BMW (GB) has sold “virtually all” its 2004 allocation of 645Ci coupés three months before the first car is delivered to its owner, writes just-auto.com deputy editor Graeme Roberts.
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The company has also just released first details of the convertible version that will debut at the Detroit motor show in January. Priced at £55,355 on-the-road (manual) and £56,705 (automatic), the convertible goes on sale in the UK next March 2004 alongside the coupé variant, which is priced from £49,855.
Arguing that the two models will appeal to different buyers – the convertible being favoured by a higher proportion of younger and female buyers – BMW took the unusual step of showing UK journalists pre-production right-hand-drive coupes last week and has scheduled a separate first-drive event for the drop-top just prior to the launch early next year.
Sharing many components with the recently-launched 5-series, the new 6 is a successor to both the much loved 6-series coupes that went out of production 14 years ago and the far less popular 8-series dropped a few years ago.
Powered for the moment only by a 333bhp/245kW V8 coupled to six-speed manual, electronically controlled sequential manual or fully automatic gearboxes, the 6 is a big car – it’s only 20cm shorter, 11cm lower 4.5cm narrower and 255kg lighter than BMW’s 7-series saloon flagship. It’s 100kg lighter than the 8-series.
After driving the coupe in rain-soaked conditions in the south of France, we’re inclined to agree with the motoring magazine writers who previewed left-hand drive cars in October: the new 6 is more Grand Tourer than nimble sports car.
Particularly when fitted with the optional Dynamic Drive, which controls body movement by altering the roll bar rates and Active Steering, which alters the steering rack ratio according to road speed, the coupe has high levels of grip and goes precisely where it is aimed, but its sheer bulk spoiled driving enjoyment on the narrow twisting roads above Nice where we were constantly on the watch for French van drivers veering across the centre line and threatening our offside mirror. Pointed towards Monaco on the A8 autoroute, the 6-series was more in its element as a fast, long-distance cruiser with superbly comfortable, supportive seats and all the creature comforts the motor industry can currently muster. Once again, BMW seems to have come up with a car that will appeal to every style of driving.
Jaguar’s ageing XK8 is the competitor focused in BMW (GB)’s sights as it prepares to launch the 6-series next March but it also regards the Lexus SC430, Porsche 911, Mercedes SL and CL and even Maserati’s 4200GT as “secondary competition”.
BMW (GB) says the luxury performance coupé market globally has increased 50% in the last 10 years, a figure reflected in its own UK sales. Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders figures for the specialist sports car market also show a significant growth, with over 60,000 sales recorded for the segment in 2002 compared to 23,500 in 1993. BMW predicts a further growth of 50% up to 2015 within the premium car segments, which includes the 6-series.
The company expects to sell around 2,000 coupés in the model’s first full year, 2005, with 1,700 finding homes in 2004. The original 6-series, available from 1976 to 1989 in the UK, sold around 8,000 cars, peaking at 819 in 1985.
Many owners are expected to be successful independent businessmen between the ages of 40 to 55 after reliability and value for money but with a need for practicality and, in many cases, space to transport a young family.
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In that regard, the 6 coupe is a genuine 2+2. While we amused ourselves attempting to shoehorn a six-foot-eight colleague into the back seat – not a pretty sight – your five-foot-six deputy editor fitted comfortable enough in there for, say, 50 miles, subject to the front seats being far forward enough to allow decent legroom.
Behind anyone under about six feet tall, anyone under five-foot-seven should be happy enough; the only shortcoming of the rear seats, headroom limitation apart, is that the backrest is too upright; the seats themselves are comfortable with well-placed headrests while armrests scalloped out of the side panels allow plenty of elbow room.
BMW claims to have designed the 6-series convertible alongside the coupé, rather than doing a subsequent chop-top exercise, resulting in the drop-top retaining a near 50:50 weight distribution. The electro-hydraulic hood goes down in 20 seconds and has noise insulating polyurethane foam between the rubberised outer layer and inner roof lining, as well as being heat insulated.
The coupé contours are reflected in striking C-pillar style ‘fins’ and a retractable glass rear window is housed between these, offering claimed draught free ventilation.
The convertible weighs 1,815 kg, 120kg more than the coupe, and also uses a combination of aluminium, steel and synthetic materials such as aluminium bonnet and doors, thermoplastic front wings and boot made of Sheet Moulding Compound (SMC).
The UK will get about 1,000 convertibles a year from 2005 (around 6-700 in 2004).
UK-specification standard equipment for both coupe and convertible is generous, as it should be for £50,000-and-up, and includes leather upholstery and the much simplified ‘mark two’ version of the controversial I-drive controller. Options include the active steering and dynamic drive systems, various stereo upgrades, sunroof, two levels of sat-nav, phones and sports seats but one does wonder whether the CD stacker, (£270), auto-dim and fold door mirrors (£245), graduated tint windscreen (£50), cup holder (£70) and £105 floor mats might have been included as standard. We bet the Americans will get a free cupholder…
BMW (GB) is also offering a Europe-wide five-year/60,000 mile service and maintenance package as a £750 option.
