2008 BMW 6 SERIES COUPE ARRIVES

February 15, 2008 4:55 PM AWDT

The BMW 6 Series Coupe burst onto the world stage in 2003. Powered initially by a 4.4-litre V8, for the 2006 model year, the 270 kW engine from the 7 Series was transplanted into the 6 Series to create the now famous 650i in Coupe and Convertible guises.

In December the 6 Series received an updated exterior and a number of new technologies. The 270 kW 4.8-litre V8 engine in the 650i Coupé is unchanged fundamentally, yet picks up detail improvements that cuts the 0-100 km sprint time from 5.5 seconds to 5.2 seconds. The new 650i Coupé and Convertible also benefits from a newly developed six-speed sports automatic transmission, paddles on the steering wheel and a sports button, which when selected provides the driver with faster gearshifts, optimised throttle mapping as well as adjusted control map for the Servotronic power steering. The standard specification level for both vehicles has been further enhanced with the addition of Comfort Access, Soft Close automatic doors, cruise control with brake function, as well as USB/audio interface. The 650i Coupé is priced from $212,000 and the 650i Convertible is $228,800. The updated M6 is priced from $279,400 (Coupé) and $299,000 (Convertible).