at last: my promised review of the 645 cabrio :)

[crosvs]

INTRO

So i'm sitting here after having made myself a yummy dinner and a few glasses of wine, and i realized it's time to write up my long-promised review of my new 2005 645 cabrio. i'm too tired to do any more bar prep so i figured now's a good time to write up this little "First Thoughts" piece.

In the interest of remaining drama-free and getting straight to the point, i'm going to be blunt: there's NOTHING obviously wrong with the car. That said, there's a few quirks that just bug me.

ANNOYANCES

For one thing, being a 2005 model, the auto tranny doesn't yet blip the throttle on downshifts. That said, it slushes into the lower gear far better than any non-blipping tranny has ever done.

Another thing is the curious absence of cubbies here and there to store items like cell-phone and parking meter coins. Fortunately for me, the ash tray is EXACTLY the size of my cell phone, so i'm lucky. But it also has to do double-duty for the quarters. Not a huge deal, but still a bit strange an omission since even the E36 back in the day had that awesome spring-loaded coin holder for each type of coin.

BLUETOOTH

Bluetooth actually works quite well provided you speak at a very quiet volume, at least according to those on the other end. I can hear them just fine. In fact, it even works quite well with the top down -- but windows up -- until about 40 mph.

TRUNK VOLUME

Trunk volume is waaaaay better than my E46 M3.

REAR SEATS

Rear seats are actually exceptionally good .......... for girls, watermelons, or very small children without legs.

Ok ok now onto the juicy bits.

ENGINE

The engine. And oh, what a thing it is!! Drive it grandma style, and you're rewarded with that satisfying low-end torque where the car will upshift by 2,000 RPM through every gear. I dunno, i just love that feeling of knowing i never need to go above 2K for normal city driving. It's just a cool feeling of torque.

The fact that you can tow a small moon behind you is simpy an added convenience for those times when you need to, you know, tow a small moon. Or maybe just an asteroid. Whatever.

TRANSMISSION

The transmission is smooth to the point of being perceptible only i you TRY to perceive it. The 1-2 shift happens VERY quickly under normal driving -- and is thus sometimes a bit abrupt -- but you're in 2d gear before you even know it. Accordingly, it's sometimes the most obvious gear change, with 2-5 being almost CVT smooth. I daresay it's smoother than my parents' E350 Benz with the 7G-Tronic or whatever it's called. Strangely, however, the shift from 5-6 at anything more agressvie than grandma style is met with a rather abrupt CLUNK. Strangely, my old 2001 X5 4.4 had the same issue shifting into its top gear as well. Does BMW have issues with top gear?! lol.

The aforementioned occasionally abrupt 1-2 gearchange is amazingly completely lost at full throttle launches: floor the gas pedal, and keep it floored, and the car will nail each upchange with nary a dip in power delivery, the accelerative g-forces only gradually giving way to the increasing frictional drag of the air. Put another way, the only thing that realy lets you know a gearchange has occurred is the change in the RPM. Remarkable.

SUSPENSION/CORNERING

To be honest -- and this may be the most astonishing thing about the car, if you take my meaning -- i've barely pushed the
car that hard, indeed, i've only tried a few on/off-ramps here in SD. The point is, the car excels so astonishingly at what it seeks to accomplish -- namely, being a true Gran Turismo -- that even at my relatively young age of 28, I find I drive it slower than any other car, so comfortable is it to just crusie about in.

That said, i *HAVE* pushed it round a few on/off-ramps and to be honest my feelings are mixed, but for all the wrong reasons. The physical abilities and limits of the car are astonishing. The extent to which you can bite into a corner totally belies its size and mass. This then is where the X5 analogy is most appropriate, using an old SAT analogy where X5 : SUV :: 6er : GT. Seriously. Just think about the astonishing way in which your X5 can carve up corners now and then when you ask it to. Not only does it do the seemingly impossible whne you ask it, but it also does so with no drama, and most atonishingly, with no effort! So it is with the 6er: i feel like i could carve up Buttonwillow, Thunderhill, or Laguna Seca with just my pinky finger on the steering wheel. It's that easy to drive at the limit.

That then is also, obviously, it's drawback. It, like so many modern cars today, is almost TOO good: indeed, i humbly admit it is probably better than i am, as a driver. For starters, it's got more acronym-based safety systems than i can recall. But for fun, let me try: ABS. DSC. DTC. ABC. Hm. That's all I can recall. The most welcome is the DSC/DTC system, with DTC bacially being an "intermediate" mode allowing for a little bit of fun. ABC, however -- or is that the Benz name for it?! lol -- is basically Active Body Control, where the front and rear sway bars dynamically stiffen during cornering. Result? Hardly any body roll. Effect? A bit an eering feeling really, as what you expect to feel simpnly isn't there.

As for comfort? Wow. It just cruises along soaking up bumps like i've never experienced before. It's got almost Benz comfiness, but without the float. In a word: PERFECT.

DYNAMIC STEERING

Honestly, i don't see what all the fuss is about. All it really seems to do is boost the power steering at low speeds to make it easier to park. Effect? Makes the car "feel" more luxurious lol. At normal driving speeds, it's just like any other BMW. Nice and weighty. I love it. The fact that, in conjunction with DSC, it helps counter-steer you should you manage to get the tail in a slide, is a bit disconcerting, although i'd love to try it on a track to see if it really works.

STEREO

The stereo is amazing: one sub-woofer under each seat means you can pull a Howard Stern Subwoofergasm on your girlfriend. Combined with the butt warmers, she'll be quite happy indeed. Already tested. Works brilliantly.

CONCLUSION

Well i don't know what else to say really. Simply put, the car is amazing. I don't thinjk it's fair to call it a driver's car per se -- it's just too electronic, and far too isolated and perfect; put another way, it's no M3 -- but the fact that it lets you do so much, so fast, so well, and so easily, in juist hte same way the X5 did, all the while offering an open-top driving exeprience, with a proper, useable trunk, an intoxicating exhaust note, fantastic stereo system, and luscious supple leather seats, totally explains why it commans the respect and desire that its received.

I had no idea how great a car it was. I had been looiking for a comfy, sporty, comfy, comfy, comfy, and sporty convertible, and had naively thought the SL Benzes were the only way to go. I couldn't be happier that i discovered the 6.

God bless California Lemon Law.

At last........ I have a car that I love as much as I loved my X5. And that's saying a LOT.

[Boston X5 4.4]

Great review .....can't wait 'till I turn 50 so I can get one


Just kidding, glad that everything worked out for you with the M3 and that you are enjoying the ride....now, stop posting on X5 World and go chase those persian girls

Have fun!

[dr.jay]

Damn you and your review, now I want a 6er, not a vert though

[crosvs]

LOLOLOL!!!!

[4.6is Ryder]

Crosvs, don't worry about the throttle blip....it only burns gas ....Great review! The only thing missing from your review is your impressions of the Dynamic Driving Control (sport button). I think it gives the car a whole new attitude, especially at high RPM's. Oh yeah, let me say +1 on the sound system. Best BMW sound I've ever heard........Phil

[Wagner]

See....6spd manual...no need for a throttle blip

Got to love the 23 mpg as well

You got it right, the 6er has nothing but low end torque...odd for a BMW.

[Ajogu]

Very nice write up. I loooove the throttle blip though.

[4.6is Ryder]

Originally Posted by Wagner

See....6spd manual...no need for a throttle blip

Wags you must live in a traffic free environment. I too luv a manual, but in Houston traffic, road rage would be a must in a manual. So, it's all about the Blip baby.... ...Phil

[Wagner]

Originally Posted by 4.6is Ryder

Wag's you must live in a traffic free environment. I too luv a manual, but in Houston traffic, road rage would be a must in a manual. So, it's all about the Blip baby.... ...Phil

Actually, no it can be a pain in yee ol' arse. I have a 35 mile commute to work and RT-32 in Maryland sucks big time. Constant stop and go, as a result...one big left calf muscle

OK..now more 645 pics:

Along with a pic of my son's rides

--

[4.6is Ryder]

Wags, looks like your son has some big shoes on that Z3 ...Phil