BMW 5-series: 528i, 535i, 550i. Can BMW rekindle our love for the 5-series?Now two generations back, the E39 5-series was a virtual shoo-in at our annual 10Best competition. Improving on what we thought was near perfection is tricky and, roughly six years ago, we lamented the launch of the then-new fifth-generation E60 5-series. Not only could we not get past [...] 2011 BMW 5-series / 528i / 535i / 550i Official Photos and Info. Checked at 21:11, 23.11.2009
BMW 550i GT Pricing Announced. As of this December, the 550i GT will be available at a BMW dealer near you at a starting price of $64,725. Sporting the marque’s 4.4-liter twin-turbo V-8 - good for 400 hp and 450 lb-ft of torque - the GT will also feature BMW’s first-ever eight-speed automatic transmission. (Look for a full test on [...] 2010 BMW 550i GT Pricing Announced. Submitted at 20:11, 19.11.2009
BMW Responsibility Revolution. BMW recently held a “One-Day University” program at its home base in New Jersey, intended, according to our hosts, “to begin a discussion” about the role of high-end automakers in the future of personal transportation. The six-session curriculum covered a range of hairy topics, not the least of which was the evident movement of well-heeled [...] BMW's Responsibility Revolution: A Shift From Luxury to Premium. Posted at 20:11, 17.11.2009
BMW Won’t Bring M3 GTS to US. Just a week after BMW’s M division quietly unveiled its lighter and more powerful M3 GTS, I shed a few tears when I learned the car will not be offered for sale in the U.S. For reasons unknown - other than maybe BMW executives in Munich getting some sick pleasure out of taunting us with [...] BMW Won't Bring M3 GTS to U.S.. Approved at 06:11, 12.11.2009
BMW Mini May Extend Leases. I recently attended the first-ever “BMW One-Day University,” a media event consisting of several short seminars covering the current status of BMW brands and their futures. Of those, I found the discussion of the Mini E project to be most intriguing. Yes, the estimated 120-mile range of the all-electric Mini is easy to ridicule, as [...] Mini May Extend Leases on All-Electric Mini E. Published at 21:11, 11.11.2009
BMW 5-series Auto Car. Don’t expect a mid-size revolution.Earlier this year, we identified the compact 3-series as the backbone of the BMW brand. Spokesman Daniel Schmidt, however, has corrected us. “The 5-series is our most important model.”A new 3 is a couple of years away, but a new 5-series will debut in just a few months, so we can [...] 2011 BMW 5-series Car News. Printed at 04:11, 11.11.2009
BMW 5-series Teased Ahead of Debut. We’re understandably impatient for real pictures and info about the upcoming BMW 5-series replacement. We spied a camo-wrapped 5-series a few months ago, which will also spawn a new BMW M5, likely with a forced-induction V-8 engine.We won’t have full info on the new cars until November 23, so BMW has released a teaser image [...] 2011 BMW 5-series Teased Ahead of Debut. Added at 20:11, 09.11.2009
BMW ActiveHybrid X6 / X6 Hybrid. BMW’s quirky X6 crossover-thing goes green.Although BMW initially shunned hybrids in favor of clean diesels and other alternative powertrains, the German automaker is joining the electrically assisted fray next year with not one but two gasoline-electric vehicles: the 2010 BMW ActiveHybrid 7 - our first drive of which you can read here - and the [...] 2010 BMW ActiveHybrid X6 / X6 Hybrid First Drive Review. Published at 06:11, 08.11.2009
BMW M3 GTS Car News. Finally, a real M car again.We’ve seen a lot of fast and fascinating cars from BMW’s M division lately, including stuff like the X5 M and X6 M, possibly the baddest SUVs on the market right now. While we’ve had a lot of fun with those behemoths, we still can’t help but recall that the [...] 2010 BMW M3 GTS Car News. Issued at 04:11, 06.11.2009
BMW 3-Series Auto Cars. Three cylinders for the next 3?There’s no sedan quite like the BMW 3-series. Yes, it needs to shed some pounds, and its styling is certainly debatable. But it drives with such precision and offers such delicate feedback that we still regard it as the benchmark in its segment. For 2012, BMW faces the difficult task [...] 2012 / 2013 BMW 3-Series Spied. Approved at 20:11, 04.11.2009
BMW 335i xDrive Sedan. BMW’s ultimate all-weather driving machine.WHAT IS IT?How do you sharpen the BMW 3-series to keep pace with the threat of the new 2010 Audi S4? You buy an M3, seeing as the supercharged Audi beat out the 335i sedan in our recent comparison test of the two. For anyone who still prefers the idea of [...] 2010 BMW 335i xDrive Sedan Quick Spin. Added at 02:11, 04.11.2009
BMW ActiveHybrid 7 / 7-series Hybrid. BMW dances a merry jig on Lexus’s toes.BMW seems to be on a mission lately to offer something for everyone, no matter how nonsensical a certain consumer’s particular set of needs and wants may be. Case in point: the brilliant X6 and its mutant half-sister, the 5-series Gran Turismo. The latest in Bavaria’s barrage of [...] 2010 BMW ActiveHybrid 7 / 7-series Hybrid First Drive Review. Printed at 02:10, 31.10.2009
BMW M3 Competition Package. CSL? No. Competition? Maybe. A more track-focused M3 is coming.This M3, just captured by our spy photographers, is not circling the NГјrburgring without reason. Somewhat based on the M3 GT4 race car, this version will be for those who haven’t forgotten what an M3 is all about: light weight, high speed, and hard driving on [...] Possible 2011 BMW M3 Competition Package Spied. Written at 03:10, 23.10.2009
BMW Curious C1 Scooter Insurance. For an eye-opening case study of “innovative vehicle concepts” and how they typically fare on the market, look no further than BMW’s C1. Launched in 2000 as the Bavarian response to Daimler’s Smart, the scooter with a wide seat and a roof was touted as the ideal city vehicle. With a top speed of less [...] A Second Life for BMW's Curious C1 Scooter. Submitted at 19:10, 06.10.2009
BMW: The Joy of Sticks. We all know that the future of transmissions is (largely) automatic, whether it’s old-style planetary gearsets or modish dual-clutch gearboxes. But one thing that 10Best taught me was that three pedals and a manual transmission are still immensely satisfying in a way that two-pedal control isn’t.Yes, you can rattle off shifts super fast with a [...] 10Best Test Notes: The Joy of Sticks. Written at 01:10, 02.10.2009
BMW 328i Insurance Rate. This week we are running our annual 10Best test, evaluating 59 cars and winnowing them down to ten winners. All week we’ll be bringing you thoughts from our notepads. Here’s the first from today:It’s funny how I go through the same thing every year during our 10Best testing. I get behind the wheel of all [...] 10Best Test Notes: 2010 BMW 328i. Added at 22:09, 30.09.2009
The BMW Z10 is Still Moving Forward. These are challenging days for high-end performance automakers suchas BMW. This is apparent as BMW has red flagged and likely stalledthe M1 Homage (which drew and wowed crowds at Villa d’Este in 2008)and the Z9 two-seater (which was to be derived from the four door CSshow car seen at the Shanghai Auto Show in 2007).However, [...] The BMW Z10 is Still Moving Forward but with Some Changes. Published at 02:09, 29.09.2009
Old Cars in Frankfurt: Big BMW Bloodlines. Prominently displayed inside BMW’s new hall was a 1960 BMW 502 2.6 Luxus. In 1954, the 502 sedan became Germany’s first V-8-powered car. Its predecessor, the six-cylinder 501, was the company’s first new model after the war. Under the hood, the 502 has a pushrod aluminum 2.6-liter V-8 that makes 100 hp at 4800 rpm. [...] Old Cars in Frankfurt: Big BMW Bloodlines. Issued at 21:09, 17.09.2009
BMW X1 Compact SUV Insurance. BMW has become well versed in filling market niches that consumersmight not have even considered. Such vehicles include the 5-SeriesGrand Turismo, BMW’s soon to be released mini SUV, and the smallestmember of the X family - the BMW X1.This new compact SUV comes in at 175.4 inches long, 70.8 inches wide,and 60.8 inches tall. It [...] 2011 BMW X1: A Compact SUV that Handles. Published at 02:09, 17.09.2009
BMW Has Agreement to Sell Its Formula 1 Team. With the 2009 Formula 1 season still under way, there’s already plenty of silly-season action. This year’s driver/team shuffle is shaping up to be one of the most exciting - and busy - in a while.Today’s first tidbit is that Lotus will re-enter the grid as one of three new teams approved by the FIA [...] BMW Has Agreement to Sell Its Formula 1 Team, New Owners Hopeful of Inclusion for 2010. Compiled at 00:09, 16.09.2009
BMW Auto Insurance for Car Models
