Auto and Cars

Genesis: BMW From the Beginning, by Jackie Jouret My passion for BMWs was rekindled at the turn of the 21st century with a three day loan of an E39 M5. The M5 was as close to perfection as I had seen in an automobile. I was smitten and a subsequent stint in an E46 M3 couple merely served to seal the deal. I had lusted after a 2002 when I was in my early 20s but couldn’t scrape together the coin to buy a new one (should have bought used, d’oh!). But a drive of a 528e in the early 1980s did nothing to help push me towards ownership. But that E39 M5 . . . Ownership lead to involvement in the BMW CCA Kansas City chapter – one of the oldest in the nation. And from there to writing about BMWs for the club newsletter, Milepost. Eventually I was introduced to Horatiu Boer...

New BMW 4 Series Coupe online configurator goes live on several BMW websites The new BMW 4 Series Coupe is here and so are the online configurators for the G22 generation, now available on many BMW websites around the world. The premium mid-sized coupe from BMW is offered in two equipment lines: the Basis model and the M Sport version. This is a pretty different strategy than the one applied for the outgoing F32 generation, where you’d also get the Sport Line and Luxury Line trims. It is pretty obvious that BMW is looking for an aggressive positioning of its G22 4 Series, just like in the case of the 8 Series models. The clear intention is to direct customers mostly towards the range-topping M Sport variant. Besides these, you can also get an optional, fancier M Sport Pro package...

Photo Comparison: BMW 4 Series Coupe vs BMW 8 Series Coupe When we first started seeing spy photos of the newly-released BMW 4 Series, clad in camouflage, we thought it looked like a mini-8 Series. Moreover, we had heard rumors that it would actually drive like a baby 8 Series as well. Turns out, neither of those were exactly accurate. BMW claims the new 4 Series to be more of a sports car than anything else and we now know that its styling is not a direct carryover from the 8 Series. So we thought we’d put together a side-by-side comparison to see how the two BMW coupes differ. Let’s get the faces of both cars out of the way first. Up front, the 4 Series makes the 8 Series positively tame. When the 8er first debuted, it was said to have had massive grilles. Now, it looks re...

Photo/Spec Comparison: BMW 4 Series vs Audi A5 Coupe Today, the all-new 2020 BMW 4 Series made its official debut,which means it now has to compete with the newly-facelifted Audi A5. From the looks and sounds of it, the new 4 Series and A5 will be interesting competitors. On paper, it will be a close call but in terms of design, there might be a big advantage toward one car or another. We obviously haven’t driven the new BMW 4 Series, as it isn’t on sale just yet, so we can’t actually compare the two cars. However, we can check out their specs and their design, to see which one looks better and which seems better on paper. Check the Specs On paper, the two cars are surprisingly should compete well. Both the standard Audi A5 and BMW 4 Series (not the S5 or M440i) come ...

2021 BMW 4 Series: No manual transmission and no plug-in hybrid We’ve just finished a conference call with the BMW design team and engineering team behind the new 2021 BMW 4 Series and we’ve learned some new things. Firstly, the BMW 4 Series will NOT get a manual transmission. This applies to all markets and it’s a first for a BMW 3 Series/4 Series Coupe. “We we saw a significant decrease in take rate for manuals, almost to none,” Andreas Ederer (Head of Project) told us. “Therefore we decided to not have a manual transmission for this generation. Although, we know that there are some customers looking for a manual transmission vehicle. And, but this is a very small niche.” The writing has been on the wall for quite some time, even though the M...

M Performance Parts for the 2021 BMW 4 Series available at market launch From market launch, the 2021 BMW 4 Series will get a set of M Performance Parts which will enhance the already sporty look of the new coupe. As always, the M Performance Parts package focuses mostly on visual upgrades. The carbon fiber is an integral part of the M Performance Parts and it starts at the front. The front bumper gets some carbon fiber inserts in the air curtains which work perfectly against the Alpine White paint job. There is also an aggressively-shaped front lip which seems to feature a design we have not seen before. The massive kidney grille also gets styled. The outer edges of the one-piece grille is made of carbon fiber. The canards are the last piece added to the front fascia. On the side, you...

Video: Here’s how the G30 5 Series morphed into the refreshed version Yesterday was a big day for the automotive industry. A number of car makers decided that May 27th should be the perfect day to launch their latest offerings and the market was flooded. Apart from the refreshed BMW 5 Series sedan we also got to see the Touring model, the new 6 Series GT, the MINI Countryman, a new X2 model and a couple of Mercedes-Benz E-Class beauties that were also unveiled yesterday. Big day then. The new 5 Series LCI is the biggest news for fans of the Bavarian brand. The current G30 model is proving to be quite a success, already being delivered to 600,000 satisfied customers around the world. By the time it goes out of production, it could top the 1 million mark. And despite its success, BMW deci...

How To Care For Your BMW’s Leather When it comes to leather care, there is no one size fits all solution. BMW carries many different types of leather, as well as several versatile non-leather options to fit different budgets and styles. As an avid enthusiast, I’ve been fortunate to own many different models, creating a necessity for me to understand leather care for a wide variety of BMW leather types, from the Leatherette in my first BMW, a 2007 328xi, to the Merino Leather in my current 2020 BMW X3M Competition. For some types of leather, only cleaning is necessary, as many modern leathers have built-in top coats to protect them from fading and cracking, while others require more care and attention. While this guide won’t cover every type of leather BMW has ever offered, i...

2021 BMW M5 Facelift: Renders show the front and rear of the F90 LCI The BMW 5 Series facelift serves as the base for these new renderings featuring the upcoming BMW M5 Facelift. The refreshed 5 Series, along with this M5 LCI teaser image, gives us a better understanding of the M5’s improved design. As always, our friend @zer.o.wt delivers some realistic renders. The images incorporate the the new headlights and taillights of the 5 Series LCI, along with the modified kidney grille and front aprons. The most important update at the front is undoubtedly the flatter headlights with their completely new daytime running light design. In place of the slightly angular daytime running light rings, which open towards the kidney, there is a new L-shaped design which is only rudimentary rem...

No points for Maximilian Gunther in latest Race at Home Challenge outing Even though Maximilian Gunther showed great promise in the first virtual outings in the ABB Formula E Race at Home Challenge, it seems like bad luck has been following him ever since. The latest bout with it was in the last race. Having qualified to start from the second place on the grid, Maximilian was in a great position for a good finish. However, a collision pushed him towards the back of the line and he ended up finishing 12th. Günther spun in the first turn after Neel Jani hit the rear of his car. As a result he had to let the whole field pass him. He went on to fight his way back up into 12th place, but, like Sims in 14th place, finished outside the points. Victory went to Stoffel Vandoorne from Merced...

Two BMW Z4 GT3 cars finish on the podium on the virtual Nordschleife Sim racing has really taken off lately. BMW teams with professional BMW Works drivers have been competing in the virtual realm quite a lot recently. The latest race took place yesterday and it was, once again, hosted on the virtual Nurburgring Nordschleife. The fifth race of the Digital Nurburgring Endurance Series powered by VCO saw Bruno Spengler and Christian Krognes finishing on the second and third place aboard the BMW Z4 GT3. Spengler, driving his usual Z4 GT3 in the Team BMW Bank colors started off from sixth place. To make things even more difficult, he and his team mate, Nils Koch, got a 35-second penalty after an incident with another car on the track. Nevertheless, the BMW Bank BMW Z4 GT3 managed to work its...

LEAKED: The All-New BMW 4 Series Coupe (M440i Coupe) We’re not surprised that the BMW 4 Series has been leaked two days before its unveil. As it has been the case lately, most of the exciting new BMW models have found their way onto the Interwebs way ahead of their official debut. As a matter of fact, the new 4 Series fully leaked a few months ago, so very few surprises were left in store. Today, several Instagram account, along with some online media are reporting on the leak. The images are part of an official marketing brochure and feature the top BMW M440i Coupe model. The official debut is scheduled for 12:15PM EST on June 2nd, 2020. View this post on Instagram FILTRADO! #bmw4series #the4 A post shared by 𝗕𝗠𝗪⻿...

Stunning BMW M8 Gran Coupe in Donington Grey Metallic over Midrand Beige The BMW M8 Gran Coupe has one of the most stunning designs to come out from Munich in the last decade. The sleek, elegant and sporty four-door coupe sits at the top of the M8 range and competes in a segment with the likes of Porsche Panamera Turbo, Mercedes-AMG GT63 S and Audi RS7. But if you add some BMW Individual touches to the already beautiful lines of the M8 Gran Coupe? That’s exactly what a reader of ours has done. Meet Karl and his BMW M8 Gran Coupe in Donington Grey. The color name might sound familiar from the BMW X6 M which was the first to baptize the gorgeous shade of grey. Later on, the paint showed up on the X4 M and other BMW models as well. To make things even more special, Karl decided to ...

BMWBLOG Podcast Ep 28 — BMW 5 Series LCI, 6 Series GT, MINI Countryman and a Potential 6 Series Revival In this latest episode of the BMWBLOG Podcast, we’re going to talk about mostly LCI stuff. For 2020, the BMW 5 Series, 6 Series GT and MINI Countryman all received LCI facelifts and all three cars have enough changes to genuinely help them compete in their segments. So let’s break ’em down. First, we talk about the BMW 5 Series and just how good it looks. The pre-LCI G30-gen BMW 5 Series was already a great looking car. In fact, it was still competitive in its segment, despite being the oldest car in it by far. Now, though, it looks even better and has been refreshed just enough that it can hang with the much newer Mercedes-Benz E-Class and Audi A6. The BMW 6 Series...

Five of the Best BMW F80 M3 and F82 M4 Parts on Modfind Of all the modern BMWs, the F80 M3 and F82 M4 are the cars most likely to be modded. Not only do they both take to modding well, with big gains coming relatively easy, but there’s also a massive aftermarket community for both cars. What makes that even better is the fact that with that massive aftermarket community comes a massive used aftermarket part community. To take advantage of that community you can use Modfind. This nice thing about ModFind is that it’s a car-part marketplace for the enthusiast community. So you know the people selling parts are genuine gear-heads, as are the people buying. What’s more, if you’re trying to sell a part but are having a hard time, you can pay other local enthusiasts to...

TEST DRIVE: 2020 BMW X1 xDrive20i – The Correct Choice The recent test drive with the 2020 BMW X1 xDrive20i proved me that, sometimes, less is actually more. Here’s why. A little history for the beginning The segment of premium compact crossovers was, more or less, pioneered by BMW in 2009, when the Bavarians introduced their first-ever X1 model. Codenamed E84, the first generation was developed on the on the same rear-wheel drive platform as the E91 3 Series Touring. Of course, like all pure rear-traction Bimmers, the first X1 series also featured proper 6-cylinder units on variants such as the xDrive28i with 245 PS (241 hp) and xDrive35i with 286 PS (282 hp). The X1 was also offered with rear-wheel drive, basically on the low-end variants such as the sDrive16d, sDrive18i, sDriv...

MINI Could get an even bigger SUV than the Countryman MINI recently unveiled a facelift for its biggest car in the range right now, the Countryman. This update keeps the car relevant for a few more years considering that MINI is now extending its traditional 7-year production span on a number of MINI models. Given the COVID-19 situation, and how the automotive industry is trying to recover from the pandemic, chances are we’ll be seeing the current MINI line-up in production for a bit more than usual. The Countryman is also one of the most popular cars in the range. MINI claims that the crossover is responsible for the lion’s share of the sales. Over 30 percent of cars sold by the British car maker wearing the Countryman name on the tailgate. This goes to show that even thou...

Video: M8 Competition drag races S1000 RR bike in BMW showdown When people think of the fastest vehicle BMW makes today, they usually come up with the same answer: the M8 Competition. That may be true for cars, but let’s not forget that BMW also makes bikes. The BMW Motorrad has been doing that for a long long time and learned a lot in the process. That’s why BMW is able to offer superbikes for those of you out there who prefer two wheels instead of four. As we all know, bikes are faster than cars for a simple reason: the power to weight ratio. They usually have incredible amounts of power available per kilo, especially when compared to certain, heavy cars. The video below wants to find out whether the new M8 Competition can keep up or even beat the fastest road-legal bike B...

VIDEO: Enthusiast Auto Group’s Eric Keller Virtually Takes Us Through Their Garage We recently had the chance to virtually sit down with the owner of Enthusiast Auto Group — probably the premiere BMW restoration and repair shop in America — Eric Keller. On our Zoom call, Keller took us through what they call the “Super Secret Warehouse #1”, which is filled with a ton of fascinating BMWs, both old and new, almost all of which have interesting stories. In our new video, you can take that tour and see some of the genuinely incredible cars EAG has stashed away. The virtual tour starts off with an interview, which gives us some insight into how EAG got started, what they do and why people are willing to pay such a high premium for their work. It’s interesting to...

Next-Gen 2024 “G60” BMW M5 Rumored to be the First Electrified M5 BMW hasn’t even unwrapped its new F90 M5 LCI just yet, as it’s only just released the standard 5 Series LCI a few days ago, yet it’s already in the works on the next-generation M5. Set to debut in the later half of 2023, the “G60” generation BMW M5 is rumored to be, and most likely will be, the first-ever electrified M5. According to this new report from Car Magazine, the next-gen M5 will also be the first M car to exclusively be an electrified vehicle. There will be two powertrain variants of the G60 BMW M5; one PHEV (Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle) and one BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle). In English, that means one will be a hybrid and the other will be fully electric, with no gasoline engi...

2021 BMW 5 Series Facelift – New Videos and Footage This week was filled with BMW world premieres, but arguably the most important one was the reveal of the 2021 BMW 5 Series Facelift. Despite being just a midcycle refresh, the 5 Series coverage was quite extensive since BMW has packed the business sedan with a plethora of updates. From design to new features and options, and exciting tech, the 5 Series LCI brings a compelling offering to the market. As always, we have scoured the BMW press website to grab all the information you might crave, including some videos and footage showcasing the 5 Series LCI. But before we get into the video viewing, let’s recap some of the most important 5 Series updates. Refreshed Design The new 5 Series come with a reinterpreted front fascia, with ...

Spengler fifth in latest BMW outing in the IMSA iRacing Pro Series The IMSA iRacing Pro Series is getting really close to its final stage, with the penultimate race of the season taking place last night. This fifth race saw no less than five BMW M8 GTE cars finish in the top ten, with Bruno Spengler being the best placed driver coming in fifth overall. Unfortunately, no driver managed to finish on the podium but the valuable points Spengler won in this race allow him to extend his overall lead. Spengler was heading for a second place finish just before the end. Right up until the turbulent closing laps, it seemed that Spengler and Krohn were assured spots on the podium. They were in second and third positions, putting leader Koch under pressure when Spengler spun when forced to evade a ...

720 HP Manhart MHX5 BMW X5 M is asking for over €200,000 Germany-based tuner Manhart Performance is offering some of the most ludicrous tuning kits for BMW cars. They’ve been doing it for a while, but it looks like the latest M products offer an even better base for their projects. From the M8 to the M5 and now the X5 M, these cars can reach eye-watering levels of power with some careful tinkering done under the hood. The Manhart MHX5 700 is no exception. If you’re familiar with the Manhart way of naming things, you’ll probably run your own “name decoder” in the back of your head. So you would immediately deduct that this is a BMW X5 taken up to 700 HP, or somewhere around that. The exact figure is 723 PS and is probably more than you could ever possibly ne...

BMW M4 GT4 to enter sim-racing world this summer via iRacing platform If you thought BMW was serious about sim-racing before, wait until you see what they have in store now. The German car maker announced today that they will be adding a new model to the iRacing platform this summer, the BMW M4 GT4. This will allow racers access to a wider array of cars in the virtual realm and is highlighting BMW’s enhanced efforts in the field. And while at first it may seem like a walk in the park to add such a model in the sim-racing universe, you might want to think again. The goal of these platform is to make them as realistic as possible. In order to do that, iRacing has worked really close with BMW Motorsport engineers. The reason why the process involves so much attention to detail is sim...

BMW X1 xDrive25e plug-in hybrid: Fresh pictures from Greece Just a few months, the new BMW X1 xDrive25e electrified SAV has celebrated its official market debut in Greece. Since Spring 2020, the new BMW X1 with plug-in hybrid powertrain has been on sale worldwide. The compact Sports Activity Vehicle combines the functionality and practicality of an SUV with reduced emissions and the choice to run purely electric. The electrified architecture of the new X1 xDrive25e features a petrol engine and an electric motor. The internal combustion unit has a displacement of 1.5 liters and 3 cylinders, and is in charge of running the front wheel axle. The maximum output of the petrol powerplant reaches 92 kW / 125 PS (123 hp), while the peak torque delivered is 220 Nm (162 lb-ft). The electric pow...

Video: BMW X5 gets huge grille treatment in new rendering I remember people’s reaction when BMW unveiled the current G05 X5 generation. Most complained about its size and larger than usual kidney grille, but little they knew what BMW had in store for us. A few months later came the BMW 7 Series facelift and of course, the first true seven seater SUV – the X7. Naturally, nobody complained about the front end of the X5 anymore. And for now, the X5 seems safe from getting a rhinoplasty. Yet, it would still be fun to see what an extra large kidney grille would do to the X5’s front fascia. To figure out how that could pan out, The Sketch Monkey published a video with various kidney grilles for possible front fascia designs. Some of them might seem outlandish right now, but ...

BMW 5 Series Sedan in Aventurine Red II with BMW Individual features After spending some time with the BMW 5 Series online configurator, I came up with a fabulous facelifted 5er fully packed with BMW Individual equipment. My choice is a 2021 BMW 530e xDrive plug-in hybrid, good for 215 kW / 292 PS (288 hp), thanks to the XtraBoost technology. Furthermore, I picked the Luxury Line trim version because of its refined exterior styling and shiny chrome ornaments. My top pick for the car’s paintwork is the elegant BMW Individual Aventurine Red II metallic, which is now offered for the first time in the new 5 Series generation. My dream 530e xDrive also sports the recently premiered BMW Individual Air Performance with a diameter of 20 inches, featuring a lightweight construction while ...

Video: BMW X6 M Competition shows incredible Dragy numbers The BMW X6 M models are currently being delivered around the world right and as that happens, we’re bound to see a lot more videos of the “monster” SUV. The official figures claimed by BMW are already pretty impressive, but it seems like there’s more to the story. In the video below, we get to take a look at how the BMW X6 M Competition compares against some of its stiffest competition out there: the Lamborghini Urus and the Jeep Trackhawk. It’s fair to say that these three aren’t exactly perfect rivals but they all have massive V8 engines and similar sizes. The Urus is considerably more expensive while the Trackhawk is cheaper by a good margin, with more power. Nevertheless, the X6 M Competi...

Can the All-New Acura TLX Type S Really Take on the BMW M340i? These are exciting times for any customer in the mid-size sport sedan market, with more choices than ever before. It used to be just the three Germans operating in this space, with BMW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz being the only real choices for customers in this segment. Now, though, you have choices from Jaguar, Alfa Romeo, Genesis, KIA and now Acura. Not just choices, either, but great choices. This newest Acura TLX Type S could be a seriously tough competitor for the BMW M340i? When Acura first debuted the concept for this TLX, it looked stunning. As car enthusiasts, we’d all hoped the design would translate over to an actual production car, without being dulled down. For the most part, that’s happened, as the new...

1986 Hartge H28 Coupe, rival for E30 M3, is asking for $39,500 on eBay It’s unfortunate that renowned German tuner Hartge closed shop. The BMW tuner developed some pretty amazing cars over the years and earned the right to be listed among the greats out there. Unfortunately, the company is no longer in business, but we can still admire some of their older creations. Today I stumbled upon a very rare Hartge H28, a proper alternative to the iconic BMW E30 M3 back in the 1980s. And a mint one as well. The car is listed on eBay and is asking for $39,500 which is definitely not a lot considering the prices asked for just about any E30 model these days. I won’t even mention the M3 here right now. By now you’re probably wondering what makes this car special and why is it call...