The coupe and cabriolet formats of the 645i will turn heads and attract the attention of car buffs young and old nevertheless.
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| Often, retractable soft-tops in the closed position look unsightly and incongruent with the car's body style, but not so with the 645Ci. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press) |
Its athletic yet graceful lines transcend age barriers like chocolate truffles at Christmas. With regards to the open-air car, van Hooydonk did a remarkable job of maintaining the coupe's sleekness when designing the outer shape of the convertible's soft-top. Often, retractable soft-tops in the closed position look unsightly and incongruent with the car's body style, but not so with the 645Ci. The tight fitting fabric roof protecting the leather interior is beautifully contoured with wide, long "D" pillars that blend smoothly into the car's rear deck. A slim rear window, which actually powers down for increased airflow, emphasizes the low profile of the cloth top. Although the design of the 3-layer convertible top is among the best that I have seen covering four seats, it comes at the expense of restricted rearward visibility and condensed headroom. At just shy of six-feet, my thinly covered cranium brushed the roof when I sat in the rear of the 645Ci. However, adopting my usual slouching position eliminated the concern. And given the Houdini-like body-distorting ingress and egress challenges imposed by the roof, the rear seat is best suited to future BMW owners.
Of course, the curse of enclosure can be disposed of by the push of a single button mounted fore on the center console. Dropping the 645's cloth transforms the quiet running soft-top coupe into a testosterone dispensing rumbling beast. In its retracted position, the roof is neatly concealed beneath a
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| Dropping the 645's cloth transforms the quiet running soft-top coupe into a testosterone dispensing rumbling beast. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press) |
hard tonneau cover, which creates a smooth, attractive transition between exterior and interior environs. The rear window can be raised when the roof is retracted in order to screen against excessive wind buffeting. The beauty of this setup is that unlike mesh screens, the transparency of the glass keeps it from interfering with the car's flowing sight lines. At highway speeds, with the side windows and rear window raised, buffeting and wind rush is very well controlled, with conversation manageable and the sound system capable of being enjoyed without resorting to ear-splitting volume levels. Roof up or down, those riding in the available 12-way, power adjustable, heated front buckets will enjoy their spectacular comfort and support. My perches were covered in Chateau Red, butter-soft Dakota leather, which imparted the rarified sense of quality owners have come to expect of their BMWs.
