Section: Review
Feb 7th, 2012
It was just two months ago that we first drove BMW’s all-new 3 Series on the sun-soaked roads of Spain. Of course, we only got to sample the new four-cylinder 328i back then (along with the not-for-us 320d), and every last one of them was equipped with a sport package and an automatic transmission. Last week, just before the newest 3-series range started rolling into American showrooms, BMW finally turned us loose with the six-cylinder 335i; they also let us do the shifting ourselves as we got reacquainted with the 328i on home turf.
Our trip to Spain last fall found us driving the 328i at Circuit de Catalunya, the famed road course that plays host to Formula One’s Spanish Grand Prix, as well as the scenic mountain roads that surround it. To complement the first spectacular drive, BMW chose none other than Laguna Seca Raceway (sorry, Mazda) near California’s central coast. Aside from the parallels between the two legendary road courses, the coastal and valley roads between Monterey, Salindas and Big Sur offer the same kind of undulating, winding asphalt that made the Spanish countryside perfect for first exploring the dynamics of the F30’s chassis and powertrains.
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Jan 31st, 2012
BMW’s ActiveHybrid 5 Series is the first two mode hybrid from the brand. Unlike the X6 and 7 Series Hybrids (one was a learning tool codeveloped with Mercedes Benz and GM , the other is barely a hybrid) the 5 Series Hybrid follows the typical formula of two drivetrains that can work together or separate using a battery pack to supplement engine drive. There are some key additions to this formula that makes this a uniquely BMW solution.
First, let’s look at the facts. The ActiveHyrid 5 Series marries the familiar N55 TwinPower in-line six with an in-house developed electric drive system and the excellent and equally familiar ZF sourced 8-speed auto. The system gives the car an extra 35 hp over the standard 535i 300hp and allows the car to be driven on electric power up to 37 mph for 2.5 miles.
Full gallery and video after the break.
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Dec 22nd, 2011
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)
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Dec 5th, 2011
The All New 2012 BMW 3 Series
When BMW typically designs a new 3 series it is with one goal in mind- to raise the competitive bar higher. The all new F30 3 series follows the lead of 12.5 million 3 series models produced before it in offering a sporty car in a sedan package. Unlike it’s predecessors it is suffering somewhat from an identity crisis.
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Nov 10th, 2011
Over the years I’ve driven countless BMWs. I’ve put mile after mile on new, used and just plainly old BMWs in every condition imaginable. And yet I’ve never been more excited about one as I am with the little white car parked in my garage.
There is nothing quite like the 1M in BMW’s product mix. Small, relatively light (by modern standards) and stuffed full of M3 components, it’s a 1 Series that looks like it’s been in the gym for the last three years. And in some ways it has with the M division having endowed it with heavy doses huge wheels, fat tires, wide fender flares and air intakes seemingly everywhere.
Then there’s the engine. However as much as the twin-turbo N54-B30TO makes for a great motivator under the hood, the experience is dominated by the M3 influenced chassis, suspension and brakes. Yet it’s so much more and less than an M3. take away 600 lbs and shorten the wheelbase and you’ll understand why, in our first review of the car, we called it likely the best small M car ever. And because of it all it’s easily one of the most endearing BMW’s in recent memory. But how would it hold up to 2,000 miles? Are there cracks in the armor or is the 1M as good as we initially believed?
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Nov 7th, 2011
You don’t clip an apex in a 650i. You hustle it around a corner. This is what I told myself as I slipped into the off-white leather of the our 650i convertible test car for the first time. It was mile one of a 700 mile week of living with a $107,000 BMW. The kind of car that most of us don’t think of owning new or even second hand. And the 6 Series isn’t the kind of car BMW enthusiasts generally flock to or even pine for.
The E24 6 Series in the 80′s was a stylish icon of excess wrapped around a capable chassis and classic BMW drivetrains. Yet there were many (and still are) that felt the E28 5 Series was the better car. The same could be said for the E31 8 Series versus the E34 5er and even the previous generation E63 6 Series versus the E60 5er. It’s clear BMW meant to end that tradition with the new F12 6 Series Convertible. This would be a big coupe that would be carved out of the traditions of the early 70′s E9 CS.
Gallery after the break.
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Oct 5th, 2011
Any car that prominently features the “Spirit of Ecstasy” atop of a large chrome grill has met the requirements to be called a Rolls Royce. The Ghost is a vehicle worthy of donning such an iconic emblem, although it goes about things a tad different than it’s larger sibling, the Phantom, and that is what makes it all the more special.
On a normal day here at BimmerFile we tend to bemoan large heavy vehicles that are not worthy of a track, weight is the enemy so is over the top luxury and the pomp and circumstance that follows. Consider today a departure from our regualry scheduled programming, the cognac is flowing as well as the billows from a fine cigar. Sometimes revelling in a slower pace and the finer luxuries is ok; even for us. The one caveat of all this is- the Ghost has been designed for the driver rather than the passenger in the back.
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Sep 26th, 2011
Dr. Jeckyll meets Mr. Hyde at the push of a button. Or more precisely, an “M” button.
From board room to race track, or vice versa was M’s goal when developing the fifth generation M5. In many ways they hit the nail on the head, but there are some attributes that are not ideal for that tag line. We’ve put the new M5 through the paces all over Andalusia and the track at Ascari developing a great sense of what the vehicle is all about and what it is not.
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