2010 BMW M6 Review

Introduction

The 6 Series-based 2010 BMW M6 deserves to be more of an automotive icon than it is. Just look at its résumé: zero to 60 mph in well under 5 seconds, stellar handling and braking, daily-driver ride quality, coupe and convertible body styles and a phenomenal race-bred V10 that belongs in any conversation about the top engines in the world. The previous M6 from the 1980s is certifiably iconic, as is the V12-powered 850CSi coupe that followed in the 1990s. So what is it about the current M6 that keeps it from being mentioned in the same breath as its illustrious predecessors?

Plain and simple, it's the car's styling. A subjective matter, to be sure, but one that also has a way of separating the legendary cars from the pretty good ones. The M6 has got it all on paper, from knuckle-whitening performance to high-tech features, but its oddly protruding trunk lid and droopy headlights knock its elegance index down a notch. Still, there are those for whom the M6's styling will seem edgy, different, daring. These are the people who will buy the M6, and they'll know better than anyone what a downright thrilling car this is to drive.

Having said that, we've repeatedly slapped the M6 with two performance-related demerits: The steering feel falls short of BMW's customary high standards, and the lurch-prone SMG single-clutch automated manual is well behind these dual-clutch times. However, you can get a conventional six-speed manual if you want, which fixes the SMG situation, and the rest of the M6 is so entertaining that the subpar steering is hardly a deal-breaker.

For 2010, one additionally previous demerit has been erased thanks to an updated iDrive system. Like other 2010 BMW models, the M6's iDrive gets a new interface with more sensible-to-use menus, extra buttons for accessing oft-used features and a hard-drive-based navigation system. With this fixed, one's consideration of the M6 could very well come down to styling. If classic looks is your thing, you'd be better off going with a Porsche 911 (the current model has got its aesthetic groove back), a Jaguar XKR or the coupe-only Maserati GranTurismo. But if all-out performance and daily-driver flexibility are high on your list of priorities, the 2010 BMW M6 is hard to beat.