Model Mix
The 2006 BMW M6 comes fully loaded for $99,795, including the gas guzzler tax. Options are few, and push the total sticker price close to $108,000.
When you discover that you do want and need the 2006 BMW M6, selecting one is a relatively simple affair. Every M6 comes loaded with standard features for $99,795, including the $695 destination charge and the $3,000 gas guzzler tax. Of course, since BMW’s Dingolfing, Germany manufacturing facility will turn out limited numbers of the M6, chances are likely that the dealer will expect you to pay a premium over the sticker price, so prepare to part with more than 100,000 George Washingtons. What makes that premium over the BMW 650Ci palatable is a long list of mechanical, technological, and design upgrades that produce supercar performance statistics. Under the M6’s lighter skin and attached to its aluminum frame are all of the go-fast goodies that come on the recently introduced BMW M5 sedan, here in a sleeker, sexier, lower slung package. Plus, every person who buys or leases a new 2006 BMW M6 gets a free driving lesson at the BMW Performance Center in Spartanburg, SC. Rest assured, this advanced driving techniques course behind the wheel of an M6 is nothing like the instruction you got from the high school football coach 30 years ago. Standard equipment, in addition to the performance and styling enhancements, includes highlights such as a navigation system with voice command, park distance control, heated M sport seats with driver’s memory, an M sport steering wheel with controls for several systems, plush Merino leather upholstery, walnut wood trim, Bluetooth hands-free communication, and a sophisticated climate control system. There’s also a Logic7 premium surround sound system with 13 speakers, including two subwoofers, as well as digital signal processing and a six-disc CD changer accessed in the glove box. In terms of safety and security, BMW includes a long list of standard features like two-stage smart front airbags, Active Knee Protection airbags for the driver and front passenger, front door-mounted side-impact airbags, and a front head protection system of side curtain airbags. Additionally, there’s an interlocking door anchoring system to protect against side impacts, automatic front seatbelt tensioners and force limiters, and a tire pressure monitoring system. To keep thieves at bay, the 2006 BMW M6 is equipped with Coded Driveaway Protection, a small transponder in the remote keyless entry fob that stores an electronic code and communicates that code with the ignition system. Each time the remote is removed from the car, the code changes, and the car won’t start without it. Central locking with a double lock feature means that even if a thief breaks into the car, the door locks cannot be forced open, and then if the guy wriggles inside, an alarm with an interior motion sensor will sound. BMW Assist with a free one-year Safety Plan is also part of the deal, and since it’s GPS-based, tracking a stolen M6 should be simple enough. BMW Assist also lets occupants request emergency or concierge services with a press of a button, and if any of the airbags deploys, BMW Assist is automatically activated so that dispatchers can immediately send rescue personnel to the M6’s location. After the first year, an annual fee is assessed for the Safety Plan service, and BMW Assist’s Concierge service, which includes travel planning, dining reservations, weather reports, event tickets, and other helpful features, always costs extra. One thing that doesn’t cost extra is the 2006 BMW M6’s scheduled maintenance for the duration of the standard warranty. It’s free for four years or 50,000 miles, whichever comes first. BMW also offers 24-hour roadside assistance for the same period of time (lifetime roadside assistance is available), and guarantees that your M6 will be free of rust for 12 years and an unlimited number of miles – as if you planned to drive it in the snow or park it outside by the beach for more than a decade. Our Sepang Bronze test car came equipped with every extra, including an optional M Head-Up Display ($1,000), high-definition audio ($500), Sirius satellite radio ($595), Sepang Merino Full Leather ($3,500), Comfort Access ($1,000), and carbon-fiber interior trim ($300) for a total of $106,690. Some of these items require a bit of explanation:
Comfort Access is BMW’s keyless locking and ignition system. If the key is left in the trunk, the trunk will pop open to remind the owner to remove the key. If the key is left inside, the M6 will not lock when you press the button on the outside door handle. If the key is left inside and you walk away, say buh-bye to your M6.
High definition radio is not widespread, but BMW expects it to gain in popularity. The M6, when equipped with this option and when tuned to a high-definition radio station, will produce digital-quality sound on FM stations and near FM-quality sound on AM stations.
The M Head-Up Display is pretty trick, programmable as far as content and brightness level, and designed with special M functions including a dynamic engine-speed band that glows green, yellow, and red to mark safe revving zones; an upshift indicator; a current gear display; and vehicle speed.
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