BMW's sporting flagships get a make-over

For 2008, BMW's 650i coupe and convertible offer a mild facelift and some small but worthwhile revisions to the specification.

The biggest change will be the adoption of a paddle-shift sequential system for the automatic transmission, combined with faster shifts. It's the same transmission that has already been introduced with the 5 Series earlier this month.

A sports button changes the shift pattern for the transmission and moderates the 'drive-by-wire' throttle settings to work appropriately with the transmission calibration. In normal mode, the engine is retarded during up-changes to avoid what is known as anti-shift shock. Pressing the button for sports mode allows the engine to generate relatively higher torque for faster acceleration.

To wash off a surfeit of speed the existing brakes have been modified for faster response.

The cosmetic differences between the old and the new cars are subtle. Vehicles pictured show the current model with Victorian registration and the new model with German registration.

You'll have to look closely, but the new airdam has a more pronounced lower lip and a cross-hatched duct insert for engine cooling replaces the previous model's honeycomb arrangement.

Front indicators in the upper section of the headlight cluster are now LED units and the standard headlights are bi-Xenon projectors. Tail lights also incorporate new LED light sources and the high-mount stop light has been relocated to the aerodynamic boot lid spoiler, from its previous position inside the rear window at the top.

Secondary tail lights in the rear bumper cover are now styled to match the lower sections of the primary tail light clusters above the bumper. The changes to the tail lights create a full-length 'V'-shaped effect in the boot, bumper and registration plate recess.

Side sills have been restyled with more pronounced contouring than the previous model's. The vertical section of the boot lid is also more concave than before.

Instruments are now finished in Chrome Pearl Grey Design, which complements the new interior trim colours. The standard leather can now be specified in an existing colour, Chateau Red, or a new colour, Saddle Brown.

Taking a leaf out of web browser design, the restyled iDrive controller allows the user to make changes directly through eight programmable 'favourite' settings.

Other changes to the iDrive system include an extra-hard rubber ring around the boss and trimming in a Pearl Grey chrome and leather combination. These changes match the look of the controller to the new rotary buttons used elsewhere.

New metallic colours for 2008 are Deep Sea Blue and Space Grey.

A new option for the 650i is 'Active Cruise Control' with 'Stop & Go' function. This system is only available with automatic transmission variants and maintains a safe distance behind any car, adjusting the speed downwards automatically by up to four metres per second squared.

'Stop & Go' will bring the car to a complete halt if necessary and should a car in front brake heavily, the system will alert the driver to take full control and brake with equal or better urgency. This is done through graphic and audible alarms.

Once the vehicle in front resumes a higher speed, the system will also increase the speed of the 650i, maintaining the correct braking distance up to the pre-set speed.

Another new option is Lane Departure Warning, which employs a camera under the rear vision mirror and a processor to monitor the vehicle's position in its lane. If the vehicle begins to diverge, the system will vibrate the steering wheel to alert the driver to the unexpected course correction.

As a standard feature, the adaptive headlights now offer optimised illumination, automatically adjusting the spread of the light and high and low beam settings based on the on-coming traffic and the speed of the car.

Active headrests for the front seats have been developed as part of the upgrade program. Linked to the airbag control unit, they project forward 60mm and up 40mm in the event of a serious collision.

Satellite navigation has been improved and features new graphics on a larger screen. A more reliable voice recognition program is also introduced.

The latest high-end audio system option features a USB socket to interface the audio head unit with an external music source with its own USB connection. Playing music from MP3 players can be controlled through either the iDrive system or multi-function buttons on the steering wheel.

A new leather treatment for the 650i Convertible ensures that leather seat trim in darker colours can be as much as 20 degrees cooler than their untreated equivalents. This technology has been named by BMW 'SunReflective'.

BMW Group Australia will advise full pricing and specification details around the time the upgrade is launched, later this year.

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