Hey guys I was just browsing bmwusa.com and had some general questions.

First, how is the 6er vs the 5er, is anyone better than the other performance wise (speed, handling, etc.)

Also, why did they change the model name of the new 6. ( 645ci 650i). Whats up with Ci to I?

And lastly I noticed in the options that the sports package is different for the 6,

The sports pckg for the 550i has
Sport Package

* Sport suspension calibration
* Active Roll Stabilization(ARS)
* 18 x 8.0 front, 18 x 9.0 rear Star Spoke (Styling 124) alloy wheels, 245/40R-18 front, 275/35R-18 rear performance run-flat tires*
* Shadowline exterior trim
* 20-way power multi-contour front seats (includes articulated upper backrest, 4-way lumbar support, passenger?s-seat memory, and active head restraints with adjustable side and thigh support)
* 3-spoke leather-wrapped multi-function sport steering wheel with controls for audio system, cruise control, and Bluetooth wireless communication for hands-free mobile phone**


The sports pckg for the 650i has
Sport Package

* 19 x 8.5 front, 19 x 9.0 rear Ellipsoid (Styling 121) cast alloy wheels, 245/40R-19 front, 275/35R-19 rear performance run-flat tires*
* 8-way power front sport seats with manual headrest and thigh support
* Shadowline High-Gloss exterior trim


It seems that the 6 is missing a lot of stuff here or does it already come standard with ARS and all that?
Does the 550 handle better than the 650?

 

As far as i know, it's no longer called Ci cause 6 series is considered as a coupe model. Hence, BMW thinks that there's no point putting it as a 'Ci'.

 

Good question about the suspension. In its preview of the car, Car and Driver wrote this:

"The suspension is straight 5-series: a strut braced by two spindly aluminum links in front and beefy cast-aluminum lower control arms in back assisted by a pair of lateral links on each side, all mounted to a tubular aluminum crossmember. BMW loves its steel coils; air springs, variable-rate shocks, and other suspension electrotrickery are for others. The 645's one optional undercarriage fandangle is front and rear hydraulic variable-rate anti-roll bars that help keep the body flat in corners."


The last sentence sounds like Dynamic Drive/ARS.

They did actually test one in a 3 car comparison. It pulled .94g on the skidpad, which obliterates any E60, even the M5. The 545i Sport numbers I've seen are .89g (or lower), along with the M5 which was also .89g. The lighter 530i Sport is .90g. I seem to recall that the M6 can turn in lap times that are much much quicker than the M5 as well.

 

The US 650 has the sport suspension, ARS and sport steering wheel as standard equipment.

 

...just sit in the 6 and you'll know the difference....the 6er in the US comes loaded with many things that are optional on the 5er, thats why the sports pkg is limited in options, but the seats alone are worth the SP, they are great, as well as the rims which i luv... who knows why bmw dropped the 'C' since all of the classic coupes have 'C' as part of the name, but Im glad I have it

 

The 6 already includes a lot of options on the 5, so when you compare the 5 Sport vs 6 Sport, the only differences are that the 6 has bigger rims/tires and a louder exhaust. Everything else is basically the same.

 

Remember the 850? Came as 850i, 850Ci and 850CSi. The 850i and 850Ci actually overlapped for several months with no differences at all. Just some whims in marketing.

 

Cool, thnx guys got it all cleared up now.