BMW 6 Series Review

2008 BMW 6 Series 650i Coupe Shown

BMW has long offered fine driving cars for every luxury budget, though most have been high on door count. The BMW 6 Series coupe and convertible are for those seeking Bimmer performance two-door style in a high-end package that's noticeably more extravagant than the company's entry-level offerings.

In many ways, one can consider the current BMW 6 Series to be a two-door variant of the company's 5 Series sedan. The singular (non-M) 6 Series model, the 650i, inherits most of the 550i's running gear, including its 4.8-liter V8. The resulting 360 horsepower means speed comes quite naturally to the 6 Series. In fact, its agile handling, swift braking and slick pair of transmissions make it a great performer all around, while a composed ride quality and supportive seats keep comfort levels high.

The BMW 6 Series coupe and convertible are some of the more interesting luxury two-doors on the market. Furthermore, a competitive pricing strategy on BMW's part makes them a better value than many other European-brand two-doors. As an imperfect but unexpectedly affordable coupe or convertible, the 6 is hard to ignore.

Current BMW 6 Series

The 6 Series is offered in one model, the 650i, and as either a four-seat coupe or a four-place convertible with a conventional, power-operated fabric top. The details of the 6 Series experience largely depend on how you choose to equip it. Adding the Sport Package will firm up the ride and increase cornering grip via a set of 19-inch wheels and tires, while ordering the variable-ratio Active Steering quickens low-speed turning response. The most important choice buyers have to make is picking between two six-speed transmissions: a manual and a sport-oriented automatic.

In reviews of the BMW 6 Series, we've found that the ride is supple and quiet, the brakes are powerful, and despite nearly two tons of weight, handling limits remain high thanks to aggressive tires and a well-balanced rear-drive chassis. The highly praised 4.8-liter V8 makes 360 hp and 360 pound-feet of torque and provides forceful and sweet-sounding acceleration.

As with any luxury touring coupe or convertible, the specific mission of the BMW 6 Series is to cover lots of road in a hurry while making its occupants look and feel great -- the front ones, anyway. Unfortunately, the 6 Series offers precious little of the rear seat space found in its sedan counterpart despite similar midsize dimensions. The 6's swoopier body lines are the reason for this, but even with the heightened focus on appearances, neither the 650i coupe nor the convertible could be considered the pinnacle of style. The 6 Series also inherited BMW's iDrive -- an electronics interface notorious for bringing pointless complexity to the simplest of interior controls.

Used BMW 6 Series models

The current BMW 6 Series debuted for 2004. Originally, it came equipped with a 4.4-liter V8 rated at 325 hp and 330 lb-ft of torque and was known as the 645Ci. The name change to 650i (minus the "C") and update to the current 4.8-liter V8 occurred for 2006. Driving characteristics between the 645Ci and 650i are very similar: The smaller V8 shared the 4.8-liter's athletic character but had a slightly less vigorous power band. If you find a well-kept 645Ci on the used market, you won't find it lacking from a performance standpoint.

Prior to 2008, there were three six-speed transmissions available: a traditional manual, a traditional automatic and BMW's SMG, which used an electronically control clutch to provide both the responsiveness of a manual and the forget-about-it friendliness of an automatic. Sounds good, but in reality, we'd steer clear of this transmission as its herky jerky performance makes everyday driving a pain in the neck. Most 6 Series from this time were equipped with the traditional automatic.

Not counting the BMW 8 Series of 1990s vintage, the only true predecessor to BMW's big coupe is the 6 Series that spanned from 1977-'89. All models used an inline six-cylinder engine ranging from 3.2 to 3.5 liters, tuned to varying degrees of power. Even the most potent version could only accelerate to 60 mph in the low 6-second range and grip the road in the upper 0.70g range -- modest by today's standards -- while the car's semi-trailing arm rear suspension never did the best job of keeping the car planted to the road. Still, it was an engaging car to drive in its day and, for that reason, the original BMW 6 Series coupe retains an important place in BMW history.

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* Edmunds.com maintains vehicle data as far back as 1990.