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Coupes & Convertibles BMW M/M3/M6 BMW M6 Convertible
28 messages, Last post on Aug 10, 2007 at 1:00 AM
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Article comments for First Drive: 2007 BMW M6 Convertible - Although some will consider it sacrilegious to eliminate the beautiful carbon-fiber cover that tops the M6 coupe, the benefit is sheer aural pleasure. With nothing between you and the harmonious bellow of one of the most remarkable engines in production car history, the only thing left to do is slather on some SPF 50 to keep your dermatologist happy and let the sun, wind and sound prickle your senses. (more)
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Take a gander at our M6 first drive and post your comments here. First Drive: 2007 BMW M6 Convertible |
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its about time BMW comes out with a SL competitor. Its funny how a car that gains 500 lbs and you get a better center of gravity. haha IMO this car is more of a grand touring type of automobile. its really to heavy to have "great" handling. |
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I don't work for BMW ... so I'm saying this because I believe it. Even if I did work for BMW, I'd still say it... Just because you guys don't like the F1 style shifters in the new M cars, doesn't mean that they're as bad as you say. You're just irked, apparently, because you are a bunch of manual transmission drivers over there -- fine, I can understand -- and BMW has decided to give you a treatment you don't like/understand. And ... did you give the F1 shifters on the Ferrari F430 a bad review??? Probably not ... everyone loves them. Same technology, different car. In fact, the F430 is even more limited because it doesn't have the automatic mode or the secondary gear selector like the M cars do (which I use all the time). I'm sure there is more than one reason they did this ... 1) It's a 507 HP car. Most people don't really know how to drive a stick that well. BMW fully covers their cars ... It's a cost thing for them ... otherwise you novices would be burning up clutches that they would have to replace. 2) The gears in the M cars are layed out so the transmission can shift them faster, in a pattern that would be hard for a human, and thus the car is faster ... it's a performance thing. 3) The car is so blindingly fast that it's nice not to have to worry about the clutch and the stickshift when you're "getting on it" ... it's a safety thing. 4) The 7th gear that makes it awkward for humans makes it good for mileage when you let the computer position the shifter ... it's a mileage thing. Consider that the gas guzzler tax is only 3000 on the SMG and 3700 on the manual. No difference huh? 5) While it's true that the car might be a bit lame in D mode (or on shift level 1-3), it's good on shift levels 4 and 5, and outstanding on shift level 6 ... again, it's a performance thing. Show me one person on the edmunds staff who can beat me to 100 m/h in a manual m5 against m5 SMG m5, and I'll give you my car. So, until that day ... please lighten up on the transmission. It would be more professionally responsible for you to say "This transmission is a technical masterpiece, but we still prefer a true manual" than to beat the car up so much over this point. And besides that ... I got to drive a manual 2007 M5 the other day at the dealer. First of all, the modifications are ugly ... they look like the work of a high school student, and secondly, the manual detracts from the smoothness, elegance, and performance of the car. Lighten up on the transmission, will ya?
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Replying to: kimchimofo (Nov 20, 2006 1:33 pm)
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Replying to: topfinadv (Mar 17, 2007 4:42 pm) The appeal of the m6 is still a bit of the mystery to me. Being a former owner of an E46 M3, I was very skeptical of such a large sports coupe. The back seats are about as roomy as the M3's were, but the M6 has much less headroom in the rear and there is no third seat in the back, so all that extra space the car has went towards the front seats. Strangely enough, the car feels a bit more closed off and intimate up front than even the M3 ... but this is just an illusion. After a while driving the M6, try to sit in a smaller car and you'll definitely notice the lack of space. BMW just did a good job masking that extra space up front, without causing you to get lost in it. So, why wouldn't I just get a Porsche? Three-point-five reasons 1) BMW Maintenance and Warranty, 2) Trunk Space, 3) Location of the Engine... front instead of rear. 3.5) Though both can be daily drivers, I think the m6 is more of one. That said, the 997 GT3 is one sick beast! So if I was going to get a big car, why wouldn't I just get another M5? Because the dealer, a friend of mine, asked me if I wanted to go put gas in the M6 on the showroom floor  How could I refuse? Before I even got behind the wheel, the first thing I noticed was the exhaust sound when the dealer fired it up on the showroom floor. It was just a bit throatier, and held the promise of being just that much more extreme. This definitely seemed to be a different car. When I got in, the look of the cabin and controls were all familar too (me being used to the M5), but they were also just different enough... I noticed the difference in driving the car right away. The steering felt much more direct than the M5, as did the brakes, and the power to the wheels. Yes, the SMG transmission was still a bit doggy if you accepted the S-3 default, but as soon as you took it to S-5 it was bearable. Like the M5, after 4000 RPM this transmission is so gnarly that it makes a little bit of suffering during daily driving worth it. People complain about the lack of a dual-speed-gearbox in the current M cars, and as great as DSG is, there's a bit of lag on the downshifts and it also just feels a bit removed from the driving experience to me ... like more of an automatic than a manual. While I sometimes disagree with the SMG's operation of the clutch, it still feels as if I was driving a true manual. My take on the SMG is that while I'd still probably prefer a true manual for day to day driving around the city, when it's time to drive fast the SMG is superb. I also didn't like the car's long nose at first, or the position of the driver relative to the car. With the M3 it always felt like the driver was more upright towards the front of the car, and sat over a small, potent nose. Here it felt like the spartan nature of form over function with the m3 and m5 (put only as much hood on the car as the engine requires) had yielded to styling just a bit. But after a while I figured that the folks at BMW wanted to give this car a bit of a feeling of granduer while driving it. After all, along with the 760Li, it's the most BMW has to offer. Besides, it kind of reminds you that a 507 HP V10 is sitting there under the hood waiting to pounce. OK, so what I'm really waiting for is the e90 M3. I'm pretty worked up about this car given that it's got all the new technology and aluminum suspension, and an engine that promises to be quite potent. All this in a small (albeit somewhat ugly e90 coupe) package. But after driving the M6 for a while now I'm wondering if my reaction to driving the M3 will be the same as it has been to other cars... I can usually still appreciate the beauty and or greatness of something else if it's, indeed, beautiful or great. But I often find myself wanting my M6 instead. And prior to owning the M6, I really didn't want to like the car that much. But it's won over my heart and mind ... and it really does love those corners. Too bad the car got rear-ended a few weeks back by a woman driving a jetta talking on her cell phone. Luckily for me the car, and myself, will both probably be fine. The hardest thing has been being stuck in a new E-class Benz for the past few weeks as a loaner car. GIVE ME BACK MY M6!!!
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Replying to: kimchimofo (Mar 18, 2007 9:24 am) Back last summer, my dealer gave me the hard sell on the E60 M5. I gave one a lengthy test drive while he priced up the trade of my pristine 2003 E39 M5. After 30 miles, I raced back to the dealership, took my M5 back and immediately confirmed an order for a 2007 911 Turbo. The E60 M5 was not a bad car, but with the (damn) SMG, extra weight, i-drive, etc., lacked the simple soul of my E39. A month ago, not to give up easily, I was given a couple days with my dealer's personal M6 when I had my M5 in for service. They "accidentally" damaged a rear tire and had to wait an extra day to get two new replacements in. I later found out that he just decided to give me two new tires as a thank you for a recent referral and used the ploy to try to coax me into the M6. Unfortunately, even with 2+ days and roughly 350 miles, I couldn't warm up to it. As a 4,000 lb "GT", it would be hard to beat at any price. But again, between SMG, i-Drive and the curb weight, it just didn't have the "soul" of the old M6 and 635i. Forgive me if I sound like I'm old fashioned - I was an original owner of one of the roughly 450 M1's produced by BMW nearly 30 years ago. So when I think "M", I have very different memories and expectations in mind. I frequently regret selling that car, but it went to a good home and is now with a private collection that gives me visiting rights. I'm not into garage queens and I would have driven it into the ground long before now. I wish you the best in enjoying your M6. Even if not my cup of tea, it's a heck of a car. P.S. You are right in your assessment of the 997 GT3. I drove one in Germany two weeks ago and fell in love. My 911 Turbo is a better daily driver with blistering performance and a token back seat, but the lighter weight, RWD GT3 with its 8,400 rpm redline is a car that every serious enthusiast would be lucky to experience.
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Replying to: spiritinthesky (Mar 20, 2007 3:00 am) The M6 is a beast. I think that even if I didn't live in San Francisco, where owning even one car is an incredible pain ... two would be horrible ... I might keep the M6 in the garage. I'd just probably also add that GT3. My take on the 911 Turbo is kind of like yours on the M6 ... it's one hell of a car, but there's too much going on to make it a purists car like the GT3. First, there's the AWD system, which adds weight and pollutes the RWD feel. Then, the weight is nearing that of the M6 at almost 3500 pounds, which for the car's size and spartan interior is, no doubt, mostly spent on the engine and drivetrain. I dropped the old exhaust on my M6 and threw on a titanium one, and after that my car weighed in at around 3550. The curb weight on the stock car is 3770 ... not that much more than the 911 turbo. The transmission is definitely not transparent technology at lower RPM's, but the transmission is so good when driving hard that I wouldn't choose the manual in that car. In fact when I bought the M6, my dealer told me that there would be a manual in the future and I still opted for the SMG, which is a choice I didn't make in my e46 M3, as the SMG II was still just a normal transmission with a bolt on SMG module. This transmission was built and laid out to be SMG from the ground up, and is thus a better implementation of the technology. In fact, with the M5 and M6, I actually see the true manual as a compromise. The transmission looks like it was just thrown into the car as an afterthought, and you can't even fully disengage the traction control. Also, while the fuel economy in the M6 is already a bit low, it even gets lower with the manual option -- hence the $3700 gas guzzler charge instead of $3000 with the SMG. I'm not picking on your choices though, spiritinthesky ... just saying outloud the thinking I went through when buying this car and also sharing some experiences about it. My first car was a '60 356 so I was a porsche fan from the start, but it's hard to find a car from stuttgart these days that doesn't have turbos and AWD, and even though porsche has made leaps and bounds improvements in both areas, I still prefer RWD with a naturally aspirated engine.
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Replying to: kimchimofo (Mar 20, 2007 8:23 am) I would agree that if you are going to spend a lot of time on the track, the GT3 might be my choice over a 911 Turbo. Depending upon the layout, I suspect it would be neck and neck with the Turbo in lap times. But the feel of driving a 8,400 rpm RWD GT3 would make the experience more intense. The problem with the GT3 has always been its civility as a daily driver. I've never personally seen a 996 model with more than 15,000 miles on the odometer. My 911 Turbo has over 5,000 miles in less than 6 months - winter weather notwithstanding. Not to be picky, but I think you are a little off on your weight comparison. The BMW M6 has a curb weight of 3,909 lbs. Unless your factory exhasut system was made out of 1/2" think cast iron, the most you would have saved in weight replacing it would have been closer to 20 lbs, not 220! I doubt the entire exhaust system weighs much more than 100 lbs. The 911 Turbo, at 3,470 lbs is heavier than I would like, but nearly 450 lbs less than the M6 - with similar horsepower and 140 more ft. lbs of torque. Not really a fair comparison, nor was I trying to make one. The fairer comparison to the M6 would probably be the Mercedes SL55 from a size/performance standpoint. And in that battle of two ton GT's, I'd definitely take the M6. The $3,000 V10 gas guzzler tax is a bit of a disspointment. My M5 got socked with a $2,200 one as I recall, but I get in the 23 range cruising at 75+ on the highway. No gas guzzler at all on the Turbo, and I've hit 26 on the highway going down to Hilton head from Pittsburgh. At one time BMW was boasting that their V10 would be the most fuel efficient 500hp engine on the market. Not sure what happened between drawing board and production. Not that the cost of gas is a big deal, but as a pilot, I have a penchant for efficiency. As far as finding a Porsche without Turbos and AWD, the 997 model Carrera S Coupe is worth every penny, IMO. I almost bought one before going to the Turbo. At around 3,150 +/- lbs, it's easily capable of low 4 second 0-60 sprints - which will keep most everything short of a Ferrari 430 or Turbo in your rearview mirror, while also being a comfortable daily driver and nimble handling sports car. So many good choices out there! Enjoy yours.
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Replying to: spiritinthesky (Mar 20, 2007 5:15 pm) The M6 is by far my favorite. OK, the transmission is a bit of a drag. My wife won't drive it (is that bad, or good?) But I love the exhaust note, the sheer power. I just drove a friends F430 over the weekend and you know, I think the M6 will be able to keep up on a road trip or just getting onto the toll road. Funny thing. I had a 645ci convertible. My sister in law kept teasing me that I was driving a chick car. And I was beginning to believe she was right. It was a serene experience on Saturday mornings on PCH, but even my wife's 750li could out run it. One day the 645 was in for service and I got the call that they happened to have a new triple black M6. Even though I took a bath, I decided to get out of my lease early as soon as I heard the engine. Didn't even need to drive it. It was like my 645 had been possessed by Linda Blair! Same basic look, same color, but man, that whole serene thing was out the window. The close rate on cars ahead got scary quick and I realized in short order that I was no longer driving a chick car. And you know what, I'm liking the fake double clutch thing it does when you down shift with the paddles. My friend paid 235k for his F430 (40 over sticker). For half the price, I think I'm having just as much fun. |
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Replying to: spiritinthesky (Mar 20, 2007 5:15 pm) The fact that I don't know how much the car weighs shows that it's probably been much of a problem. Honestly, for a cruiser it's nice to have the spaciousness on the interior and the extra weight comes in handy when s**t happens like I get rear-ended. Actually, I think it smooths out the car a bit, and since they've done a lot to lower the center of gravity (as have I by lowering it) there's virtually none of the pendular motion that I noticed on the M5. True it's a super great car for the short bendies, but on those longer corners the car is amazing. If I wanted to turn the flame up a bit on my driving excitement, my car of choice would actually be the f430 (because of it's combined 12.8 m/gal fuel consumption) rather than the gt3, though I don't know whether I'd get the F1 or the manual. Probably the F1 considering the performance is stellar, which is interesting considering that the m6's tranny is probably one of the F430 F1's closer relatives on the market. Well, closer than the tiptronic or DSG. The exhaust I got was titanium and yes, the BMW's were heavy. If I recall correctly, about 140 pounds. I don't have an exact number for you because I sold it, but I've done some other things to my car and currently it does weigh in at about 3550 -- and with 507 hp this is nuts: about 7 lbs/hp. The 997 GT3 is about 7.4 lbs/hp, while the 997 turbo is 7.2 lbs/hp with the manual and 7.45 lbs/hp with the tiptronic S. Of course I barely put that to use much. As for the fuel economy, I feel good knowing that the pollution index is actually very low (this wasn't the case for the E46 M3). In parts per million, it puts out less than the M3, but it puts out more millions. Oh well ... actually I get around 22 on the HWY and 13 in San Francisco. Just to give you an idea though, I used to drive a Civic and in San Francisco I only averaged about 16. So that's decent for the M6. Like I said though, I can't argue with your choice in cars, spritinthesky ... the porsche is the embodiment of blistering, rear-engine, turbocharged, AWD german performance ... and a blast to drive. My wife loves the M6, and it turns a lot of heads because there aren't many on the road ... but on a day at the track I probably would take the GT3 over the M6 any day -- well any day my wife wasn't in the car. Really, she loves that M6. And that 13.7 cubic feet of trunk has come in handy more than once when she's been in the car and we've gone shopping. I do have one question for you though ... one apparent weakness to me with the 997's and the F430 were the warranties and maintenance. This might seem like a small thing, but it's really true that BMW's warranty service and maintenance plans are out of sight. No matter how hard you drive the car they'll always fix it -- no questions asked. If the brakes wear out they replace them. If the oil's low they fill it up, if I blow the transmission, they'll replace it or they might even give me a new car if there's a pattern... etc. This has been a MAJOR selling point for me on the BMW's and it's why I've stuck with them ... not to mention that they always put me in a 60k+ car when I take it into the shop and can't wait for it. I heard something regarding porsches and 1200 dollar oil changes and that even though they offer 4/50k miles, they're kinda picky about their warranty service. In other words if they can find proof of excessive wear they don't pay. With the f430 I believe it comes with a 2 year/unlimited mile year though I believe they offer more comprehensive coverage for a good premium. While I hope the people who buy these cars don't stretch their budgets so thin that they can't afford much else (some do I guess), going out to the car and not having problems is a nice thing, but having those problems covered painlessly is a close second. Still, it remains a concern of mine that with such a fragile and temperamental car, that there could be major problems if the manufacturer doesn't stand by it vehemently. My friend had a 996 turbo and it was in the shop 8 times a year. That same friend had a 2006 A4 and it was in the shop 13 times in the first 12 months. Sadly, he babies his cars too.
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