Auto News 5

Well, having just spent ten days in Automobile Magazine's Four Seasons Audi A7, I can tell you that the BMW 640i Gran Coupe is undeniably a sportier machine, but it's not a more desirable one. What we have here is an amalgam of 5-series, 6-series, and 7-series chassis and powertrain componentry. It's all top-drawer stuff, especially the turbocharged in-line six-cylinder engine and the eight-speed automatic, which eagerly doles out the engine's 315 hp in smooth and satisfying increments. From behind the driver's seat, this Gran Coupe is a grand thing indeed. To my eyes, the Gran Coupe is nowhere near as attractive as the A7, although Mike and Tim, the guys who run an organic farm where I have a share this summer, didn't agree with me. When I pulled in to pick up my basket of fresh vegetables and greens the other day, they dropped their garden hoses, stood back, and gazed appreciatively. "That car is really a beauty!" said Tim. Mike, whose regular gig is working at one of Ann Arbor's better independent automotive repair shops, Orion Automotive Services, noted the twenty-inch wheels and wondered what they would cost to replace.