Convertible Faults

When the top is down, the 650i is truly magnificent. Very little wind intrudes on front passengers, and the car feels rigid — very rigid. Like a tank.

The cruising experience is terrific right until you have to put the top up. My wife and I took a short road trip to Milwaukee from Chicago, leaving the kids behind. Sounds like it should be an idyllic time, but the drive itself — over various concrete and asphalt highways — was loud. Noise from the shoddy surfaces was extreme, and the canvas top let in more noise from passing semi trucks than I thought it should. Jaguar's canvas-topped XK is an improvement over the 650i in this regard, as well.

Lowering or raising the powered top is as easy as pressing a button, and it can be initiated while moving at low speeds. I also appreciated the accompanying clear, audible alert, along with a visual cue on the gauge cluster, to indicate when the process was complete.

The convertible top's long "tails" make for interesting styling when in place, but they also create a huge blind spot. There is little visibility for backing out of parking spaces, which is why it's a good thing the 650i comes equipped with a variety of parking sensors. On the open road, I found the mirrors adequate enough for merging. The large glass rear window also helped with visibility while driving.

    See also:

    Entering the postal code
    1. Select "Town/City/Postal Code" or the displayed town/city. 2. Select the symbol. 3. Select the numbers. 4. Change to the list of postal codes and towns/ cities. 5. Highlight th ...

    General information
    Whether or not text messages and e-mails from the mobile phone are displayed depends on whether transmission from the mobile phone to the vehicle is supported. Text messages and emails may not ...

    Notes
    > Reception may not be available in some situations, such as under certain environmental or topographic conditions. The satellite radio cannot influence this. > The signal may not be availabl ...