Auto and Cars

What’s Your Dream First Road Trip After Quarantine? This is a trying time for us all. Never in our lifetimes has a virus affected the world as much as this Coronavirus has and it’s been incredibly difficult on all of us. As car enthusiasts, we obviously want to get out and drive but so many of us can’t, due to government-mandated lock-downs and quarantines. While the inability to go for a fun drive should be the last of anyone’s worries, it’s still something we miss dearly as gear-heads. So, to dream of better days, let’s discuss our dream road-trip for when this is all over; what’s the first road trip you’d like to take when our lives go back to normal? For this little exercise, our dream road-trips don’t have to be very realistic. You ca...

Video: How to Activate Trailer Mode in your BMW SAV It may seem peculiar to some people but BMW’s are actually used to towing things. Some BMWs are even rated for some serious load capacities, especially the X7 and X5 models. But no matter which one you choose, the procedure to get the tow hook to unravel and to get a trailer attached is pretty much the same, as explained by the latest ‘how-to’ video published by BMW on its Youtube channel. On modern BMW’s, the tow hook is usually hidden away, under the rear bumper, whenever you don’t use it. It has a mechanism that allows it to change its position, depending on whether you need it or not. The hook also comes with a plug that provides power for the trailer or whatever you’re towing. The car will autom...

VIDEO: MINI Electric hits the track to see how it handles One of the newest small, electric cars to hit the market is the MINI Electric, an all-electric hatchback with very similar powertrain setup to the BMW i3. It’s also MINI’s first true attempt at an EV production car. While there was the MINI-E a few years back, that was more of a public beta test for electric vehicles, as it was a very low-volume, highly-exclusive, lease-only special. Now, though, the EV MINI is here as a true-blue electric hatchback and, in this new video from One Lap, it hits the track to see how it performs. It like look like your average MINI Cooper but underneath its skin lies and entirely different powertrain from what you’ll find in any of the brand’s other products. Essentially, wha...

Which to Buy: New BMW M850i Coupe or Used Rolls-Royce Wraith? Prior to the launch of the BMW 8 Series, we — along with all other enthusiasts — were excited about the return of the famous nameplate. Now that it’s here, though, it seems that customers don’t share that same excitement. As we’ve recently learned, 8 Series’ are sitting on dealer lots collecting dust, while customers take their $100-grand to Porsche dealerships. There are a few key reasons why the 8er isn’t selling, though we won’t get into all the different ways of saying “the Porsche 911 is better”. Instead, I’d like to propose another interesting alternative, one from within the BMW Group — a used Rolls-Royce Wraith. While the flagship of the 8 Series ...

The BMW i8 Roadster photographed in a scenic landscape We bring you fresh images with the i8 Roadster captured during the Media Scenic Drive event from 2018. Spoiler alert: it also contains photos of the iconic BMW M1 supercar. The i8 will forever remain a ground-breaking, visionary sports car. When it went into production in 2014, the innovative plug-in hybrid was a pioneer on all fronts. Total sales of all i8 versions from 2014 up to April 2020 exceeded 20,000 units worldwide, with the production of the trailblazing model having ceased just recently. Just like classic E31 8 Series, the i8 will go down in history as a true BMW icon. Even though it is not entirely justifiable to label it as a very successful model given the scarce sales numbers, it’s safe to say that the i8 accom...

#StaySafe: BMW M invites us to the NIGHT DRIVE In this period of almost total isolation, BMW M invites everybody on a night tour that will stir good memories of the days of total freedom. We have to recognize our life has completely since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. What was initially thought of no threat became the worst nightmare globally. With most of economic activities shut down and many on the verge of total collapse, the world we knew changed dramatically overnight and for the good. In the quest and desire to come to the normal life we had before the CoVID-19 crisis, we can only question ourselves how much will it take in the end and how we will deal with and handle this lockdown. This is a challenge for many of us, but we must as well feel blessed if we have the c...

The exclusive MINI Cooper S GTS Special Edition at Abu Dhabi dealership The MINI Cooper S GTS Special Edition is limited to just 5 units, all of them specifically tailored for the Middle East showroom. The new MINI Cooper S GTS Special Edition is available for ordering with immediate effect, being addressed solely to clients visiting the MINI Abu Dhabi Motors dealership. The limited-run model is based on the 2020 model year Cooper S (F56 LCI generation). The GTS Special Edition comes with an individual set of measures that makes it stand out from the crowd. The car comes in an exclusive finish in Pepper White exterior color with Chilli Red stripes. Furthermore, the exterior visual package comprises the shiny black adornments and John Cooper Works carbon fiber parts as follows: JCW Carb...

BMWBLOG Podcast: Episode 24 — BMW 4 Series, M4 and X8 M It’s about that time again, time for you to hear the soothing sounds of a thirty-year-old man trying hard to hide his awful New Jersey accent, talking about cars. In this week’s episode of the BMWBLOG Podcast, I break down some of the week’s more interesting topics, such as the BMW 4 Series and i4 Concept, the upcoming G82 BMW M4 and the first-ever bespoke M Division product, BMW X8 M. First up is the BMW 4 Series, as there was a recent render of the upcoming Gran Coupe version that seemed to cause a bit of a stir among BMW enthusiasts. Most fans seem to have a big issue with the new grille design and the render didn’t do much to quite those complaints. If anything, it amplified them. Obviously, it was just ...

Video: BMW M8 Competition vs GT-R and Ferrari GTC4 Lusso drag race Remember the times when no BMW could keep up with a Nissan GT-R from standstill in a drag race? As a matter of fact, remember when the GT-R used to beat everyone and earned its ‘Godzilla’ nickname? Those times are long gone and the video below proves it. The GT-R has truly aged since it debuted over a decade ago, and a new model is just around the corner. For now, the BMW M8 Competition is proving itself to be a bit too much for the aging Godzilla. The guys from CarWow put together a rather interesting drag race once again. This time they got three rather different cars lined up. Normally, Nissan GT-R fans wouldn’t even look at a BMW unless it just drove through their line of sight. That’s also tr...

VIDEO: Rory Reid breaks down the BMW 1 Series and Audi A3 Now that the BMW 1 Series is here and has made the chassis switch to front-wheel drive, it’s competing in an entirely new arena for the BMW brand. While the Bavarians have made premium hatchbacks before, they’ve always been rear-wheel drive-based, giving them a uniquely different taste. Now, though, the 1 Series powers the same axles as every other premium hatch, all of which come from brands that have been doing so for much longer. So is the new 1er good enough to take on an established rival, such as the Audi A3, for example? In this new video from AutoTrader, Rory Reid breaks it down. Being that there’s a bit of a Coronavirus outbreak going on, he can’t exactly test both cars out in the real world. Inst...

Video: BMW M850i Gran Coupe Review complains about iDrive The new BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe is just one of three different body styles BMW is offering for the resurrection of the 8 Series badge. Some might say it’s the best choice out of the three, even though I would probably go for the convertible, but that’s all down to personal choice. The M850i is, however, the best model to get, no matter the body style, as it has everything you need: power, sound and great overall performance. The people over at Roadshow took the BMW M850i Gran Coupe out for a spin and came back impressed. It’s hard not to be impressed by this car, to be honest. It does so many things right, you’ll have to start splitting hairs to find something wrong with it. And yet, since there’s no...

Here are some Fun Interesting Facts about the Rolls-Royce Brand Rolls-Royce is easily one of the most interesting automotive brands in the world. It has a history longer and more fascinating the 90-percent of brands on the market and it continues to be the world-leader in luxury. However, despite being a household name, there are lot of things the masses don’t know about the Goodwood-based luxury brand. So Top Gear listed off a few of them. There are thirteen interesting facts about Rolls in this new article from TG. We won’t list all of them here, obviously, as that would be unfair to TG but we will tease a few of them. One of which is the fact that the iconic Spirit of Ecstasy is not only incredibly valuable but it’s also beloved and protected. In fact, the iconic fl...

‘FREE NOW’ taxi ride-hailing by Daimler and BMW announces restructuring According to Reuters, the ‘FREE NOW’ taxi ride-hailing service run by Daimler and BMW announced on Thursday a corporate restructuring. The new plan brings job cuts, along with a new merger. The “FREE NOW” is rumored to merge with the French app Kapten. In a statement, the company says that the restructuring was aimed at reducing costs in order to offset the hits to its business caused by the coronavirus crisis. The ride-hailing service launched in 2019 as a partnership between BMW and Daimler. The app allows users to call a car and get to their destination in a similar fashion to what Uber and Lyft have been offering for quite some time now. Furthermore, FreeNow offers more than just ride-hai...

TEST DRIVE: 2020 BMW M340i xDrive Touring – The Ideal BMW The BMW 3 Series range has already out on the market for quite some time. Yet, there is one model which we were anticipating for a long time. While we have been able to test drive the new 3er generation G20 / G21 to its fullest, there was one model which we didn’t get our hands on. Until now. It’s the all-new 2020 BMW M340i xDrive Touring, the first-ever M Performance model of the 3 Series Touring. The car shares its engine and chassis components with the M340i Sedan and is the most powerful model of the 3 Series Touring range. Several M specific options, such as the adaptive M sport suspension, the M sport differential and the M sport brakes come standard and want to justify the M badge on the back of the car. In add...

Drag Race: BMW M2 vs. Tesla Model 3 Performance and Alfa Romeo 4C A drag race in the rain brings together the Tesla Model 3 Performance, alongside the BMW M2 Competition and the Alfa Romeo 4C. Basically, an electric car against two, fun, but conventionally-powered sports cars. What do they have in common though? Not much really. The Tesla Model 3 Performance comes with a dual-motor and 450 horsepower. But it also features an all-wheel drive system. The BMW M2 Competition is powered by a 3.0 liter six-cylinder turbocharged engine making 405 horsepower. Being a BMW sports car, it send the power only to the rear wheels. And it’s a manual as well. Furthermore, the M2 Competition with a manual transmission weighs around 3600 lbs (curb weight). On the last lane we have the Alfa Ro...

VIDEO: E46 BMW 3 Series Compact is a Fun Bargain Let’s be honest, most car enthusiasts can’t afford brand-new BMWs. As a premium brand, the cost of entry is quite high for the Bavarian brand, so it’s not as if every enthusiast can get in. Which is why so many enthusiasts turn to used, much older, much cheaper Bimmers to suffice. But picking which used Bimmer to buy can be tricky. So turning to videos like this one from Car Throttle can help you choose. In this new video, CT chooses seven daily drivers that are both cheap and fun. One such car is the E46-generation BMW 3 Series Compact. There were only two generations of 3 Series Compact and neither of them were very loved when new. The E46-generation is the newer of the two and arguably better looking. Though, neither ...

BMW M4 Heritage Edition in Laguna Seca Blue shows up at Hendrick BMW BMW announced in late 2019 the production of a new limited edition BMW M4. The model name was the BMW M4 Heritage Edition and was limited to 750 units. One of those units just showed up at the Charlotte-based Hendrick BMW. The limited M4 was available in three distinct colors: a light blue, dark blue and red. These are the colors made famous by the BMW M Division. The three color choices are equally iconic – Laguna Seca Blue, Velvet Blue metallic and Imola Red. Furthermore, the coupe’s carbon-fiber reinforced plastic roof boasts a striking decorative strip in the BMW M colors, which is integrated into the CFRP composite at the factory using a special manufacturing process. Inside, the special BMW M4 Editio...

BMW iDrive deemed least distracting infotainment system by What Car Screens inside our cars are already the norm. I was recently looking at the interior of an E46 3 Series model and there was no screen inside. Sure, some higher-end models did have a small screen on the dash, but it was the exception and, it didn’t have nearly as much functionality as they do now. These days though, the interiors of our cars, including BMW models, are dominated by screens. In some cases, they could easily pose as TVs. All of that info and all those animations do distract you from the road, as many studies have found recently. It seems that the more functionality a car’s infotainment screen offers, the more time we waste looking into that. So, which systems are the most distracting, ergo the m...

My Opinion: I Hope the BMW X8 M — Whatever It is — Sells Well Last Summer, I had the chance to talk to BMW M CEO Markus Flasch about a few different topics, while at M Fest in Canada. One of the questions I asked him was about the possibility of a bespoke M car, something developed entirely by the BMW M Division and not based on a pre-existing BMW model. Not only did he say such a car was possible but he said it was likely. Now, fast forward nearly a year, we know a bespoke M car is on the way and that it’s likely coming in the form of a BMW X8 M. Upon learning of the X8 M, fans were actually a bit disappointed. Sure, it’s going to be a standalone M product but not exactly what the fans wanted. Instead, fans would prefer something smaller, lighter and sportier, preferably wi...

Future G70/G71 7 Series coming in 2022: What we know so far Here’s round up of the essential details that emerged concerning the forthcoming G70/G71 generation of the BMW 7 Series, expected to be unveiled in 2022. We are yet to see camouflaged test prototypes for the future 7 Series, but there’s a good chance they’ll hit streets this summer. Previously scooped G12 LCI prototypes indicate an increased likelihood for another, this-time mild facelift of the current generation to come out in 2020. The future G70/G71 7 Series is scheduled for world premiere in 2022, most likely during summer as in the case of the G11/G12 and F01/F02 generations. The new luxury flagship of BMW will feature a host of state-of-the-art powertrain technologies. The G70/G71 will be sitting on en...

The new BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe (F44) celebrates Czech market debut We bring you fresh pictures of the new 2 Series Gran Coupe from the Czech market launch. The first of its kind, the F44 generation is underpinned by the new FAAR front-driven platform to be also found on the F40 1 Series. The new BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe has left many of us undecided or intrigued. Yes, it might have a quirky look if you expect it to act like a mini-8 Series Gran Coupe. The proportions of the body are quite controversial and need time to get accustomed to them. Since I first saw it, the F44 2 Series has managed to grow a bit in my eyes. While it still flaunts a rather bulky silhouette, I must say the overall styling is better than the styling of the new 1 Series. Of course, I would have liked more athlet...

Car Mag pits E30 BMW M3 vs Mercedes-Benz 190E Cosworth When it comes to famous automotive battles, there are a couple that immediately come to mind; Mustang versus Camaro, Corvette versus 911 and Ferrari versus Lamborghini. However, there’s an older battle, which admittedly only lasted one generation, that was absolutely epic in its time — the E30 BMW M3 versus the Mercedes-Benz 190E Cosworth. Back in the ’90s, these two cars had absolutely fantastic battles, both on road and on track. During their DTM days, they were also the two coolest cars on track. But now that decades have past since they’ve done battle, what are they actually like? In this comparison, we get to see what each of these legends is like to drive. What’s fascinating is the fact that, des...

RENDERING: Future BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe with M Sport Package As more and more spy photos of the BMW 4 Series keep popping up, we’re getting a better and better idea of what it’s going to look like. It goes without saying that the focal point of the next-gen 4er is going to be its new grille design. BMW has taken the iconic kidney grilles and enlarged them to the point of caricature. This new design direction has caused quite a bit of controversy among the BMW fanbase, to put it lightly. Which is why we’re very interested to see what you readers have to say about this new 4 Series render. The render we see here is based off of the recently-unveiled BMW i4 Concept, just with its EV-ness removed and a more traditional face grafted on. So it gets more traditional headlig...

#StayHome: A handful of interesting BMW facts plus essential BMW book recommendation Right in time with the lockdown amid the CoVID-19 pandemic, we propose two essential books that tell the stories of two classic BMW icons which helped the brand gain its popularity and worldwide success: the 507 roadster and the 2002 two-door sedan. We talked about the late ’50s BMW crisis in a previous article from December 2019. The 1950 – 1959 decade was really a tormented period for most companies in the post-war Germany and BMW too faced significant adverse challenges. Back then, BMW was producing high-end luxury cars which sadly did not live up to desired expectations in terms of sales success: the 501 limousine, the 502 V8-powered derivative, the 503 2+2 gran turismo and the 507 roads...

BMW Canada asks repair shops to donate excess PPE to hospitals The Coronavirus outbreak is putting every healthcare system in the world in the red, with hospitals around the globe not being prepared for such a high influx of patients. The number one priority right now is securing enough protective gear for hospital workers so that they can be safe while attending to the sick. Therefore BMW Canada made a requests to all the repair shops in its network across the country: to donate all the excess personal protection equipment (PPE) they can spare. I’m pretty sure that, if you’ve ever been to a paint shop, the moment you saw the protective equipment used for automotive painting, it would look familiar to what doctors and nurses use. That’s because, at least at a first loo...

Video: How to customize the new digital BMW instrument cluster BMW introduced a new instrument cluster a few years back, part of its new design for the cabins of contemporary models. Its official name is BMW Live Professional Cockpit and it’s available as an optional extra on most models, along with BMW iDrive 7. If you read my reviews of the new system you might be aware that I’m not exactly its biggest fan but, then again, I understand that a digital display is needed these days, considering the vast amount of information available to us. BMW is just doing what it has to but I still think the counterclockwise rev counter is a mistake, especially for a brand that prides itself on the way its cars drive. Furthermore, another one of my complaints was the fact that sometimes t...

Are you Brave Enough to Chance a 320,000-Mile ALPINA B10 The idea of buying an old, highly-used yet very special car is one that’s tempted car enthusiasts for ages. Most of us either can’t afford expensive and special cars or live in markets (see: US Market) where they aren’t available. So the idea of finding one that’s easily affordable and old enough to import is extremely attractive. But is it attractive enough to buy this ultra-high-mileage ALPINA B10? (We don’t own the photos but see them here) This specific 1987 ALPINA B10 is based on an E28-generation BMW 5 Series and it looks absolutely fantastic. I’ve personally always loved the classic styling of the E28 5er but it looks the absolute business in ALPINA-spec. However, despite how good it look...

One-Off Pinifarina-Designed Rolls-Royce Hyperion can’t seem to find a home True coachbuilding doesn’t exist anymore in the automotive industry. Decades and decades ago, you could buy a rolling chassis and have a coachbuilder make you a body for it. That led to some of the most incredibly creative and gorgeous works of automotive art the world has ever seen. In today’s modern world of scalable architectures and space-frame chassis, coachbuilding just isn’t all that possible anymore. Which is why when some brands get close, the world takes notice. Like this Rolls-Royce Hyperion, designed by Pinifarina. (We don’t own the photos but see it here) Based on the Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe, the Hyperion has a custom-tailored body that is mostly beautiful and, desp...

SPIED: 2021 G82 BMW M4 Competition Interior Spotted for First Time We’re in a very small minority among BMW enthusiasts in that we aren’t all doom and gloom about the upcoming BMW M4 and its grille design. Is it going to be polarizing? Sure. Is it going to be horrific, as some fans are already claiming it to be? Probably not. However, I will say this — the rest of it is going to look damn good, as evidenced by these new spy photos. (We don’t own the spy photos but they can be seen here) In this new pics, we can see a camouflaged G82 BMW M4 doing some road testing and we get to see enough of it to know it’s going to look good. Its overall shape, silhouette and curves seem to look very good, potentially even good enough to make even the most ardent of detract...

Upcoming 2021 BMW i4 looks great in this new rendering The upcoming 2021 BMW i4 is quickly approaching its market launch. The new electric vehicle is based on the BMW Concept i4 unveiled a few weeks ago and it’s one of the boldest products to come from BMW. Naturally, rendering artists, such as Andrei Avarvarii, are having fun with the i4. This new rendering brings the concept closer to the production model. As we’ve learned from BMW, the Concept i4 is nearly 80 percent close to the actual model. So let’s start analyzing this render. At the front, it retains the Concept i4’s kidney grille. So the enlarged kidneys are dominating the front fascia, while the sleek laser lights give the car that extra oomph. The front bumper is designed to improve the aerodynamics, a...