toramo1

So I'm ordering an S5 Cab soon. With prestige package, drive select, comfort I'm looking at around $70K assuming I can negotiate something under MSRP.

I considered the BMW 335is convertible but it lacks any real utility. The back seats are fairly useless and the truck space is seriously compromised by the metal roof. Not to mention the fact that 3-series are everywhere you look where I live.

The current 6-series is just plain hideous. It's about the worst Bangle-inspired bimmer design, IMHO. It's also got a pretty cramped interior considering how large it is.

Now BMW is updating the 6-series:

http://www.leftlanenews.com/bmw-6-se...nvertible.html

Carefully optioned it's probably going to come out to about an $8k-$10K bump over the S5 Cab I'm considering.

I guess the best thing I can say about the new 6-series exterior is that it is not hideous. That's not to say it is attractive, just that it's not an eye-sore like the current generation.

But then there's the engine. That twin-turbo V8 is spectacular in the other BMW's I've driven. I understand where Audi is going with the 3.0T in the S5 Cab but it still hurts a little to spend $70k on a 6-cylinder car with 330hp.

In the end, I probably can't wait until May for the BMW anyway but I was curious if anyone else compared these two cars and what they thought of the next gen 6.

sharding

You think? The current 650i starts at $85k before any options at all are added. The S5 Cab maxes out below $75k, with all options. So at least from an MSRP standpoint, the best case difference is over $10k, and that's only if you add absolutely no options at all to the BMW. I personally like to have most (or all) of the bells and whistles when I buy a car, so I don't think I'd be able to get a 6 series for anywhere near the base price. I'd also guess (though I may be wrong) that you'd have at least somewhat more pricing flexibility on the S5 since they've been out for a few years vs. trying to jump on a brand new 6 series as soon as it's released.

Of course, this is based on the current model pricing, but how often do car prices go down when new models are released? I guess they did with the Jetta, but that's not quite the same...

In between the 335i(s) and the 6 price-wise there's also the M3 convertible to consider. I thought about it briefly, but between the local dealer's attitude (they wouldn't let me test drive one, and basically acted like they didn't want my money) and the fact that at the end of the day it still looks like a 3 series, I decided the S5 is the way I want to go.

toramo1

Silly me...i was comparing the S5 and the price of the 6-series coupe, not the convertible. Thanks sharding.

I spent some time on the bmwusa configurator to see how lightly I could equip a '10 6-series. It was painful. First, because it made me look at the current car, and second because I just could not keep it under $90k.

So that makes me feel a lot better about the S5 Cab. That BMW V8 is just not worth an extra $20K to me.

I should probably take a drive in the M3 convertible just to cover all my bases. I also hate going in to my local BMW dealerships. It is like night and day compared with my Audi guys.

John P. (TT 225)

You could chip tune the S5 cab for more hp if you wanted ....

SFV A4

Your descriptions of the BMW styling is right on. It was/is hideous, and now is being made more tolerable. I would agree, it's still not pretty. For that style and catagory of a car, it should look darn sexy and get the visual juices flowing before anything else. IMO, the S5 does that very well.
Also keep in mind when the revamped 6-series debuts, there will be no discounting at all. I would think you could get something under MSRP on the S5.

a5sport

Silly you indeed. A friend picked up an M6 cab this past summer...and that little number cost him well north of USD$120k.

With a little work...you could probably get two S5 cabs for what he spent for the M6.

But heck...if you have the bank balance...why not go for an M6. Just make sure you have something to drive if you get snow in your part of the planet.

dseag2

I compared the S5 Cab to the 335is Cab and found the ride and rattles caused by the runflats on the 3 Series to be horrible. I also found power off the line lacking with the 3 Series turbo 6 (and this was the IS) vs. the smooth and immediate torque of the S5 3.0T. I know they serve different purposes, but the S5 Cab is much more refined without sacrificing much sportiness.

Re: the new 6 Series, based on the pics I don't find it attractive at all. They seem to have taken cues from the Z4, and IMO they don't translate very well to a larger car. The styling looks overwrought like the new Mercedes. What I like about the S5/S5 Cab is that it is just plain beautiful without gimmicks (other than the LEDs). I think the S5 Cab has clean, classy lines and the design will age well.

Re: my personal experience with the S5 Cab, I've had it for a year and it is the best car I've ever owned.

PARealtor

the new 6 series looks like someone took a rolling pin to the 3 series. while an improvement its still not even close to an S5

toramo1

I'll pile on since I started this: the 6-series convertible "flying buttress" top design is something out of a bad movie. The more I look at the pictures (current and next gen) the more bile I taste.

While I'm at it, WTF is up with Mercedes design? My local Audi dealership is next door to our new MB retailer. I strolled in to take a look at the new E550 last weekend. It's a decent driver but the exterior is absolutely - what did dseag2 call it - overwrought. I owned a 2000 C280 so I understand the appeal of the brand but Audi is winning by default these days.

Funny how MB and BMW have lost their way from a design perspective. They were untouchable for about 30 years.

PARealtor

MB design is horrible on almost every vehicle. It looks to me like they kept some of the Chrysler design guys from those days and let them loose on designing the benz.

BMW just seems to have been enjoying their success for too long and now its caught up to them. Same can be said for lexus. How old is the GS design?