BMW 6 Series Coupe

For a serious luxury brand, BMW's absence from the elite coupe segment looks a little remiss. This is the automotive boardroom, where the pinnacles of luxury and power combine in a lavish two-plus-two. It's fuelled by mid-life crises and empty nests, share option schemes and executive carparks.

Unsurprising, then, that supercoupes are among the most desirable cars you can buy.

However, the segment has been without a BMW badge for five years, since the 8 Series retired into obscurity. Despite having a V8 powerplant in common with the 645i, the 8 effectively left no offspring; instead, the new car traces its ancestry back to the original 6 Series that began life in 1976 and disappeared from the line-up in 1989.

Value and practicality are not on the agenda here. The same V8 engine in the 545i sedan is $46,000 less - and there's a usable rear bench and larger boot.

Or you can buy an X5 sports utility with this V8 (in slightly different tune) for little more than half the price of the 6 Series coupe.

At $203,000 ($220,000 for the convertible) the 645i sets its sights higher, on buyers who might otherwise plump for a Porsche 911, Maserati Coupe or Jaguar XK.

An appealing, even downright sexy, design is vital, and BMW has risen to the occasion with one of the most successful shapes in its new wave.

Less confronting than the 7 Series limo and less complex

more: theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744 (107)

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