BMW GB Presskit - New 6 Series Convertible

The new BMW 6 Series Convertible Contents 1. The new BMW 6 Series Convertible (Short story) 2. Design and construction 3. Drivetrain 4. Chassis and running gear 5. Body configuration and safety 6. Technology and equipment 7. Market 8. History 9. Standard and optional equipment 10. Technical specifications, torque curves, dimensions

1. The new BMW 6 Series Convertible
(Short story)

Overview

The latest chapter in BMW's exciting new car launch programme opens in the UK
in March 2004. The arrival of the brand new 6 Series range sees BMW's first 6
Series Convertible team up with its 645Ci Coupé cousin. Both cars justify a
grand touring or sports car title, but the 2+2 cabriolet adds an emotional
appeal that UK car buyers adore - despite British weather.

BMW's distinguished reputation for producing dynamic and engaging cars remains
a fundamental consideration in the launch of any new model. This philosophy
has, over the decades, produced some outstanding performance models: the 328
from the 'thirties, the 507 roadster of the 'fifties, the 3.0CSL in the
'seventies, the original 6 Series and M3 in the 'eighties, the 1998 M Coupé,
and the M3 CSL and Z4 in 2003. The BMW 645Ci Convertible joins that
pulse-quickening line-up as BMW's first large luxury performance cabriolet in
half a century.

The 6 Series Convertible provides a tempting blend of performance,
practicality, style and modern technologies at a price that appears to hail
from a past decade. If ever a £55,355 outlay could be called a bargain then
the price tag hits the mark. An award-winning V8 engine, lightweight
materials, class-leading driving dynamics, seamless six-speed transmission and
a truly innovative roof concept complement head-turning looks and four seat
accommodation. The new 6 Series Convertible ticks all the boxes and sets a new
standard in the convertible market.

Key highlights

Desirability

Casablanca or Cadwell Park? Grand touring or sports car? You decide, but
around 800 owners in the UK per year will experience a brand new 645Ci
Convertible and its unique fusion of dynamic abilities, style and practicality.

New market segment

The 645Ci Convertible heralds BMW's long-awaited return into the premium open
2+2 arena, at a time when world demand for luxury performance cars is on a high
and the UK market for specialist sports cars has increased threefold over the
past decade.

Chassis integrity

Developed as a unique project alongside the 6 Series Coupé, the 645Ci
Convertible is light, safe and torsionally rigid. From an occupant's
perspective it is effectively indistinguishable in these respects from the
Coupé.

Innovative design

The stylish new fin structure convertible roof is unique in forming a genuinely
coupé-like rear silhouette whilst achieving maximum practicality and visibility.

Intelligent lightweight design

The 6 Series Convertible is the first car in volume production that features
four different bodywork materials in its drive to reduce weight; steel,
aluminium, and two high quality plastics - SMC (sheet moulding compound) and
Thermoplastic. Aluminium also features heavily throughout the chassis along
with SMC and 'Superlite'.

Practicality

Benefiting from truly original design and innovative packaging, the 645Ci
Convertible offers capacious 2+2 passenger accommodation for four adults as
well as class-leading luggage capacity.

Supreme safety

Roll-over protection, Run-flat tyre technology, a tyre pressure monitoring
system and fully integrated active and passive safety systems ensure that there
is no safer convertible on the market.

Useful technology

Few cars on sale today can offer a more comprehensive panoply of useable,
convenient and highly desirable technologies. And that's without turning to
the 645Ci Convertible's extensive options list.

Drivetrain

BMW's award-winning, ultra-refined 4.4-litre V8, with VALVETRONIC and bi-VANOS
technology dispenses effortless performance for any and every driving style.
333bhp is transmitted via a choice of three six-speed transmissions.

Value for money

£55,355 (on the road) provides customers with an irresistible soft-top choice.
However, no other convertible in the class is as well specified,
technologically advanced or as capacious as BMW's new 645Ci Convertible.

Basic technical specifications

OTR Price £55,355
Power bhp 333
Torque Nm 450
0 - 62 secs 6.1
Top Speed mph 155
Mpg 22.1
CO2 g/km 310

Design

The traditional outcome of designing a soft-top convertible is a compromise in
its styling as practical limitations necessitate a steep rear roof section. A
folding hard-top is one solution, but results in packaging and weight
compromises. The designers' brief for the BMW 645Ci Convertible focused on
producing a soft-top version of the 6 Series Coupé without losing that car's
visual impact or lightweight advantages.

In developing the 6 Series Convertible, BMW cleverly retained the Coupé's
silhouette. What's more, BMW maintained its philosophy that soft folding roofs
offer the owner greater practicality than fold-away hard-tops as they take up
far less room when stored.

The starting point for the 6 Series Convertible was to develop the car
alongside the Coupé, rather than the more traditional, and compromising, route
of taking an existing coupé, chopping off its roof and adding the requisite
strengthening materials. This gave the designers every opportunity to
replicate the Coupé's sleek stance, taut but flowing lines and powerful, modern
presence.

Looking in more detail at the new model shows that the company has retained
many of the traditional BMW design cues, but pushed the limits of convertible
design with an ingenious roof structure and innovative use of modern,
lightweight materials.

At the front, the new broad, low-level kidney grille and striking headlamp
units achieve an immediate impact. To the rear, the aerodynamically-contoured
LED rear lights and oval, chrome-sleeved tailpipes are eye-catching features
that feature practical innovations.

In common with the Coupé, the 6 Series Convertible features a sporting rear-set
cabin with a sleekly raked and strengthened A-pillar. It also retains BMW's
customary and distinctive 'Hofmeister' kink, which has been cleverly retained
and subtly melded into the Convertible's unique fin structure roof.

Fin structure roof

The fin structure roof is BMW's innovative solution to maintaining a coupé-like
profile with a soft folding roof. The roof structure's steeply sloping rear
buttresses almost perfectly replicate the angle of the Coupé's C-pillars,
resembling fins when viewed from the rear. The fins, which dramatically double
back at their apex towards the rear of the cabin, also obviate the need for a
large rear window, a key restriction of most soft-tops.

Structurally, a traditional soft roof requires a steep rear slope in order to
house a large rear window (a small rear window at a shallow angle would follow
a coupé's lines, but would offer very poor rear visibility). However, a large
rear window is then impossible to package efficiently with the roof in the
folded position.

On the BMW 645Ci Convertible, the fins double back, allowing the car to feature
a comparatively small, independent, electrically-powered vertical rear window.
This window offers impressive levels of visibility and can retract into a small
slot just behind the rear passenger seats. This glass can be raised or lowered
with the roof open or closed, either for extra ventilation or as an effective
wind deflector. A further benefit of this innovation is an improved boot
capacity over more conventional convertible mechanisms - a best-in-class 350
litres with the roof up.

The fully electric roof comes in either Basalt Grey or Black. It folds or
unfolds in 20 seconds even when driving, at speeds of up to 20mph. With a
unique multi-layered structure, it boasts class-leading interior acoustics and
stows away compactly in its own retractable storage compartment in the boot
when folded. It also has the added benefit of being lighter than contemporary
folding hard-tops.

Interior

The elegance of the 6 Series Convertible's exterior is complemented by the
interior. High-quality materials including wood or Ruthenium (a lightweight
metal that resembles platinum in appearance), combined with superb
craftsmanship, create a luxurious ambience with exemplary ergonomics. The
driving-related instruments and controls are positioned in the optimal field of
vision and are all within easy reach, while the comfort functions -
communications, climate, entertainment and navigation - are easily controlled
via second-generation iDrive, the pioneering control command concept.

The upholstery is trimmed in soft but durable Dakota leather, with Exclusive
Pearl leather (a soft nappa-type hide) an option. The front seats provide
Comfort Entry to the rear and have powered adjustment (with memory for the
driver's seat) as standard. A sports leather-trimmed steering wheel (with
multi-function buttons, two of which are personally programmable via iDrive) is
also standard, while Sports front seats and seat heating are optional.

Providing maximum comfort with generous space and irreproachable safety, its
luxurious appointments and genuine practicality allow the new BMW 6 Series
Convertible to deliver occupants the very finest in open or closed motoring
pleasure.

Intelligent Lightweight Technology

Low weight affords greater dynamism, improved safety, enhanced environmental
compatibility and increased comfort. But keeping weight low on a convertible
is a more exacting task than on a closed car where a fixed roof contributes
significantly to torsional body stiffness. To overcome this, the 6 Series
Convertible redefines lightweight engineering philosophy.

First, conventional materials are replaced by lighter materials wherever
possible. Second, wherever feasible, less material is used. Finally, despite
using less material, components either retain or have increased strength by
intelligent reinforcement.

An example of this technology can be found in the 6 Series Convertible's body,
which features a unique aluminium front end that is significantly lighter than
a conventional front end constructed from steel. This makes a valuable
contribution to the car's near perfect 50:50 front/rear weight distribution.

Additionally, the housings supporting the front struts are in pressure-cast
aluminium alloy, while the doors, rollover safety system, the inner and outer
skins of the bonnet, the brake disc callipers and carriers plus most suspension
and axle parts are also made of aluminium. Further weight saving comes from
the front wings which are made from thermoplastic and the boot and roof
compartment lids which are formed from SMC (sheet moulding compound). As a
result, BMW becomes the first manufacturer in volume production to have a
'hybrid' bodyshell of four different materials.

To ensure that this comprehensive toning and weight watching doesn't go to
waste, the 6 Series Convertible shares the 6 Coupé's bespoke, all-aluminium
platform chassis. This displays another key advantage to designing the car
alongside its Coupé cousin from scratch and results in the new Convertible
leading the field of open-top 2+2s in terms of torsional stiffness and
vibration comfort.

This fastidious and individual engineering approach bestows the 6 Series
Convertible with impressively low weight for this class of car at 1,890kgs, (or
just 1,815kgs without the driver (68kgs) and luggage (7kgs) weights required by
EU legislation in official communications). This helps ensure excellent
driving dynamics and exhilarating performance, while delivering no compromise
on luxurious accommodation, everyday practicality or impeccable safety.

Drivetrain

BMW's ultra-refined 4.4-litre V8 petrol engine - equipped with VALVETRONIC
valve lift control, DIVA variable intake manifold length control and bi-VANOS
valve timing control - was 2002's International Engine of the Year. It
provides the new 645Ci with instant thrust, flexible performance and
substantial reserves of power. In addition, efficiency is improved by the new
variable intake ducts located just behind the BMW kidney grille. Six moving
'wings' automatically control the channelling of cooling air to the engine,
improving aerodynamics when closed and enabling faster engine warm up from cold.

Delivering up to 333bhp (245kW) at 6,100rpm with maximum torque of 332lbs-ft
(450Nm) at a relaxed 3,600rpm, the manual (or SMG-equipped) 6 Series
Convertible can accelerate from 0-62mph in 6.1 seconds (the automatic version
taking a mere tenth of a second longer), carrying briskly on to an
electronically limited 155mph. The exhaust note, hardly audible at idle,
quickly builds to a beefy, yet unobtrusive, rumble. At the same time fuel
consumption on the EU combined cycle is rated at an impressive 24.6mpg for the
automatic and 22.1mpg for the manual.

The 645Ci customer has a choice of three six-speed transmissions: a
conventional manual, an automatic with STEPTRONIC manual selection, or the
sequential paddle-shift, clutchless SMG system. Power in all cases is directed
to standard fit 18 inch alloys (19 inch optional) rolling on Run-flat tyres
with a tyre puncture warning system.

Driving technology and safety

The new 6 Series Convertible almost serves as an industry portfolio for
state-of-the-art technological features. The standard equipment list includes:

° Dynamic Stability Control (DSC)
° Dynamic Traction Control (DTC) - a sub function of DSC offering increased
thresholds
° Dynamic Driving Control (DDC) - 'Sport' mode
° Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Automatic Stability Control (ASC), Cornering
Brake Control (CBC), Dynamic Brake Control (DBC), Electronic Brake-force
Distribution (EBV)
° Six-speed manual transmission
° Six airbags, intelligent at the front, all electronically linked
° Roll-over protection system
° iDrive command centre with 6.5 inch display
° On-board telematics for emergency services, vehicle assistance or BMW Info
° Servotronic steering
° Sports suspension
° Aerodynamic LED rear light clusters with two-stage Brake Force Display
° Park Distance Control
° Cruise Control
° Bi-Xenon headlamps
° Heat insulating glass
° ISOFIX child seat fixings in rear seats
° Alarm system (Thatcham category one)
° Automatic air conditioning, featuring adaptive evaporation temperature
control
° Run-flat tyres with puncture warning system
° Rain sensor, with automatic headlight, wiper and de-mist control
° BMW Business radio/CD player with eight HiFi speakers

In addition there is a comprehensive catalogue of cutting-edge optional
equipment that includes:

° Dynamic Drive active anti-roll bars
° Active Steering
° Steptronic automatic or SMG six-speed transmissions
° Adaptive bi-xenon headlamps
° 8.8 inch colour screen (for iDrive/TV/Navigation displays) and Head-up
Display plus Extended Voice Control
° Active Cruise Control
° Television
° Navigation systems, Business or Professional, with traffic information and
Extended Voice Control
° Car telephone or Bluetooth phone preparation
° Seat and steering wheel heating
° Climate comfort glass
° Universal remote control (to open electric gates, garage doors)
° LOGIC7 HiFi system