This is a special Head 2 Head presented by Tire Rack because we’re comparing two cars that look nearly identical on the outside. They’re both 600hp BMW 6-Series Gran Coupes
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MotorTranscript
00:00 Hi there, this is the BMW 6 Series Grand Coupe.
00:05 Actually it's the M version, the M6 Grand Coupe.
00:08 And I think it is the sexiest,
00:10 best looking BMW they build.
00:13 I mean, they stole Pontiac's old formula, right?
00:16 Lower, longer, wider, and it is gorgeous.
00:21 And not only does it look great, it drives great too.
00:24 In fact, this is my favorite BMW.
00:28 And here comes Jason, driving the same car,
00:32 wearing the same outfit.
00:34 - Yup.
00:34 - Jason, why are we dressed the same?
00:36 - To prove a point.
00:37 - That you have horrible fashion sense?
00:40 - I'm dressed like you.
00:41 - Yeah, but you picked these outfits out.
00:43 - Okay, I tried to make you look like a dope
00:45 and it kind of backfired.
00:46 - Fair enough, okay.
00:47 - But look, point still applies.
00:48 Underneath these two white coats
00:50 are two very different things.
00:51 Underneath that one is a hairy matzo ball or something.
00:54 And underneath this is a svelte Italian--
00:56 - Clown.
00:57 - Clown.
00:58 Look, the cars look the same on the outside,
01:00 but they're very different underneath.
01:02 And I'd argue that the best 600 horsepower grand coupe
01:05 is not the M6, it's the Alpina B6.
01:08 - That's what you think.
01:09 However, there's only one way to find out.
01:12 - Really?
01:13 You're gonna use that tired old line again?
01:14 - It's a catchphrase.
01:15 You just kind of keep repeating it over and over again.
01:17 That's how it works.
01:18 - Oh, you think it's working, huh?
01:19 - Hi there!
01:20 - Oh no, stop! - Hi there!
01:21 - Please. - Hi there!
01:22 - Please help! - Hi there!
01:23 - Hi there! - Stop!
01:23 - Hi there! - Help!
01:24 (upbeat music)
01:27 (car engine revving)
01:30 - Waking the dead.
01:31 Yes, please!
01:33 Yeah, buddy!
01:35 (car engine revving)
01:39 Throwing off the rings, give me all you got!
01:42 (upbeat music)
01:47 - If I made you choose between spaghetti and pizza,
01:54 would you realize you've been duped?
01:56 Oh yeah, these two dishes
01:57 have exactly the same ingredients.
01:59 It's just a bunch of flour and water and tomato and basil.
02:02 Same exact stuff, yet totally different.
02:05 Same story applies to these two cars.
02:07 It's not about the ingredients, it's about the preparation.
02:10 And there are a bunch of small detail changes on these cars
02:13 that completely change the personality.
02:16 For example, the M6 needs to be all motor sporty,
02:19 so it gets a dual clutch for lightning fast shifts.
02:21 The Alpina doesn't care about that,
02:23 so it can use a torque converter automatic.
02:26 It also has 74 more pound feet of torque
02:28 down low in the rev range, thanks to single scroll turbos.
02:32 It gets off the line with all wheel drive
02:34 without any wheel spin.
02:36 The M6, trying to send 600 horsepower to the rear wheels,
02:39 it just lights up the rear tires
02:40 and wants to be sideways all the time.
02:42 So it gets a really quick ratio power steering,
02:45 so you can correct it.
02:46 All of these changes make these two cars very different,
02:49 even though they look identical.
02:50 Not quite identical.
02:53 There are some visual differences,
02:55 such as the fender vents.
02:57 Ooh, big deal.
02:58 And the bigger difference, like the grill.
03:01 The M6, it's got big nostrils and a big gaping maw,
03:04 'cause you gotta get all that air onto the coolers.
03:06 Now the Alpina, it may not be as effective up front,
03:10 but it just looks so much more sophisticated.
03:13 And the same story's true out back, right?
03:15 Yes, the anodized tips on the M6's exhaust are cool,
03:19 but the way those quad pipes sit in the rear valance,
03:22 it just looks sharp.
03:25 And since I'm slagging on the M6, carbon fiber, really?
03:29 You're putting a lightweight material
03:31 on a 4,500 pound machine?
03:34 You're not fooling anybody.
03:35 It's like a fat guy drinking a diet soda.
03:37 - You're gonna talk about the wheels?
03:41 - Yes, there is one place where the M6
03:44 does look better than the Alpina, and that's the wheels.
03:46 I love five spokes, and I think that black wheels
03:49 are a fad that's never going out of style.
03:51 I meant the Alpina's wheels.
03:53 Speaking of something that's not going out of style,
03:55 those are decades old, and they're the coolest wheels ever,
03:57 because one of those spokes is hollow,
03:59 so the valve stem can be inside the hubcap.
04:02 Hidden, they're gorgeous!
04:03 - I think they're just kind of fuddy-duddy.
04:05 - What? I completely disagree.
04:07 - Do you agree that we're about to get inside this car
04:09 and drive it?
04:10 - Yes.
04:10 - Good, then we're back in agreement.
04:12 - Look, we matched the interior.
04:14 - I know, it's great.
04:15 - It's been a while since I've sat in one of these.
04:17 I just love this interior.
04:18 - It's still gorgeous.
04:19 But I almost feel bad that we have to say bad things
04:23 about this car.
04:24 - What?
04:25 - I said almost, but I mean, what we're doing is,
04:27 it's a fantastic car, and we're basically going to be
04:30 looking at the two of them and saying,
04:31 "Ah, the P under this one's mattress is bigger."
04:34 - I found a P.
04:35 - I just finished the metaphor!
04:37 - Yeah, and I already found a P.
04:38 - Jesus, go ahead.
04:39 - I would like to put my seatbelt on.
04:41 Unfortunately, I can't reach it.
04:43 It's not here.
04:44 - They're using the seats from the coupe,
04:46 but it's got a P pillar!
04:48 It's right here!
04:49 - I have to reach it!
04:50 Oh, come on, looks good at the chiropractor's office
04:53 when you need an adjustment
04:54 because the seatbelt is ridiculous.
04:56 - Anything else?
04:57 - Yes, right away.
04:57 (laughing)
04:59 - Sucker!
05:00 - This waterfall effect is absolutely stunning.
05:04 That leather doesn't line up at all.
05:06 - That's bothering you?
05:07 - Yeah.
05:08 - Oh, come on.
05:08 - It's a $150,000 car.
05:09 First thing I noticed, that doesn't line up.
05:11 - This is leather, it's a natural product,
05:12 it's probably two different cows.
05:13 - Fine.
05:14 - All right, all right, all right.
05:15 - But I thought we found P's.
05:17 - Before we even started moving!
05:18 But, here's the thing, you hit this button,
05:20 this is the M button, right?
05:22 And all P's are forgiven!
05:24 (laughing)
05:26 - There you go.
05:27 - So fast!
05:27 - Why am I listening to a V10?
05:30 - Well, I think the reason has something to do
05:32 with that wacky cross-plane exhaust manifold,
05:35 turbo, bumps, and,
05:37 and calculator-ish.
05:39 - Yes, I'll explain to you people.
05:41 - That's why it has this amazing,
05:43 patented, genius exhaust manifold
05:45 that replicates the firing order of a flat-plane V8.
05:48 - That's because you want to get the even thrust
05:50 into the 12-cylinder. - Even pulse to every
05:52 twin-scroll, yeah.
05:53 But it's got the exhaust note of a flat-plane V8.
05:56 And then, V10 noise is coming through the speakers.
05:59 - That doesn't drive me crazy.
06:00 - That's a fair doubt.
06:01 - Let's talk about the steering for a second.
06:03 - Hydraulic.
06:04 - It is hydraulic, and it is great on a back road
06:07 when you're really at it, but man,
06:09 like, you know, this is kind of a big luxury coupe,
06:11 and when you're cruising on the freeway,
06:13 it just trambles everywhere.
06:14 It's like the opposite of a Mercedes.
06:16 You are just constantly correcting the wheel.
06:18 - Walks around a little bit.
06:19 And my only beef is that it's got the button over here
06:21 to adjust the weight of the steering.
06:23 And the three weights you can choose from are,
06:25 I'm low on power steering fluid,
06:27 I have no power steering fluid at all.
06:28 - I think I'm in that mode right now.
06:29 - And if, threw the belt off and the pump's
06:31 not even turning, there's no assist whatsoever.
06:34 - Yeah, does anyone drive around in their old classic 911,
06:36 like, boy, I wish I had a sport mode for the steering.
06:38 It's just good steering.
06:40 - It's just right, absolutely.
06:41 And everything's adjustable on this car.
06:43 But I love that the transmission has three modes,
06:45 in manual mode, but then doesn't have a mode
06:47 that just replicates a torque converter automatic.
06:50 DCTs are great when you're bombing down a back road,
06:52 but this thing in traffic, oh.
06:55 - You often complain about dual-clutch transmissions
06:58 around town, and usually I'm like,
06:59 oh, there goes Jason, except for this one.
07:01 - You're totally right.
07:02 You're the boss of a matte white $150,000 car,
07:06 and you're not moving in a green light,
07:08 even though you're pushing on the throttle.
07:09 - And remember, this car is available with a stick shift.
07:12 So everyone's just gonna assume you're a 16-year-old
07:15 on your first stick driving lesson.
07:17 (imitates car engine revving)
07:19 - How's it ride?
07:20 - Look, it's got 20s on it.
07:22 They're big wheels. - They are big wheels.
07:23 - And considering that, it's--
07:25 - Okay.
07:26 - It does ride a little bit harsh.
07:27 - Didn't they just mount the subframe directly to the body?
07:30 - Yeah, normally there's a bushing in there,
07:31 but on the M6, it's bolted directly,
07:34 so you get a lot of noise.
07:35 - And they do the same thing on the M4, right?
07:36 It's kind of a M division frame.
07:38 - To give the rear subframe more rigidity
07:40 so that under all of the power,
07:41 and this thing has a ton of power.
07:43 It's not walking around in the back.
07:45 - Right.
07:46 - This thing has 200, too many horsepower.
07:48 - Look, for 2017, now it has 600 horsepower
07:51 because 575 wasn't enough.
07:53 - Yeah, but the other thing is, this traction control light.
07:56 I've never seen a car where it flickers more.
07:58 I mean, this has to be Morse code
07:59 for ultimate driving machine.
08:01 I don't know what it is, but again,
08:02 it shows you how confused M division is at the moment.
08:06 - Look, they're just saying,
08:06 "Oh, you know, we can't do all-wheel drive
08:09 "because that would dilute the brand."
08:11 - Yeah, "That's why we don't build an M7.
08:14 "Can I interest you in a brand new X5M?"
08:16 Look at that X6M over there.
08:18 I mean, they're just out of their minds.
08:19 It's crazy.
08:20 - Well, they could put all, this car needs all-wheel drive,
08:22 and there's the benefit of the Alpina.
08:24 The Alpina isn't stuck in this motorsport thing
08:27 where it needs to have a dual clutch
08:28 instead of a real automatic,
08:29 and it can have all-wheel drive,
08:31 and because of that automatic and the all-wheel drive,
08:33 I bet you anything that car is a full second
08:36 or close to a full second quicker 0-60 than this car is.
08:39 - You think?
08:40 - Oh, yeah, easy.
08:40 - You wanna drag race 'em?
08:41 - And the answer to that question is always yes.
08:43 - Yes!
08:44 - Okay.
08:45 - Yes!
08:46 - Yeah.
08:47 (upbeat music)
08:49 Okay, so the two cars are lined up.
09:01 We're about to drag race 'em.
09:03 Here's the thing.
09:04 He's gonna kill me.
09:06 We've tested these cars.
09:06 I've looked at the numbers,
09:07 and I stand no chance whatsoever.
09:10 I may be dressed like a gentleman,
09:11 but I'm actually a cheater,
09:12 and I can't believe Johnny is going for this.
09:15 Like, this car does 0-60 in 3.3 seconds every time.
09:18 That car is closer to four,
09:20 but that was done by our testing team.
09:22 If it spins the tires,
09:23 it does like a six or seven second 0-60.
09:26 By the time he starts to catch up to me,
09:29 I'm gonna be a quarter mile ahead of him.
09:30 He's got no chance.
09:32 You ready there, big guy?
09:33 - I am.
09:34 I'm kind of certain you're gonna beat me to 60
09:37 'cause of your all-wheel drive,
09:38 but I think the high-revving horsepower nature
09:42 of this motor is gonna kill you in the quarter.
09:44 - By the time that stupid thing hits the quarter mile,
09:47 I'll be at the three mile mark.
09:48 - What stupid thing?
09:50 - Not the car, you.
09:52 - You might be right.
09:53 I don't know.
09:53 Let's do it.
09:54 - All right, I count you down.
09:55 Go on, go.
09:56 Three, two, one, go.
10:00 (engine revving)
10:03 Still spinning?
10:04 How do you like that wheel spin?
10:05 I can barely see you in my rear view mirror.
10:07 (laughing)
10:09 You're a quarter mile behind me.
10:13 - It's a hostile work environment, I'm telling you.
10:16 Could you imagine every day with him?
10:18 - 30.
10:20 - Okay, well, maybe we could do something like,
10:25 what do those dudes in Miami do, like a rolling drag race?
10:29 - Normally I would say no,
10:31 but these are kind of Autobahn missiles,
10:33 so maybe let's do like the 50 to 150 run.
10:36 - Okay, sounds good to me.
10:38 - Okay, so we're gonna do this on the go.
10:41 So it is three, two, one, go.
10:44 Uh-oh.
10:46 - No!
10:47 - Okay.
10:50 - Boy, you're awfully quiet all of a sudden, big mouth.
10:53 - You weigh 350 pounds less,
10:56 and by that I mean your car.
10:57 - It is absolutely 100% smoke tube.
11:01 - In the real world, that thing can't make it
11:02 out of a parking spot without laying two strips of rubber,
11:05 so I win.
11:07 - Everybody get some metal,
11:08 or should we just jump in that car and see how it drives?
11:10 - Yeah, let's have you jump in the car,
11:11 because I don't like you getting a metal at all.
11:14 - Seriously, every day, no matter what you say to him,
11:17 could you imagine?
11:19 - Oh man, this is beautiful.
11:21 - Yeah, and no tacky, stupid carbon fiber.
11:24 - No. - Instead, they have wood,
11:25 and what do you want in a car?
11:27 Metal, leather, and wood.
11:28 - It's gorgeous. - No plastic,
11:29 and carbon fiber is a form of plastic, it's baked plastic.
11:32 - So we know it's faster right off the line, obviously,
11:34 but I masked something by brake torquing it.
11:38 I haven't felt turbo lag like this
11:40 since the last time I drove a Porsche 930.
11:42 I mean, watch, ready? - Really?
11:43 Okay. - Floored.
11:44 (laughing)
11:47 - Oh, it's just calm, it's just working up to it.
11:50 - Yeah, that was 12 seconds of lag.
11:52 - It's like when a shop footer,
11:54 like, you know, they're spinning before they throw it.
11:56 That's all, it's just building up.
11:58 - Do me a favor and look at the tachometer for a second.
12:00 Yeah, see how it's pointing that way?
12:02 - What? - This thing is so quiet.
12:04 - Yeah, look.
12:05 - Oh my God, so it's at 5,000 RPM.
12:07 - Now we know why there's active sound management in the M6.
12:09 - This is the 900 pound elephant in the room,
12:12 which is this chassis, which might actually weigh 900 pounds.
12:15 And here's the reason why the 7 Series, the 5, 6 Series,
12:18 and the Rolls-Royce Ghost, and Wraith, and Dawn,
12:21 they all share a lot of parts,
12:22 meaning that there are pieces of this car
12:24 that have to support the weight of a long wheelbase Ghost.
12:28 You know, you want that Rolls-Royce to be really quiet,
12:30 so you're gonna make a lot of stuff like the firewall
12:32 really, really quiet and soundproof.
12:34 And what the result is,
12:35 you have the 600 horsepower Grand Coupe sports car
12:38 that you can't really hear.
12:39 - So now we know, I mean, it sounds good.
12:41 - Yeah, it's quiet. - But it's very muted.
12:44 But you know what?
12:45 A really loud car, if you owned it,
12:47 it's probably fun for the first day,
12:49 and then you just wanna get your donuts,
12:51 and it's (growls) you know?
12:53 And so this is luxurious.
12:55 - Driving this car around town, it's almost perfect.
12:58 One thing on both of these cars, they're so wide.
13:02 It's like driving a school bus.
13:03 That wheel is so far away that I'm always afraid
13:06 I'm gonna curb it. - Yeah, but it looks good.
13:08 - And then it rides well, it's quiet,
13:11 it's so Aston Martin-y talkative.
13:13 - Oh, good point, yeah.
13:14 - This is a special car to drive.
13:15 - Let me ask you a question, though.
13:16 How is it on the back road?
13:18 - Split pea soup.
13:21 - Sort of falls apart, doesn't it?
13:23 - Well, look, okay, the steering ratio on the M6
13:26 is 12.7 to one.
13:28 Steering ratio on this car is 18.7 to one.
13:31 So I have to move the wheel so much more,
13:33 and then there's a ton of grip.
13:36 I mean, look at that grip.
13:37 - Hey, Michelin Pilot, of course.
13:38 - Super sports. - You know, yeah, yeah.
13:40 - But the whole front end turns to goo.
13:42 It's such a great car to drive at 5/10, 4/10,
13:46 and then it just kind of falls apart.
13:48 - I think what Alpina's done is they built
13:49 this almost ideal Autobahn cruiser
13:52 that in day-to-day normal situations
13:54 is much better than the M6.
13:55 However, you know, I think it just sort of
13:58 falls apart on a back road.
14:00 And I think it's gonna completely fall apart on a racetrack.
14:03 So we should take it to one.
14:05 - Another question where the answer is always yes.
14:08 (engine revving)
14:10 - What is the proper way of routing a seatbelt
14:17 through a white sport coat?
14:18 - There is no proper way.
14:20 You're not supposed to wear coats in cars.
14:22 - First of all, terrible.
14:23 - So my plan backfired again.
14:26 - It's the same plan.
14:28 - Hey, Randy.
14:29 - Hey, Jason.
14:30 - Ah.
14:32 - This thing feels like a 747.
14:40 - Does it?
14:41 - Feels like wings are gonna sprout
14:42 and it'll just take off into the air.
14:44 - Keep it on the ground.
14:46 I hate planes.
14:47 I hate flying. - What?
14:48 - Yeah. - What?
14:49 - You know why he hates planes?
14:50 'Cause he never ran a racing series
14:52 and had to drive across this country over and over.
14:57 - I have a great appreciation for planes.
14:59 - I have a great appreciation for the speed
15:01 at which they transport me.
15:03 But I A, dislike the other people on the plane
15:05 because nothing fun ever happens.
15:08 It's all bad news.
15:09 It's flatulence, diarrhea, vomiting.
15:12 I mean, children, children screaming.
15:15 Part of the problem might be that I grew up
15:16 watching that airplane movie
15:18 and I realized just how many things could go wrong.
15:20 I mean, they could run out of coffee, Johnny.
15:23 Were you on the Mercedes flight
15:26 where the chicken came flying through the windshield?
15:28 - What?
15:29 - Yeah, there was some Mercedes.
15:30 I wasn't on either, but it was a Mercedes.
15:32 Not kidding.
15:33 Mercedes charted a plane.
15:35 It charted a plane and a bird came through the windshield.
15:37 - Oh no. - And almost killed the pilot.
15:40 It was just this bang, descent,
15:41 and when they got on the ground, they're like,
15:43 yeah, everyone, there's been a chicken
15:45 that has come through the windshield.
15:47 Why are you laughing?
15:48 This is so wrong.
15:50 Nothing good ever.
15:52 Look. - Look, this is funny.
15:54 That's funny.
15:54 And you, with your white people problems,
15:57 of oh, I was upstairs on a plane and water dripped on me.
16:00 I mean, that's the ultimate--
16:00 - Aren't you wearing a suit,
16:03 sitting in the back of a $130,000 car,
16:05 being whisked around our own private racetrack
16:06 by a Daytona 24-hour winner?
16:09 - Yes, but I'm not complaining about it.
16:11 - Where's your sense of adventure?
16:13 - I'm in a car with Randy Pope's doing hot laps.
16:16 We barely even notice anything.
16:17 - Oh yeah, we are doing hot laps.
16:19 - This car is so comfortable.
16:20 - It's so nice. - It's so good.
16:23 - All right, M6.
16:24 (car engine revving)
16:28 (rock music)
16:31 - And no track.
16:44 Are you trying to work?
16:45 (laughing)
16:48 - God, that's 120 miles an hour, like that.
16:50 (laughing)
16:53 - And in spite of being in the Sport Plus mode,
16:56 it still bounces around more than I would have expected.
16:59 Yeah, well, it turns in really well.
17:04 (laughing)
17:06 I thought you guys liked this stuff.
17:19 - It feels very different from this far back
17:22 in the center of gravity.
17:23 - Yeah.
17:23 - This thing is so fast.
17:27 - It's a rocket ship.
17:27 - Also, it doesn't stop as well as it goes.
17:31 - Oh, that's nice to tell us that.
17:33 You could have mentioned that before I got in the backseat.
17:36 (laughing)
17:39 - That was an enjoyable experience, if you want it.
17:50 But the thing is, the way it shows up,
17:53 it's sudden sometimes like that.
17:56 - Oh, yeah.
17:57 - So it's not easy to predict
18:00 because it doesn't put power down very well.
18:04 On the other hand, at lighter loads,
18:07 when it's not as stressed out,
18:09 it's really quite responsive.
18:11 (car engine revving)
18:17 The brakes go into a no zone.
18:21 There's good bite under light pressure.
18:24 (car engine revving)
18:27 Under more brake pressure, there's no more bite.
18:34 - So I'm just glad that our sport coach matched the interior.
18:37 - Yeah, right, so you can't see the puke.
18:38 (laughing)
18:40 - I don't know, stop, baby.
18:46 - Why was that way forward?
18:48 - Awesome, yeah.
18:49 Very nice.
18:52 - Actually, this is a good drift car.
18:54 - Is this thing gonna have bar packs?
18:56 (car engine revving)
18:59 (car engine revving)
19:06 (car engine revving)
19:10 (car engine revving)
19:13 (car engine revving)
19:16 (car engine revving)
19:22 (car engine revving)
19:40 (car engine revving)
19:43 (car engine revving)
19:51 (car engine revving)
20:00 (car engine revving)
20:03 (car engine revving)
20:16 (car engine revving)
20:27 (car engine revving)
20:30 (car engine revving)
20:40 - So, is the M6 still your favorite BMW?
20:54 - That depends.
20:55 - Is an Alpina technically a BMW?
20:57 - Yeah.
20:59 - Then no, the M6 is no longer my favorite BMW,
21:02 the Alpina is.
21:04 - Wow, what a car.
21:05 And look, I love the M6.
21:07 I love that it's sideways,
21:08 I love that it's 2.2 seconds quicker
21:10 around this track than that.
21:11 But you like the Alpina better everywhere,
21:13 I like the Alpina better everywhere,
21:15 and even Randy liked the Alpina better here.
21:17 - Big surprise.
21:18 - He always likes the tighter, tauter, faster car.
21:20 Not here.
21:21 I think the M recipe works better
21:23 on smaller, tighter, more communicative cars.
21:25 And the Alpina formula, wow, big car like this.
21:28 - It's the way to go.
21:29 And look, 500 Alpinas are made a year.
21:30 Talk about a unicorn, here's a metallic green one.
21:32 And it really is like riding around in a private jet.
21:35 Especially when we talk about something like ride quality.
21:38 That thing is chattering, and this was just,
21:41 - Waft, and they're both on 20s.
21:42 It's not like there's a wheel size difference.
21:44 That's magic.
21:45 - I love, I mean, look, maybe we're just getting old.
21:47 - No, no, it's a better sports sedan.
21:49 It's a better luxury sedan,
21:51 and it's just the better Grand Coupe.
21:53 - I agree.
21:53 And therefore, the winner of this head-to-head is,
21:57 - The B6, because B is better than M.
22:00 - So everyone had a hot dog.
22:04 Some people had two, a couple of us might've had three,
22:06 but I don't get food poisoning.
22:08 - That's funny.
22:09 John never has that third hot dog at home.
22:11 - Anyway, but everybody else,
22:14 I'm coming out of both ends,
22:15 and there's one bathroom.
22:18 And so all the journalists were the entire first class,
22:21 you know, part of the plane.
22:22 - And they all know each other.
22:23 That's the worst part.
22:24 - Oh, it was the worst.
22:25 Luckily, I just sat there like mortified,
22:28 just like, oh, so that was bad.
22:30 - Nothing good ever comes from that.