2004 BMW 645Ci Convertible Road Test

Bucking Trends and Setting a Few of Its Own

The 6-Series BMW, a completely new vehicle, draws heavily upon the 6-Series coupe

Drawing on the 6-Series coupe lineage of yore, the 2004 BMW 645Ci convertible is drop-dead gorgeous. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press)

lineage of yore. In keeping with its predecessor's reputation for sleek lines and exhilarating performance, the 4-seat 2004 model is drop-dead gorgeous and thanks to 325-horsepower, amply fast.

Visually BMW has hit the jackpot, with 90 percent of the 645's creamy exterior. Where did they go wrong with the last 10-percent? In my opinion it's the same place they went wrong with the exterior design of the new 7-Series and to a lesser extent the 5-Series: the trunk and taillights. Whether design overseer Chris Bangle is to blame for the weird "clump" of a decklid and stilted taillights is irrelevant, as

Unfortunately, the 6-Series sports a tail that stands-out like a wart on the tip of beautiful model's nose. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press)

it would be a waste of time to rip a divisive paragraph or two on new design head Adrian van Hooydonk, who actually penned both the 7 and the new 6 within BMW's Southern California Designworks/USA studio, the post he just graduated from. When it all comes down to it, I just find it regretful that what could have been one of the coolest coupes on the market, next to the ultra-sleek Jaguar XK8, sports a tail that stands-out like a wart on the tip of beautiful model's nose. A colleague of mine compared the bulging trunk lid to that "gracing" the rear end of a pre-2001 Dodge Stratus - ouch! Sadly I couldn't disagree.