BimmerFile Review: 2012 BMW 335i

It was just two months ago that we <a href=\"http://www.bimmerfile.com/2011/12/05/bimmerfile-first-drive-all-new-2012-3-series \">first drove</a> 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.

BimmerFile Review: ActiveHybrid 5 Series

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.