I definitely don't like that option.  That car was made to have a manual
transmission.  Something is amiss at BMW.

MC

The last two para's are where the meat is.

NEW YORK TIMES: BEHIND THE WHEEL
August 13, 2004

2004 BMW 645Ci: Atkins Friendly, but Hardly Organic

By JEFF SABATINI

LOW-CARB mania seems to know no limits. The other day I saw an ad
proclaiming that peanuts are low in carbohydrates. Who knew? And who
can fault peanut farmers for marketing the tasty allergen like so many
other trendy food items: low-carb chocolate, low-carb potatoes and
even low-carb water? (Yes, the water exists, marketed by Speedo.)

So this is my pitch to BMW: Why not slap a "low carb" label on that
new 6 Series?

Like the Atkins/South Beach craze that convinced many dieters they can
eat lots of fat and still stay fit, this jewel in BMW's product crown
turns the company's ethos upside down, trading sporting efficiency for
gratuitious excess.

Big car, big motor, big price - the perfect choice for the sorts of
people I see leaving the buns off their bacon double cheeseburgers -
that is, middle-aged guys with more money than, well, physical
fitness.

It is a car for those possessed by an all-consuming desire to "have
whatever he's having," and these days, that order tends to be for a
Bimmer. Sales of BMW's in the United States have risen 4 percent this
year, through July.

Americans seem to have largely forgotten that this juggernaut started
four decades ago with the small, light 2002 sport sedan powered by a
four-cylinder engine. Now BMW has shelved plans to introduce its small
1 Series car here, as the company wallows in its bigger-is-better
philosophy with a growing product range that includes two sport
utility wagons and cars that are literally becoming larger. Successive
generations of its bread-and-butter sport sedans have been growing,
leading some cynics to joke that BMW stands for "bringing more
weight."

The new 6 Series follows that trend, reintroducing a model designation
last used in 1989. But the new car is based on the current 5 and 7
Series sedans and shares components, but not sheet metal, with both.
My test car was a 645Ci coupe (a convertible is also offered) with a
six-speed manual transmission, carrying a suggested retail price just
$5 shy of $70,000. Optional equipment bumped the total to $75,995, and
included a number of "why aren't these things standard on a $70,000
car" items: heated seats, heated steering wheel, six-CD changer. The
car also had BMW's obstacle-warning system and the sport package,
which included 19-inch wheels, sport seats and "active" steering.

Sadly, the standard features do include BMW's maddening iDrive
interface, which controls the stereo, climate control, navigation
system and a host of other electronic features. There is no
"iDrive-delete" option, and it is somewhat telling that iDrive is not
listed on the window sticker under "comfort and convenience features."
(The sticker does carry the once-true BMW marketing slogan: "The
Ultimate Driving Machine.")

Before I let that $70,000 price slide past, it is worth pointing out
that although this car is a lot more 5 Series than 7, its sticker is
equivalent to the one on the big 745i. A 545i with a six-speed is
"just" $58,300.

Need I mention that you can buy two 350-horsepower Pontiac GTO's for
what you'll shell out for a 6 Series? Probably not - the Bimmer plays
in a different league, if only because of its price tag - but putting
that $70,000 sticker in perspective is important, as it carries with
it certain expectations.

For one, a car demanding that kind of coin should look exciting enough
to make every wage slave in America vow to get a second job in order
to buy one someday. On this level, the 6 Series more or less succeeds.
The car is the most attractive execution of BMW's "flame surfacing"
exterior design language to date, with an imposing presence. Yet I can
still imagine a not-too-far-off future in which short-order line cooks
will drive ragged, 200,000-mile 645Ci's to their burger-grilling jobs.

And yes, the styling will look dated then, just as mid-1980's
Chevrolet Camaros do today.

Like those very same pony cars, the 645Ci is powered by a rumbling and
sometimes stumbling V-8. (BMW recently recalled the 6 Series for
engine stalling.) With 4.4 liters of displacement, it makes 325
horsepower and 330 pounds-feet of torque. This means the nearly
3,800-pound coupe can sprint to 60 miles an hour in 5.3 seconds,
according to Car and Driver magazine. While this is more than enough
straight-line acceleration to impress anyone whose business suit isn't
tailored in Nomex, it is the same sort of cheap thrill that can be had
in a $25,000 Mustang.

My BMW's clutch was also reminiscent of many a Mustang, with a
heaviness and abrupt engagement that made it hard to shift smoothly.

When I put the 645Ci onto roads that actually required driving input,
the experience of hustling such a big car around turns and over hills
left me impressed with the cleverness of the engineers and their
disregard for the laws of physics. But I still felt mostly disengaged.

Though the 6 Series has seemingly unlimited grip, its steering is
entirely too vague, a feeling not helped by the thick cake doughnut of
a steering wheel. While other car manufacturers might enlist Nardi or
Momo to design a high-performance steering wheel, BMW seems to have
gone with Nerf.

The sport seats, on the other hand, are absolutely perfect in every
way. If only the rest of the interior were so comfortable.

A binnacle atop the dashboard contains the iDrive display and
dominates the forward view. This driver sits curiously low; this
position, combined with the thickness and curvature of the doors, led
me to paranoid delusions that the car was caving in on itself.

A cruise control lever conveniently protrudes from the left side of
the wheel, in just the right place to make repeated contact with your
knee, turning it off. Another needless reinvention, the two-stage turn
signal that made its debut on the 2002 7 Series, is here, too.

Abhorrent noises are part of the equation: a cellphone-style chime
upon starting the car, synthesized beeps from the parking assist when
anything is even slightly close to the bumpers and an
attention-grabbing "cheep" when the key fob locks the doors.

All that can be said about the back seat is that it is there. BMW
can't expect anyone to use it much.

With kitschy design and glitchy technology placed ahead of BMW's
traditional emphasis on driving enjoyment, this car may wear the
brand's blue-and-white roundel, but it is not rewarding to drive - at
least not in the way Bimmers have long rewarded drivers, building a
strong reputation in the process. Think low-carb soy crisps versus
golden corn tortilla chips.

When all is said and done, none of my frustrations with the 6 Series -
yes, even including iDrive, which is actually a rather brilliant
interface device, just one that has no business in an automobile - are
what cause me to truly, deeply dislike the car.

No, the 6 Series rubs me the wrong way because as a BMW owner and
enthusiast I do not like where this car is taking the marque. The
645Ci feels even bigger than it is, and provides a driving experience
that is isolated and self-indulgent. These traits are the exact
opposite of what one has come to expect from a BMW.

In the United States, BMW has always had two types of customers:
enthusiasts who bought the cars for what they could do, and
status-conscious buyers who cared only for the prestige of the name.
Until very recently, the company has worked hard to satisfy both
camps, but the 6 Series is overwhelmingly a trendy car for the
followers of fads.

It is perhaps the most egregious example of what BMW has become over
the last few model years, a manufacturer of overwrought,
technology-laden behemoths, cars that I find obnoxious in both their
presence and their operation.

INSIDE TRACK: More filling, less taste.

When I read this, I picture you holding a lit torch, with a real
devilish smile on your face as the car is parked behind you.

Phil

It is, and it's indeed a HUGE pain in the a.s. I really don't understand
how engineers who were known to produce the most ergonomic cars in the
world could ever think of designing such a lame system.

The Ferrai is so that the Swede teen and I can go "shopping" on the
weekends. (-;

"> This subtle Canuck humor confuses me... I'd better

You'd be better off to study some Monty Python material, then move on to
Fawlty Towers and Ripping Yarns. Once you've mastered that, try your hand at
some very droll humour such as Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minister.

And I wasn't even kidding. Have you ever heard the legendary (and true)
story of Canadian rocker Ronnie Hawkins and this first purchase of a Rolls?

<<I never said that I would be disappointed driving it. It certainly looks like
a fun car to drive.>>

Oh, well. If a car is just *fun* then what's the point?

<<But I would still be disappointed - at least with  myself-since I really
dislike 99% of all American cars and the mentality they represent.>>

Oh, pray tell. What *mentality* is the issue here? And how is your prejudice
not it?

<<No offense - some people like anchovies, some just don't.>>

ROFL! Why would I take offense from someone who is as painfully ignorant and
weirdly prejudiced in this regard?

C. :::who will take the Ford that kicks a.s over the Ferrari on the track for a
third of the cost anyday:::