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Review: 2012 650i Convertible Impresses Caradvice

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Caradvice.com.au had a chance to review the 2012 650i convertible and came away very impressed, especially with its new styling, engine, automatic transmission, quality, handling/ride balance, and markedly improved electric steering.

Here are some of the more notable quotes from their review:

Under the bonnet is a 4.4-litre, twin-turbocharged petrol V8, and like all big capacity BMW engines, it’s a peach. Smooth, powerful and efficient, BMW is still at the top of its game when it comes to drivetrains. Producing 300kW and a meaty 600Nm from a staggeringly low 1750rpm, there’s grunt available virtually across the rev range.


We loaded the engine by picking a deliberately high gear while climbing a very steep hill and slowing to under 40km/h. Once you flatten your right foot there is a hint of turbo lag, but then a wall of torque launches you forward and it doesn’t let up, all the way to the redline, all the while making a glorious bellowing rumble that is unlike any garden-variety V8 you’ve heard. In fact, with the top down, it’s not unlike the X5M and X6M twins with its deep note and that brilliant “whump” as it changes gear under load. Five seconds flat is all it takes to go from 0-100km/h, and don’t forget this is a heavy car – at 1940kg, with a driver it’s over two tonnes. The 650i Convertible is powerful and quick, no matter which way you cut it.







The steering, despite being electric rather than hydraulic, is better than you think.

The eight-speed automatic is superbly smooth in Comfort mode and sharpens up noticably in Sport+ mode, plus you can shift manually with paddles attached to the steering wheel.



Braking is very good, with excellent pedal feel and feedback and very little fade, despite repeated punishment over hours of driving.

The other area the 650i excels in is its ride. It may use run-flat tyres, but in Comfort mode, you’d never know, with a lot of that jittery feeling dialled out of the car. At the same time, putting it into Sport or Sport+ increases the handling ability and firms up the ride, but it maintains a level of compliance that surprises. Its larger footprint helps here – it has a 70mm longer wheelbase than the outgoing 6 Series, as well as a 70mm wider rear track.

The comfort seats fitted to the 650i are brilliant, with both heating and cooling, and there’s little need to adjust them to find a comfortable position.

Fit and finish, as you’d expect from a $250K (Australian) car, is superb. Even across harsh, gnarly bitumen, there wasn’t a rattle to be heard, and scuttle shake is completely non-existent. Seriously. This car is commendably stiff, and one that is evident in the 650i’s handling.

For such a big drop top, the BMW has immense reserves of grip and resists understeer even in the wet. At no point during the launch drive did we feel like the car’s weight was getting away from us, with good turn-in and an extremely planted back end, despite that 600Nm being put through the rear wheels.

Check out their full review.