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BMW 6 Series Convertible - Road Test

On sale 18th March 2004

Driving round the sunny warm streets of Malaga in March I was surprised to find that very few Spanish soft top owners took the opportunity to enjoy the sun on their skin, perhaps because they have a glut of it all year round. Transport a few British journalists over there to road test the first 6 series convertible that BMW has ever manufactured and every one of us will have difficulty relaying what the car was like with the soft top up!

This luxurious convertible is based on the coupe model. The front bonnet has the same design as the new Z4 and it has the same muscular wedge shaped rear but with a very long sleek body. Radial spoke style 18” alloy wheels add to the raunchy design and are a standard feature as is metallic paint.

The interior of the 2 plus 2 seater, is trimmed in a luxurious Dakota grey leather and chrome trim. The austere cabin is dominated by the I-drive controls, which take care of the satellite navigation, communication, climate and entertainment systems and is extremely easy to understand and use and removes the clutter from the cabin. Standard features include bi-xenon headlamps, electrically adjustable seats, which are firm but comfortable and there is a driver memory to keep that perfect position once you have found it. The automatic headlamps usefully activated when I drove through the long tunnels which litter Spanish highways. A single CD player can be operated by the sports multi function buttons on the steering wheel. I found plenty of width space between myself and co-driver and there was plenty of leg space for me in the front, although our tall photographer, had to sit sideways in the rear. The boot even with soft top stored, still gives a class leading storage space of 350 litres, quite enough for two golf bags.Its operation is fully automatic and says BMW takes 20 seconds to fully open or close. The unique feature of this system is that it will operate at speeds of up to 20mph, most will only operate at speeds of up to 5mph. It is poetry in motion, to watch the glass rear window lower, the soft top slide into the boot and then the rear window rise again to become an effective windshield! Clever!

Another reason for keeping the top down is to hear the carnal notes of the 4 litre engine. This is the award winning 2002 international engine of the year and it is so quiet, that I had to dip the accelerator to make sure it was running, yet it also has a most beautiful deep burble at low speeds. On acceleration the V8 powerplant pushes the 6 series convertible to 62mph in just 6.1 seconds and goes on says BMW to a top, electronically limited speed of 155 mph with a mighty roar.

There is plenty of torque and when I got stuck behind a cement mixer, I wasn’t there long because there is so much instant power for smooth quick overtaking, without the need for constantly changing gear.

The servotronic steering system gives a firm but precise steering feel and for such a large car the turning circle is excellent. A sport button stiffens the steering feel and provides quicker gear change.

I drove the 6 speed automatic transmission on day one of the launch, while I familiarised myself again with European roads and the car’s capabilities. It is more economical and surprisingly has lower emissions than the manual.

On day two I drove the six speed manual gearbox on the more rural roads around Ronda. I prefer manual gearboxes so was rather biased, but suffice to say that both are excellent.

The 6 series convertible is now one of my favourite cars, and is priced at £55,355 otr for the manual and £56,705 for the automatic. BMW says there will be a 3 litre V6 engine later in the year.

By Sue Cooke