Sampling an elegant but robust "Cab" in the California sunshine can mean different things to different people.
The wine lover might imagine taste-testing one of the state's Cabernet Sauvignon reds from the Napa or Sonoma valleys. Wines with style, presence and no little substance. The auto-phile might dream of a cab of another kind -- BMW's new 6-Series Cabriolet.
Driving the BMW 645Ci Cabriolet in the California countryside, as I recently had a chance to do, also proved to be a heady blend of style, presence and substance, especially on an interesting road.
There are plenty of such roads once you clear the Los Angeles congestion, and head north up the Pacific Coast Highway. The California countryside, just inland from the Pacific, is wonderfully green and fresh at this time of year, and with the sun shining and the temperature readout showing about double what Toronto was experiencing, just about perfect for canyon cruising. So is the 645Ci.
The Cabriolet arrives here this month, just in time for our Canadian summer, priced at $108,500 and joins the equally new 645Ci coupe, which sells for $98,500. They share styling, architecture and drive trains. A sport package -- active steering, sports seats and 19-inch wheels -- will add $4,500. The premium package with six-disc CD and logic7 high-fi sound adds another $1,800. Or you can opt for the executive package that adds parking-distance control for $6,600.
These new vehicles mark the re-introduction of the 6-Series after a 15-year hiatus. The original 6-Series coupes (there were no 6-Series Cabriolets), considered to be among the finest grand touring coupes of all time, were in production from 1976 to 1989. About 86,000 were sold worldwide.
"We were so engaged in doing other things, to some extent we lost our way," BMW North America chairman and CEO Tom Purves mused. "We should never have departed the segment." Well, they're back now, and with two classics to help celebrate the company's 75th anniversary this year.
The Cabriolet shares its basic styling with the coupe, and this works very well with the attractively shaped power-operated soft-top. Neat touches are the vertical glass rear window that serves as an effective wind deflector when the top is down, allowing conversation at even elevated speeds, and what BMW refers to as its "fins." These rearward extensions of the roof are similar to the "flying buttresses" of the Jaguar XJ-S of the 70s and 80s. It's more than acceptably quiet inside driving with the top up too.
Over all, the Cab is about the same size as the 5-Series, but rides on a wheelbase that's 109 mm shorter.
Aluminum is used in the front-end structure, and for the hood and doors, with thermoplastic front fenders and a sheet moulding compound trunk lid. Under that lid is 351 litres of cargo space with the top up, but only 300 with it folded. Owners will probably use the 2+2 style rear seat for additional luggage space. It is barely usable by passengers.
There won't likely be many complaints from those riding up front, however. The driver and passenger seats are supportive, without being confining, power adjustable and snuggled between high door caps and a large centre console.
BMW's controversial iDrive "joystick" remains a rather too-complicated way to control simple functions such as climate control and the superb Harman Kardon audio. This is an interior that makes you feel pampered, but also secure, even with the top down, and very much involved in the car.
And there's a lot to be involved with in driving terms.
The front suspension is an evolution of BMW's double-pivot system and the rear a multilink system, both based on those employed by the 5-Series and 7-Series. Active anti-roll bars, which react to sensors that detect when the car is entering a curve, generate resistance to body roll. Standard wheels are 18-inch alloys shod with 245/45R-18 V-rated rubber, and the brakes are powerful discs with ABS. Electronic handling aids include Dynamic Stability Control, and BMW's new Active Steering system is available.
Under the hood is a version of the highly sophisticated, 4.4-litre, double-overhead-camshaft V-8 that debuted with the latest 7-Series. It produces 325 hp at 6,100 rpm and 330 lb-ft of torque at 3,600 rpm. The standard transmission, and my choice, is a slick, six-speed manual.
Response is immediate with any of these, and the car will accelerate to 100 km/h in just six seconds flat. The stiff chassis -- there's little evidence of the wiggly nature of most soft-top cars -- and that high-tech suspension helped make the twists, turns and hairpin bends of the canyon roads great fun as the car steers with precision, accelerates hard out of the corners and brakes with real authority. It also sounds great, emitting appropriately V-8 noises any time you prod the gas pedal. But it's also thoroughly civilized and enjoyable to simply cruise in, listening to that wonderful stereo.
A great car but, unfortunately for many of us, just a tad too exclusive.
Specifications
BMW 645Ci Cabriolet
Price: $108,500 to $115,100
Type: Luxury convertible
Engine: 4.4-litre, DOHC V-8
Horsepower/torque: 325 hp/330 lb-ft
Transmission: Six-speed manual
Fuel economy: City, 15.7L/100 km; Highway, 9.4L/100 km
Alternatives: Mercedes-Benz CLK500/SL500, Lexus SC430, Porsche Carrera, Jaguar XK8/XKR.
Like: Style, handling, power
Don't like: Poor rear-seat and trunk space
