2008 BMW 6-Series Review

The 2008 BMW 6-Series is actually four cars: the 650i coupe and convertible, and the V-10-powered M6 coupe and convertible. They share a common profile, a 2+2 seating arrangement, and truly impressive performance, along with hefty 4,000-pound curb weights and a heavy feel at the controls.

To TheCarConnection.com, the 6-Series still looks thick and squat, especially from the rear end. Edmunds refers to its “controversial styling” and defers on insults: “let's just say the 2008 BMW 6 Series has a great personality.” Cars.com says “the humplike trunk, probably my least favorite attribute, blends in from most viewing angles.” ForbesAutos considers it a “sleek design,” and Car and Driver calls its “unique looks” a “high.”

For 2008, BMW reshaped the 6-Series' front and rear ends with new LED lights, bi-xenon dual round headlights. The decklid was reshaped with a new spoiler and LED taillights, too. Road & Track notes the "unique profile" of the BMW 6-Series "remains essentially unchanged." Car and Driver points out the "vertical face of the trunklid grows more concave" as it curves up "to meet the trailing edge of the plateau." There are additional style features new to the series, such as "taillights and front turn signals lit with LEDs, a third taillight integrated into the spoiler on the trunk hatch, and lengthier reverse lamps and reflectors," says ForbesAutos.

The M6 edition gets a carbon-fiber roof in coupe trim. “Changes to the basic 6 Series design include a modified front air dam with large secondary intake openings that provide additional engine-cooling air,” Cars.com says. “Side sills are aerodynamically contoured. Forged aluminum 19-inch wheels were developed specifically for the M6, and an 'M' logo is present in the ornamental side slats.”

Inside the BMW 6-Series, the story is a little less controversial. Car and Driver calls minor tweaks to the BMW 6-Series "barely worth noting." However, the cabins within the 2008 BMW 6-Series models possess an "elegance" that matches the "lofty pricing," says ConsumerGuide. Edmunds is in agreement, calling the interior "elegantly crafted," though the cockpit has an "austere feel." Stereo controls are "minimalist" in this 2008 BMW, though, and without preset radio buttons, drivers are forced to contend with the iDrive, says MyRide.com, making for driver distraction. The 6-Series' "leather-wrapped dashboard comes across as a simplistic and elegant design festooned with add-on pods for iDrive," says J.D. Power.