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If you’re drunk when you visit a BMW showroom, you’ll sober up fast when you see the bottom line on the window sticker. For instance, the 2006 650i coupe I’m testing this week goes for a mentally clarifying $80,640. Gee, for that price you’d think the sunroof would open all the way. But even getting into a 3-Series these days will cost you more than $30,000.
That said, the 650i is a lot of car. It’s fortunate this ultimate driving machine offers such sterling performance, because it’s not much to look at. Considering the superb line of BMW coupes from which it descends – the 1972 3.0 CS and the 1987 635 – the new iteration is distinctly unbalanced. It appears particularly unfortunate from the back, where a hump protrudes. The nose is fairly sharp, but it seems vulnerable to parking dings.
If you’re paying for performance, the 650i aims to please, with the 360 horsepower, 4.8-liter V-8 also seen on the 750i. This car is ungodly fast. I found myself pushing 80 on I-95, and I never do that. That kind of speed sneaks up on you because everything about this BMW is so well-mannered and in control.
We’re looking at very sophisticated equipment to keep this vehicle on the road: from speed-sensitive variable steering, to dynamic stability control and roll stabilization. Even the cool-looking windshield wipers are speed sensitive.
Like most high-end BMWs, the 650i features the dreaded iDrive system, with many functions controlled by a large, console-mounted button. I didn’t find it so bad, but only because my 11-year-old daughter, Maya, was aboard. Maya calmly looked at iDrive and, without even pausing to look at the manual, was immediately programming the navigation system. Perfectly. She then proceeded to master the voice recognition feature, which I hadn’t even realized was there. Talking to the computer proved great fun for Maya and her friend. The two of them shouted at it for 20 minutes.
iDrive is negotiable, but it’s still more difficult to use than simple knobs and switches. And the voice recognition is cumbersome at best.
Similarly tiresome was the start/stop button, which required the driver to slot the keyless key, then push the start button, then "accept" the navigation legalese, then move the iDrive button to get the right menu on the screen. The main drawback here is using many of these controls takes your eyes off the road.
Access to the backseat in the 650i is fairly tight. The seat itself is very low to the ground, with negligible legroom. Wilt Chamberlain is advised to seek other quarters. The driver and passenger seats are supremely comfortable, however, even on long trips.
I loved the controls, which are clear and BMW precise.
Just as I was handing the 650i back, I found the thick owner’s manual in the trunk. I could have used it earlier. Then I’d have known why using the remote to open the trunk triggered the alarm (three times), and why I awoke to find the car had mysteriously lowered all its windows and opened its sunroof in my absence – in the rain (twice).
The 650i is a lot of car. My advice, however, is to take along a computer-savvy 11-year-old while you’re learning its intricacies.
