Used BMW 6 Series Convertible 2011-present review

The BMW 6 Series Coupé makes a splendid long-distance tourer – the sort of car you could quite happily use for spending a very pleasant day driving from Saint-Malo to Saint-Raphaël and still arrive feeling fresh and in time for dinner.

However, if it were a really pleasant day, you wouldn’t want to be trapped inside a closed-top car. Enter the BMW 6 Series Convertible, for those who enjoy grand touring and want to top up their tan en route.

All the virtues of the coupé – punchy and refined engines, glorious performance and upmarket interior – remain. There are few cars as comfortable for long-distance driving, even if the large and heavy 6 Series isn’t exactly the last word in driver finesse.

There isn’t a bad engine in the 6 Series range, but our recommended variant is the 640d, which uses a 309bhp 3.0-litre diesel to provide a great blend of power, smooth running and fuel economy.

For those who want petrol power, there's a 3.0-litre unit in the 640i and a powerful 4.4-litre V8 in the 650i.

Plus, there's an M6 performance model, which is hugely fast with its 552bhp twin-turbocharged petrol V8.

Make no mistake, the 6 Series is no sports car, but it’s composed and stable and rides well, especially on the optional adaptive dampers. Its interior is a leathery delight, and its boot is more than up to the task of taking a week’s holiday luggage. And at any age, this BMW has great kerb appeal.

And all this is before you’ve considered its folding soft-top roof, which turns it from tight and refined grand tourer into an embracing-the-elements, wind-in-the-hair, chic cruiser.

Prices for a 6 Series Convertible start at around £17,000, but allow roughly £20,000 for a good 2011 or 2012 6 Series Convertible with an average mileage for the year and a full service history. Most examples are diesels, so expect to pay a little more if you want a petrol because they’ll most likely have covered fewer miles than their diesel equivalents.

Spend between £21,000 and £25,000 and you’ll pick up a good-condition 2013 car with a low to average mileage from an independent dealer.

Up the wedge to between £25,000 and £30,000 and you can pick up 2015 models, petrol or diesel, in good condition with low mileages and a full history from either independent or franchised dealers. £35,000 will get you into a 2016 example with less than 20,000 miles on the clock, and if you spend over £40,000, you'll have your choice of 2017 cars from a main BMW dealer.

Check the value of a used BMW 6 Series with What Car? Valuations

As far as fuel economy goes, the 640d SE is the best of the range, with an official average of 50.4mpg on the old NEDC test cycle. The petrol equivalent, the 640i SE, averages 37.2mpg.

Insurance is understandably high, with all models being in the top band, 50.

If you're looking for a 2017 model, be prepared for a nasty surprise when it comes to road tax figures. Due to the high prices of the 6 Series, every model breaks through the £40,000 ‘premium’ tax level, which slaps an additional £310 onto the cost of road tax every year between years two and six of the car’s life. This means that a 640d registered after April 2017 could cost you £450 a year, whereas one registered a month earlier is £150.

There are no fixed-price servicing plans for the 6 Series, and BMW service agents can be expensive. However, there are plenty of independent specialists who will service the car for less.

The sole diesel, the 640d, is a turbocharged 3.0-litre straight six that cranks out 308bhp. It has plenty of low-end shove to make for relaxed cruising and enough power to feel genuinely quick. Refined manners and reasonable running costs make it the sensible choice.

The 640i turbocharged petrol straight six has a little more power than the 640d but needs revving harder to get the best out of it, while with two turbochargers bolstering a 4.4-litre V8, the 650i is significantly faster than the 640 models but much more expensive to buy and run.

As the performance figurehead of the range, the M6 gets a more powerful 4.4-litre V8 with 552bhp, or 592bhp if specified with the Competition Package.

Trim levels kick off with SE, which has 18in wheels, dual-zone climate control, cruise control, leather seats, heated front seats, front and rear parking sensors and a 10.2in infotainment system with sat-nav and a DAB radio. Seeing as it has all the stuff you actually need already, it’s our pick.

Sport adds 19in wheels, comfort front seats with lumbar support, nicer leather and dark chrome highlights.

At the top of the regular range is the M Sport (available on all but the M6), which gets sportier styling inside and out but no extra kit.

Our favourite BMW 6 Series Convertible: 640d SE

Rivals to the 6 Series are few, but you could certainly consider the Porsche 911 Cabriolet. This is a drop-top with four seats, although it isn't quite as roomy as the BMW. It’s great to drive, though, with a choice of marvellous engines and superb handling. It’s beautifully made, too, and can tackle both motorways and back roads in comfort and with ease.

The Jaguar XK Convertible is more similar in its used prices to the 6 Series but offers only petrol-engined options. Having said that, the V8s are stonkingly good engines and make the XK a fast and relaxing, if thirsty, tourer. Used prices are temptingly low next to those of the 6 Series and 911, giving you another reason to switch your attention to the British car.

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