wheels
TEST BMW 6 Series Convertible
degree. One example of where groupthink has led us astray – a number of accidents occur at a bend where a vehicle, for whatever reason, loses control and hits a tree or other immoveable obstacle. The obvious engineering answer? Line the bend with a crash barrier. In France, failure to take such action would, almost certainly, result in those negligent being charged with putting the life of another in danger, which, under French law, carries a hefty jail sentence. So what action did our last Government take? It cut the annual budget for the road safety improvement programme from €7m to €6m! But, wait!Worse was to follow. Taken in hook, line and sinker by the ‘it’s all down to speeding’ groupthink, the Government then signed a contract with a company in Wales to roll out a large number of speed camera vans across the country. And the cost – €57m! So, €6m to fix roads admitted to be dangerously defec-
tive by the heads of the NRA and the RSA, against €57m for speed camera vans. And where are the speed camera vans to be located? On stretches of road where multiple accidents have occurred. Can you believe it? Instead of remedying the danger-
ous road conditions mentioned by Fred Barry and Noel Brett in their evidence – typically poor road making materials, inadequate road alignment, bad drainage, poor visibility, inadequate crossing points and deficient pave- ments – the last Government decided to stick its collec- tive head in the sand and blame everything on the speed- ing motorist. That makes a handy cover-up for negligent politicians, both local and national, not to mention public servants involved such as country road engineers. Then, worried that journalists might ask awkward
questions, they had the relevant parts of the Road Safety Authority removed from the scope of the Freedom of Information Act. Groupthink par excellence!
60 Irish Director Summer 2011
BMW 6 SERIES CONVERTIBLE The recently arrived BMW 6 Series Convertible would have attracted much interest at the height of the boom. Today, sales are likely to be quite limited but the launch of a car with such appeal certainly is worthy of attention. The introductory drive was held in the south of Spain in March, presumably hoping for nice weather and open-top driving. Unfortunately, it was cold, windy and wet, so nary a hood was opened! At the moment, two petrol engine options are
TEST
available: the 640i with 320bhp and 450Nm torque; and the V8 650i with 407bhp and 600Nm torque. Both drive the rear wheels through an 8-speed automatic gearbox. The company states that a diesel engine is coming too, but details have not been confirmed. Both 650i and 640i were driven over some 200km, each giving impressive performance, though the larger engine clearly gave more punch. The convertible drove impecca- bly in both power versions, showing very respon- sive engines and very smooth gear changes. Despite the wet roads, handling and roadholding were fine and the stability control systems worked very efficiently when required. Comfort, even on some bumpy mountain roads, was very good and no complaints about the seats. The design, dis- tinctly BMW, is long and sleek, the cabin giving reasonable but not generous room for four adults. The quality of the interior is top-class, with care- fully chosen wood and leather trim, while the ergonomy of the controls is better than before. However, its low-slung looks mean that the windscreen and rear window are quite slit-like and the sloping A-pillars impinge on the view
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