The new BMW M6, and to an even greater extent this M6 Convertible, often causes automotive apoplexy in your typical armchair motoring enthusiast. That's because as soon as the M badge is applied to any BMW, all sorts of expectations are heaped upon it. Mostly those entail remembering what we, collectively, loved about the E30 M3, the E28 M5 and to a lesser extent, the E24 M6. Then cue bemoaning the added weight, complexity and unasked-for modernity of the new M.
Of course, those perceived infractions are all tantamount to treason for lovers of BMW history, but they're also critical elements of building a new, safe, stunningly competent luxury car that real buyers in the segment will take seriously. And the really good news is that, despite the sheer bulk, turbocharged engines, the continued existence of iDrive and a lack of manual transmissions, cars like this 2012 M6 Convertible are – shock, horror – far better overall than their storied precursors.
Let us immediately jump into defending that last statement, lest we be pilloried into early retirement by our razor-tongued commentariat. There are two real missions for this M6 droptop: go really, really fast, and make your driver look and feel like a million bucks. The convertible even more than the coupe, is meant to be a special-occasion car; where the occasion in question is a grand touring road trip more often than a day at the track, for instance. On these fronts, the 2012 version of the M car is far better off than was its ancestor, which was objectively slower and less richly appointed.
Whether or not the M6 Convertible rises to the level of "specialness" required from a visual standpoint is truly an open question. This is an unmistakably large vehicle, especially for a 2+2 that isn't overly endowed in the rear-seat quarters. An impossibly long hood, aggressively raked windscreen and longish rear overhang all cause the body to appear about 50-feet long (especially in profile). The M-spec body kit, most notably its front fascia, makes the 6 Series seem more aggressive, certainly, but not more beautiful in our opinion. The standard 650i convertible is such an arrow-straight, thin-hipped thing that the M6 treatment almost causes the car to seem cartoonish from some angles – albeit in a particularly brutal and fast kind of a way. Frankly, if we were judging by sheetmetal alone, we'd take any one of the Mercedes-Benz, Porsche or Jaguar competitors here.
Inside the cabin is a totally different story, however, as BMW has created a space that is at once lovely, useful and utterly rich. There's no question that the driver's seat is the best in the house, especially with the M-specific three-spoke steering wheel to hang on to. The rim offers a pleasant thickness while still having a great open space at top to see the gauges through. Leather here, and everywhere one can touch, is soft with nice graining. Not a single driver control feels anything less than well weighted, solidly constructed or elegantly designed for its task. A massive 10.2-inch display dominates the forward-center view, and it proved very readable in the shifting light as we drove with the top down.
In fact, the only luxury that was noticeably absent from this M6 interior was that of excess space. The front seats are incredibly supportive and malleable, but they're also quite large. A driver taller than six-feet, two-inches (your author included) will find just enough leg and elbow room to feel comfortable behind the wheel, and will never sit quite low enough behind that windscreen header to get truly tucked in. And, of course, if your big-and-tall driver is behind the wheel, any useable space for the seat behind him disappears but quick. The four-place BMW may boast more room than aPorsche 911 Cabriolet, for instance, but it's not a long-range tourer for four adults. Two grownups will find the trip very nice though, and very fast if need be.
This is a large car. It has a high curb weight (4,508 pounds) and impressive dimensions for both length and width (193 inches and 75.6 inches, respectively). But putting all of that bulk in quick context is the brain-busting power of BMW's 4.4-liter TwinPower Turbo V8. A very likely underrated 560 horsepower and 500 pound-feet of torque move this big convertible forward with alacrity that belies its size, and in a manner that most certainly calls into question BMW's stated 0-60 time of 4.2 seconds. (The well-respected testers at Car and Driver saw 60 mph in four seconds flat, for instance.) Further, even if BMW's official figures were true, the character with which the M6 gets up and goes – its mentally quick power delivery and exotic exhaust wail causes one to be a pretty happy camper. We like the engine... is that clear?
Read more by Seyth Miersma at Autoblog.com
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