Auto and Cars

BMWBLOG Podcast Ep 26 — BMW M4 Gran Coupe, Mercedes-Benz S-Class Leak and the BMW X7 It’s time again for the BMWBLOG Podcast, so if you want to listen to a man with a nasally voice talk about cars, you should be very excited. While it’s me riding solo this week, there are still some good topics to break down. So have a listen. First up, I talk about the BMW M4 Gran Coupe. Earlier in the week, there were reports about a potential M4 Gran Coupe in the works. Since then, however, our sources have claimed that such a car is absolutely not in the works and isn’t going to be made. That might actually be for the better, though, and I explain why that is. I also weigh the need for a potential BMW M3 Touring over an M4 Gran Coupe. So if the M Division wants to make a new M car,...

VIDEO: What sort of E39 BMW 5 Series can you get for £150 on Instagram? BMWs are expensive cars, typically. Even a real beater from the ’80s that barely runs and has a bee hive in each headrest is going to set you back a thousand bucks or so. That’s just the nature of buying a premium car. However, what if someone were to message you and say they’re willing to sell you an E39 BMW 5 Series for £150? That’s exactly what happened to Alex from Car Throttle, who was offered an E39 5er for just £150. Naturally, he immediately accepted, sight unseen, and took delivery of the car. After taking delivery of both the car and the key, he waited several days before checking it out. Ya know, to make sure any rodents that may have been living in it had died before g...

SPIED: 2021 BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe (G26) scooped at Nurburgring The forthcoming BMW G26 4 Series will also spawn the very first purely electric Gran Coupe model, expected to launch in 2021. The second generation of the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe is quite a rare sight among spy photographers. The all-electric BMW i4 has often been caught during the road development phase, whereas the ICE-powered version of the G26 haven’t been spotted since September 2019. Recently, a lightly camouflaged G26 4 Series has been scooped while performing some fast laps on the Nurburgring track in Germany (as we don’t own the spy shots, you can see them here). Rendering: @zer.0.wt The new BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe is expected to premiere towards late 2020, with the i4 electric variant following in 20...

Video: CarWow ranks 10 best BMW M cars ever made Since the guys from CarWow can’t go out and make reviews anymore due to the UK  lockdown, they decided to stay in and prepare other kind of videos for us. Today, they are middling with a really tricky topic: ranking the best ten cars BMW M ever made. And, from the get go, they start with a bang, putting the BMW E30 M3 on the last place of the top 10. That will surely start a heated debate. Maybe they did it on purpose, to get people to argue in the comments section or they truly believe the E30 M3 to be worth only that. The problem is, there’s no mention as to why the E30 M3 is on the last place and how they ranked these cars. Mat only goes over the specs and, in some cases, over how they drive. It would’ve been use...

VIDEO: Check out the BMWs going up for auction at Silvertstone Every year, the Silverstone auction is one of the biggest in the world, with some of the most incredible and exciting cars ever made up for sale. As per usual, Harry Metcalf was allowed to check out some of the cars ahead of the actual auction and show them to us in this latest video. Some of the cars in this video are truly stunning, such as a gorgeous Jaguar D-Type replica, which is actually more of a blueprinted recreation than a replica. However, the BMW section is likely the one you want to see and Metcalf breaks out three BMWs going up for auction, all of which are stellar. Oddly enough, all three of the Bimmers in this video are owned by Jay Kay, from Jamiroquai, who does love his BMWs. First up is a BMW 3.0 CSL ...

LEAKED AGAIN: The BMW iX3 electric crossover The official launch of the BMW iX3 electric crossover is still a few months away, but there are very little surprises in store for us. The new electric SUV has already been leaked last month, but today, we get another look at its exterior lines. The leaks hails from China, which in itself is not surprising. BMW has said numerous times that the iX3 will cater mostly to the Chinese market, considering that initially be built exclusively in China. It’s also the Chinese customer who will get their hands first on the BMW iX3, while the rest of the world will have to wail until 2021. Not the United States though since BMW of North America said they have no plans to bring it over on this side of the pond. The new photos show us the different h...

Video: Check out this BMW 501 Taxi with over 1 million km on the clock True BMW fans know that one of cars the Bavarian company made in the 1950s had a very interesting nickname. The BMW 501 is also known as the “Baroque Angel”, a nickname that also applied to the 502 as the two had similar designs but different underpinnings. Introduced in 1952, the BMW 501 was loved by customers mainly for its shape which was a bit of a novelty back then. It was also a popular car, being used rather often as a taxi in Germany. That’s exactly what the history file of the car below will tell you. The guys from BMW Group Classic decided to bring out one of the cars with the most miles on the clock, in their collection. According to them, this BMW 501 was a taxi and had covered over 1 mi...

VIDEO: Which BMW engine works best in the Toyota Supra? About a year after the release of the Toyota Supra, it’s been given a bit of an update. At first, it was only launched with the same 3.0 liter turbocharged I6 as the BMW Z4 M40i, just in  different state of tune. So rather than the 382 hp of the Z4, the Supra had to make do with just 335 hp. However, the new Supra has been given both a boost and a new engine. So its 3.0 liter I6 engine now makes the same 382 hp as the Z4 M40i but there’s also a second engine option, a 2.0 liter turbocharged I4. It’s the same engine from the Z4 sDrive30i, which is an excellent little turbo four-pot. It makes 255 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque, which is more than enough. The real question is, which version of the Toyota Supra is be...

Paul Walker Collection BMW E30 M3 Allegedly Listed for $150,000 on eBay Paul Walker managed to find his way into the hearts of a large number of car guys over the years. His life, unfortunately cut short by a tragic accident, was sprinkled with cars from a young age. Thus, his role as Brian O’Conner in the “Fast and Furios” franchise therefore fit like a glove. Yet, few people actually knew how much of a car freak he was. Proof of that burning passion is his car collection, a large part of being auctioned at the beginning of this year. Among the cars he had at the time of his death you’ll find a lot of Japanese sports cars, as well as numerous German models. And I’m not talking about your run of the mill E36 328i models either, but rare, truly rare models t...

Video: BMW G82 M4 Burns some rubber on the Ring while testing Ask anyone how to get round a track as fast as possible and burning tires won’t be among the suggestions. That’s because if you want to do it as quickly as possible, you have to be efficient. Burning rubber is definitely fun, but won’t get you to your destination quicker. As for the BMW G82 M4 prototype in the video below, I guess the driver’s aim wasn’t to break some Nurburgring record, but rather to see how the car handles. Breaking traction is an important factor to consider when developing a RWD car. The upcoming BMW G82 M4 will migrate to an all-wheel drive setup, but there’s a catch to that. As we’ve already learned from the head of the BMW M division himself, the new M3 and M4 ...

3D Design Launches New Tuning Kit for Toyota Supra One of the more interesting aspects of the relationship between BMW and the Toyota Supra is tuning. Previous generations of Supra had an almost endless array of mods and were some of the most popular cars for tuners, especially in the JDM scene. Now, the Supra is essentially a BMW Z4, as it uses a shared chassis, a BMW engine and a German-made, ZF-sourced gearbox. So tuning the new Supra is much like tuning a BMW. Because of that, you’re seeing a lot of BMW tuners offering parts and kits for the new Supra and the latest is 3D Design. As one of the biggest tuners of BMWs in the world, it’s fun to see 3D Design make some mods for the new Toyota Supra. It’s also fitting because 3D Design is from Japan and the Supra is a J...

VIDEO: 2021 BMW M5 LCI featured in Aventurine Red metallic on the Ring A lightly camouflaged 2021 BMW M5 LCI finished in Aventurine Red metallic was recently spotted covering some fast laps on the Nurburgring Nordschleife track in Germany. We’ve already reported that the new 5 Series LCI generation will premiere some new paintworks and options, among which we’ll also find the elegant BMW Individual Aventurine Red metallic. Special BMW M550i xDrive in Aventurine Red metallic and AC Schnitzer parts at the Abu Dhabi showroom. The G30/G31/F90 LCI model series are really covering their last miles of the final experimental phase. Recently, a FEP prototype of the upcoming M5 LCI was caught in full action on the Ring. LEAKED: This is the refreshed 2021 BMW 5 Series Facelift That v...

The pioneering BMW Z22 Concept: A masterpiece of technology The BMW Z22 Concept is the perfect example of futuristic technologies introduced no less than 21 years ago, in 1999. BMW is one of the industry visionaries and has always pushed the envelope. The BMW Z22 is the fruitful result of the collaboration between the core BMW brand and the BMW Forschung und Technik GmbH subsidiary. The research and development subsidiary was established back in 1985 under the initial title of BMW Technik GmbH. The daring BMW Z22 was conceived with a definite scope in mind: to be a technology test bed. The state-of-the-art, breakthrough solutions that were initially premiered as concepts on the Z22 can now be easily found in mostly all BMW models on sale. Like Cristopher Columbus ventured and conquered...

LEAKED: More photos of the BMW 5 Series LCI Some more photos of the upcoming BMW 5 Series LCI have leaked, showing off even more of the car than before. In fact, these new photos, while a bit low-def, show off some details of individual packages that we haven’t seen before. For instance, we can see close-ups of the front bumper from both the M Sport and standard 5 Series LCI, as well as the headlights and exhausts. The pre-LCI 5 Series was already a great looking car, one that didn’t need much refreshing. Often times, when car companies try and refresh cars that are already quite handsome, they end up making them worse. However, that’s not the case with this 5er. The new LCI actually looks better and it’s right back into the mix with newer competition from Audi a...

BMW expects to launch a high-volume series FCEV after 2025 We already know that BMW is quite serious about the hydrogen fuel cell technology. BMW remains fully committed to fuel cell technology, even though other constructors are putting off their plans in this area. The Munich-based carmaker is again reaffirming its interest in hydrogen-fueled powertrain. According to a recent report, BMW plans to offer its first serial, high-volume FCEV sometime after 2025 and expects to have a consistent lineup of such vehicles by 2030. In 2022, BMW will launch a limited, trial model based on the X5 Sports Activity Vehicle. Dubbed i Hydrogen NEXT, the fuel cell electric model will boast a 374 PS / 368 hp powertrain, just like the concept car presented at IAA Frankfurt in September 2019. Jürgen ...

VIDEO: BMW Wagon Heaven — Check out EAG’s Wagon Estate The performance wagon is a rare breed, here in the ‘States. Sure, we’ve gotten a few over the years but nothing like Europe has and that makes us very jealous. Over the years, Europe has had an incredible amount of absurdly desirable fast wagons from BMW, and its quirky offshoot ALPINA, wagons that we never got. However, the good folks over a Enthusiast Auto Group actually have a few of classic BMW and ALPINA wagons that they’re nice enough to show off in this new video. There are three cars featured in this video, albeit only briefly. However, each car will get its own video moving forward, so stay tuned. First up is an E30-generation BMW 325iT, which was a Japanese import. EAG bought it and set about giving it th...

BMW M8 Coupe with 625 hp goes for a stroll in NYC New photos from New York City show us the BMW M8 Competition Coupe in Alpine White which proves once again that it doesn’t have to be a color that screams for attention in order to have an impressive appearance. In this case, the BMW M8 Coupe looks at home in the sunny and fairly quiet NYC streets. Furthermore, the BMW M8 Competition Coupe gets a contrasting look. The kidneys, the air control elements on the outer areas of the front apron, the gills of the front fenders, the exterior mirrors, the rear spoiler lip, the four tailpipe trims of the exhaust system and even the model lettering on the rear, are all presented in shiny black. There are also dark elements such as the standard carbon roof and large parts of the 20-inch light...

KBB Comparison: BMW 3 Series vs Genesis G70 The 3 Series has never had more competition than now. More than ever, competitors are gunning for the 3er’s position as the king of the premium sport sedan hill. Making matters worse for the Bavarians, most of the competitors are really, really good. It used to be that BMW only really needed to worry about the C-Class and A4 but now there are some genuinely good cars coming from Jaguar, Alfa Romeo and even Genesis. The all-new Genesis G70 is an excellent premium sport sedan and it’s even more impressive considering it’s the brand’s first attempt at such a car. In this new comparison from Kelley Blue Book, we take a look at the BMW 3 Series and the Genesis G70, to see if the new contender from South Korea can keep up wit...

2020 BMW 5 Series facelift comes with new colors and options According to an BMW dealership bulletin, the upcoming 2020 BMW 5 Series Facelift will feature new colors and options. The refreshed 5 Series is weeks away from its world premiere. The business sedan was already leaked a few days ago and we had the chance to see the car in all its glory. There are three colors that will be available on the G30 5 Series LCI: Aventurin Red Metallic, Phytonic Blue Metallic and Bernina Grey Amber Effect. Another couple interesting options are the M Sport Brakes with red calipers (a first on the 5 Series) and also Android Auto which is finally coming to the range. Facelifted 2021 BMW 5 Series leaked again and we love the car Design wise, the 2020 BMW 5 Series LCI is arguably one of the best fa...

Photo Gallery: MINI Electric takes a trip to Las Vegas Las Vegas is one of those fascinating places on Earth, where people feel anything can happen. It provides so many opportunities and is such a vibrant place that it definitely has a special allure. So it comes as no surprise that MINI decided to take its electric model to Sin City. As for the MINI Electric, we already know what sets it apart from the rest of the range. It’s right there in the name and it speaks about its character and potential. This is also the first ever official, mass-made fully electric car from MINI. What is rather obvious from the pictures below though, is that the MINI Electric feels right at home in the heart of Vegas. That “heart” would be The Strip, one of the most famous boulevards in th...

BMW and NVIDIA join forces, create faster, smarter logistics robots BMW has been using all sorts of robots in its logistics for quite some time now. For a while, they’ve even gained autonomy. These smart little helpers are proving vital in the supply chain, as they can carry various products and parts from one bay to another, without anyone watching them. This is all part of the Industry 4.0 process that is being rolled out in every plant BMW has across the globe and now, the German company joined forces with NVIDIA to make them even better. NVIDIA are widely known for making graphics cards, but the California-based company does a lot more than just that. It is involved in AI development, for example, and it is helping BMW create faster, smarter robots to be used in their logistic...

2021 Mercedes-Benz S-Class Leaks –New 7 Series Rival For decades, BMW and Mercedes-Benz have been trading blows in the high-end luxury sedan market. The BMW 7 Series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class have consistently been among the best luxury cars in the world, with the latter taking the crown more often than not. A new one is currently in the works and some photos of it completely devoid of camouflage have just leaked. In these new photos, we see the 2021 Mercedes-Benz S-Class almost in its entirety; we see its front end, grille, headlights, taillights and even its interior. On the outside, the new S-Class looks like, well, an S-Class. Plus, the angles of these photos are poor and we can’t really get a good idea of its design language with its proportions, so we won’t judge its e...

SPIED: 2021 Rolls-Royce Ghost shows off Phantom-Lite Interior The 2021 Rolls-Royce Ghost is almost here and should be unveiled sometime this summer. It’s a car many wealthy enthusiasts are excited about because the Ghost is the Rolls-Royce sedan you actually drive. It’s the uber-7 Series, so to speak. It’s the car for you if the 7 Series and S-Class are just not luxurious enough. But it’s also likely to be the best driving of the new Rollers, as the Phantom is more for chauffeurs and the Cullinan weighs as much as a Airbus A380 filled with lead. So when new Ghost information trickles out, it piques our interest. Such as these new spy photos, which show off its new interior a bit. (We don’t own the photos but you can see them here) In these new spy photos, w...

VIDEO: BMW M440i Seen and Heard Lapping the Nurburgring Just recently, BMW unveiled the pre-production BMW 4 Series prototype and did so with some press drives for many European journalists. From what we understand, it should be a very sporty car and one that’s even better to drive than its four-door sibling, the 3 Series. The star of the show is the BMW M440i, which is the six-cylinder, M Performance model that will headline the non-M 4 Series lineup. In this new spy video, we get to see that very M440i doing some hot laps at the Nurburgring. (We don’t own the video but see it here) In this video, the BMW M440i is seen screaming around the ‘Ring at full song. We can tell it’s the M440i due to the six-cylinder rasp and its metallic wail at the top end of the rev ...

VIDEO: Can the MINI Cooper SE complete TFLC’s EV Challenge? When it comes to long-range EVs, the MINI Cooper SE isn’t one of them. While an electric MINI is a good idea in general, as MINIs are small and nimble which makes them perfect for electric powertrains, the Cooper SE lacks the sort of range you’d expect from, well, any EV on the market today. With only 110 miles of total electric range, the Cooper SE can’t tackle the sort of trips that even a Chevy Bolt can. But what about a grueling, 148 mile trek up and back down a mountain? In this new video from The Fast Lane Car, we get to see the MINI Cooper SE attempt to do just that. What they do is take both the Cooper SE and an older MINI Cooper S with a JCW package through the Loveland Trials. To do so, both cars hav...

The Phantom Rose — A Rose Bred Specifically for Rolls-Royce Rolls-Royce intends that every customer experience to its home in Goodwood is a special one. If you’re spending more than double the cost of an average American home one of the brand’s cars, the experience had better be pretty special after all. But it isn’t just free espresso and a tour of the factory that makes visiting Goodwood feel unique. Rolls-Royce has gone to incredible lengths to make its home in Goodwood stand out, even going as far as to commission its own flower — the Phantom Rose. Upon visiting Goodwood and walking through the Courtyard, you’ll see the Rolls-Royce Phantom Rose, a flower specifically bred for the British luxury brand by the award-winning Phillip Harkness. “A rose...

Video: Supercharged 650 HP BMW M6 Looks stock, does 300 km/h One of the things that older BMW M cars have going for them is the sleeper look. That’s even more prominent in the E6x models like the V10-powered M5 and M6. The four tailpipes at the back are the only hints that there’s something outrageous lurking under the hood and that makes them perfect sleepers, even in stock guise. The 5-liter heart beating under the hood delivers over 500 HP from the moment it leaves the factory, enough to put a lot of cars to shame. Only those who really know BMW models can tell the difference between an M6 and every other 6 Series in the E63 range and even then, with some tinkering, differentiation can be difficult. The car we’re looking at today goes even one step further. Everythi...

Is the E12 BMW 5 Series the best looking 5 Series of all time? When it comes to famous 5 Series’, the E12-generation often seems to be forgotten. To be fair, many of its successors were absolutely incredible and icons in the industry, so it can be hard to stand out among giants. However, there’s one area where the E12, the original 5 Series, might be better than all of the successors that came before it — design. Back in the early ’70s, the man that headed up BMW’s design team was none other than Paul Bracq, the brilliant French designer that penned countless gorgeously understated cars over the years. While Bracq didn’t lead BMW’s design team for long, only from 1970-1974, he made a big impact on the brand. During his short time with BMW, he de...

What does the BMW M4 Gran Coupe Mean for the BMW M3? Word has just gotten out, claiming that BMW M is working on an M4 Gran Coupe model, due to the popularity of the F36 4 Series Gran Coupe in both America and China. BMW fans around the world are rejoicing, as such a car is something they’ve wanted ever since the launch of the aforementioned F36. While the M4 Gran Coupe is something we’ve all wanted for some time, its existence actually creates a new problem for the brand — what do you do with the BMW M3? The M3 is an absolute, bona fide automotive icon. It’s been around for over three decades and it’s the go-to performance sedan all fans think of. It also invented the segment it competes in, or at least shaped it into what we know it as today. So how could...

G21 BMW 3 Series Touring is the same size as an E34 5 Series Touring To say that cars have been getting bigger over the years seems like a gross understatement. Cars are growing faster than the average Pawnee citizen at a fried bacon-wrapped hotdog festival. Being that BMW sort of invented the current premium sedan size chart, with its 3 Series, 5 Series and 7 Series, it’s always interesting to see how those cars have grown over the years, compared to one another. For instance, Car Throttle just learned that the G21 BMW 3 Series Touring is almost exactly the same size as the E34 BMW 5 Series Touring. Car Throttle’s Alex Kersten owns an E34 5 Series Touring, a sort of beater car that he’s been fixing up. During a recent test with a G21 3 Series Touring, though, Kersten ...