is the rarest car I’ve seen in the wild. We have Vectors, Oceans and all sorts of exotics. The 6 GT: I’ve seen one once, and have the photo to prove it (but can’t post it).
Isn’t difficult to source parts for, unless you need collision repair.
I’ve always liked these and toyed with buying a certified one a few years ago. They’re weird, unique, have tons of space, and a B58. That being said, these were technological showcases similar to a 7 Series so shit is going to go wrong and fixing it is going to be really expensive.
I’ve zeroed in on these and want one. Yup, fixing will be a pain. But not too bad in that 50-90k mile window.
Try to find one without the air ride if you can. When that system inevitably kerplodes it’s a particularly gnarly repair bill. But the B58/ZF8/xdrive powertrain combo is rock solid. It’s mainly electronic gremlins that you’ll have to deal with.
Oh one hundred percent. I haven’t looking into whether M-Sport can be had without it. It lowers the car a bit, and even though we’re in upstate NY, handling matters more to me than snow prowess.
My aging E91 expenses have all been electric gremlins of a rare phone option, as well as suspension refresh.
I have the 2021 540i which is the same..only no hatch back. That is the primary difference aside from the GT appearance package.
On a reliability scale, the reviews stated an average of $460/year for repairs. That is pretty much the average domestic vehicle cost.
These are no longer the trash cans they had a reputation for being with repairs.
Yeah, I really like them too but don’t know if I can stomach the maintenance. I really want it just to say I had the closest we’ll ever get to a 6 series wagon
I always liked the 6 GT. The 5 and the 3 weren’t good looking but the 6 had the right proportions. I always called it a wagette
Sorry, saw the pictures and mistook this for a Honda Crosstour. Which is also pretty rare here in America.
Rode in a Crosstour once, nice but I’d rather have the interior volume in my MDX taking the same fuel economy penalty.
Same.
Hi, I would like a Honda Crosstour with all that tasty German reliability.
— No one ever
There is no free lunch. A Honda FWD V6 is all kinds of wonderful, but a longitudinal B58 it ain’t.
Interesting, I still see them almost daily. They seem to have outlasted the Element, which was a lot more popular when new. Maybe there’s a huge subculture of Crosstour people…
Where I’m at, it’s the opposite. I see quite a few Elements, but very rarely a Crosstour.
They started out at about $45,000 and then I saw a bunch on the dealership lot for about $20,000 after the 3 year leases were over, but then they basically disappeared. I think I’ve maybe seen two in the last five years?
Elements on the other hand, I’ll see pretty much every time I go into town (population ~220,000).
Maybe they’re there and I just don’t notice. It is a very bland vehicle, especially compared to the Element.
Same here, I see Elements fairly regularly.
Last CrossTour I saw was probably a year ago and it was in the hands of someone seemingly preparing to go up against Johnny Tran at Race Wars.
I see a good number of Elements, but more Crosstours than I would expect given their low sales volumes. I bet there probably is a high number of Crosstours relative to the amount sold; they probably led easier lives compared to your average Pilot or CR-V, since that took a certain, discerning kind of buyer to choose it over those models.
I’ve also been trying to spot 1st gen Ridgelines, whenever I do they always seem to be workhorses. 1st gen Pilots seem to be more common than similar vintage Odysseys too despite the latter selling more.
Weirdly, I knew several band directors who got crosstours. Outbacks and Foresters were always popular because of the space to haul instruments while having AWD for wet grass and being light enough to not tear up fields. The crosstour maybe tapped into their old Honda civic memories, and hope for no head gasket issues on a teacher salary? I found the sloping rear much less useful.
I’ve always been outspoken about BMW’s rush to fill every possible niche over the past 20 years, but it’s even worse than I thought 🙂
Or better, depending on how you look at it.
I hated the GT models when they were new, but now I feel like looking for one. The Gran Coupes are just too tiny in the back, you might as well get a real coupe.
This looks like the best possible option if you can find it. TIL.
When you have modular platforms as they do, the marginal cost to spin off different variants is very low. This was *$13K* more than X5, and other than the difference in German vs. US labor cost, probably didn’t cost a red cent more to build. BMW was laughing all the way to the bank for every one they sold. Today, niches can be very profitable.
My only gripes with them is that I would rather have the proper 5-series wagon we are denied in the US – but I would certainly take one of these over a sedan. Useless, those. And I find the added ride and seating height pretty pointless. As nicely as these handle, being at the same height as the rest of the 6-series line would make them ride and handle *better*.