What's all this about?
It's another new engine for the BMW 6 Series Gran Turismo.
Is it a thumping great V8? Or even an M engine?
Erm... no. It's actually BMW's best-selling unit in this country, the 2.0-litre, four-cylinder turbodiesel. With one of these installed in the front, what we have here is the 620d Gran Turismo.
Oh. Have you got any stats for me?
No top speed, but we do know the 620d is capable of a very commendable 7.9-second 0-62mph time (the 6 GT is not a light car, by any stretch of the imagination, so running sub-eight is pretty impressive) while it also turns in some stonking eco-stats: such as 58.9mpg and CO2 as low as 127g/km. That's thanks to a balanced set of outputs, in the form of 190hp at 4,000rpm and a meaty 400Nm, spread across a low-revs band defined by 1,750- and 2,500rpm. So it should tempt a few buyers away from the 630d model, for certain.
Right, and what else do we know about it?
The 620d will get the eight-speed Steptronic automatic as standard, while items such as Adaptive Twin-Axle Air Suspension, Integral Active Steering and the Executive Drive system with Active Roll Stabilisation will all be optional extras.
So this is coming to the UK then?
We're not sure as yet - but we see no reason why it shouldn't, given the 20d is a strong-selling unit in BMW's other model lines on these shores. Expect to see it from later in the summer.
Matt Robinson - 3 May 2018