BMW of Monrovia

• Introduction  »
• Interior / Walk Around  »
• Driving Impressions  »
• Summary

Walk Around

The styling of the BMW 6 Series is an interesting bit of design, with the Coupe and Convertible nearly identical except for their tops.

The twin-kidney grille, quad headlamps and other classic cues readily identify the 6 Series cars as BMWs. The M6 versions get a uniquely styled, more strongly sculpted front fascia. The 6 Series shares some key elements with BMW's 5 Series sedan, but the 6 Series was designed from the ground up as a Coupe, and then as a Convertible, rather than starting with a sedan and eliminating two doors or starting with a coupe and chopping off the top.

This is a classic BMW 6 Series: The front and rear overhangs (the distances from the wheels to the bumpers) are short. The cabin separates the long hood from the short deck. The 6 Series cars are shorter than the 5 Series sedans, but they benefit from a relatively long wheelbase, which contributes to stability and handling.

The turn signals are located above squinty-eyed, compound headlamps, which wrap well around the corners to the sides of the car. The grilles take front and center stage with no bumper ledge in front of them. When viewed from overhead, the front corners look rounded, giving the 6 Series a shark-like nose.

In profile, the lines are sculpted but clean. Sleek, Euro-style combination side lights-cum-turn signals in a thin slit at the trailing edge of the front wheel wells give the impression of attention to detail and on the M models discreetly house the unique, stylized logo that distinguishes those from the 650i models. The 6 Series looks raciest in front three-quarter view, which happens to be our favorite angle on the car.

From the rear the tail lamps and badge label it as a BMW, but the back end looks different from past BMWs. The tail lamps wrap around to the sides, so there's no precise break where the rear of the car ends and the side begins. As with the new 7 Series sedans, some critics don't like the way the rear deck looks somewhat disconnected from and perched atop the rear fenders. BMW points out that the high deck improves downforce, and therefore higher-speed stability, and also allows for a big trunk.

There are also some interesting design features that aren't apparent to the eye, starting with extensive use of weight-saving materials. From the windshield forward, the 6 Series load-bearing structure is made of aluminum, just like a commercial airliner's. Its doors and hood are also aluminum; the front fenders and trunk lid are composite materials. A carbon fiber roof on the M6 Coupe reduces weight without compromising safety. At the same time, because it's the roof that's lighter, the effect is to lower the car's center of gravity. The underbody is shrouded in more high-tech plastic, much like the wind tunnel-groomed bottoms of F1 race cars, to improve aerodynamic efficiency.

The soft top looks great. The rear glass can be raised or lowered like a side window by pressing a button. BMW has reinforced the B-pillars and the lower sides of the car's frame, and built the windshield with an extra-high-strength frame. This not only improves rigidity, but also adds an extra element of safety in the unlikely event of a rollover.

The 6 Series standard adaptive headlamps pivot to aim toward the inside of a corner as the steering wheel is turned. This helps throw light around a bend, reducing shadows and improving visibility for the driver. Sometimes just that extra moment of warning can make for a safer and more enjoyable drive. The 6 Series also features BMW's adaptive LED brake lights, which illuminate more intensely in a panic stop. BMW contends this conveys the gravity of the situation to drivers following when you slam on the brakes, but it presumes those following know enough to understand the brighter brake lights' warning message.

Interior

2010 BMW 6 Series

The BMW 6 Series has it all: Comfort, luxury, convenience and the ambience of a true high-performance car. The car inspires feelings of control, even of success, before it even leaves the driveway. The 6 Series promises great rewards to drivers who take their driving seriously, and, as far as the interior appointments go, with an exception or two, they deliver.

The 6 Series seats provide excellent support. The 650i base seats are the more accommodating, with the optional sport seats more firm than cushioned but still not as encapsulating as the M6's. Depending on the package, front seats are power-adjustable in either 12 ways or 14 ways (in the M6, either 16 or 18 ways, including seatback bolsters) and combine with a steering wheel that both tilts and telescopes, again with the push of a button, to allow drivers of virtually any stature to find a good fit. Front seats have manually extendable thigh support.

The back seats will accommodate pre-adolescents on short trips, but are not so good for a couple of adults. Access to the rear, though, is enabled by front seats that readily move forward and then will return to their previous settings. Driver-side memory buttons are on the outboard side of the seat base, a much more convenient placement than in the 7 Series, where they're on the center console and unreachable before climbing into the car.

Interior materials and finish are up to standards expected in this price range. The headliner in both Coupe and Convertible looks and feels rich, and expensive. The standard trim is a metallic material, and we like the way it looks on the doors and dash. Those who prefer a more traditional look can choose either light or dark stained birch wood. Olive Ash and Walnut are also available.

The engine starts with a button. The key is an electronic cartridge that slides into a slot on the steering column. Once that's done, the driver simply presses a button on the dash to the right of the steering column to start or stop the engine. But turning on accessory power requires pressing the button once, then again, and then again, all while consciously keeping your foot away from the brake pedal so the engine doesn't start. James Bond would be in big trouble with this setup.

Comfort Access is an option that takes this keyless concept a step farther. It's proximity-activated, meaning you can simply walk up to the car, open the door, and press the Start button without having to pull the fob out of your pocket or purse. The car will warn you if you try to leave with the key while it's running.

The gauge cluster features a large tachometer and speedometer framing an LCD box that displays a wide range of information. The package is crisp and legible and, if you like BMW's familiar orange backlighting, quite attractive. The optional Head-Up Display (HUD) projects speed, navigational information, cruise control status and other data onto the windshield and can be programmed to show whichever data set the driver chooses. It works well and we find it useful. The M6's HUD is further configurable, offering a minimalist display limited to the essentials of analog-like, LED tachometer, selected gear and road speed.

BMW's iDrive system operates the sound system, climate controls, navigation and other functions. It does this through a controller on the center console which functions much like a mouse on a computer. Now in its fourth generation, iDrive has new graphics and controls. This includes a new controller concept and a high-resolution 8.8-inch display; optimized menus with high-resolution graphics and an expanded range of functions; and greater convenience and more intuitive operation with direct-select keys at the controller, plus additional Programmable Memory Keys. Formerly there were six and now there are eight.

A graphic depiction of the controller in the display orients the user to the next control step, be it rotation, pressing, or tipping. From there, rotation of the controller takes the user through the various menu selections, and pressing makes the choice. Tilting the controller right or left takes the system through the menu levels. A new refinement is the inclusion of four direct-selection keys, adjacent to the controller, for the most frequently used menus, which allow quick selections of the CD, radio, phone, and navigation system menus. Three additional keys, for general use, will take the user directly to the start menu, or to the most recently active menu, or to various options within the current area. All of this shortens searches, or makes them unnecessary.

The refinements and enhancements to iDrive also make it simpler and more enjoyable to use the on-board navigation system. The new display is also more realistic, and a new, circular speller makes it easier and quicker to enter destinations or phone numbers.

We recommend spending time in the driveway with the owner's manual to master this system. In the past the iDrive has been hated, loved and tolerated. We have found the earlier generations difficult to operate and distracting from the business of driving, and using it for everyday tasks often demanded pressing more buttons than with traditional systems. The earlier generations tended to make what should have been relatively simple tasks, such as turning on the radio to a favorite station or cranking up the heater, into complicated computer exercises. We may not necessarily yet be fans of iDrive, but the new fourth generation promises to be much, much better than in the past.

Another, unrelated control function that is unusual is that if you touch the turn signal lever the signals blink three times, which is useful when making lane changes but annoying when you change your mind and try to cancel it.

The Coupe's trunk is relatively large, with room for two sets of golf clubs. The BMW badge on the rear serves as the trunk latch. The lid pops open fully when a button on the key is pressed, handy when running through the rain with an armload of groceries. Watch where you put those groceries, however, as the trunk lid uses bag-crushing goose-neck hinges; the Convertibles use articulated struts, necessary to clear the expandable pouch for the folded top. The Coupe has a slightly larger trunk (13.0 cubic feet) than the Convertible (12.4 cubic feet with the top raised, 10.6 cubic feet with it lowered). Also, caution is advised when storing anything other than luggage or those golf clubs in the trunk, especially if it involves liquid, as the space below is full of electronics essential to the car's operation. The first time we lifted the trunk floor cover, it was like watching Darth Vader remove his helmet. The 6 Series cars do not come with spare tires; the 650i models come with run-flat tires, while the M6 has a temporary repair kit.

Incidental storage is limited. The glove box is nicely finished but not large enough to hold the portfolio with the owner's manual and other required reading. Its back wall houses the CD changer, a bracket for a spare key fob and a recharging slot for a small flashlight. Shallow, fixed map pockets adorn the doors. The front-seat cup holder sticks up out of a slot on the passenger side of the center console. The two cup holders in the rearmost section of the center console aren't convenient to either front or rear seat passengers. There's a mesh net on the transmission hump in the passenger's footwell for odds and ends. The center console cover adjusts to offer an armrest to drivers of varying heights but could use a more-resistant ratchet as it's too easily raised when all you want is to open it.

Go to Driving Impressions