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AUTO REVIEW
view, but strong BMW sales indicate that in this category are looking for that. and LED headlights.
luxury car buyers in 2016 prefer low-key to Rear-wheel drive and an eight-speed au- As always, Phil Hornbeak will happily
in-your-face designs.
tomatic transmission with paddle shifters are walk you through the many packages and
No one has been criticizing BMW interi- standard on all 6-series models, while the stand-alone options of the 640i or any other
ors, and the 640i cabin doesn’t disappoint xDrive all-wheel-drive system — not likely vehicle to find the one that’s right for you.
with rich looking materials and lots of tech. to be popular in South Texas — is optional.
From the wonderfully thick-rimmed steer- While it’s odd to find so many increas-
ing wheel to the soft leather everywhere, and The 640i comes with a turbocharged 3.0- ingly fuel efficient cars like the 640i available
the tasteful wood, aluminum, or faux carbon liter inline-6 that produces 315 HP and is at a time when gasoline is so cheap, it’s good
fiber trim, everything inside the BMW 640i rated at 21 MPG city/32 highway, while the to know that better fuel efficiency doesn’t
is just right. No, it’s not perfect like Audis faster and costlier 650i with its turbo 4.4- necessarily cost you power, driving pleasure,
seem to always be, but I’d call it a solid sec- liter V8 generates 445 HP but gets you an or luxury. If future cars save even more gas
ond place. uninspiring 17 MPG city/25 highway. but are as nice to live with as the 640i, I’m
going to embrace that green future.
Driving the 640i is a pleasure, High performance M versions of all three
as you’d expect with a BMW. 6-series body styles are available but won’t be If you’re in the market for this kind of ve-
discussed here. I doubt very many M6 buy- hicle, call Phil Hornbeak at 210-301-4367.
As long as you’re driving through town, ers would even consider non-M cars, frankly.
over a country back road with a gentle curve, They’re different animals entirely. Steve Schutz, MD, is a
or on the interstate, the 640i is hard to beat. board-certified gastroenterol-
With a curb weight of around 4,000 The 640i coupe starts at just under ogist who lived in San Anto-
pounds, BMW’s nicest luxury coupe isn’t re- $80,000 with no options, but prices can nio in the 1990s when he
ally up for attacking a challenging road with climb rapidly toward $100,000. Neverthe- was stationed here in the U.S. Air Force. He
lots of twists, but I don’t expect many buyers less, the standard 640i is anything but a has been writing auto reviews for San Anto-
stripper providing leather/heated/memory nio Medicine since 1995.
front seats, a Bang & Olufsen audio system,
heads-up display, dynamic cruise control,
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