BMW 650i Coupe and Convertible 2010 Review

BMW 650i Coupe and Convertible

What we liked
>> Flexible and tuneful V8 engines
>> Steers and handles like a smaller coupe
>> Ride seems to have improved

Overall rating: 3.5/5.0
Engine/Drivetrain/Chassis: 3.5/5.0
Price, Packaging and Practicality: 3.0/5.0
Safety: 3.5/5.0
Behind the wheel: 4.0/5.0
X-factor: 3.5/5.0

About our ratings

That BMW's 6 Series has never really captured the attention and sales success to rival Mercedes SL range must be a constant annoyance to the brand's Munich head office. Worldwide, the big 2+2 has never approached the showroom cachet of its Stuttgart counterpart. Locally, it has consistently been outsold by its competitor.

Of course, some would argue the two cars do not compete head to head. The Benz is a two-seater only -- the four-seat coupe mantel goes to the S-Class based CL in the Mercedes range. And then there's the consideration that the SL features a folding hardtop while the BMW offers both coupe and cabriolet variants (at least in respect of the latter, perhaps Jaguar's XK coupe and soft-top ranges offer a more accurate alignment).

Launched locally in early 2004 and facelifted in January 2008, the 6 Series range has been gifted another makeover for 2010, though we question whether many buyers will notice. Indeed, it's a very minor tweak as model year changes go (the M6 is carried over untouched), but with no replacement on the horizon it's likely that the 6 Series' lot will be a series of similar 'invisible' updates over the next few years.

Offered in naturally-aspirated 4.8-litre V8 petrol form only, the latest 650i gains a 'Sport' tag and is available in Coupe and Convertible versions priced from $227,000 and $245,100 respectively.

It'll take keen model watchers to pick 'em. There's a new bonnet that gets the same sort of 'character' lines that the brand grafted on the 3 Series during its most recent makeover and more aggressively styled alloy wheels. These are now 19-inch standard -- up from 18s on the 'old' model. Dark chrome replaces the previous bright work and there's a new exhaust system, with a touch more V8 burble. The rest of the changes are either under the bonnet or in the cabin.

Mechanically, BMW has added technologies from its EfficientDynamics armoury which the maker claims directly improve the V8-engined cars' fuel economy.

Based on the maker's 'old' V8 range, the 270kW/490Nm Valvetronic V8 is not to be confused with the latest 4.4-litre atmo and twin-turbo units. In its latest guise, the powerplant adds BMW's spuriously named 'brake energy regeneration' system.

Now fitted to the lion's share of the BMW line-up big and small, this system is in fact a 'smart' alternator that switches itself off when the car is accelerating and back on to charge on the overrun and when cruising. Thanks to this system, BMW claims the latest BMW 650i Sport Coupé uses 10.5L/100km, compared to the previous model's 11.1L/100km -- a 5.4 per cent improvement. The Convertible makes even bigger inroads, dropping 6.8 per cent from 11.7L/100km to 10.9L/100km.

Don't let this spotlight on economy detract from the raw performance of the car, however. In both hard and soft-top form, the six-speed auto 650i variants still sprint from 0-100km/h quick smart. The Convertible takes 5.6sec with the Coupe 0.4sec quicker. Along the way you get one of the best V8 soundtracks on the market.

There are new exterior colours offered for MY10 (a red and a black) and in the cabin there are bolstered electric sports seats finished in a choice of four alternative leather trims.

We liked the latest thick-rimmed M Division steering wheel and the new version of BMW's iDrive multi-media satnav and vehicle control system which takes pride of place. Easier to learn initially, iDrive now features a higher resolution 'wide-screen' monitor with HD television tuner and 80GB hard drive. BMW says "up to 12 GB" is available for audio files (for more technical and spec details on the 650i see our Jan 2008 facelift review).

We sampled the latest 6 Series in both Coupe and Convertible variants via a quick spin through the hills to the northeast of Melbourne. The very same ranges that were devastated by fire almost 12 months ago, it was the first time this writer had been on the once-familiar roads since the Black Saturday apocalypse. With only modest regrowth, the sight lines are different but the roads themselves are as bumpy and sinuous as ever.

Though the standard fitment of 19-inch wheels should count against the 'new' 6 Series models, our initial impressions are that BMW has further tamed the cars in terms of ride, without sacrificing much in the way of handling. And while still no M3, the 6s remain comfortable and confidence inspiring up to quite high levels of performance. They turn-in well and sit flat as a good GT should. Overall they feel like cars a lot smaller and lighter than they are -- the sign of a great chassis tune in our book.

On a particularly hot day in Melbourne, the Convertible's fast-acting soft-top allowed a quick change from open to closed without holding up the slow moving freeway entry ramp traffic. In the fast lane, wind noise was extremely well muted. As there's only the very slightest tremble from the rear vision mirror in the open car to suggest chassis flex in the twisty bits, we reckon you'd have to be plenty picky to complain. Thus the open car would be our choice.

The best part of both 650i models, however, remains the engine. It's got a character all its own and very different to this driver's ear than the new 4.4-litre or even the 4.0-litre V8 unit used in the M3. There's plenty of torque available almost from idle, and the soundtrack roof up or down is simply the best.

Though steering wheel gear shift toggles are standard equipment (the same up/down on both sides units, not M-style up on the right, down on the left paddles), in sporty going it's just as rewarding to select sport mode in the gearbox and let the smart ZF six-speed tranny do the rest. If you want something to attack corners harder or faster, BMW delivers other choices.

Which perhaps goes some way to answering why the biggest BMW two-door isn't the sales success it could be. As much as we enjoyed the 650i drive, frankly in our estimation sports coupe buyers are better served in almost every regard by the significantly cheaper M3…

And open car fans? Well, check out the latest BMW news -- if you're keen on the wind in your hair you can opt for a better looking, more wieldy and dare we say classier Z4 with a stonking 250kW... Now, that sounds like fun.

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