[The0pportunist]

Hey guys,

So im thinking about my next car now and just wanted to get your opinion on a 2011-2013 640i & 640d - and which one you would pick ?

I have never had a car that sounds nice so im tempted by the 640i, but the 640d is just as quick but with an extra 20mpg in economy & way more torque.

My commute is only 6 miles return so maybe a diesel will not make sense but i do love my road trips around the UK.

Thanks in advance

[richk84]

640i for me

[WonderBang]

Hate Diesels.

640i all day every single day.

[Delta0311]

Petrol because in the US diesel just means you are hitting the gym right, while taking an ungodly amount of steroids.

[BMW Steve]

It would have to be the 640i

[DanTheManc]

Drive both and decide for yourself. Theres a very good chance everybody offering you advice has driven neither.

[djgandy]

There are a fair few 640d out there. On paper it's the better choice, except for the diesel noise. I think they are still more pricey than the petrol version though.

Drive them and see. I expect the exhaust is quite quiet on both due to the type of car it is, but the 640i will have the nicer engine note.

If you're not doing loads of miles I'd probably prefer the petrol despite all the stats. A 6 series is a GT that deserves a petrol engine. Get the 650i if you can!

[Thermobaric]

640i. You wouldn't want to spend all that money and have a car that sounded like a delivery lorry :P

[misterS3]

Depends on your style of driving (besides saying drive and see for yourself). I'm a lazy - stick it in Auto most of the time kinda driver so having tons of torque suits me.

I also like the torque at motorway speeds. I have quite a few cars and it's a lot more work driving the low torque/manual cars. But sometimes that's the point of the drive eg i take out the 306 Gti6 for a hoon and it's fun stirring the pot and hearing the engine come on song. Something you'll never get with a diesel. And that's a big thing for some. The diesel does sound rubbish. But it's a pain on the commute having to change gear 500 times. I have an old W reg Merc diesel minibus i used today for transporting some oldies about and it's manual. And it's effortless to drive. Only 57000 on the clock and it drives great and pulls like train. Shame it stops like one too! Anyway i digress....

The short journey is not ideal for the diesel engine ( i do a 6 mile drive to work) but if you do other lengthy journeys at weekends it might make sense. But if you don't do the miles...petrol all the way!

[Rustymage]

You'd want to drive more then 6 miles on a diesel or you may experience problems later on. If you do a few long runs a week then you may be fine.

Your DPF needs to get to temperature to regen and that means a high exhaust mass flow with engine revs at more then 2k to achieve. You also need to spend time in those conditions, a motorway cruise is a good example of this.

I brought a petrol because I do less then 10k miles a year so petrol was a better buy for me.

[abeardo83]

I didn't realise that the 640i and 640d are both N55's?! And the 640i has less power than the M235i?!

[imy]

640d is not an n55... Difference between the m235i and 640i is 5hp I think?

[Chappers 71]

Diesel is the fuel of satan
Think about the little children whose lungs you'd be clogging up with all those diesel particulates.
Get the 640i

[abeardo83]

Originally Posted by imy

640d is not an n55... Difference between the m235i and 640i is 5hp I think?

Sorry didn't mean that - meant that they are both i6's, rather than v8's (which is what i thought they were). Still, 5hp more is still more, but I guess 640 sounds better than 635

[Redguy]

I'd have to vote for the 640i as well, echo many of the sentiments above.

[Jon D]

Originally Posted by The0pportunist

Hey guys,

So im thinking about my next car now and just wanted to get your opinion on a 2011-2013 640i & 640d - and which one you would pick ?

I have never had a car that sounds nice so im tempted by the 640i, but the 640d is just as quick but with an extra 20mpg in economy & way more torque.

My commute is only 6 miles return so maybe a diesel will not make sense but i do love my road trips around the UK.

Thanks in advance

I've had my 640i convertible since Sep 2012 and never regretted going for petrol. Ok, the diesel noise is a bit muted but there's no mistaking the fact that it's an oil burner. The 'i' sounds fantastic when you start to have fun and although it doesn't have the torque of a 'd', it makes up for that with flexibility.
Before this I had a 2010 535d and good as it was, I'm much happier with the petrol engine.
As to economy, I average just over 30 overall - had it as low as 25 around the country lanes but easily get mid 30s on a long run. Recently changed to 18" Conti Sport Contact 5 tyres and got 38 on a run down to Kent!
I'm taking delivery of a brand new 640i in about 6 weeks - I was going to trade mine in at the dealers but would consider a private sale. My car is a Sep 2011 model with 32k miles, send me a PM if you're interested.

[edowen]

so. The i "haters" are a shame.


I had one of the first 40d coupes in the county. Awesome car. 30,000 miles in 2 and a half years at an amazing 42 mg gallon. what an amazing car. cant understand why you would take the i over the d. bloody quick car.

[The0pportunist]

Guys, thanks a lot for your feedback

I have to say i did not expect an overwhelming case for the 640i (though the polls are at 70:30 ish)

The 640i is my preferred option, but i find it hard to ignore the stats on the 640d. Also a lot of the 640i in the years i want all come in SE, is there a reason for this? I suspect the M sport 640i didnt come out till 2013 onwards... Either way, in the right colour the SE body still looks smart!

The 640ds on the other hand are much easier to find in Msport trim and AUC. I read somewhere 80% of the 6 series sold in these years were diesel.

I will certainly be driving both before i take the plunge!

[The0pportunist]

Originally Posted by abeardo83

I didn't realise that the 640i and 640d are both N55's?! And the 640i has less power than the M235i?!

I'm a noob when it comes to engine codes, is the N55 a reliable engine?

[The0pportunist]

Originally Posted by Jon D

I've had my 640i convertible since Sep 2012 and never regretted going for petrol. Ok, the diesel noise is a bit muted but there's no mistaking the fact that it's an oil burner. The 'i' sounds fantastic when you start to have fun and although it doesn't have the torque of a 'd', it makes up for that with flexibility.
Before this I had a 2010 535d and good as it was, I'm much happier with the petrol engine.
As to economy, I average just over 30 overall - had it as low as 25 around the country lanes but easily get mid 30s on a long run. Recently changed to 18" Conti Sport Contact 5 tyres and got 38 on a run down to Kent!
I'm taking delivery of a brand new 640i in about 6 weeks - I was going to trade mine in at the dealers but would consider a private sale. My car is a Sep 2011 model with 32k miles, send me a PM if you're interested.

Hi Dan, can you comment on any reliability issues on these cars? Have you had any issues with the roof leaking?

Thanks for the offer, on a normal day i would jump at a forum members car but i need some extra security & benefits an AUC car offers.

[The0pportunist]

Originally Posted by Rustymage

You'd want to drive more then 6 miles on a diesel or you may experience problems later on. If you do a few long runs a week then you may be fine.

Your DPF needs to get to temperature to regen and that means a high exhaust mass flow with engine revs at more then 2k to achieve. You also need to spend time in those conditions, a motorway cruise is a good example of this.

I brought a petrol because I do less then 10k miles a year so petrol was a better buy for me.

Good point, but aren't petrol engine equally in danger of clogging up with short journeys?

[The0pportunist]

Originally Posted by edowen

so. The i "haters" are a shame.


I had one of the first 40d coupes in the county. Awesome car. 30,000 miles in 2 and a half years at an amazing 42 mg gallon. what an amazing car. cant understand why you would take the i over the d. bloody quick car.

Can you comment on 640d reliability, did you have any issues of any kind?
Thanks