6 Series Gran Coupe unveiled

BMW has unveiled its 6 Series Gran Coupe at the Geneva Motor Show. The new four-door version of the 6 Series is just as good looking as the coupe and will be a direct competitor to the Mercedes-Benz CLS and the Audi A7 Sportback. Prices are expected to start at around £60,000 when it goes on sale in June.

It may look similar to the 6 Series Coupe but it has a longer wheelbase which is good news for passenger legroom in the back. It comes with two seats in the rear but a third 'occassional' central seat is available which is suitable for short journeys. It should be practical with a boot capacity of 460 litres, although that's some way short of the A7 which has 535 litres. The rear seats fold down though to increase the carrying capacity to 1265 litres.

Underneath the skin, it's similar to the 6 Series with a lightweight construction to aid handling and economy.  The engine range is familiar too with a six-cylinder 640i plus a V8-powered 650i with twin turbochargers that develops 450bhp. Most buyers will go for a diesel though and it's no surprise given how good the 640d with 313bhp is.

All models have an eight-speed sports automatic transmission as standard plus to help reduce fuel consumption there's an automatic engine start stop function. For the first time on a non-SUV BMW in the UK, four-wheel drive will also be available with xDrive offered on the top models.

Prices are expected to start at around £61,000 for the 640i SE while the 650i model, which is due in July, is likely to be around £75,000.

BMW also showed the new M6 at the Geneva Motor Show along with its new high performance M Diesel models.