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Having owned an example of the original—and still the best—version of BMW’s 6-series coupe, I feel more than qualified to pass judgment on the newly-released F12 (BMW’s internal code for the redesigned 2011+ iteration).

Certainly, I haven’t driven it (nor its predecessor, the E63), so I can’t comment on the dynamics, which I’m sure are impressive, and obviously leaps and bounds ahead of my lowly, recently-sold ’86 635CSi. I can talk about the design, though, an area where they’ve made improvements over the E63—one of the most hideous BMWs in recently memory—but are still falling short in a few areas.

The most notable problem, as Autoblog points out, is the nose. BMW seems to half-acknowledge it isn’t the car’s strongest point, and offer this in the way of explanation:

We’ve been told and retold that the discrepant front end with its schnozzola double kidneys and heavily recessed lights was a solution concocted to satisfy global pedestrian impact regulations.

Be that as it may (and unfortunate, if regulations are the main driver of a design decision), I think part of the justification for the more upright grille was an attempt to get more of the classic BMW forward-swept kidney rake into the profile. Sadly, with the F12, it doesn’t go nearly far enough, and the overall profile is still very lozenge-like and anonymous. Contrast this:

with this:

and you’ll see what I’m after. The classic car’s profile has so much more character, especially the swept-forward nose, which is what gave the car its “shark” nickname in the first place. Had it been the first of its kind, I doubt the new 6-series would inspire any nickname so distinctive.

Otherwise, the lines are tidy and handsome if, again, not particularly worthy of a second glance. Vanilla. And another problem is that their current 3-series coupe intrudes on 6-series territory, not only performance-wise, but especially visually. Compare a rear 3/4 view of both cars; the C-pillars and taillights follow very similar lines. The net result is that there’s little to set the F12 apart from even its own company’s model line.

Overall, I think BMW’s made great strides, but at the end of the day, Audi’s A5/S5 is still the high-water mark for German luxury coupes. It wins on style, the determining factor in the big, stylish coupe market niche. And with the improvements Audi has made in the chassis (the A5/S5 is built on their B-platform), it’s probably a wash dynamically as well.

The warlocks at BMW’s M Division have unleashed their latest creation on the automotive world: The M3 CRT.

The raison d’être for the techy-sounding suffix?

CRT stands for Carbon Racing Technology. Intelligent lightweight design is an important component in the BMW M repertoire, directly inspired by the world of motor racing. The BMW M3 CRT is the first model to use a material that originated in an innovative BMW production process for lightweight components. The cuttings left behind from the body construction of the new BMW i models BMW i3 and BMW i8 are woven into CFRP mats of various sizes, impregnated with synthetic resin and hardened.

So…they’re making an M3 with lighter body panels, tarting it up with some fancy upholstery, adding all the suspension bits likely already available from the BMW catalog (or at least from aftermarket tuners closely associated with the company), installing the GTS’s V8, which, I might add, produces a whopping 30 more horsepower than the standard M3 mill, and charging upwards of $150K for the privilege? Color me underwhelmed.

As much a fan as I am of lightness in all aspects of automotive design, for an extra $100K (!) over the regular M3, this one’s just not worth it.

From the press release, to whit:

When all extraneous equipment is taken out of the equation, the BMW M3 CRT weighs 70 kg less than a BMW M3 sedan.

What “extraneous equipment?” Why wouldn’t they factor that into the weight of the car? Could it be because it weighs 70 kg or more and would render the whole thing a pointless exercise?

Nevermind that 70 kg (~150 lbs) isn’t exactly something to write home about. Especially when your run-of-the-mill E92 M3 coupe probably weighs less than the E90 sedan by close that amount.

The moral: Buy a regular M3 coupe, bolt on some performance suspension bits, add an aftermarket exhaust (handily making up the 30 hp deficit) and save yourself the money.