ROAD TEST
BMW 650i Convertible
By: Jesse Adams
Johannesburg - If you want a BMW 6 Series with turbo V8 power you have a choice of 650i or M6 models.
But, soon after a recently facelifted 650i Convertible arrived for a road test last week, I immediately wondered why anyone willing to fork out more than R1.5-million wouldn’t eke an extra 300k to get the faster and more respect-commanding M6 version.
Having now spent a week with the big German droptop, I think I may know why. And the answer’s probably not what you think.
This mid-life 6 Series model update, which has been available in South Africa since May, was a relatively mild one incorporating only some minor body-styling changes, a new 20 inch rim design, a fully digital instrument cluster, LED headlights, and some new colours and standard features. It’s not normally the sort of thing we’d re-review, but it gave us chance to familiarise ourselves with BMW’s open-top grand tourer and also reference it against our long-term M5 - which in many ways is a four-door equivalent of the ripsnorting M6.
First and foremost, the 650i without all the M-spec aggressiveness offers a much smoother driving experience. Each has a 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8, but the 650i is outfitted with a somewhat more responsible 330kW and 650Nm to the M6’s stupendous 412 and 680 (or 441/700 in Competition Pack guise).
CREAMY EIGHT-SPEEDER
The difference is significant, but with an excess of horses constantly trying to break free from their 4395cc corral, the M6/M5 can be a handful to inch forward when parking or creeping along in traffic.
This is partly down to gearbox specifications, and where the M6 gets a sharp-biting (M DCT) seven-speed dual-clutcher, the 650i gets an easier-going torque-converter transmission. Without getting into the intricacies of what makes each version tick, just know that the 650i’s creamy eight-speeder is far less lurchy when prompted with tiny taps of the throttle, and also less violent on wide-open upchanges.
The 650i admittedly comes with less firepower, so obviously it’s not as fast. But we’re only talking about tenths of seconds here. At our test track the 650i Convertible managed 0-100km/h in 5.2 seconds and the quarter-mile in 13.4. This versus the M6 Convertible’s respective figures of 4.3 and 12.6. If launch-controlled whiplash and dusting supercars at the strip are your thing then by all means the M6 is the way to go, but I never felt the 650i lacked any urge, and it’s still happy to break traction in third gear when its hefty torque swell sweeps in.
With a new sports exhaust system fitted as part of the facelift, it also produces a boisterous bellow - especially with its ragtop retracted.
SERENELY SMOOTH
BMW has the 650i’s suspension dialled-in to perfection, and even with those aforementioned 20 inch hoops and low-profile rubber it wafts wonderfully on most road surfaces. I actually had to re-scan the new car’s spec sheet to make sure air-springs weren’t fitted as part of the 6 Series upgrade, so serenely smooth is the damping quality.
A new Comfort+ selection is available in the console-mounted drive mode switch, and it’s in this position where the car best exploits its grand touring nature. Needless to say, the M6 has a much firmer ride which can get extremely tiresome when you’re not in the mood for constant jiggles and shakes.
The new digital instrument cluster, which comes in every current 6 Series including Coupé, Convertible and Gran Coupé models (together with M versions of each), is a fantastic addition. Gone are actual needles and gauge faces, and in their place is a colour TFT screen with specific, mode-dependent backdrops.
In Sport mode, speed and rpm data is more prominently featured in red; in ECO mode the display changes to softer blue/green hues with extra fuel-efficiency info; and in normal mode the cluster takes on a traditional BMW look with white numbers on circular black backgrounds. A road-sign recognition system also brings up speed limits in the display’s lower left corner, with an overspeed indicator showing up as a red shadow behind the virtual speedo needle. A brilliant piece of technology this, which I hope becomes standard in other cars soon.
VERDICT
It’s not a question of why you would get a 650i when you can get an M6, but rather why you would get an M6 when you can get a 650i. Unless you live at the Nurburgring where the M6’s harsher but sharper handling suspension and juddery but quicker shifting gearbox will help shave lap times, the 650i will suffice. It’s much easier to live with and drive in the daily hustle and bustle, and it’s R300k cheaper. - Star Motoring
FACTS
BMW 650i Convertible
Engine: 4.4-litre, V8 petrol
Gearbox: Eight-speed auto
Power: 330kW @ 5500-6000rpm
Torque: 650Nm @ 2000-4500rpm
0-100km/h (claimed): 4.6 seconds
Top speed (claimed): 250km/h
Consumption (claimed): 8.9 litres per 100km
Price: R1 515 029
Warranty: 2-year unlimited distance
Maintenance plan: 5 year / 100 000km
BMW VS ITS RIVALS
BMW 650i Convertible: 4.4 turbocharged, 330kW/650Nm – R1 515 029
Audi S5 Cabriolet: 3.0 supercharged, 245kW/440Nm - R868 500
Maserati GranCabrio Sport: 4.7, 338kW/520Nm – R2 611 000
Mercedes E500 Cabriolet: 3.0 turbocharged, 245kW/480Nm – R1 144 142
Follow Jesse Adams on Twitter @PoorBoyLtd