The 2014 BMW 6 Series is a hot commodity. With three different models -- a two-door coupe, a GranCoupe with four doors, and a convertible -- BMW->ke178 offers plenty of choices for consumers looking to drop some considerable change for this sporty, luxurious car. Engine offerings start with a 3.0-liter, 315-horsepower, twin-scroll turbocharged inline-six, dubbed the 640i. Next up is the 650i, with a 4.4-liter V-8, also featuring a twin-scroll turbo design, which is good for 445 horsepower. The mighty M6->ke208 comes with a more powerful version of the 650i's V-8, producing an almost-crazy 560 horsepower. Performance is blistering, regardless of engine choice, and typical BMW luxury->ke505 and top-notch fit and finish adorn the interior. While the 2014 6 Series Convertible is certainly fresh, this didn't stop BMW from updating the lineup for the 2015 model year.

With three more model years to cover until a brand-new 6 Series arrives, BMW slapped a revised front end to its largest drop-top, as well as a couple of new features for the interior aside from the enhanced options list. Naturally, new exterior colors and redesigned wheels are also up for grabs. Find out more about it below.

Updated 12/11/2014: BMW unveiled the first details on the revised 6 Series lineup, with just a few weeks before the car's official debut in Detroit. Details after the jump.

Updated 01/23/2015: We've added a series of new images from the car's official debut at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show. Check the new images in the "Pictures" tab.

Click past the jump to read more about the 2015 BMW 6 Series Convertible.

2016 BMW 6 Series Convertible

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 2016 BMW 6 Series Convertible
  • Engine/Motor: inline-6
  • Horsepower: 315 @ 5800
  • Torque: 332 @ 1300
  • [do not use] Vehicle Model: Array
Pros
Cons

Spy Shots

August 1st, 2014 - First testing session

The basic design remains relatively unchanged while we wait for the complete redesign due out in 2017 or possibly 2018, but look for updated front and rear fascias with new headlight and taillight designs. We don't expect any significant powertrain updates -- not that the 6 Series needs them -- but look for mildly refreshed styling.

All we have are disguised renderings of the refreshed design, but from what we can tell, the lower bumper is slightly modified, with a cleaner, one-piece setup.

The headlights seem to be basically the same shape, but the camouflage surrounding them in these pictures suggests a lighting upgrade -- most likely a new, all-LED design. We aren't sure if the trademark halo-ring daytime running lights will remain, due to the possible redesign of the headlights, but nevertheless, look for a very sharp lighting profile in general.

Out back, the camouflage makes things difficult to speculate on. From what we can see, the taillights seem to take on a slightly different shape, perhaps with sharper LED accent lines seen on the most recent BMW designs.

Inside, don't expect things to change much, save for a few new color offerings. The current 2014 6 Series interior is a nice place to spend time, and we doubt BMW will mess with a good thing.

Overall, this mild refresh should help the 6 Series remain class-competitive, although admittedly the cosmetic changes aren't drastic, at least from what we see here.

Exterior

Exterior changes aren't massive, but noticeable upon close inspection. Up front, the kidney grille has been reshaped, with the number of vertical bars reduced from 10 to nine. The air intakes in the apron are now incorporated into a single piece, while the three-piece LED fog lamps have received a new chrome surround. The revised front end also comes with revised full-LED headlamps as standard. The Adaptive LED technology and the anti-dazzle High Beam Assistant are available as options.

On the sides, there are aerodynamically optimized mirrors with integrated indicators reshaped into slim light strips, as well as newly designed 20-inch, multi-spoke wheels. Around back, the 6 Series features a chrome strip in the bumper trim and larger exhaust surrounds for the six-cylinder models. BMW also introduced a host of new exterior paint colors, including Jatoba Metallic, Cashmere Silver Metallic, Glacier Silver Metallic, Mediterranean Blue Metallic and Melbourne Red Metallic.

Customers looking to add a few unique features to their 6 Series can now choose between two distinct packages, Design Pure Experience and Design Pure Excellence. The Experience bundle adds a BMW kidney grille with high-gloss black bars, BMW Individual Shadow Line trim, high-gloss black tailpipe surrounds and 19-inch bi-color, light-alloy wheels in an exclusive star-spoke design. The Excellence package, on the other hand, comes with everything the Experience bundle has to offer plus a set of 19-inch wheels and various interior amenities.

Exterior Dimensions

Length

4,894 MM (192.67 Inches)

Width

1,894 MM (74.56 Inches)

Height

1,365 MM (53.74 Inches)

Wheelbase

2,855 MM (112.40 Inches)

Track, front/rear

1600/1665 MM (62.99/65.55 Inches)

Ground clearance

123 MM (4.84 Inches)


Side-by-side comparison

Interior

Interior updates are rather subdued, consisting of a high-gloss black surface for the center console, a chrome surround for the iDrive's freestanding display and LED-illuminated foot wells and door exits. Customers can choose between the same Dakota or Nappa leather upholstery, but the 6 Series gets a few new color options, including Ivory White/Black and Cognac/Black combos. Fineline Brown wood trim is also a brand-new feature on the convertible's options list.

Buyers that select the Design Pure Experience package get Nappa leather upholstery in Cognac/Black and Fineline Brown wood trim. The Excellence bundle adds Ivory White/Black leather, a leather instrument panel with contrast stitching and Poplar Grain Grey wood inserts.

Drivetrain

The U.S.-spec 6 Series Convertible continues with the same two engines as its predecessor. The 3.0-liter inline-six motivating the 640i version cranks out the same 315 horsepower and 332 pound-feet, which means the 0-to-60 sprint remains unchanged at 5.4 seconds. Top speed, on the other hand, is now rated at 155 mph versus the 135-mph limit last year's 6 Series Convertible came with. Moving over to the more powerful twin-turbo, 4.4-liter V-8 found in the 650i, it churns the same 445 horses and 479 pound-feet of twist. 60 mph comes in 4.5 seconds, while top speed is reached at 155 mph.

Although there's no output increase, BMW claims both engines boast improved fuel economy and reduced CO2 emissions due to various updates. Both the six-banger and the V-8 mate to an eight-speed, Steptronic transmission with gearshift paddles behind the steering wheel and launch control. All-wheel drive is available as an option for both drivetrains.

Drivetrain Specifications

Model

BMW 650i Convertible

BMW 640i Convertible

Engine

V-8 petrol engine with BMW TwinPower Turbo technology

Six-cylinder in-line petrol engine with BMW TwinPower Turbo technology

Capacity

4,395 cc

2,979 cc

Output

445 HP @ 5,500 RPM

315 HP @ 5,800 – 6,000 RPM

Torque

479 LB-FT @ 2,000 – 4,500 RPM

332 LB-FT @ 1,300 – 4,500 RPM

0 – 60 mph

4.5 seconds

5.4 seconds

Top Speed

250 km/h (155 mph)

250 km/h (155 mph)


Prices

Pricing for the facelifted third-generation 6 Series Convertible, which will make its debut at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show in January, has yet to be announced as of 12/11/2014. The current 640i Convertible starts from $83,600, while the 650i fetches at least $94,900. All-wheel drive adds $3,000.

Competitors

Mercedes-Benz SL-Class

The iconic 2014 SL-Class->ke950, starting at $106,900, is considerably more expensive than the 6 Series convertible and is a hardtop design, but it's the car most would likely cross-shop against the 6-Series Convertible. The SL-Class is a newer design, but has not been quite as well received as past models. The styling -- particularly from the front -- leaves much to be desired, especially when compared to the previous R230 design.

Driving dynamics have also been somewhat criticized for feeling aloof and detached. Inside, many critics see far too much of a similarity to the half-as-cheap SLK-Class.

This doesn't mean the SL doesn't objectively perform well, however. Engine offerings start with a 4.7-liter, twin-turbocharged V-8 that's good for 429 horsepower in SL550 guise. It just gets crazier from here with two AMG variants: the SL63 with its twin-turbocharged V-8 and the SL65 with its twin-turbo V-12. These models produce 577 and 621 horsepower, respectively.

Exciting news is that for the 2015 model year, Mercedes has chosen to bring an "entry-level" SL to the U.S. Dubbed the SL400, it will feature the brand's new twin-turbocharged, 326-horsepower, 3.0-liter V-6, which should compete quite well with the base 640i's 315-horsepower, twin-turbo inline-six. Pricing for this new SL400 should start around $20,000 less than a base SL550, which will be close to the 640i's $83,600 base price.

Jaguar XK Convertible

A closer competitor to the 6 Series Convertible in pricing and seating arrangement -- the SL-Class only has two seats -- is the Jaguar XK. For 2015, the XK Convertible comes standard with a 5.0-liter V-8 that produces 385 horsepower and 380 pound-feet of torque. The XKR moves up to 510 horses, thanks to the supercharger strapped atop the 5.0-liter V-8. The XKR-S goes one step further with 550 horses and 502 pound-feet of torque from its supercharged V-8.

The XK Convertible starts out at $90,500, which is just a tick above what we expect the refreshed 6 Series Convertible to base at. From there, the XKR moves up to $103,500 and the XKR-S caps it off at $138,000.

History

The current-generation 6 Series Convertible has been around since 2011 and generally well received. Placing mostly mid-pack or at the forefront of several comparison tests, critics have praised the strong engine offerings and excellent chassis, as well as the luxurious interior.

The previous-generation, Bangle-esque 6 Series Convertible was criticized for perhaps the worst "Bangle-butt" styling application in existence, and also was thrown under the bus for the frustrating iDrive interface, which was still in its infancy back then.

Things improved over the rather long model cycle, with the original 4.4-liter, 325-horsepower V-8 being replaced with an updated, 4.8-liter version that was good for 360 horsepower in 2006. The M6 made its debut as a 2007 model, bringing with it the legendary, race-bred 500-horsepower V-10 that also powered the E60 M5. iDrive was also updated for the mid-cycle refresh.

Production of the BMW E64 6 Series Convertible ended in 2010.

Conclusion

As with most BMW facelifts, the 2015 6 Series brings only minor updates to its predecessor, with no drivetrain enhancements whatsoever. That's not exactly a problem as the convertible is powerful enough for its segment, but it might not be enough to keep it competitive for three more years, until the fourth-generation model arrives.