Serious haste actually, achieving a speed that would have me doing time in a Sheriff's cell back home after only a partial prod at the throttle. Fortunately for me, law enforcement officials seemed too busy smoking Marlboros at the side of the road to concern themselves with the 120 km/h speed limit. Even diminutive subcompacts whizzed along at 130 to 140 km/h, following a traffic flow that was much less disconcerting than the hopelessly erratic behavior displayed daily on North American roads. At a somewhat higher speed the 645 was rock solid, effortlessly executing long curves and adapting quickly to quick lane changes, despite the soggy road surface. A flick of the right pedal caused the big Bimmer to overcome slower traffic as if it was parked, a pretty stimulating experience.
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| At high speeds the 645 was rock solid, effortlessly executing long curves and adapting quickly to quick lane changes. (Photo: BMW AG) |
Making my way away from the Riviera coast up into the Spanish hills, the twists and turns were enough to make Penelope Cruz seem bulimic. At the beginning of the designated mountain route the pavement seemed as if freshly laid, providing excellent grip for the standard run-flat 245/45R18 96W RSC performance tires. I pushed it fairly hard, with BMW's exclusive DSC III stability control only cutting in at maximum lateral Gs. The new coupe's steering input is magical, making full use of its new active steering and dynamic drive technology.
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| The new coupe's active steering system, which adapts the steering ratio to vehicle speed, is magical. (Photo: BMW AG) |
I first tried active steering in the new 5-Series. Along with its dynamic drive (active roll stabilization - ARS) system I was blown away. The 6 is no different, offering amazing maneuverability at all speeds. Essentially active steering adapts the steering ratio to vehicle speed, but its electric motor assisted, planetary gear motivated rack-and-pinion system is much more sophisticated than conventional speed sensitive steering systems, common to luxury cars of all stripes. When parking, steering response to input is much quicker, at about 1.7 turns lock to lock. At high speed that ratio loosens up dramatically so that just touching the steering wheel doesn't send the car veering off into oncoming traffic.