Owner Review

This review is a little different from the usual Nordic Throttle owner review. The BMW 640d was owned within the family for several years, giving me the opportunity to drive it on multiple occasions. The review combines my own experience behind the wheel with input from the owner.

Some cars are great at one particular thing. They’re fast but uncomfortable, comfortable but boring, or beautiful but difficult to live with.

The BMW 640d is different.

It’s a car that does it all.

It’s comfortable enough to daily, powerful enough to be genuinely enjoyable, surprisingly reasonable on fuel, and wrapped in what I consider to be one of BMW’s best designs.

And at the centre of it all is an engine that feels almost made for this car.

The 40d Just Works

The 40d engine is, in my opinion, a near-perfect match for the 6 Series.

There’s plenty of power available when you need it, but what really defines the experience is the torque.

Put your foot down and you immediately feel that effortless diesel shove. For a large grand tourer like the 6 Series, that character suits the car incredibly well.

At the same time, you don’t have to accept ridiculous fuel consumption just to have performance available when you want it.

That’s part of what makes the 640d such an easy car to live with.

You can drive it every day without feeling like you’re making a huge compromise in either direction.

640d or 640i?

I’ve had the opportunity to drive both the 640d and the petrol-powered 640i.

For the 6 Series?

I’d take the 640d any day.

That might sound strange when the petrol engine initially seems like the more exciting choice, but the character of the diesel simply fits this car better for me.

The 6 Series is a GT. It’s designed to cover distance comfortably while still giving you plenty of performance when you ask for it.

And that’s exactly where the 40d shines.

The torque makes the car feel effortless. You don’t need to constantly push the engine to get performance out of it. There’s always that wave of torque available when you put your foot down.

The 640i is a great car in its own right, but if I were choosing an engine specifically for the 6 Series, I’d choose the 40d.

One of BMW’s Best Designs

Then there’s the way it looks.

Car design is obviously subjective, but the 6 Series remains one of my favourite BMW designs.

It’s sleek, low and elegant without trying too hard to grab your attention.

And yet it does.

The proportions give it a presence that makes people notice it almost immediately. There’s something about the long, low shape that makes the car look special without needing aggressive styling everywhere.

Even years later, I think the design has aged incredibly well.

It looks like a proper grand tourer.

And when you get inside, that feeling continues.

Behind the Wheel

You sit low in the 640d.

That might sound like a small detail, but it changes the entire character of the car.

You’re sitting much closer to the road than you would in an SUV or even many traditional luxury cars, and it gives you that proper GT feeling from the moment you get behind the wheel.

The handling complements that driving position nicely.

For a large and comfortable car, the 640d feels great on the road. The low seating position helps you feel connected to what the car is doing, while the chassis gives you enough confidence to actually enjoy driving it.

It’s not pretending to be a lightweight sports car.

That’s not what the 6 Series is supposed to be.

Instead, it manages to combine the substantial feeling of a luxury GT with enough connection to make the person behind the wheel feel involved.

Comfort

Despite the low seating position and the focus on the driving experience, comfort remains one of the 640d’s strongest qualities.

It’s an extremely comfortable car.

Would I say it reaches the same level as a fully specified 5 Series designed entirely around comfort?

Probably not.

But that’s hardly a criticism.

The 6 Series offers a different experience. You trade a little of that traditional luxury-saloon feeling for the lower seating position, sleeker shape and more focused GT character.

And it’s a trade I’d happily make.

This is exactly the kind of car you can imagine covering huge distances in without thinking twice.

Interior

Inside, it’s classic BMW.

And I mean that as a compliment.

Especially when properly specified, the interior feels fantastic. The materials, seating position and overall layout give you the premium experience you’d expect from a car like this.

There isn’t an attempt to reinvent everything just for the sake of looking futuristic.

Everything feels driver-focused and familiar.

Combined with the low seating position and the view over the long body of the car, the cabin reinforces that sense that you’re sitting in something designed to travel long distances quickly and comfortably.

The Rear Seats…

There had to be something.

And it’s the back.

The shape that makes the 6 Series look so good inevitably comes with a compromise.

Rear-seat practicality isn’t exactly its strongest point, and the middle seat in particular is almost nonexistent.

Calling it a proper fifth seat is being generous.

If carrying five adults regularly is high on your list of priorities, there are much better BMWs for the job.

But that’s also not really what this car is about.

The 6 Series prioritises its shape, driving position and GT character over maximum rear-seat practicality, and personally, I think that’s a compromise worth making.

Living With the 640d

This is where an owner review becomes different from a short test drive.

A car can make a fantastic first impression. Living with it for years is another matter entirely.

And perhaps one of the strongest compliments I can give the 640d is that, even after years of ownership, it remains one of the owner’s favourite cars.

That tells you something.

The design doesn’t stop being special once the novelty wears off. The torque doesn’t suddenly stop being satisfying. And the combination of comfort, performance and everyday usability continues to make sense long after that first drive.

It’s the kind of car that proves you don’t necessarily need extreme performance figures to create something memorable.

Final Thoughts

The BMW 640d is one of those cars that becomes difficult to replace because it doesn’t force you to choose between too many things.

Want something you can daily?

Absolutely.

Want something comfortable enough for long journeys?

No problem.

Want enough power to make putting your foot down enjoyable?

The 40d has it.

Want reasonable fuel consumption from a large premium GT?

That’s another reason the diesel makes so much sense.

And then you get the design, the low driving position and that unmistakable grand-tourer feeling on top of it.

There are faster BMWs. There are more practical BMWs. There are BMWs that are even more comfortable.

But few manage to combine all of those qualities quite like the 640d.

Nordic Throttle Verdict

Would I drive it again?

Absolutely.

Pros

✓ Fantastic diesel torque

✓ 40d engine suits the GT character perfectly

✓ Strong performance without ridiculous consumption

✓ Beautiful, timeless design

✓ Low and engaging driving position

✓ Great handling for a large GT

✓ Extremely comfortable

✓ High-quality interior when properly specified

Cons

✗ Rear-seat practicality is compromised

✗ The middle rear seat barely deserves to be called a seat

The 640d isn’t the most powerful 6 Series, and it isn’t the obvious choice if you’re simply looking at which engine sounds the most exciting on paper.

But having driven both the 640d and 640i, I know which one I’d choose.

The 40d belongs in this car.

Its torque, efficiency and effortless performance perfectly complement what the 6 Series is supposed to be.

A comfortable daily driver.

A beautiful grand tourer.

A car that’s enjoyable when you want it to be.

The BMW 640d is simply a GT that does it all.