BMW is back in the big coupé business. This time it's the 645Ci and it shared international press launch honours with the new X3 that we write about in adjacent columns.
It was in the 1980s that BMW produced the last of the 6-series line, the very angular 635Csi. That was replaced in the 1990s by the somewhat bland but high-tech 850. Its sales waned: there just weren't enough well-heeled buyers to pay more for less which is what a coupé, for all its glamour, is all about.
Now the BMW marketing people have detected a revival in that sector and like the X3 SUV ilk, they think it is set to grow by 50 per cent in the next decade.
The 645Ci is loosely based on the new 5-series chassis platform and it will be built alongside the 5- and 7-series at BMW's Dingolfing plant in Germany at an anticipated rate of about 20,000 a year. It goes on Irish sale in March, starting from €€120,000 with 75 to 80 cars going on roads here next year.
The 645Ci comes with a 4,398cc V8 petrol unit developing 328 bhp. Performance is automatically limited to 155 mph, and it will sprint from zero to 62 mph in 5.6 seconds.
The interior is BMW design at its best. There are comfortable and supportive seats while the alloy-rimmed instruments are concise and easy to read. The driving position is just about perfect as long as you aren't trying to be polite to a rear-seat passenger. Practically, this is a two-seater. However, the boot is large and there is a sensible amount of storage space around the front seat.
Of course, it comes with the controversial I-Drive system of the 7-series but in simplified form. Turning the key, allows the car to do some impressive talking. The big gruff 4.4 V8 burbles into life, although it is mostly muted from the driver's seat. The six-speed automatic box takes up the drive firmly and the 645Ci moves off smoothly. With its variable-valve timing, the V8 pulls from low down, and in normal mode the gearbox has been programmed to do that.
It's just a little bit thirstier than most big cars. Official combined fuel consumption is given as 26 mpg.