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(Photoshoppery by Mark Takahashi)
Try as we might, we just can't get the entire country to get rid of their less useful, but better at avoiding line-of-sight police search (ask an attorney about sedans vs wagons some time) sedans and replace them all with (preferably diesel) hatchbacks. We made all the right moves, but sadly, Americans just don't get efficient packaging. Nor, apparently, do the Chinese.
Despite the fact that it was a phenomenal engine in a very, very good car, M3 purists and fanbois never totally got on board with the current generation M3 and its V8 engine. So when rumors started to swirl that the 2014 M3 would have a V6, the M3 guys threw up their M-branded hats in disbelief and went back to finding what exactly was leaking in their old E46.
But now, finally, there's reason for the I6 fans to celebrate,
Despite what you might think, the 2013 BMW M5 is STILL not on sale. We first drove it back in September and, eight months later, the car remains a ghost.
But a light is on the horizon in the form of this configurator for the 2013 BMW M5. The new M5 is available in an absolutely dizzying array of bland exterior colors with an even more exciting list of bland interior colors! There are multiple blacks, grays and silvers, one blue, four woods, three gray leathers and absolutely nothing with the pizazz of Phoenix Yellow, Laguna Seca Blue or Imola Red. What happened to you, M? At least the manual transmission is a $0 option.
Configurate your own here.
This is Vishnu Performance Systems' 2007 BMW 335i. It looks like a secretary's car.
Looks can be deceiving.
The BMW 1 Series M Coupe lasted less than a generation. That car had all the right things: 335 horsepower, a limited slip differential, M-steering wheel, great seats and a massive wheel/tire package paired with equally large brakes. It's one of those cars that was a collector's edition the second it rolled onto the showroom floor.
BMW is not announcing a new 1 Series M Coupe, but they are jazzing up the 1-series for those of us who didn't get in on the very, very limited run of them.
Finally, the 135is has some unique interior and exterior styling bits like exclusive wheels, special badges, stainless steel pedals and optional black leather seats with blue stitching.
Well here's a pleasant surprise: The 2013 BMW 3 Series Sports Wagon was officially announced this weekend and, for a change, this new wagon will be available for customers in the U.S. All too often, those of us who like things that look good and are functional are stuck watching the French and Europeans get all of the fun wagons, but not today! There are, however, still question marks for U.S. customers.
The 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL550 is the newest player in the premium sport convertible segment, and with a base price of over $100,000 and an all-new 429-horsepower twin-turbo V8, it ticks those boxes handily.
But it's not alone in the segment.
BMW also has a twin-turbo V8-powered luxury sport convertible in the form of the 2012 BMW 650i. It has more seats and costs less, but the 4.4-liter V8 in the BMW only makes 400 horsepower and 450 pound-feet of torque. It's also backed by an eight-speed automatic, while the SL makes do with only seven forward gears.
With more power and less weight, the 2013 SL550 is expected to walk the BMW in performance testing, but is it enough to justify the price and lack of rear seats? Check the numbers after the jump and make the decision for yourself.
Being a competitive carmaker is an expensive game. The public gets tired of old cars very, very quickly (3 years then refresh on 4 followed by an all new model by 8 is the new standard) and they get bored with old engine technology just as quickly.
And then there's the government interference. Each time there is a new mandate for new fuel efficiency regulations or lower emissions, engineers have to go back to work.
The BMW X1 is finally coming to America. We know this. We also know that it's coming here in rear-and all-wheel-drive configurations with either a twin-turbo 2.0-liter inline-4 or the awesome twin-turbo 3.0-liter I6 that cranks out 300 horsepower and 300 pound feet of torque. (Unfortunately, this engine is only available in AWD configurations.) What we didn't know (but probably could have estimated with decent certainty) was the EPA fuel economy of the X1.
The wait is over! The 2013 BMW X1 will return 24 mpg city/ 33 mpg highway in base (from $33,245) X1 sDrive28i configuration and 22/30 in AWD xDrive35i model. As expected, you'll pay for the fun one and not just as the point of purchase. The X1 xDrive35i (from $39,345)returns 18/27, but manages 0-60 in only 5.3 seconds.
All models have BMW's eight-speed automatic transmission as the only option.
Advertising agency Bakery Films was tasked with creating a commercial for BMW that highlight's the brand's lane departure warning system. Not exactly dream content. But, a decapitated head, a pair of naked women walking away from the camera (seriously, NSFW -- there are butts) and a bit of daydreaming later, they've put together something that proves the power of a good advertising agency.
Again, NSFW. (Or for people who don't want to see a butt).
One factor that's influential in determining whether a model is one that dealers won't be able to keep in stock on the lot is, of course, demand. If buyers are lining up 'round the block to get their hands on a certain model, this frenzied enthusiasm will likely have an impact on inventory levels.
The other factor concerns supply. Brand-new models frequently make the list of quickest-selling vehicles because with these models, manufacturers often choose a cautious approach when it comes to supply; production is grown slowly and carefully with the intention of making sure that the products aren't plagued with glitches.
Longtime readers will remember our test of the Vishnu Performance Systems BMW 335i Coupe from way back in 2007. Back then this mildly modified coupe had factory turbos and produced 340 wheel horsepower -- about 75 more than stock. Its torque peaked at a solid 390 lb-ft, which was 114 lb-ft more than a stock 335i at the time.
Now, however, the game has changed. And so has the intake and exhaust plumbing.
Click on through to see what Vishnu's single-turbo conversion for the 335i will run in the quarter-mile.
BMW has looked into its future and found that it might not always be about driving enthusiasts and sporty cars.
To that end, the company last year announced a new sub-brand, BMWi, that’s all abut electric-drive, and a plan to invest up to $100 million by the end of the decade in “personal mobility” opportunities that could go beyond the automotive sphere.
Finding parking during most major sports and entertainment events is a pain, as is paying half a day’s salary each week to use the office parking garage. It’s especially galling during the hunt for a parking space to have to drive by all those empty driveways near the office, stadium, concert hall or other venue.
It’s also a pain these days – if you are a property owner – to know that the value of your real estate has probably dropped considerably in recent years.
Now a British outfit backed by BMW has figured out a way to make money by helping property owners generate some extra cash making parking-deprived motorists happy.
So a couple of weeks ago, we took a look at the models with the highest proportion of male buyers. The list was pretty much a supercar orgy, packed with the kind of six-figure sports cars that make financial sense only if your name is Mark Cuban or Kobe Bryant.
It got us (and you) wondering what things look like on the humbler end of the spectrum, so we decided to put a price cap on that sucker and do another list focusing on those vehicles favored by guys who are regular Joes.
The last time we saw the BMW M6 convertible it was 2010 and the car was fitted with a race-bred, high-strung sweetheart of a V10 inside of a wholly awkward package. The V10 died an unceremonious death in the fall of 2010 when BMW cut production of the last-generation M6.
The M6 convertible is back for the new generation and is fitted with a twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 that develops 560 horsepower and 500 pound-feet of torque. It may not scream the way that V10 did, but it makes 60 more hp and torque is up by 117 lb-ft.The transmission has been upgraded, too. Power goes to the rear wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch unit spinning an Active M differential.
Compared with the last generation, this new M6 (and 6 Series in general) is a complete 180 from the drab lozenge it replaces, and the convertible is no different.
The 2012 BMW M6 Convertible goes on sale in June starting at $113,995. The 2013 BMW M6 Coupe will arrive in dealers later in the summer and starts at $106,995. Pricing on the 2013 BMW M5 was also announced today. That car will sticker for $90,695 when it goes on sale in late summer with the M6 coupe.
The BMW X1 is no real surprise. After a leak, BMW officially announced the new "subcompact premium SUV" -- we're going to bring back "cute ute" for this one -- on Monday, but today at the New York auto show, the carmaker showed it to us in real life. There are times when seeing a new car in the metal is a revelation or, at least, necessary to properly take in the styling and scale. Except for being slightly larger than it looks in photos, this one is pretty much the same. The real take-away from seeing it in person is that you notice how short it is at just about 60 inches. This is 6 inches shorter than the first-generation X3. Compared with that car, the X1 is also 4 inches shorter and 3 inches narrower.
Nothing has changed from Monday: The base, 240-horsepower four-cylinder X1 sDrive28i will still start at $31,545 and will be on sale starting in September. The good motor -- the 300-hp N55 -- is a North American exclusive powertrain for the X1 still only available with AWD and will cost $39,345. There is still no manual transmission offered in America.
BMW says that it's sold 260,000 X1s since the car went on sale globally in 2009. This number should increase sharply come autumn when we'll be able to get our hands on it.
We're beginning to think the word embargo is untranslatable in Czech, as a certain website has blown the cover on yet another 2012 New York Auto Show debut: the 2013 BMW X1.
Not that there was much else to learn about BMW's smallest crossover. It has been on sale elsewhere in the world for years, but delayed in the United States. Now we know it will finally go on sale here this fall with a base MSRP with destination of $31,545 for the entry-level sDrive28i model, which denotes a rear-drive X1 with the 240-hp, turbocharged 2.0-liter N20 four-cylinder engine. An eight-speed automatic is standard; no manual gearbox will be offered on the U.S.-spec BMW X1.
If you want all-wheel drive, the price goes up to $33,245. And for the 300-hp X1 xDrive35i model, which has the N55 turbo inline-6 and is AWD only, the price tag is $39,345.
Take a look at the 10 cars with the highest proportion of male buyers and you'll find that many have certain things in common. We're talking phallic, fast and pricey -- these are the models that fuel the fantasies of car-obsessed 14-year old boys, and ease the mid-life crises of affluent 50-year-old men.
And the first leak of the 2012 New York Auto Show goes to.....The BMW i8 Spyder Concept! The leak comes courtesy of AutoForum.
BMW's new i model sports solid doors (the i8 concept from Frankfurt had clear ones), a blacked-out windshield frame, repositioned door handles, new side-view mirrors and has had the rear seats and the roof removed.
No further information was leaked on the concept, but let's go ahead and assume that this i8 Spyder has the same gas-electric hybrid powertrain as the i8. With New York happening in less than 3 days, we're sure to hear more on this one very soon.
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