BMW 650i Convertible 2012 Review

 

To start with, we hope our readers do not sue us as we are about to discuss convertibles, when people are finding safe havens to escape from the snowstorms. If it is disgusting, blame BMW for the launch of its brand new BMW 650i Convertible 2012.

Actually, it is well thought plan. None would think about going for a convertible in such extreme weather. However, BMW will launch this at a time, when people will love to bask under the sun. So, a little information about it beforehand makes sense.

BMW 650i Convertible with open top is set to launch this April. Usually the car maker launches the coupe first, and then the convertible. But this time, it is set to change.

The 6 series convertible, which will hit the showrooms this spring, has a 4.4L, V8 engine. Yes, it’s the same that is being used by 5 and 7 series models. But with increased power. It has 40 hp more than its predecessor, and is now equipped with 400 hp at 5,500 rpm.

The car seems to be an ideal machine to cruise along the coast on a vacation. It offers a relaxed drive. Efforts are reduced by the 450 pound feet torque at mere 1,750 rpm. You simple have to apply a light pressure on the throttle and the super V8 will do the rest. The transmission of power to rear wheels is simply an arrangement to appreciate. There is no hint of induction on acceleration, nor there is any humming sound of the machine.

It’s simply you, the power under, and the sky above.

The 8-speed auto gearbox is another element to be added in the ‘smoothening’ list, apart from the throttle and the drive at large. However, you can simply select to operate it manually through a paddle behind the steering wheel. In spite of the missing automatic start-stop mechanism, a feat commonly found in 640i, this convertible actually consumes lesser fuel. BMW says it’s 22 mpg.

The new BMW 650i Convertible 2012 is a real performer on a highway. While we drove it on the national highway, the effect, or rather impact, of the new engine could be easily felt. It reaches 0 to 62 mph in just 5 seconds, which is about 10 percent faster than the older 650i convertible. However, the top speed, as it was always the case, does not exceed 155 mph.

With most of its parts made from steel, claims BMW, except for the hood and the doors, there is an improvement of over 50 percent in the stiffness of the car.

However, one of the things that BMW is good at is the performance of its Dynamic Drive system that changes the springs, antiroll bars, gearbox shift-points, weight of steering, shock absorbers, throttle tracking, etc in just a push of a button. You also have the option to choose from buttons of Sports, Normal, Sports Plus, and Comfort, which adjusts the above things automatically.

For an open-top car with weight of 4,200 pounds, the stable chassis, on which the powerful engine rests, proves to be awesome. It reacts to every tiny act behind the wheel, which makes the drive all the more pleasurable.

Twisting the car through the mountainous region too was as easy as driving though the highway. All this, thanks to the rear-wheel steering and the hydraulic engine, which responds equally impressively. Besides, the length of the car does not seem to have any impact on the agility. However, not as strong as it initially looked, hard corrugations can bring shudders through the chassis.