|
• Snow Closings
|
|
| Wed, Feb. 10 - - Mobile - RSS | |
| YOUR TOWN: Caroline | Culpeper | King George | Fredericksburg | Orange | Spotsylvania | Stafford | Westmoreland | |
|
|
Blast from the past may be difficult sell
Date published: 11/20/2009
BY ANN M. JOB FOR THE ASSOCIATED PRESS The model year on the BMW 650i is 2010, but this lengthy, smooth-riding luxury coupe and convertible feel a bit like yesteryear. There's the old BMW styling, with a back end that looks subtly "smushed in" and headlights that seem sliced off at the top. The roof is fabric and contrasts with the current trend of retractable hardtops on the latest, newest convertibles. Inside, there's a clunky afterthought of a cupholder that has to be manually put in place next to the front passenger's left leg and a back seat that can be cramped even for children. And under the 650i's hood is a premium-gasoline-gulping V-8 that, when mated to a manual transmission in the convertible model, activates the federal government's gas-guzzler tax and adds $1,300 to the price tag. No wonder the 650i, sold as a two-door coupe and convertible, is BMW's slowest-selling car. Indeed, with U.S. sales through the first 10 months of 2009 totaling just 3,207 cars, the 650i models are on track for their worst annual U.S. sales tally since the current 6-Series-generation models debuted in calendar 2003. Starting manufacturer's suggested retail price, including destination charge, is $79,025 for a 650i coupe. The test car was the 650i convertible with a starting retail price, including destination charge, of $86,125. Both coupe and convertible come with 360-horsepower V-8 and standard six-speed automatic transmission, as well as a raft of amenities including onboard navigation system, bi-Xenon headlamps, leather-trimmed seats and an audio system with a minimum of eight speakers. In comparison, the 385-horsepower 2010 Jaguar XK coupe starts at $83,000, and the XK convertible has a starting retail price of $89,000. It was surprising to see how long the test 650i convertible was, from bumper to bumper. Stretching nearly 16 feet, it was longer than the Chevrolet Equinox sport utility vehicle that I had tested the week before. Yet, for all the length, the two back seats of this BMW were noticeably tight. With the roof on, there was only 36.5 inches of measurable headroom because of the sloping roofline. Legroom can be nearly nonexistent, depending on where the front seats are on their tracks. For the record, BMW reports an "effective" rear legroom measurement of 29 inches, while front-seat legroom is a generous 42 inches. The interior is nice, in standard BMW fashion. For 2010, the automaker's infamous iDrive control system for such things as navigation, telephone, audio and ventilation is improved by the addition of more buttons and a more intuitive series of onscreen menus. I still had to get the hang of how to work this new, fourth-generation iDrive with its central knob and buttons. But the learning took far less time than on earlier iDrives, and it seems as if iDrive is slowly evolving to be more akin to the friendlier interface that Audi uses.
Date published: 11/20/2009
|
 |
|||
|
|||
