550isport

The X6, upcoming Audi A7, the Merc CLS, Porsche Panamera. These vehicles are unprecedented.

20 years ago a sedan was something with 4 doors and a trunk. It was practical, had a slushy automatic and was never "fast". In fact, I don't recall sports packages being offered in the 80s on many sedans if any at all. If you opted for the most powerful engine choice, a sedan was at best quick (i.e. a 750il, 560 SEL etc...). And you could roll them through corners listing 20 degrees or more while the skinny high profile tires chirped like canaries. Now we have 4 door sedans with hatchbacks (Panamera), with semi-automatic gearboxes that are often difficult to shift smoothly (Mas QP, M5), carbon brakes (S8) etc etc.. We also have cars with 4 doors that the manufacturers insist are coupes (Merc CLS and X6 i.e.) We've got SUV's that are massively quick and handle well but literally cannot be driven off road, or in snow without changing tires and wheels (Cayenne GTS i.e.). So how is that we have become so obsessed with injecting ultra high performance (rather unnaturally) into inherently practical platforms? My answer is that the average consumer probably lacks the ability to appreciate the drawbacks of these technologies and figures these new models are the best of all worlds (they buy an SUV b/c its practical, but have always wanted a Corvette/911...etc). Drawbacks like the cost of replacing carbon brakes and the squealing they produce. Or race car geometry V10 engines that prioritizes high revving power over lower end thrust. Or the harsher ride and possible tram-lining of large wheels with low profile tires. Also, the fact that in the northern US (and similarly cold climates), you cannot drive on summer tires all winter regardless of the stability system on your car or whether its all wheel drive.

It's great that we have so many choices as consumers and that automakers are exploring essentially new recipes for making cars, but I can't help but feel things are getting lost in the mix. Where are the real sports cars for example? I would like to get a sports car that offers handling that is clearly superior to my 550 sport. I'd love to stay with BMW, but where does that leave me? The new Z4, although very attractive is too small and a bit downscale. The 650, with all due respect, isn't any faster and offers no more driving excitement than my 550. Its a coupe for people who love the ride of a sedan (far from my definition of a sports car). I did hear that a new sports package is being offered soon for the 650 and M6 to stiffen it up a bit? The M6 is compelling, but out of my price range. BMW has put sport in all of its cars, but doesn't make a sports car. I think the Z8 was the most recent BMW sports car? It seems that the intermarriage of performance with sedans, SUVs etc.. has killed the mainstream sports car in the $50k-$100k category. Don't you agree?

Does anyone else want to see a return to core values with auto offerings, or is the cross-pollination a win-win philosophy?

DRP

andy535xi

I think most people looking to buy are car are searching for "value" not "purpose". Marketing has droned people into thinking that SUV's are unstoppable in all weather conditions, Pick up Trucks can haul the earth on its back, and most importantly "bigger is better". However, I still think there are purpose built sport cars in today's world (Elise, Atom, Ferrari, etc). What sucks is that most of them are out of our price range, and the truth (like you said) is that many sedans and coupes (like M3 and M5) are inches from their heels in terms of performance and are a much better "value". I think the gap between a true sports car and a "sports sedan" has decresed and will continue to decrease in the future.

m630

if you want to stay with bmw, then you should not discount the 650 if you do not feel the M6 is practical...unless you have some ownership experience, i do not know how you would say that it has no difference in driving experience from a 550i..it is a completely different feel and experience from the e60, it is a proper gt, not a sports car, and the setup of the car is as such; it is a large car, wider than an e60 and nearly as long, while the ergonomics of the cockpit are driver oriented...it is very fast and very agile, feeling no bigger than my former e46, and the design is beautiful....ive had mine now for nearly 4 years, and in 3 months i'll be getting another one, just not sure how may cylinders yet, but the e63 is the best car all around that i've ever driven, you should reconsider and give it another look

pennetta

I would like to see cars getting lighter in weight, that would benefit both acceleration and handling. We are in a horsepower race that is like the 1960s & 1970s but the cars are much faster now. The fabled 1970 Hemi Cuda was a 6 sec car 0-60. Brakes are better now as well. I was with a number of the guys here and we were doing repeated 160-165 mph runs and stops with no brake fade. Speed sells, even if most people don't use it .

m630

....couldnt agree more, all bmws have bloviated in the current decade to the point of no return...i believe the target should be to reduce all models by ~500lb instead of trying to boost hp by 100 ponies each new model cycle to keep up with the weight they continue to add on to the cars

550isport

+1 on focusing on weight reduction.

BTW, I didn't mean to bash the 6 series. It's a gorgeous car and a compelling package (I've driven 645 coupe, 650 coupe and conv., but never an M6). What I meant to say was that for loosing 2 doors, the 6 series is not proportionately sportier than the 550. And I'm sure it wasn't intended to be. A real estate friend of mine has a 650 coupe w/out sport pack and can't understand why she can't pull away from my car in any circumstance. I am a big fan of speed. My 550 sport is barely stiff enough for my liking. I have bottomed the suspension at triple digit speeds on the highway several times. So, if I am going to get a car with only two doors, it better be twice the performance machine that the 550 is (like a 911). For this segment, BMW presently has no offering I believe there was a Z9 project that has recently been shelved due to global economic issues.

DRP

m630

none taken, trully, i luv the e63 and am thoroughly happy owning one, and cant wait for the new one soon

bmw does not currently offer a sports car, they make sport sedans and coupes, and fine ones at that, but nothing that is comparable to a 911 if that is what you are looking for....but, the 650 has better raw power than the base 911 in terms of performance, and is twice as comfortable by comparsion, and i'll tell you that i've driven my car many times in the trip digits, and one particular journey of nearly 20miles at vmax, and my car has never bottomed out...the e63 does have better dynamics for driving fast than the e60, and the active suspension is well tuned for speed... i luv the 911 and its always been one of my favs, but its still in my mind a second car and not a daily driver, so you have to factor that into any decision as well, a pure sports car is hard to live with day in and day out...

swajames

m630 - raw power in itself isn't too helpful unless weight is also kept in check. The base Carrera may indeed have fewer HP than a 650, but it also has an 800lb weight advantage, and thus it's quicker and much more nimble.

m630

....without question it is more nimble, it is a different type of car, and i luv both yours and mine, but since i can only have 1 right now, i went for power and lux

swajames