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BMW tightens up the M6 with new Competition Package
The BMW 6-Series is a lot of car, and while the 5.0-liter V10 in the M6 does a remarkable job of moving it around, critics have said it could use some help. Reports now indicate that the M division is giving it some help in the form of a new Competition Package.
The pseudo-CSL gets a new active suspension and a ride height lowered by 12mm up front and 10mm in the back, along with new wheels and a new front hood to set it apart from the standard model. With or without the Competition Package, however, the entire M6 range (coupe and convertible) gets new side mirrors, a new electronics package controlled by the revised iDrive system and a new shade of black for the exterior. While we're not sure the new option pack would prompt us to take the M6 Competition Package racing as its name suggests, it does make the big sports-coupe that much more tempting.
[Source: Motor Authority]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
User 5:07PM (7/29/2008)
Those are some pretty cool adjustments but could the "Competition Package" be worth the big money its name suggests? It should at least replace some parts with lighter parts or something...
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simianspeedster 5:12PM (7/29/2008)
A few fine tunings are nice, but how much does it weigh? I thought the CSL package usually included an effort to lighten a car as much as anything else.
Sorry, but slapping the M badge on a car approaching 4,000 lbs. is a disgrace.
-SimianSpeedster
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MikeofLA 5:48PM (7/29/2008)
What? Really? The M5 is 4109lbs, and the M3, at 3709 with a driver and passenger in it easily breaks the mark. Neither are a "disgrace". Have you ever driven an M car?
I agree that some weight saving goodies would have been great... but by no means are these cars slugs.
simianspeedster 3:23PM (7/30/2008)
I didn't say the 4,000+ lb. M cars were "slugs," but there's no arguing that they are lean and nimble. Try to get your hands on the latest issue of Sports Car International where they drive the new M3 convertible and, in amazingly honest fashion for a mazagine today, they call it what it is: a fast car, but a pointless pig of a car that handles poorly for its size and cost.
I owned an E30 for several years and I've still never driven anything as entertaining as that car. More recently, I've ridden in an M coupe (Z4 - M) and an E36 M3. Both were fun, but I'd still rather have a modern take on an E30: a 240HP turbo 4 or NA inline 6 mated to a 3,000-3,200 lb. 1 series sized coupe with kick-ass brakes and suspension. The 128i with the Sports Package is close...
To each their own -- everyone has their own definition of fun or exciting. Some would find a Miata more entertaing than an M6. Still, no matter what your perference, there's no M car in BMW's line-up that wouldn't be better all around if it weighed 300 lbs. less. "Adding lightness" helps just about everything: acceleration, braking, handling, ride and fuel economy.
-SimianSpeedster
simianspeedster 3:28PM (7/30/2008)
I forgot -- I also drove a friend's original E24 (???) M6 a few times back in the day (1988 or 1989, I think) and rode in it a lot. It was already 3,300 lbs. or so back then, so more of a cruiser than an M3 from the same era, but that motor ruled (when it was well tuned).
MONTE 5:30PM (7/29/2008)
My thought exactly. If you take a heavy fast car and put a tight suspension under it, it is still just a heavy fast car. I don't really care for the M6 as much as the M5 but do believe it should focus on getting some pounds off of it as well as suspension mods.
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yacoub 7:58AM (7/30/2008)
So, like the much-vaunted GT-R then? ;P
JZeke 5:32PM (7/29/2008)
I find it strange that Subaru -- a fairly small manufacturer -- can take 50 pounds out of the new WRX and keep the costs in line. Uber-profitable BMW on the other hand has yet to introduce any weight savings of meaning without resorting to expensive carbon or magnesium.
A true CSL -- shorn of 500 lbs -- would be fairly amazing, and a good return to form.
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aaron bluestone 6:18PM (7/29/2008)
nobody is buying an M6 to take to a track day... it's a luxo barge that looks sexy and has a lot of power... I'm sure weight reduction never crossed their mind because the typical M6 buyer doesn't care.
Rob 9:35PM (7/29/2008)
It is actually more expensive to make parts for a smaller batch of cars. While there are maybe 5000 or so M6s coming to the US each year, Subaru will sell that many WRXs in a month. If it costs $500,000 to create a part run, divided by the number of cars they will sell... it maybe more effective to go with carbon fiber.
Lee 6:13PM (7/29/2008)
I am willing to bet none of you have driven an M5/6 in anger... seriously quick cars...
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BMWdownshift 6:22PM (7/29/2008)
I will buy anything BMW makes and so will %95 of BMW owners.
You really must own one to understand.
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Smeagle 7:57PM (7/29/2008)
BMW must love you then.
dave0mary 6:39PM (7/29/2008)
Don Garlits has been here again! The M6 has always been about more than just fast straight-line (and cornering). It's a wonderful luxury coupe and conv. that just happens to have a tonna horses. But it was never touted to be the fastest at anything. I recently took a Lotus Esprit out for a test drive. Rattle trap - but fast.
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Corey L 7:15PM (7/29/2008)
Still cannot outrun ugly
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Xcountryflyer 8:07PM (7/29/2008)
The M6 is definitely much less loved than the M3 and M5. Probably cuz the 6-Series is not much loved in general due to is general ugliness.
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hydrogenvodka 10:41PM (7/29/2008)
Rather strangeness I'd say... its stunning in person, and brilliant to drive for sure.
strangway 2:08AM (7/30/2008)
butterface
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nagmashot 2:25AM (7/30/2008)
the package is called Sportpack and it is avaible in Germany starting September this year...and it is avaible for the entrie 6series range, for all engines Coupe and Convertibel
The sportpack includes..
- M sport suspension
- 19" wheels
- dark chrom exhust pipes
- 650i recive a different exhust with deeper louder sound
- different shaped engine hood
- 7 different colors
- some cosmetic changes outside
- M sport steering wheel
- aluminum parts inside
- dark roof (inside)
- light package (inside)
- sport seats with 3 different leather versions
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Gooch 6:07AM (7/30/2008)
I should be amazed that certain people don't get the M6, but in this day and age, when opinions are like a**holes...
This is not a car that BMW is going to put on a weight-loss program. It is a luxurious GT and the Motorsport version is capable of a serious turn of speed, braking and handling. If you want weight loss, buy a CSL version of an M-car. There won't be a M6 CSL -- what is the point? If people want to race an M, they buy a M3 CSL.
It is perfect for a person who wants the most luxurious GT from the Werke but still maintain a high level of performance and exclusivity.
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