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. continued →
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.
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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). continued →
2011 saw us in everything from a 1973 3.0 CSL to the 2013 F10 M5. Thousands of horsepower, countless black tire marks and a mountain of miles ticked off of odometers meant 2011 was a great year. Our favorite reviews and drives? For me it had to be a combination of the 1973 CSL, 2011 1 Series M Coupe and the surprising 2012 650i. Surely Michael would likely have to hold up the M5 launch in Spain (among others). Which ever was the best drive, we at BF agree on one thing. Even with all the great BMWs released this year, there was a clear winner.
And due to it’s voluptuous hips, brash attitude and it’s embrace of the future while looking to the past, it was an easy choice. (drum roll please) continued →
We are just a few days away from Christmas, the anticipation is nearing as the final decorations are put up and holiday cards are opened. If you have been procrastinating and haven’t sent out cards, or prefer last minute digital cards, BMW Switzerland has created something for BMW enthusiasts, M enthusiasts to be more exact.
The card above is what happens when an M5 gets involved in creating greetings of great joy. The full video of the experience an artist had attempting to create a stereotypical Christmas card while in the passenger seat of an M5 is after the break. It’s an amusing idea and goes to show how great the M5 truly is.
Today BMW rolls out a new feature to its online suite of offerings. Yelp is well known to most American consumers and the basic functionality is what you’d expect. The app allows you to tap into Yelp’s huge database of rated services. However one caveat is that this is not bundled with BMW Apps and only is available via BMW’s $99 a year Online service.
Official Release: BMW today announced that users of BMW Online in the US can now access Yelp in their vehicles. With Yelp on-board, customers can search for everything from the best local restaurants and boutiques to parking garages and banks. They are able to see ratings for those businesses while hearing reviews read out to them via the vehicle’s text-to-speech feature. With the recent update to BMW Online’s layout, BMW can seamlessly add new features (known as “applications”) as they become available. Yelp is the first such application and there will be more to follow. continued →
BMW has released a new film about the F30 3 Series. But instead of the typical marketing speak this video is simply the designers of the car talking about the ideas behind it all.
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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: Technology Dec 27th, 2011 16 Comments 
