Auto and Cars

Video: BMW M235i Gran Coupe reviewed by The Straight Pipes Since the US won’t be getting the new 1 Series hatch anytime soon, the 2 Series Gran Coupe will have to fill in for it. The new model is now arriving in dealerships around the country and reviews are starting to pour in. Since the 2 Series Gran Coupe range is limited to the M235i and 228i models in the US, most of the focus, at least for now, is on the M Performance model. Does it rise to the expectations? The guys from The Straight Pipes took one out for a spin and, from the gate, there was one subject that came up first: the design. It’s quite interesting to see how many new models from BMW are divisive from the get go. I noticed it at first on the new BMW X6. Whenever I would ask anyone what they thought of it, th...

BMW is recalling X6 sDrive40i, X6 xDrive40i and X6 xDrive50i models The newly released BMW X6 is getting a recall. According to BMW and NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration), the recall covers 550 models of the G06 X6. The models recalled are the 2020 X6 sDrive40i, X6 xDrive40i, and X6 xDrive50i vehicles. The recall notice states that the rear spoiler may detach. If the spoiler detaches while the vehicle is being driven, it can become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash. To fix the issue, BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the rear spoiler, as necessary free of charge. The recall is expected to begin April 13, 2020. Owners may contact BMW customer service at (800) 525-7417. In the United States, the MSRP pricing starts at $64,300 for ...

TEST DRIVE: 2020 Audi Q3 2.0T Quattro — Good but not Great Since doing this job, I’ve driven and reviewed so many cars I’ve forgotten most of them. Yet I can still clearly remember the tepid awfulness of the first-generation Audi Q3.  In this modern era, there are very few bad cars on the road. Even boring cars are objectively good at being cars; A-to-B transportation machines. But the first-gen Q3 was about as bad as a modern car can get. It was miserably slow, had a cheap feeling interior, had poor ride quality, sloppy handling and too high of a sticker price. I actually can’t remember a single redeeming quality. So when the second-generation Audi Q3 made its official debut, I was filled with optimism. The new car looks great, has a fantastic interior, is built ...

Estoril Blue II BMW 328d Sports Wagon on Paint Matched 437M Wheels Coming straight out of California we have a BMW 3 Series M Sport Diesel Wagon with some OEM Plus additions to truly make it a M Performance Wagon as it should have come from the factory. The Stage 2 Kerma TDI Tuned BMW 328d Sports Wagon, nicknamed “Dory”, comes with plenty of modifications to balance out both performance, handling, and aesthetics. The project in its current Version 4.0 is ongoing and is built by the owner who also took these photos to showcase the wagon both inside and out. The model being used here is a 2014 BMW 328d xDrive M Sport Wagon fitted with optional M Sport upgraded brakes using C-Quence Drilled and Slotted Rotors with Posi Semi Metallic Pads. It even has been outfitted with the ra...

Ask Me Questions: BMW M235i Gran Coupe — Whatcha Wanna Know? This week, I’m driving easily one of the most controversial BMWs of the modern era. Not only is it frumpy looking but it’s based on a front-wheel drive chassis. The latter of which is essentially The Devil’s chassis to many BMW enthusiasts. So, naturally, I was very curious to get my hands on it for a week and see if it’s as horrific as the fan-base predicted. To be honest, this isn’t my first time driving the M235i. I had the chance to sample it, both on road and one track, a few months ago at BMW’s Spartanburg, South Carolina facility. However, each drive was brief and only allowed me to get mildly acquainted with the car. A week with it it, at home, on roads that I’m extremely famil...

Video: BMW 118i Review goes over the everything you need to know Ever since the new BMW 1 Series arrived, we’ve all been focused mainly on the top-of-the-line model, the M135i xDrive, while everything else seemed to fade into the distance. It’s understandable too, as everyone wants to know what it can do, especially considering the AMG and Audi ‘S’ competitors. However, most of the 1 Series models sold will not be M Performance cars. Instead, most will be BMW 118i and 118d models for their price tags and low CO2 emissions. The former is the subject of the latest review published by the South African publication Cars.co.za. This is one of the first models to be launched in the 1 Series range, alongside the 120d and the M135i. It is also using the smallest petrol e...

The F10-Generation BMW 5 Series might be the best used Bimmer Back when the G30 BMW 5 Series first debuted, there was almost a sigh of relief. The G30 is a marked improvement over its predecessor, the F10 BMW 5 Series, and fans were relieved to learn that. However, that’s not to say the F10 is bad. As an everyday luxury sedan, the F10 5er is great. Sure, it lacks a bit in terms of fun and/or handling and isn’t the balanced car that either its predecessors were but it’s still a very good car. Which is why enthusiasts looking for a used Bimmer should keep an eye on it. Depreciation is a funny thing. It sucks for first-owners of cars but it’s great for any owner thereafter. In the case of the F10 BMW 5 Series, depreciation is excellent for second or third owners bec...

BMW: We’re not experiencing any battery supply issues right now The automotive industry is going through a lot of changes right now, having to deal with seriously turbulent times. From the fact that the Covid-19 virus shut down nearly all of China and its manufacturing possibilities, to the Brexit fallout, car makers are finding it more and more difficult to stay afloat. BMW hasn’t been affected by all this madness so far, if we’re to believe the sales boss over in Munich. Electric cars are the focus today. Not just in terms of sales that is, but also when it comes to the production process. Resources for battery manufacturing are available in a limited supply and that can cause delays in the production process. That’s actually something Audi and Jaguar have recently c...

BMW sets record straight on the meaning of its logo BMW is one of the oldest car makers in the world. The company celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2016 but its origins can be traced even further back. The Rapp Motorenwerke company used to do a lot of work in the aviation sector. Over time, the Bavarians changed its logo a few times, and every time people found it unnecessary, just like today. BMW just mentioned a couple of changes being done to the legendary roundel and the Internet was in up in the arms. It’s only natural for a company to change its logo and keep up with the times. This sort of change is usually done with a lot of care though as a brand’s identity will depend on the images it has been associated with in most of the times. In the case of BMW, this happene...

Production BMW i4 will be ‘Very Close’ to the Concept according to officials The BMW i4 Concept brings a very interesting question to the table: is it really close to the production model? That’s a valid question as the car looks absolutely stunning inside and out. BMW has been on a roll in recent years when it came to concepts and how they materialized. Starting with the i8, which was nearly identical to its concept in production clothes, to the X7, a good part of the cars launched in recent years have been really impressive in that regard. As for the i4, it looks like it’s going to follow the same path. Speaking to Automotive News, BMW sales boss, Peter Nota said the production car will be very close to the concept in execution: “The production model will be very clo...

Frank Weber is the new BMW head of development, replacing Fröhlich BMW AG gets a new development boss. At its meeting today, the Supervisory Board of BMW AG appointed Frank Weber (53) as a new member of the Board of Management. Effective 1 July 2020, Weber will assume responsibility for the Development division, taking over from Klaus Fröhlich, who will retire upon reaching the age of 60. Frank Weber joined the BMW Group in 2011 as head of Total Vehicle Development and has been responsible for the Rolls-Royce product line and BMW luxury class later on. The mechanical engineer previously held various management positions at other automobile manufacturers, mainly in development. “We are delighted to have found a very competent successor for Klaus Fröhlich in Fra...

The BMW i8 is going to be a killer pre-owned Bimmer News seems to be circling yet again about the end of the BMW i8. We’ve known for some time that its time was up but its official end of production is already here. So the i8, BMW’s first-ever hybrid supercar and possibly its most ambitious project to date, is finally dead. That’s good news, though, as it means pre-owned customers are going to feast. BMW i cars, both the i3 and i8, might be some of the best used car deals on the market at the moment. Being that both cars’ values plummeted like a piano off a roof, they can be had for shockingly cheap second-hand. At the moment, you can pretty easily find a BMW i8 in the US with decent mileage for under $60,000. While not exactly cheap, that’s about half of w...

The G30 BMW 5 Series is Looking Better Than Ever Back when the G30-generation of the BMW 5 Series debuted, it faced a bit of criticism for its larger kidney grilles, connected headlights and the fact that it was a bit too conservative, too similar to its predecessor. Admittedly, it faced nearly no criticism at all compared to some more modern Bimmers. Still, it wasn’t universally loved. Now that the G30 has been on sale for a few years and is looking at a mid-cycle LCI refresh, I think it’s looking better than ever. Maybe it’s the shock of seeing cars like the BMW Concept 4 and i4 Concept but the G30 BMW 5 Series is looking especially handsome these days. It never really wasn’t handsome but its charms certainly seem stronger than ever. Its conservative BMW stylin...

Farewell to the i8: BMW ends production of the PHEV supercar in April 2020 After six years in service, the trendsetting BMW i8 is nearing the end of its product life cycle. To be honest, this is quite a sad and abrupt end for such a great masterpiece of engineering and design. First launched as a series production car back in 2014, the first-ever plug-in hybrid sports car from BMW has quickly become the most successful performance vehicle in the world. As it approaches the end of its career, the BMW i8 models are definitely set to be come future classics. The BMW i8 Coupe and i8 Roadster are the ultimate technological milestones of the BMW Group, blending in a spectacular and futuristic design with state-of-the-art engineering. The reason why the i8 is so important to BMW is the fact t...

Is this Hartge V8-powered E36 Compact the ultimate sleeper? One of the oldest BMW tuners in the business is also one of the least known outside of Germany. Hartge has been tuning BMW models since 1971 and has been in the business nearly as long as ALPINA. Unfortunately, we haven’t head a lot from them lately because their business went bust. Yet, their amazing creations from over the years are still found in all sorts of places around the world, just like secret gems. One of those hidden gems is this 1997 BMW 3 Series Compact. This is basically BMW’s first attempt at making a compact model for the masses, a 1 Series predecessor if you will. The aim here was to create a smaller car with a lower price tag, for those looking to own a BMW. The E36 platform was the first one used...

Video: BMW M135i vs AMG A35 and Audi S3 comparison review It’s no secret that the BMW M135i has a tough life ahead of it considering the rivals it has to beat. Audi just unveiled a new A3 and its S3 model will probably give the BMW a bit of a headache. Then there’s also the Mercedes-AMG A35, a brilliant car that also has a lot up its sleeve. So how do these three compare? Well, the guys from Chasing Cars managed to get them all together for a proper comparison review. On the spec side of things, these cars couldn’t be any closer. All of them use 2-liter 4-cylinder petrol engines under the hood, all of them are turbocharged and all of the use FWD-biased all-wheel drive systems with automatic gearboxes. The BMW has a bit of an edge in the spec wars though as it has 450 N...

Video: Next-Gen G82 BMW M4 caught testing in heavy snow The next big reveal to come from Munich will wear an M badge and will have a controversial design. The new BMW G80 M3 and G82 M4 will be unveiled this Fall. Naturally, the world is waiting to see the exact shape and form of the kidney grilles, one of the most controversial design pieces. The G80 M3 is expected sooner than the M4 but the two will share a lot of design cues up front, including the huge new set of nostrils. Our sources tell us that even though the new M4 will get a bigger set of grilles, it still looks good in real life. Of course, looks are subjective. What can’t be disputed though is the fact that these new M models will have plenty of power at their disposal. Under the hood will hide the new 3-liters straight...

BMW M3 E46 – My Love Story With This Iconic Bimmer The sound of a six cylinder BMW M3 E46 engine starting up is amazing. Such an elegant purr, as the solid German built engine kicks in. It’s a delicious sound indeed! I’m sure the many readers of BMWBLOG are aware of this familiar sound! The pristine full leather interior with its top quality material, all around. Even the the aroma of the leather is very pleasant. The E46 M3s models tend to age EXTREMELY well. How often do you drive past an old 2004, 05, 06 plate BMW M3 and still think? “Wow, that’s a nice bimmer!” They have a very distinctive look about them; a unique attitude and image that is instantly recognizable. The power delivery from the rear wheel drive is unimaginable, far superior to front whee...

The 2020 New York Auto Show rescheduled for August due to coronavirus Following the Geneva Motor Show cancelation, the New York International Auto Show is taking precautions as well. As a result of the ongoing health concerns from the spread of the coronavirus in the region, the New York International Auto Show has been rescheduled to August 28 – September 6, 2020, says a press release. The press days are now scheduled for August 26 and 27, 2020. “We are taking this extraordinary step to help protect our attendees, exhibitors and all participants from the coronavirus,” said Mark Schienberg, president of the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association, the organization that owns and operates the New York Auto Show. “For 120 years, ‘the show must go on&r...

Video: BMW M2 Competition Gets Stolen allegedly in a couple of minutes Keyless entry and Keyless Go are some of the best comfort options ever invented for a car. I love these systems on my car and whenever I have to review one that doesn’t have them I am instantly reminded just how awful life used to be before them. Don’t get me wrong, I know these are “first world problems.” Yet, once you get used to their features and touchless functions, pressing a button suddenly becomes a chore. The problem with these systems though is that they are prone to being stolen easier than ever before. You’ve probably seen videos online of this happening and it’s actually incredible how easily thieves can gain access to your car. Furthermore, they can easily drive ...

BMW R 18 Production Bike premiere set for April 3 BMW Motorrad will be introducing the long-awaited R 18 production bike on April 3, according to a recent press release. This is an extremely anticipated bike, featuring what BMW Motorrad is claiming to be their most powerful boxer engine yet. The event also has an official timer over at www.bmw-motorrad.com/r18countdown which lets you know how much longer you have to wait until you get to see the production model. The new bike has been unveiled a while back and its motor has already been used on a couple of concept bikes. The new ‘Big Boxer’, as BMW calls it, is the highest-capacity 2-cylinder boxer engine of all time ever used in motorcycle series production. It makes 91 HP and 158 Nm of torque. The engine was set up so that...

VIDEO: Check out this All-Electric Classic Mini Conversion A few years ago, I had the chance to drive a vintage Mini Cooper that was converted over to electric. It was created by a very nice German man who worked for MINI across the Atlantic and he essentially built it in his garage. He then brought it over to the ‘States to let some U.S. market journos drive it in Manhattan. It was one of the most interesting driving experiences I’ve ever had and I still remember it clearly to this day. So when I saw that Johnny Smith (aka the Car Pervert) drove an electric-swapped classic Mini of his own, I had to check it out. The classic Mini Smith drives is done by SWIND, a Swindon, England-based electric powertrain company that converts old Minis over to electric and sells them. It&rsq...

BMW Shooting Brake concept harks back to the legendary Z3 Coupe Digital artist Vladimir Panchenko makes our mouths water with the impressive concept of a BMW coupe that blends in X2 and E46 3 Series hatchback silhouettes. The initial idea was to create sort of a shooting brake crossover that was basically inspired by the X1 and the classic 3 Series hatch model. Eventually, Vladimir Panchenko replaced the X1 startpoint with the X2, with inspiration coming from the digital sketches of Sebastian Simm. Thus, the BMW coupe 2020 concept was created as a bolder three-door coupe with pretty much reminds us of the legendary Z3 Coupe model. The front is a rework of the current design philosophy, taking its use from the X2. The kidney grille features an inverted layout, just like on the F39, yet ...

The True Story Behind the Meaning of the BMW ///M Colors For years, there’s been some confusion as to the origins of the M Division’s colors. Which is surprising, considering that there may not be a more famous color combination in the entire automotive industry than BMW M’s three red, blue and bluer-colored stripes. There are rumors, of course, but the actual origins of the brand’s famous colors have been murky at best for decades. Until now, that is. Back in the 1970s, BMW created the M Division, after its customer teams kept losing to Ford. In a nutshell, BMW stole Jochan Neerpasch away from Ford’s factory racing team and made him the head of its own new factory racing team — BMW M. As Neerpasch was leaving Ford and going to BMW’s freshly-fou...

Could the FWD BMW 1 Series Get an M Version? The new BMW 1 Series received a predictable lukewarm welcome into the world. The old 1 Series was loved for the simple fact that it was RWD in a sea of FWD hatches. Therefore, replacing that model would be a tough pill to swallow. The new 1 Series is definitely trying, but for ‘purists’ it will never be enough. That’s even truer for the M Performance model in the range, the M135i xDrive, as it can’t really match the excitement provided by the old M140i. With a straight six under the hood and all the power going to the rear axle, that was a hard to beat recipe. Even thought that was a brilliant car all on its own, it was never considered by BMW a true ‘M’ car and they never tried to sell it as such. Could th...

BMW iX3 is not coming to the U.S. market, and that’s Okay Earlier today, BMW USA confirmed for Automotive News that the BMW iX3 all-electric SUV won’t be coming to the U.S. market. Naturally, the news were not well received by the vocal electric car community. It has been many years since the introduction of the BMW i3 – six more exactly – and customers were craving a new electric BMW. Initially, the BMW iX3 showed plenty of potential. It’s built upon one of the best selling BMW crossover – the X3, it’s fully electric and likely, not extremely expensive. But if you dig deeper into the technical specs of the BMW iX3 you will find quite a few interesting things. For starters, the BMW iX3 is using the fourth-generation eDrive, along with the afferent ba...

BMW i4 Concept Rendered with Normal-Sized Kidney Grilles The BMW i4 Concept is the second Bavarian concept car to debut with monstrous kidney grilles, with the first being the Concept 4. Considering that they’re related, this isn’t particularly surprising. Still, the i4 Concept’s design has a lot of enthusiasts upset because it’s not exactly like the E30 BMW M3, so it must be heresy. But I digress. While the backlash about its design is certainly overblown, there is some merit to it. The i4’s Kidneys are a bit massive and one can’t help but wonder what it might look like with normal-sized grilles. So someone found out by rendering it as such. In this new rendering, we get to see the BMW i4 Concept with much smaller, far more normal-sized Kidney Grill...

Amazon sweepstakes winner takes delivery of first MINI Cooper SE MINI USA announced today that the winner of the Amazon 12 Days of Deals holiday sweepstakes took delivery of the first MINI Cooper SE electric vehicle last week at MAG MINI of Dublin just outside of Columbus, Ohio. Through a partnership with Amazon, the MINI Cooper SE was featured in the 12 Days of Deals holiday sweepstakes in December 2019. Columbus-area chiropractor, Adam Solomon, was the lucky winner out of more than 250,000 sweepstakes entries. “There is a lot of excitement and buzz around the new MINI Electric from our customers, dealers and our team,” said Michael Peyton, Vice President, MINI of the Americas.  “We look forward to showing customers around the U.S. how fun it is t...

Here is the BMW Concept i4 from another angle BMW Concept i4 was the highlight of this week’s BMW newscast. The fully electric gran coupe concept was supposed to be unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show, but instead, BMW settled for an online release. Unfortunately that has derailed our plans to see the car in real life. Until we get to see the BMW Concept i4 “in flesh”, these web images will make do. This set of photos hails from the BMW Designworks Studio in California and give us a 360 view of the i4. Just like the initial images, the BMW Concept i4 is still featured in the copper color which we hope it comes to the production vehicle as well. Immediately the BMW Concept i4 stands out with its quirky and flashy front fascia. Yet, the kidney grille is hardly a surprise ...

Next-Gen “G87” BMW M2 to debut in 2022 with 420 hp S58 Engine With the introduction of the 2 Series Gran Coupe, fans would be forgiven for worrying about the M2’s status as a rear-wheel drive sports car. As it currently stands, the M2 is probably the best driving BMW, so fans naturally want that to continue and switching to front-wheel drive would damage that status. Fear not, Bimmerphiles, as the next-gen “G87” BMW M2 will not only continue to drive its rear wheels but it will also pack more power from a better engine. According to this new report from Autocar, the next-gen BMW M2 will be powered by a detuned version of the upcoming M3’s S58 engine. So it will be a 3.0 liter twin-turbocharged I6 with around 420 hp, a big step down from the standard M3 and X3 M&r...