BMW’s brilliant new 650i makes the perfect driving companion on the road to Cabo, blogs Road Test Editor HOWARD WALKER
The Mexican Federal Highway 1 – Mex 1 for short – meanders its way 1,061 miles south along the Baja Peninsula from the U.S. border town of Tijuana, to the surf, sun and tequila playground of Cabo San Lucas. Most of it is arrow-straight monotony through scrubby, bone-dry desert, with only the occasional snoozing bovine straddling the center line to inject any excitement.
But there’s this one section of Mex 1 that runs from the outskirts of La Paz on the Sea of Cortez, across the Sierra de la Laguna mountains to Cabo San Lucas 120 miles away. It’s officially one of God’s greatest driving roads.
This asphalt roller coaster has more twists than a Grisham novel and is interspersed with mile-long straight-aways for pedal-to-the-metal joy. Traffic is virtually non-existent, la Policía are nowhere to be seen, and the newly surfaced asphalt feels more like a racetrack than a public highway.
This is the perfect road to sample BMW’s latest and greatest 6-series Convertible, the 2012 650i. Top down to take in the stunning scenery, a new 4.4-Liter V8 nuclear reactor and eight-speed auto to provide the thrills, and Mex 1 ahead. Driving just doesn’t get any better.
This is the third-generation 6-series drophead. New from the tires up, it’s three inches longer than before, an inch and a half wider, and noticeably roomier.
While you’d never call it beautiful – Maserati’s GranTurismo Convertible owns that accolade – the refreshed styling gives this new shark-nosed Six a look of subtle, bad-boy aggression. See it approaching fast in your rear view and you’re going to move over.
While BMW’s designers and engineers pondered the pros and cons of giving this new 6-series a tin roof, they quickly abandoned the idea. Too much metal to fold, too much space taken up in the trunk.
Good call. The new multi-layered canvas top powers into the trunk in just 19 seconds and can do its job while the car is rolling at speeds up to 25 mph. And even with the top down, you still have 10.6 cubic feet of trunk space to play with – enough for a couple of bulky golf bags, or a weekend’s worth of Louis Vuittons.
Slide behind the wheel and it’s hard, if not impossible, to resist exhaling an aaahhhh of appreciation. Here is a cocoon of precision-stitched leather, exotic woodwork and satin-brushed metal. It’s not as flashy as a Bentley Continental GTC’s cabin, or as tactile as the Maserati’s. It’s just teutonically elegant.
Dominating the dash is a giant 10.2-inch screen – perfect for us over-50s with squinty eyesight. It features new Transreflective technology that makes it easier to read in bright sunlight. Even more impressive is the new mapping software that gives a near 3-D view of the terrain. It’s like looking down at the road from a helicopter.
By adding three inches – 2.9 to be precise – to the length, BMW has given some much-needed extra knee room in the back. Now there’s space for a couple of adults to sit in reasonable comfort for short trips.
Pressing the “Start” button breathes life into one of the greatest engines available in any car today – BMW’s potent 4.4-Liter twin-turbocharged V8. The 400-horsepower it produces is impressive enough. But what really puts a grin on your face is the towering 450 pound-feet of torque (torque = fun) that comes on tap from around 1,700 rpm. As clichéd as it sounds, the feeling it gives is just like being released from a catapult!
Couple this mighty V8 with a brilliant new eight-speed automatic transmission that delivers blink-of-an-eye shifts and you’re rewarded with standstill-to-60-mph sprinting in 4.9 seconds, zero-to-100 in under 12.5.
On Mex 1 to Cabo, it all comes together to produce one seriously rapid automobile. Play with the paddle shifters to fire you out of the curves, toggle through the trio of suspension settings – Sport Plus will satisfy anyone’s inner Mario – and you have a car with a breadth of capability that’s unparalleled in this class.
For now, just one 6-series drophead is on offer – the $91,375 650i. A new 6-series coupe lands later this year.
Whether it’s cruising Mex 1 to Cabo, or Highway 1 to the Keys, this new 6-series Convertible makes the perfect companion. Call it the Ultimate Drophead Driving Machine!
For more information on the latest from BMW, please visit, http://www.bmwusa.com/