BMW Explains the Origins of the Roundel Logo (Video)

Sections: Video Jun 8th, 2010 3 Comments

Bimmercast #23: Munich Trip Wrap-up, X5 M, F10 5 Series, M5 and 1M Pricing & Launch Dates

Sections: //X5 M\\ | BimmerCast | E70 X5 | F10 5 Series Jun 7th, 2010 2 Comments

This week we start off talking about what we’re both driving and reviewing starting with the X5 M (hate the transmission, surprisingly love the car) and then moving onto the F10 550i (better in every way over the E60).

Another week means another couple stories worth of 1M rumors and many more details. So we touch on what we expect with the new baby M and when we expect it (hint; it’s looking pretty damn good). What about production? Will it be easy to get one? The easy answer is sort of.

We then take some time to recap my recent trip to Munich and BMW’s new environmental testing center and talk about what it means for BMW’s products and those plastic and swirl clad test cars we’ve grown to love.

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Jay Leno Drives and Dissects the E92 M3

Sections: //M3\\ | Video Jun 7th, 2010 3 Comments

We’re not huge fans of Jay Leno when it comes to late night talk shows but it’s hard to argue with the guys credentials when it comes to cars. So with that said we present Jay’s latest (temporary) addition to his garage is a Melbourne Red E92 BMW M3.

A Farewell of Sorts to the Current 6 Series

Sections: E63/E64 6 Series | F12 6 Series Coupe | F13 6 Series Convertible | F14 6 Series GT Jun 7th, 2010 7 Comments

If you have been living under a rock for the last six months you may not be aware that the current 6 Series is ending production a bit early with 2010 models being the last produced. There are technical reasons for this that are overly complex and are really not worth delving into as this car being eliminated early is not going to make us shed a tear. Some of us (myself included) express disdain toward the 6 Series, not necessarily for those the car is marketed to or in the end who actually drives it but towards the car itself. The 6 is something of an anomaly when compared to other BMW models, it’s a model that had been set aside for a while and then resurrected as an effort to build a luxurious grand touring coupe to compete with the other German offerings.

The current 6er is a model that was designed to be trendy, sporty and ultra luxurious all in one package. It wasn’t great in any of those areas except for maybe the trendy part- which is huge reason why the car looks so incredibly dated already. It had luxury, but not more than say a 5 series and in a market place that included some very exclusive offerings, it just did not fit (especially in the ultra expensive ///M version) Looks aside, glad not to go there in depth, the car also was not as dynamic as some of BMWs other offerings. It had a balance and sporting intentions only the designing team and a few Kool Aid drinker’s could love, it was nothing like a BMW in many ways. It was a softer more posh luxo barge that drove the part, and yet was designed to compete with cars that would drive circles around it. The current generation 6 Series ultimately was a car that wore a badge that buyers liked. Sure we may be wrong and maybe our take on this BMW model is a bit harsh, but you are more than welcome to let us hear about it in the comments section, while we are huge BMW fans we can call a spade a spade and stick by it.

The new 6 series lineup will feature a coupe, a convertible (a soft top with hard top option) and as we have been reporting a 4 door coupe along the lines of the Gran Coupe Concept. Rumors also have BMW working on a late addition offering in the form of a shooting brake; we feel like that would be one too many variants for such a low volume market and it will ultimately not be produced, but only time will tell. For power, like the current models, BMW will utilize some of the offerings from the 5 Series so there will be no surprises there- in the US we will see the V8 twin turbo and possibly an inline 6 turbo powered version. We expect BMW to improve the 6 Series a great deal moving forward with the new generation 6 (F12/13/14) set to debut in the Spring of 2011, and we truly want to like it. We have a suspicion that we will love the next 6 series and we will be the first to admit it when we do.

Spyshot- Car Magazine

Jeff Koons’ on His Art Car

Sections: //M3\\ | Motorsport | Video Jun 6th, 2010 1 Comment

Contemporary art superstar Jeff Koons designed the latest BMW Art Car. The car is donned with vinyl wrap to portray speed and motion. As number 17 in the BMW Art Car collection Koons’ has some big shoes to fill- we love what he has done and can’t wait for it to race the 24hrs du Man! Enjoy the video from our friends at BMW.tv.

2011 X3 Reviewed: Bigger, Faster and Lighter

Sections: F25 X3 Jun 5th, 2010 4 Comments

BMW has recently changed the game of releasing info for new to launch models, allowing the motoring press to preview the cars before even the final camo is removed. We were lucky enough to spend some time recently with the MINI Countryman which is to launch early next year. A select group of the media recently previewed the completely redesigned 2012 X3 which will be built in South Carolina and be released at the end of the year.

The X3 was the first “compact” luxury multi-purpose vehicle and it mopped up sales for a great many years before it had any competition. The competition has caught up and passed the current version by a long while so this next X3 has to be something special to be the choice of consumers in an overly crowded model segment- it looks like BMW has done just that from early reports. Reviews have been universally positive with the general consensus being that BMW finally has a small crossover that will compete (and win) against the likes of the Audi Q5.

Edmunds Inside Line (amongst others) published some noteworthy facts and figures about the new F25 X3. The X3 is also somewhat of a preview of the next generation 3 Series set to launch in the year 2012 as they will share some components.

Once we arrived and clambered into the new X3, we noticed the new vehicle’s clearly better ingress and egress given the broader overall dimensions and slimmer side sills. Exterior length for the new 2012 BMW X3 grows 3.2 inches, width by 1.2 inches and height by a bit more than half an inch. The wheelbase has been stretched a little more than a half inch as well. Basic cargo room is up to 19.4 cubic feet behind the second-row seat, an increase of almost 3 cubic feet. the 2012 BMW X3 has the new, ZF-built, eight-speed automatic transmission featured by the X5, both for the X3 xDrive28i that will be introduced in January 2011 and then the X3 xDrive35i that arrives a bit later. Even though the new X3 is set to be taken more seriously with all its bigger dimensions, the xDrive28i and the xDrive35i models weigh 45 pounds less than their corresponding outgoing models.

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