Monday, March 28, 2011

BMW 6-Series Coupe and Convertible (F12/F13) Full Model Change

2012 BMW 6-Series Convertible and
2012 BMW 6-Series Coupe
Since 2003, BMW returned the 6-Series as a grand touring sports car for the elite customers. The old Chris Bangle design from the previous BMW 6-Series truly captivated most men in their 30's to 50's because of its masculine looks, smart technology, and ravaging performance.

Now, in 2011, the BMW 6-Series was progressed even further on its latest full model change, designated by the chassis codes F12 on the Convertible and F13 on the Coupe form. In an unexpected twist, the Convertible variant of the new BMW 6-Series will be the first to be available to the European market this Spring while the new 6-Series Coupe will be follow shortly this Summer or Autumn, depending on market conditions.

Heavily influenced from the 2010 BMW 6-Series Coupe Concept at the 2010 Mondial D' Automobile at Paris, France, the new 6-Series boasted an impressive elegance in the front and back. What puzzles me is the new rear view that is somewhat similar to the Nissan Silvia S15. What an unexpected twist for this new generation 6-Series.

Available as of press time is the choice of two engines; the N55B30 3.0L L6 TwinPower TurboValvetronic engine and a N63B44 4.4L TwinPower Turbo direct injection engine. The N55B30 engine is loaded with 320 PS of power, 450 Nm or torque, and can reach 5,7 seconds on the 0-100km run. The N63B44 engine, on the other hand, is loaded with about 408 PS of power, 600 Nm or torque, and can go for about 5 seconds on the 0-100km run. Both of these engines are loaded with an 8-speed Sports automatic gearbox and comes with an idling stop system courtesy of BMW EfficientDynamics that allows these majestic engines to shut off when stopped on the traffic, giving it an optimized fuel efficiency and less emissions. Another eco-warrior made for the elite drivers.

My thoughts about the 6-Series:
As of press time, the new 6-Series got themselves turbocharged, which is a good news for those turbo-hungry car addicts, but the bad news was there's no manual transmission yet for the new 6-Series. On the other hand, the new 6-Series is destined to be an eco-warrior thanks to the idling stop feature courtesy of BMW EfficientDynamics, which shuts down the engine automatically when stopped.

Because of the unexpected twist, only the Convertible variant will be first to be on sale, starting at the ridiculous pricing of just 83,300 Euros (or if it hits in the Philippines, an unbelievable pricing of a possible 9.6 million Philippine Pesos may occur) for the 640i Convertible. Should Asian Carmakers Corporation bring this new model to the Philippines soon? I don't know and I'm not a future gazer you know but still, this turbocharged model really hits the spot! Looks like the Maserati GranTurismo and GranCabrio are going to be upset with this one!

Photo: BMW AG

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