First it was Jeremey Clarkson calling it the most fun car of the year. Then we followed officially naming it the BimmerFile’s BMW of the year. Now another third of Top Gear has chimed in and given it top honors for 2011. Richard Hammond has named the 1M is own 2011 car of the year. Here’s an excerpt:
Visually, it tells you straightaway that while it might be still right now, what it wants to do more than anything is bounce up and down like a mad thing, crap on the rug and tear off with the TV remote in its teeth. Comparisons are made with the original BMW M3 every time this car is talked about, and with good reason. The M3, when it popped up in 1987, was adored for its track-derived focus, razor-sharp performance and fizzing, raucous energy.
German publication Autobild took the entire current M range (including the ultra rare M3 CRT) to the Sachsenring. The winner? Perhaps unsurprisingly it was the über M3, the new CRT. But what of the standard production models? The F10 M5 bested the lot with a time of 1:38.90. Not bad for a heavy-weight. But it was the race for second that caught out attention.
While this test actually was published earlier this year, up until now EVO hadn’t allowed it to pop-up on their site. So if you’re not an EVO subscriber (shameful) you can now read the full review by Chris Harris at EVO.co.uk. However be warned, Harris is not a huge fan of the GTS as compared with the Porsche GT3. Here’s a quick excerpt:
It is a very different machine to the base M3, or even the Competition Pack version. The geometry changes have wrought much more steering weight and feel, there’s less understeer and less ride comfort. The dampers and ride-height are adjustable too, so nothing is definitive. As presented, it lacks the suppleness of a GT3 RS, but is similar to the Porsche in that its overall road manners are so palatable that each glance in the rear-view mirror comes as a slight shock: it reminds you of the deleted rear seats and bolt-in roll-cage.
I need room. Two kids under three means at least one of my cars has to now be able to do some serious family hauling every so often. So my wonderful 2004 330i ZHP has to go. But the problem is, what to replace it with?
Given my need for performance, a hint of efficiency and the desire to feel like I’m driving a sports sedan, the only choice is to go with a wagon.
Since BMWNA axed the 5 Series wagon anyone looking for utility within the BMW range was either forced in the 3 Series wagon or up into the SAV range. The problem is that there are many people that don’t want a crossover and need something a bit larger than the current 3er wagon. And with the larger F31 3 Series wagon at least a year off, the only choice is either a used 5 series wagon or to look at other brands.
With BMW’s recent introduction of Yelp into the “BMW Online” suite of services, a lot of readers have begun to ask questions about BMW Online versus BMW Apps. Unlike BMW Apps, “Online” is an annual subscription service that costs $100 a year and delivers weather, fuel prices and now Yelp to your car (among other things). The other side of the coin is BMW Apps, a $250 option that allows for iOS based BMW apps to be displayed on your cars Nav screen and controlled by iDrive.
For our money BMW apps is the way to go as it de-couples the app from automotive development and promises future upgrades with new functionality. And it’s that new functionality we want to talk about today.
Is it pointless? Sure it is but it is always fun to watch tires rapidly lose their longevity. As we’ve told you, the M5 will drift with the best of them. Autocar UK’s, Will it Drift? host Steve Sutcliffe does his best to show just how much drifting can be done.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
After a very long break we’re back with another big show. First up we recap the last two months of BMW news starting of course with the 6er Gran Coupe and then quickly moving onto the F30 and next generation M3. We round out the news with some thought on DTM and the future of BMW’s racing programs. But this show is all about our personal highs and lows of the year with Michael and I dishing a few surprises.
Here’s the full list of news recapped (after the break).
BimmerFile is dedicated to bringing you the most interesting news, links and reviews related to the BMW brand and it's vehicles.
We believe in the old school BMW ownership experience. We believe in garage nights with a six pack and some friends. We believe in 2002s, in E30 M3s and E34 540s with the 6 speed. We believe in progress in both design and engineering but we haven't lost sight of what made the brand and its products great all those years ago. And yes, we believe in the manual transmission.
We long for the days of the wave and for the days of roll-up windows. Yet we love the gadgets on the inside and the xenons on the outside.
In short, we can't get enough of BMWs. This is BimmerFile.
Sections: //1M\\, In the Press Dec 31st, 2011 5 Comments 
