BMW 640d xDrive announced

On Thursday, Greg Kable waxed effusively about the new BMW M550d xDrive coupe, suggesting that it was the ultimate 5-series for everyday use.

On Friday, Munich announced that the 5's two-door sibling will receive an AWD diesel variant: the 640d xDrive.

While not quite as high-zoot as the 5-series' top oil burner, the 640d's 3.0-liter, twin-turbo straight-six cranks out a respectable 465 lb-ft of almighty torque between 1,500 rpm and 2,500 rpm, plus 313 hp at 4,400 rpm—numbers that, according to BMW, will carry the 6-series to 60 mph in 5.2 seconds.

On the European combined cycle, the 640d xDrive returns between 40.6 mpg and 41.3 mpg (depending on the tire package), impressive for a hefty AWD car capable of such performance.

If the parity between the 5-series and the 6-series is anything to go on, we imagine an M650d xDrive won't be far behind.

While the 6-series historically has been rear-drive only—neither the 1970s/'80s E24 models or the last-generation cars offered four-wheel motivation—BMW announced back in September that the 650i would be receiving the company's AWD system.

With the availability of the 640d xDrive this spring in Europe, it looks as if Alpine grand touring is about to get just a little friendlier. We won't, however, be seeing the diesel variant on our shores. Perhaps we should all yodel just a bit louder?

By Davey G. Johnson