BMW 6 Series 645Ci 2004 Review

If you had to nominate a car badge in need of an image polish BMW probably wouldn't be near the top of your list. Chances are it wouldn't make it on to the list.

Yet BMW's Australian boss, Franz Sauter, has nominated image as the raison d'etre of the latest 645Ci coupe and convertible.

"While the 6 Series will not be the biggest-volume seller, it is very important to BMW and the image of the company," Sauter said at the recent Australian launch of the luxuriously sporting model.

"It is a car we are happy with and proud of."

There is little room for argument that the 645Ci is a premium product – yet at $203,000 for the coupe and $220,000 for the convertible the biggest issue appears to be availability, not affordability.

"We are going to get closer to 120 than 200 this year," says John Kananghinis, BMW Australia's general manager of marketing and communications.

He says that while there were no natural competitors for the latest BMW – "there are some who are as sporty but do not have the luxury, and others who have the luxury but are not as sporty" – early indications were for conquests from a wide range of brands.

"We have had inquires from 7 Series owners – to add to their garage – from Porsche owners, XK8s, Maserati, the odd Benz...but not too many of those."

"There is a bit of a Holden-Falcon thing in that area. Both sets of owners have a very high level of loyalty for their badges."

BMW's history is littered with sporty, luxurious coupes since before World War II. It has been during the past 25 years that the 6 Series became synonymous with luxury and performance in a two-door package.

From the arrival of the 635CSi in the mid-'70s through to the quirky 850 and 845Ci in the early '90s, the luxury coupe was a staple.

The latest 6 Series comes with a high level of specification but the options list is sparse.

A six-speed manual to replace the slick six-speed ZF auto is a no-cost option, 19-inch alloys in a choice of styles are $2200 or $3200 extra, climate comfort glass ($600), the premium Logic7 sound system ($1760), active cruise control ($4500) and head-up display ($3000) will be available from late this year.

Standard fare includes the clever adaptive steering launched on the 5 Series, dynamic drive control, dynamic traction control with a higher slip threshold and dynamic drive, which uses a pair of active anti-roll bars to almost eliminate body roll.

Also on the menu are active (road-following) Bi-Xenon headlights, six airbags, run-flat tyres, dynamic stability control, supremely comfortable heated sports seats, TV, SatNav, voice-recognition iDrive, plus an entire grab-bag of luxury bits.

How it drives

It was enough to make a driver weak at the knees. The prospect of punting the 645Ci coupe and convertible through some Targa Tasmania stages was the stuff of dreams.

The reality was a harmless toodle behind a pace car over the legendary Sideling, which didn't give the Bimmer much of a chance to shine. As slippery as the stage was in the morning drizzle, the BMW coupe was so far inside its comfort zone you could almost feel it blush. Too much more of that and you could imagine the squadron of 645s packing it in and going home.

Fortunately, that was the entree and when the cars were back on an open road their true colours burst through like a rainbow.

The coupe, a stand-out choice, is magnificent. Forget that it has complex and efficient electronic driver-modifying technology – it allows the heart behind the wheel to race.

Not that the convertible is poor, it's just not up to its hard-top sibling. There was a surprising amount of scuttle shake. While the chassis never threatened anything untoward, it did make the ride less comfortable.

Powered by the 4.4-litre V8, from the 7 Series – though allowed much more character and voice – the 6 feels the business.

BMW claims 0-100km/h time of 5.3 seconds. More impressive, in a real-life application, is the huge amount of urge on tap through the mid-range. Most of the available 450Nm of torque is there from 2500rpm and the acceleration when overtaking is comforting.

While there is a six-speed manual available it would be difficult to put a convincing argument as to why you couldn't be happy with the standard six-speed ZF auto.

The twin active rollbars' ability to settle body roll and keep the 645 even is amazing.

Throw in the active steering and it's like straightening out the bends. The sports seats are supportive and well bolstered while keeping important controls in reach.

Vision across the long bonnet is good, a little restricted out the rear in the coupe and very restricted in the convertible.

For all its athleticism, the 645 is a grand tourer of the old school – and isn't that nice.