Engine issues aside, the rest of the 1977 630CSi positively rocked and had it all over the 3.0CSi it replaced. To understand how truly good the 1977 630CSi is, one must drive a domestic car from the same model year. Interior and exterior styling are ultra-modern in comparison. Outside, the lovely new body was actually fairly aerodynamic for an older model BMW-a 21% improvement over the 3.0Csi, according to BMW. However, in this era of super-fast autobahn speeds, aerodynamic downforce often took precedence over drag coefficients.
The E24 6 Series would eventually sprout several different front airdams and rear spoilers in successful factory efforts to plant the car to the road at speeds often exceeding 150 mph. The "Hoffmeister kink"-that little forward cut at the base of the C-pillar pioneered by the E9 coupe-was very much in evidence in the 6 Series and models to come. The addition of the B-pillar did nothing to detract from coupe-ness and lends the design an air of solidity and mass lacking in its predecessor. The long hood and nose panel styling cues adapted from the BMW Turbo concept car give the 6 Series an authoritative, individualistic yet luxurious presence unmatched by other Bimmers, in my opinion. The car has panache. It is never mistaken for anything else, but BMW 6 Series design cues cropped up in other marques down to and including the last-generation Ford Thunderbird.
On the downside, like all BMWs of that era, the E24 was given large, aluminum U.S.-specification "crash bumpers." These, combined with other U.S.-required bits, added a whopping 320 lb to vehicle weight. More weight, less power, not good. Still, while they are almost universally despised for their appearance and weight, U.S. bumpers provide large measures of body protection in parallel parking and other real-world tribulations. Unfortunately, the black rubber end pieces BMW used on American E24's up to 1988 are framed internally by ferrous metal. In time, the metal framing rusts and distorts the rubber outside.
The interior is equally dramatic. The 6 Series carried on the theme of driver-oriented cockpit controls and instrumentation introduced with the E12 5 Series and elevated it to the next level. With the instrument and pods robustly canted toward the driver, there is no doubt for whom or for what this car was designed-the serious driver. As with all BMWs, full instrumentation was standard save the curious deletion of an oil pressure gauge. A 140-mph speedometer greeted the driver, and the coolant temperature gauge was actually a useful functioning tool rather than the "buffered" vestige it is on today's Bimmers. Soothing orange illumination was easy on the eyes at nighttime, and the controls themselves had the reassuring personality afforded only by positive manual control.
Electronics had, however, entered the BMW cockpit in the form of the Check Control System. An electronic panel located to the left of the main instrument pod allowed the driver to check coolant level, motor oil level, brake fluid level, brake lights, taillights, windshield washer fluid level and brake pad integrity at the press of a button. With Check Control began the double-edged-sword legacy of BMW automatic system sensors. While they are wonderful driver aids, the unfortunate fact remains, to this day, that a warning light in a BMW just as often indicates a problem with the warning system itself as it does the system it is intended to protect. If anything, false warnings have grown more frequent over the years. The saving grace is that these systems will always warn of an actual problem-the question is, will the driver believe it?
Interior details in the 6 Series are perhaps the epitome of the driver-centric, form-follows-function BMW design so beloved of traditional BMW enthusiasts, and so decidedly out of favor today. Door-grip-mounted exterior mirror controls, outstanding door pocket storage space, window and seat controls ingeniously located on the center console and ergonomic perfection all greet the E24 driver. The two-place rear seating area is sometimes criticized for its size. But that criticism tends to come from larger reviewers. Ordinary-sized people tend to find the back of a 6 Series cozy but in an intimate and comfortable way. Ingress and egress is another matter, but once you're in there it's pretty nice as long as the front occupants don't use all the seat track. BMW even included a pull strap on the B-pillar to aid climbs in and out of the rear. Ingenious storage compartments are located on the rear parcel shelf, and rear-seat occupants enjoy both a center armrest and headrests.