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      12-07-2011, 08:42 PM   #1
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Thumbs up Car and Driver 2012 650i Coupe Review Yields Impressive Performance Figures

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2012 BMW 650i Coupe

BMW's latest big coupe has the goods for both the drag and Las Vegas strips.


What Is It?

It’s big, luxurious, and fast. BMW’s latest 6-series coupe, the 2012 650i, banishes the awkward look of its predecessor with a sharp new design. Stretched, lowered, and widened, the new 6er also boasts a lavish interior with an abundance of high-tech gizmos, fantastic front seats, and enough leather and French stitching to get a coachbuilder’s nod of approval. Completing the makeover is the muscular and always entertaining 400-hp, twin-turbo 4.4-liter V-8, hooked to a silky yet snappy eight-speed automatic transmission (a six-speed manual also is offered). With its 112.4-inch wheelbase and 4368-pound curb weight, the 650i is a big car, but it throws down performance figures that other similarly powered and much lighter machines could only dream of.

How Does It Drive?

Like a big teddy bear or angry grizzly; the choice between ease and evil is yours. Toggle the Driving Dynamics Control button through Comfort+, Comfort, Sport, and Sport+ settings and the car will grant your wish. In the Comfort modes, the suspension, throttle, transmission program, and steering are relaxed enough for country clubbers, while the Sport selections tighten those same elements, granting the 650i a surprisingly athletic feel. And when we say “athletic,” we aren’t talking amateur status.

We must fault the electric power-steering system for its lack of feedback, but there’s no denying the car’s capabilities. On the skidpad, the tail-happy coupe achieved a commendable 0.93 g of stick and demonstrated excellent body control. Its Dunlop SP SportMax tires also contributed to an outstanding performance in the 70–0 mph braking exercise, stopping the beefy Bimmer in just 158 feet. The brake pedal offered good feedback, and the binders showed no signs of fade. Five back-to-back stops only varied by four feet. Those numbers are reassuring when you’re driving something that’ll hit 60 mph in just 4.5 seconds, 100 mph in 10.4 clicks, and cover a quarter-mile in 12.9 seconds at 112 mph.

How Does It Stack Up?

In the big-luxury-coupe corner, there aren’t many contenders these days and the bag is a bit mixed. The Jaguar XK starts at about the same price as the 650i, and it, too, offers desirable sheetmetal, a well-appointed interior, and a similar luxury/sport ride-and-handling combo. But the 6-series betters the XK at almost every mark in the performance ring, has a usable back seat—it’s still cramped for full-size adults—a superior interior layout, and a more intuitive infotainment system. Then there’s the Mercedes-Benz CL550, which is only available with all-wheel drive, an option on the 650. While the CL550 is even larger, more powerful, and quicker in a straight line than the 6er, the additional size and slight performance advantage comes at a steep cost. The CL starts at just under $115K compared to the 650i’s $83,875 base. But, if back-seat comfort is a priority, the CL trumps the 6 hands-down.

What’s the Cost?

Luxury and athleticism rarely come cheap, and cars that combine the two almost never do. And even those who don’t balk at the 650i’s nearly $84K base price might hesitate before adding another 25 percent of that in options. Our test car’s bottom line was $106,575. Of the $22,700 in options, no fewer than nine were well above four figures. A couple of items could easily be skipped, like the $3700 Driver Assistance package, which adds a bunch of electronic watchdogs that are unnecessary for anyone who isn’t totally asleep at the wheel. And while we loved the looks of the $4400 M Sport package, we have a hard time justifying more than four grand for a body kit, LED fog lights, an M steering wheel, and a less-restrictive top-speed limiter. While we’re at it, throw out the $2600 night-vision system, and we’d reluctantly part with the $1300 20-inch wheels.

That brings us down to a more reasonable $95K. Among the options we’d keep are the $2000 Luxury Seating group—BMW’s articulated seatbacks mean anyone can get comfortable—and the $750 Cold Weather package. (A warm butt is essential for comfort.) We enjoy good tunes on our drives, so we’d select the $1800 upgraded stereo. The commendable body control imparted by the $2000 Active Roll Stabilization system surely contributed to our skidpad figure, while the $1750 Integral Active Steering helps this big girl turn. The leather dash and black-ceramic-trimmed controls just look too damn good, so we’d fork over $1500 and $650, respectively, for those extravagances. Hey, all the best athletes look the part, too.


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      12-08-2011, 02:53 AM   #2
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Nice !
I've been waiting for some road test on the 650i coupe. A 650i xdrive, CL550
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      12-08-2011, 06:02 AM   #3
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Can't BMW see people don't like the electric assisted steering? it's such a heartbreaker.
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      12-08-2011, 06:23 PM   #4
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They got some nice numbers, 0-60 in 4.5 sec 1/4 mile in 12.9 sec I can only imagine what this car can do with any kind of a decent tune.
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      12-08-2011, 08:32 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by elias View Post
They got some nice numbers, 0-60 in 4.5 sec 1/4 mile in 12.9 sec I can only imagine what this car can do with any kind of a decent tune.
You and I are both on the same page With me already having a reference of what DINAN stage 1 feels like on this engine (former ride), I can tell you with out a doubt that the F12/F13 6 Series will be a monster - especially with Stage 2 - it should pick up at least .05 tenths easy. Although, I think these cars are already putting out a bit more than the quoted 400hp/450 ft-lbs. I know gearing helps too, but there is something else going on here, as these cars are typically 4500+ lbs
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      12-09-2011, 08:55 AM   #6
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All C&D 0-60 times are done with a drag strip style roll out where the car moves a food or so before it crosses the timing light. For most performance cars with two wheel drive this knocks three tenths of a second off the time. C&D also temperature corrects its results.

It might be OK to use the roll out for quarter mile times as that is how a drag race is done, but for 0-60 it is a distortion. Rarely does any magazine show a better 0-60 time than C&D, and there have been many examples over the years where their results were simply not obtainable.
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      12-09-2011, 10:16 AM   #7
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So I have a question for people that drive/ has driven a new 5/6 series. Is the steering really that much worse? Compared to the E90 how much less feed back would you say there is. 25%? I know that is subjective and hard o put a value on, but I'm curious how bad the steering really is.
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      12-09-2011, 10:17 AM   #8
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So as long as you use C&D numbers to compare two or more vehicles it doesn't matter if there is roll out or not.
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      12-09-2011, 11:13 AM   #9
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For your reference here's a dyno done at EAS for my friends 650i convertible. Definitely putting down more than 400 HP.
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File Type: pdf 650i_Dyno.pdf (1.27 MB, 581 views)
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      12-09-2011, 12:40 PM   #10
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Keep in mind that this F12/13s competition is NOT the MB E550 coupe or the Audi S5, (BMWs comp. for these two will be the upcoming 4 series) but the MB CL550 and probably the upcoming Bentley CGT v8 as well. Both of which cost more, weigh more and are slightly bigger. BMW moved the 6 series up in class with the introduction of the F12/13.

I think it was a smart move on BMWs part to move the 6 into this segment.
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      12-09-2011, 01:01 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Blk07335i View Post
For your reference here's a dyno done at EAS for my friends 650i convertible. Definitely putting down more than 400 HP.

Thanks for posting/sharing
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      12-09-2011, 01:59 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Judah View Post
Keep in mind that this F12/13s competition is NOT the MB E550 coupe or the Audi S5, (BMWs comp. for these two will be the upcoming 4 series) but the MB CL550 and probably the upcoming Bentley CGT v8 as well. Both of which cost more, weigh more and are slightly bigger. BMW moved the 6 series up in class with the introduction of the F12/13.

I think it was a smart move on BMWs part to move the 6 into this segment.
The Audi A5 is a 3 series coupe competitor . The E coupe was a direct competitor for the 6 series, but now the 6 series is kind of in between the E-Class coupe and the CL-Class

Last edited by bimmerjph; 12-09-2011 at 02:26 PM..
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      12-09-2011, 02:48 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Blk07335i View Post
For your reference here's a dyno done at EAS for my friends 650i convertible. Definitely putting down more than 400 HP.
That looks like a very strange power curve to me. I guess it makes it more efficient to have the power delivered in the low end of the rev range though.
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      12-09-2011, 03:00 PM   #14
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Such a beautiful car. A future legend.
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      12-09-2011, 03:01 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bimmerjph View Post
The Audi A5 is a 3 series coupe competitor . The E coupe was a direct competitor for the 6 series, but now the 6 series is kind of in between the E-Class coupe and the CL-Class


Like I previously stated the New 4 series and its variants will compete with the A5/S5/RS5 as well as the E coupes. Price, Size and Performance. Although the F12/13 is midway between the E class coupe and the CL550 those who are shopping a CL550 but want something from Bavaria won't be considering the current 3 series or future 4 series.
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      12-09-2011, 03:14 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Judah View Post
Like I previously stated the New 4 series and its variants will compete with the A5/S5/RS5 as well as the E coupes. Price, Size and Performance. Although the F12/13 is midway between the E class coupe and the CL550 those who are shopping a CL550 but want something from Bavaria won't be considering the current 3 series or future 4 series.
As far as price goes the F12/13 is a bargain compared to the CL550 not sure about performance and technology or interior quality. When you get to this level most cars are pretty stacked !
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      12-09-2011, 03:33 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by elias View Post
As far as price goes the F12/13 is a bargain compared to the CL550 not sure about performance and technology or interior quality. When you get to this level most cars are pretty stacked !
Agreed
After driving both the CL550 and 650i Coupe I found the the 650 to be more in line with what I want from a car and my driving style. Don't get me wrong, I've always liked the CL and still do but......
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      12-09-2011, 05:31 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Blk07335i View Post
For your reference here's a dyno done at EAS for my friends 650i convertible. Definitely putting down more than 400 HP.
TQ was well over 400lb-ft (video incorrectly lists 526lb-ft, should be 426lb-ft), power was almost there @ 377whp. Here's a video w/ dyno sheet:



This car is definitely a sleeper.

Last edited by tom @ eas; 12-09-2011 at 05:37 PM..
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      12-10-2011, 07:33 AM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bimmerjph View Post
So I have a question for people that drive/ has driven a new 5/6 series. Is the steering really that much worse? Compared to the E90 how much less feed back would you say there is. 25%? I know that is subjective and hard o put a value on, but I'm curious how bad the steering really is.
I drove two 650 verts, a 550i and a 535i (following an e-class) this past summer at the BMW team usa driving event. I can say with a straight face that c&d is so full of shit their eyes and teeth are brown. There is NOTHING wrong with the electrosteering on either model.

The only people that will have an issue with it are the same people that declared idrive sucked, without ever even using it (i.e., people too dumb to form their own opinion and take the word of mags as gospel).
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      12-10-2011, 08:26 AM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Soorena View Post
Can't BMW see people don't like the electric assisted steering? it's such a heartbreaker.
I don't agree at all. I love the steering.
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      12-10-2011, 08:39 AM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Judah View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by bimmerjph View Post
The Audi A5 is a 3 series coupe competitor . The E coupe was a direct competitor for the 6 series, but now the 6 series is kind of in between the E-Class coupe and the CL-Class


Like I previously stated the New 4 series and its variants will compete with the A5/S5/RS5 as well as the E coupes. Price, Size and Performance. Although the F12/13 is midway between the E class coupe and the CL550 those who are shopping a CL550 but want something from Bavaria won't be considering the current 3 series or future 4 series.
You're forgetting the new C-class coupé.
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      12-10-2011, 11:13 AM   #22
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You should get Lux angel eyes too.

Love your car
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