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OK, so you just won the Powerball and you want to buy the best sport coupe available. What do you buy? At first the ultra high end Bentley Continental GT at $156,000 or the V12 Vanquish offering from Aston Martin at a quarter million dollar tempts you. Maybe you settle for the best two-door four-seat sport coupe under a hundred grand when you realize all of the other places you want to spend money. Even here you have choices of some of the worlds finest motorcars. Maserati, now a division of Ferrari builds a very nice coupe for less than $90,000. The Jaguar XKR and the Mercedes CL55 AMG 120 are also worthy of consideration in this exclusive club. However it is the 2005 BMW 645ci that quickened my heart this week. Starting at the bargain basement price of $70,595 a lucky person can experience one of the world's finest two-door four-seat sport coupes under a hundred grand. In fact at this price you really don't have to win the Powerball. You can be very hard working, fairly lucky and simply financially successful individual with a desire to afford one of this world's ultimate driving machines. The 2005 BMW 645ci will take your breath away. It's a stunning vehicle with deliberate lines reflecting the classic BMW dual kidney grill blended into a distinctly modern interpretation of a sport coupe. The semi-bustle back may evoke some controversy but from all the stares that I received the verdict was a solid design approval. Performance starts with the acclaimed BMW 4.5 Liter V8 also found in the current 545i and previous 745i sedan. More than just raw horsepower rocketing this vehicle from zero to sixty miles per hour in less than 5.5 seconds is the performance feel of the entire car. Top speed is artificially limited to 149 mph but acceleration is available at any speed. In fact this engine feels like it has much more than the stated 325 horsepower and 330 lb. ft. of torque. The one area of controversy and concern that I had with the 2005 BMW 645ci was in the three available transmission choices. For any car of this magnitude it is always a difficult choice to choose between a manual and Steptronic automatic. But BMW equipped my test car with the Formula 1 inspired Sequential Manual Gearbox (SMG). Steering wheel mounted paddles and the lack of a clutch made this an interesting transmission. Many automotive journalist and enthusiasts praise this as the ultimate performance transmission available, but I would caution against it for most drivers. This is a busy, demanding transmission that will confuse and frustrate most users in everyday driving. Sure I enjoyed the instant clutch like shifting along demanding roadways, but the advantages don't outweigh the difficulty for daily use. I would choose the standard six-speed or automatic for my personal vehicle. Technology abounds in this thoroughbred BMW. Active Roll Stabilization, Dynamic Stability Control and Active Steering require no driver intervention and little driver awareness but are important in providing world class driving performance. Even the Xenon Adaptive headlights are automatically directed by calculations considering velocity, direction and yaw. Sure the iDrive controller remains controversial, but how else to you control the plethora of technology controlling communications, navigation, entertainment, and climate control? Ride and handling is superb. From the winding Blue River Parkway to Highway 5 North of Kansas City the 645ci begged to be driven. This is a busy car demanding all of your attention. Like a high maintenance woman, she may be fun to date but marriage requires that you count the costs. The final assessment for the BMW 645ci is a resounding thumbs up! Power, performance, handling, style luxury and technology all come together in a perfect storm to equip an exceptional two-door four-seat sports coupe. BMW has always made exceptional driving vehicles and for my taste I might opt for the 545i or even the new 750i rather than the two-door coupe. But if the styling of a truly beautiful sports coupe is in your reach think seriously about the BMW 645ci. Don't even wait for the Powerball before you fulfill your fantasy.
2005 BMW 645ci
4.5 Liter V8 Engine
16/24 EPA MPG SMG six speed transmission $74,145 Price as tested Additional Web only Information and Resources For Additional Reviews: |
©2005 - Stan Risener