This text was not translated, because it is originally in English
Estepona, Spain: BMW headed to southern Spain so we could get our hands on its new convertible and for once my luck was in. Although I didnt need sunscreen, it is after all only mid-March, but neither did I require a waterproof formulation as some colleagues earlier in the week had done when torrential rain meant their flight had to be diverted from Gibraltar to Malaga.

With fuel prices rocketing in the UK and across Europe the option of a three-liter blown straight six makes a lot of sense especially when its mated to ZFs superlative eight-speed box which includes stop-start technology with the added bonus of brake energy recuperation.

Nor is 320 bhp and 332 lb. -ft. of torque to be sniffed at – its still capable of shifting the 4000+lbs car to 62 mph in 5. 7 secs before reaching its restricted 155 mph top speed.

I was never a fan of Chris Bangles design language and I think some of the current Beemers are just down right ugly – X6 please come forward. The new 6 Series is a big improvement over its predecessor, although I still think it looks bulky especially from the rear. Thankfully the VPL (Visible Panty Line) has gone.

Designer, Nader Faghihzadeh says he was inspired by the flow of water in streams and how it parts around rocks leaving double wakes. Umm, yes…

Dynamically the new car benefits hugely from its underpinnings taken from the latest 5-series and its four-wheel steering. Its also 50% stiffer than the old model and this is immediately noticeable as you hammer at speed into the first bend. Despite electro-mechanical steering that seems to have a cotton wool setting which muffles what the road is doing it is a lithesome performer that changes direction with more agility than its bulk would suggest.

It might not possess the 650s more brutal power delivery but for long continental cruises it will be 10 Imperial mpg more efficient.

Downsides? Of course there are, for a start at over six feet tall, I couldnt get the seat low enough and the steering wheel boss obscured the lower part of the instrument display. In fact it was my driving partner in the 650i that told me we only had 30 miles of fuel left in the tank – I couldnt see the read out.

Trunk space is economical and looking through the rear window is like trying to peer through a letterbox.

On the plus side, it is remarkably calm at speeds approaching three figures with the hood up or down and it feels solid. Which augers well for the coupe version just announced – but that will be another story for another day.