2005 BMW 6 Series

BMW made a good move resurrecting the revered 6 Series, a designation that reigned from 1976-1989. The 6 Series was put in mothballs in the 90s as BMW introduced the 8 Series as its flagship coupe, an ill-fated concept that came and went in that decade. The 8 invested too much in luxury. By BMW’s usual standards, it was ponderous and slow. But the 6 always made driving its priority. It was stylish, luxurious, but fast. The notion of a new 6, given all the performance strides that have been made since the last one, has made many a mouth water.

If BMW was going to create a new generation 6 Series, there was heritage at stake. The car, introduced in ’04 and only slightly revised for ’05, had to combine performance with the luxury attributes customers have come to expect in a grand coupe. Would the new 6 live up to its legacy or does BMW have another 8 on its hands? From where I sit, maybe a little of both.

The good news
If you want to get noticed, this 645Ci is right up your alley. The big two-door coupe finally makes sense of the controversial Geisha-eyed, flat-tailed styling introduced in the 5 and 7 Series sedans. Photos really don’t do justice to this finely chiseled hood, elegant stance, bold 18-inch alloys and 190-inch sweeping profile. Built on the 5-Series sedan platform, the 645Ci is a great big car with great big presence, a coupe for the kind of grand entrances previously reserved for exotics like Maserati and Aston Martin. With a 4.4-liter twin cam 325-horse V-8 for power, the presence isn’t just posturing. The Valvetronic V-8 has already been tested in the 745i and 545i sedans, proving its competitiveness in high company.

But coupes come saddled with even higher expectations, and the 645Ci obliges. Zero to 60 in approximately 5.4 seconds, quarter mile in 13.9 at 102 mph. It is not the fastest in this segment (Mercedes CLK55 AMG beat it across the board in a Car And Driver comparison), but it doesn’t disappoint. Beware the M6 coming out as a 2006 that will have the heady 507-horse V-10. That definitely won’t disappoint.

Besides, this 645Ci, in the tradition of fine sport/luxury two-doors, is a touring car. The ride remains serene even carving up a twisted road. The experience is luxurious, rich, rewarding. This 645Ci is a car you drive across country and arrive refreshed, provided some state trooper doesn’t aggravate you along the way. It could definitely happen.

The 6 Series offers a choice of three 6-speed transmissions: manual, Steptronic automatic and Sequential Manual Gearbox that deletes the clutch pedal but shifts via paddle or console stick. Mine came with the Steptronic, an automatic designed to manage this Bimmer’s considerable power flawlessly. I have also driven the straight manual, a comforting lifeline in a sea of computer-driven performance, but am not unhappy with this automatic.

It’s a shame the 645Ci’s thickly insulated cabin doesn’t allow the aural pleasure of those 325 horses unleashed. It’s worth rolling down the window occasionally to take in the music. There are other sensual pleasures, like listening to the $1,800 premium sound package, snuggling in the deeply bolstered leather-lined sport buckets and chatting via the BMW cellular phone system with steering wheel touch controls.

A veritable manual full of electronic wizardry governs this 645Ci from Dynamic Driving Control to Adaptive Headlights to Active Cruise Control (a new $2,200 option for ’05). Navigation, Park Distance warning system (now standard for ’05), Dynamic Stability Control, Auto-leveling headlamps: These represent just some of the standards. It would take pages to explain all the systems, so suffice to say it is a supercar. Safety measures are state of the art. Luxuries leave no whim unanswered. It is all you expect for the price you pay.

The bad news
At the risk of being a broken record, BMW’s iDrive continues to make me not want to own these cars. The single-knob system designed to consolidate the multiple functions of audio, phone, climate and navigation has allegedly been made more “user friendly” now, but it is still confounding. I take my eyes off the road far more to fiddle with iDrive than I ever did trying to locate one of the many buttons BMW seeks to eliminate. It has voice-command, but I never got there. When your 14-year-old techno-wise son despises it, you know it’s a bust.

I am also disappointed the 645Ci comes with a glass roof, but no slide-open sunroof. If you want breeze overhead, you have to ante up another $7 grand for the convertible. I had trouble getting accustomed to the 645’s electronic accelerator. Tip in too hard on takeoff and there is a split second of indecision, followed by whiplash. The manual transmission/clutch setup minimizes this problem.

Finally, although I am happy to have some semblance of a usable backseat, something Mercedes SLs don’t offer, this one barely passes. Reminiscent of the ill-fated 8 Series, this 645Ci is a huge coupe with no room inside. Passenger room in the back seat is a joke.

Is it worth it?
The 645Ci’s size, heft, luxury and somewhat glossed-over driving experience remind me of the 8 Series, but it’s far more satisfying to pilot than the 8 ever was. I despise the iDrive and am puzzled why BMW didn’t make a truly functional 2+2, but I embrace its sexy looks, quick reflexes and dazzling engineering. Ranking among the best in touring, it’s a dream to drive.

The 645Ci definitely redeems BMW’s stature among world-class full-sized coupes. Even if it doesn’t earn top honors, it earns respect. And it is among the most affordable of its peers, “affordable” being a relative term, of course.

Particulars:
Front-engine, 4-passenger, 2-door coupe
Price
Base: $69,900;
As tested: $76,670
Engine
Type: 4.4L DOHC 32-valve (4-cam) V-8
Power: 325 horsepower @ 6100 rpm; 330 lb-ft torque @3600 rpm
Drivertrain
Transmission: 6-speed automatic with manual shift
Rear-wheel-drive
Dimensions
Wheelbase: 109.4 inches
Overall length: 190.2 inches
Curb weight: 3792 lbs. (automatic)
Gas mileage
EPA rated at 18 mpg city/26 highway (automatic)

During her 16 years reviewing new vehicles, Beth Stein has written for Nashville's dailies (circ. 185,000), national magazines and BestStuff.com. She appeared coast-to-coast on-air for Road Test Magazine, Car And Driver Television and Motor Trend Television.