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BMW 6-Series
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Comments
-Paul
Congratulations!
Best Regards,
Shipo
Good luck with your plane.
Funny, we're both pursuing toys that run based on the principles of lift.
-Paul
Best Regards,
Shipo
We had some f-22's buzzing over the highway the last couple of days. They were smokin! Man was it great, but they came from nowhere. That could cause a wreck if you're not used to jets screaming at 300 ft.
-Paul
Can put you straight on a couple of things mentioned in your email.
Mercedes had a historically quick update for the 140 series S class to rectify customer rejection of the slabsidiness and barge-like proportions of the car. Ironically, the 140 series was probably the last of the traditionly well built Mercs, they have not been the same since production of this series stopped in 1999.
And, shock horror for all the 7 series critics and Merc fanatics. Have you seen and read about the next soon-to-be released S-class????? Well guess what - it has i-drive AND an enlarged bob-tail style trunk lid, aca Maybach!!!! So who got it right, heh???
Unfortunately everything is indicating that the next S-Class will have an idrive type system, but knowing Mercedes they'll get it right or at least improve upon in from BMW's original mess.
BMW surely didn't get it right. No Mercedes S-Class has ever been called ugly, so far.
I'll wait until the new S is shown before drawing any more conclusions.
M
Overall handling - 9/10, soooooo direct and precise. Very masculine stance on the road, wide track, wheel/tyre combination that fill the guards, sensible ride height. Magic optional Logic 7 sound system. In-car phone system is taking some time to master! I like the individual body styling and, surprisingly, the roadside and carpark remarks have been VERY positive. It is a very recognisable vehicle - you don't confuse it with anything else! This car is definately a 2+2. I am 6'3" and no one is going to sit behind me while I'm comfortable!
Huge trunk - 2 sets of clubs with buggys, no problem, beautifull.
So far I'm VERY impressed - and hope I stay that way. Cost in Australia, fully optioned, is still quite expensive - AUS$223,000. A CL500 will set you back AUS$295,000 although in my opinion these cars do not compete, in fact, I don't know what the 645 really competes with.
I invite any questions as I feel I can give some genuine honest answers, if you want them.
Some of my previous cars - all new - Renault 16TS, Nissan Skyline, Volvo 760, BMW 535i, 300E with full AMG conversion 124 series Merc, Lexus LS400, S300 140 series Merc, 3 Range Rovers, 2 Porsche 911 C4's.
My wife drives a '98 BMW 528i, 23 y.o. son a 2003 model Holden Commodore SS Ute with your beautifull 5.7 Chevvy Gen 3 V8/6 speed manual and 20 y.o. daughter a s/hand '96 BMW 316i Compact. I also have a 2004 Holden Maloo R8 ute (285kw Gen 3/6 speed man. built by Holden Special Vehicles as a hack vehicle. And, no, I don't have shares in BMW AG or G.M. Holden!!
Oh, Mr Edmunds, can I have a little Aussie flag beside my name too please??!!
Love your website - takes my mind off business things - very theraputic!!
I also have exactly the same feeling with throttle response. A little hard to modulate the power band from stop at low end RPM's (I received a call from the BMW engineering department wanting my impressions of the car and I reported this) they said they had not heard that observation before and I thought it was just me.
About the impression this car makes:
First off, I live in Orange County, California. There is a lot of people with money here and a lot of nice cars on the road. EVERY time I have taken this car out on the road heads turn big time! I am approached in parking lots, valets freak, cars parallel me on the freeway then orbit my car to get a look at all angles. You are absolutly correct NO mistaking this car.
I am not embarrased to say I bought this car for a few primary reasons: performance, status and to stand out in the crowd. This car has exceeded my expectations in all these areas. Very satisfied!
As for 1st gear, I have the SMG tranny and starting from a dead stop almost killed me a couple of times. I find the throttle response in 1st gear very erratic. I wrote to my friend Warren Brown, the automotive editor of the Washington Post, and he said he had the same problem with the test car he drove. He described it as being "1st gear interolerant" so he always started off in 2nd gear.
With all that said I absolutely love, love, love this car. My last two cars were an MB E500 and an MB SL500. I don't think I'll be looking back!
I have the same problem with the CD changer as Gary. I pointed this out to the dealer. He says it's a software problem that BMW is working on. My major complaint is no satelite radio and no bluetooth phone. Does anyone know when those will be available?
The only repair that I've had to deal with is loss of battery charge. Seems the alarm system was draining the battery. The temporary fix was to unplug the alarm system until a replacement module could be shipped from Germany. It finally arrived last week, and the defective module is being replaced today.
Have had 645 since May, with SMG/sport package and premium sound.
Car is fantastic! Opinion mirrors the forum.
As far as the SMG goes, 1st gear there is a lull at around 1700 rpm. Becomes very noticeable on hard throttling. Had the dealer service manager take a ride with me. He had very little (none) experience with the SMG shifter, but believes that it is a clutch fade that I'm feeling. Been starting from 2nd gear many times.
The "automatic" mode for the SMG is not very good. Too abrupt, lurches. Much rather control manually.
Also, the CD changer does not display the accurate disc when the car is turned off and restarted. I figured it's a software problem, doesn't bother me that much.
Remember driving 120+mph is normal in Germany if you have the car that can do it. The 645ci is limited electronically to 150. BMW wisely chose to integrate the spoiler while providing welcome trunk space - much preferable to a small trunk with a spoiler tacked on.
I am getting close to taking the plunge but have not decided on a color scheme yet. I will not get a black interior and I do not like the maroon.
In looking back through posts, getting any BMW color (int or ext) is possible. Has anyone else been successful in getting something that is not a standard combination?
I believe I said that in this thread. I trust German engineers do know which colors look good. Too bad they have nothing to do with it. This is a typical jerky comment from a sales rep. As far as getting combos that are not stock offerings, check with other salespeople/dealers if it’s important and you have the patience. Not only did my dealer tell me you can combine, I have seen a BMW on the road with a custom combo, and it just so happened to be the combo I had inquired about. In my case I was not willing to wait and pay more.
Guys, I did not like the black and hated the red interiors but wanted the Titanium Silver exterior (this color absolutely GLOWS in the sun and stays looking new a LONG time) so I ordered the cream beige interior with it.
My dealership, Irvine BMW, tried to talk me out of it because even though I put down a $1,000 deposit at time of order they were concerned if I backed out of it when seeing it they would have a car on the lot that might not get the full $5,000 over invoice. I put a lot of thought into my order an think the combination will look good. I also like that it seems no one else has ordered this combo and it will be unique.
Anyone else out there with this combo?
Currently the only non special order combo beige int is silver,black,white combo' s. I thought the Mineral Silver was a very soft color and black is so hard to keep looking good (I salute those of you who are going to be trying to keep them looking new). My 6 arrives at my dealership in 2 more weeks. Can't wait!
Irvine BMW has been a great dealership to buy from and I would recommend them to anyone. They were truly concerned about me liking the car and even steered my away from ordering some options that I really did not need. Very straight forward, no games.
This car makes a define impression on people, I love it!
I have a friend who is not tech-shy, but gets annoyed when the technology isn't intuitive.
So he and I went to the BMW dealership and he proposed the following to the salesman:
"If you can do TWO things while driving this car (a 645) I will buy this car today, right now".
So salesman says "sure".
"Okay. I want you to preset the radio to NPR and PRI, and then I want you to preset my climate control to 70 degrees, both while driving along".
Well, turns out the salesman couldn't do it.
The systems might be "improved" but it looks to me that all they have done with iDrive is put in a reset button that takes you back to the top of the menu if you get lost.
The reason I brought this up was to sort of "eat my words". I used to say that something like iDrive is not going to deter a serious BMW buyer but seeing is believing, and I may have to change my attitude about this issue.
I scheduled my appointment with my dealer. They said it should take about an hour to correct.
The defect involves a circular fuel retention clip along the fuel supply line. The clip was inadvertently not installed. It means in a frontal crash, fuel might leak and ignite. Does not affect vehicle performance whatsoever.
I like to think I'm not a dummy but I sat there with the manual and I couldn't get it to work either. Nor could my friend. Nor could the salesman. His response was "it worked yesterday" GREAT sales pitch---LOL!
It's incredibly tedious and certainly not intuitive. I have little patience with this sort of thing I will admit.
Checked out the link.
Thankfully, my vehicle was produced from March to April, and I picked it up on May 1, 2004.
By the way, I really like the 6-series. I wish my friend had bought one.
Total price little over $78,000. My dealer did not mark up the price.
Has anybody in this forum taken delivery in Spartanburg? Looking forward to sharing driving experiences and ownership issues with other owners.
However, do not despair, I received a letter from BMW inviting me and a guest to Spartanburg to 645 performance driving school with 10 other 645 owners for two full days and nights, as BMW guest.
One of the features of the invite is driving a 645 up into the Blur Ridge mountains on a spectacular road and staying the night at the Blue Ridge Inn and Spa at the top. Great caravan opportunity with other owners!! I have up to a year to schedule the trip at their expense.
BMW definetly treats their customers right, very cool......
Looking forward to scheduling the trip.