BMW: What price perfection? $237k

The new BMW 650i coupe is a gorgeous machine. Photo / Supplied

It ain't cheap, but BMW's new coupe looks and feels like a million bucks

It's a fact that early-adopting buyers of luxury cars pay a big premium for comparatively small advances in technology, equipment and quality.

It's hard for us less-financially advantaged citizens to perceive the value for money in high-end cars.

The new BMW 650i coupe is a gorgeous machine, powerful with a 300kW/600Nm 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 engine and loaded with the latest in luxury equipment. It's still essentially a two-door version of the 5-Series sedan, though.

So does it shock you to learn that the 650i costs $236,700? Or that it actually costs more than that, because buyers have over $40,000 worth of options to choose from and, at this level, it's hard to imagine anybody not wanting to customise their car just a little.

Look on the bright side: the 650i coupe is $11,800 cheaper than the convertible launched back in May, arguably better-looking and definitely better to drive. In some respects, the two are equals: same specification, near-identical performance (the coupe is a mere 0.1sec quicker to 100km/h).

But the coupe is lighter and more rigid thanks to a fixed roof, so it's got BMW 650i coupe to be the driver's choice.

It doesn't hurt that it's stunning to look at. Nice though the drop-top is, the tightly contoured lines, sloping rear screen and 8 Series-inspired rear section make the coupe look every inch the luxury two-door.

You don't have to feel too bitter about the lack of fresh air, either. The coupe comes as standard with a panoramic glass lid, which also happens to be a sunroof that tilts or slides.

It's still primarily a luxury car, albeit with a ferocious turn of performance and burbling V8 engine. As with the convertible, you get a selection of four drivetrain/chassis modes: two for Comfort and two for Sport. The difference with the coupe is that you can discern the difference between them much more readily thanks to the stiffer body shell. Didn't stop me selecting Comfort Plus most of the time and just cruising along, but nice to know you have the choice.

The car featured here wears the $5500 M Sports package, which brings different bumpers, 20-inch alloys and a host of little styling changes. I could take or leave that.

But I'd definitely take the $9900 Bang & Olufsen surround-sound system, which is optimised for the cabin of the coupe (take that, 650i convertible) and features a gimmicky but hugely appealing tweeter that powers up out of the dashboard when you turn the stereo on.

I started writing about cars in 1994, so let's glance back at the BMW New Zealand price list of the time.

The 650i's predecessor and styling inspiration, the 850i, was powered by a 5.0-litre V12 making just 220kW.

The 8 Series owner of 17 years ago was enjoying a level of performance and luxury considered extreme for the time, but would be totally blown away by what the new 6 Series offers. As you'd expect.

Here's something you might not expect: the 1994 850i cost $280,000. Maybe the numbers for the new 650i stack up after all.

The bottom line:
The 6 Series coupe is back. Swift, sophisticated and not the least bit funny-looking. Maybe even good value ...