Auto and Cars

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...

Best Mobile Apps For Electric Vehicles Owners When it comes to electric vehicles, mobile apps are extremely important. They are not just simple apps, but rather extremely valuable tools which will help you navigate through the electric journey.  These smartphone apps can make your life easier by mapping out where you’ll find electric vehicle charging stations. Other apps can help you find lodging with electric car charging capabilities, a must in today’s EV world. Here are some must-have, free apps for electric vehicles drivers. CHARGEPOINT ChargePoint is one of the largest charging networks in the United States. It has close to 70,000 charging stations across the United States.  Hundreds of these electric charging stations are in the Los Angeles area. Naturally,...

TEST DRIVE: 2020 BMW X6 M50d – Aggressive, Effortless, Compelling Last week, I managed to get my hands on the brand new BMW X6 Sports Activity Coupe. Since I am quite of a diesel lover (contrary to global trend), I was enchanted to drive the 2020 BMW X6 M50d quad-turbocharged monster. As expected, I experienced a thrilling experience in a rather controversial car that has split the fans’ opinion. You either love or hate it, but one thing’s for sure: the X6 won’t go unnoticed. It’s very hard to justify the existence of the X6, since you already have the X5 which does basically the same thing at a lower price and with greater practicality. Many customers believe the X6 is simply not entirely convincing or justifiable. But the pioneer of the SAC segment is not here...

Video: BMW M760Li vs Audi S8 Comparison Review The automotive world is in a continuous transformation. Apart from the fact that the best-selling cars right now are SUVs and crossovers, there are also other peculiar breeds around, like uber-luxurious limousine capable of doing outrageous speeds in no time. This list includes the likes of the BMW M760Li and Audi S8. The guys from Throttle House decided to compare the two, but for some reason, they left out the Mercedes-Benz S-Class On paper, these two are rivals but if you take a closer look, the better comparison would’ve been between the 750i and the S8, as in that case they both would’ve had V8 engines under the hood. As it stands, we’re looking at a rather unfair V12 vs V8 comparison, those extra 4 cylinders possibly...

VIDEO: Watch James May talk about the MINI Cooper SE and EVs One of the most interesting people in all of the automotive industry is James May. Famously one of the hosts of Top Gear and now a host of The Grand Tour, May has been on television for decades and is one of the biggest automotive journalists in the world. He also has an uncanny ability to look at cars and the industry in an incredibly unique, mostly odd, both way and it’s always fascinating and hilarious to see what he has to say. In this new video, we get to hear James May’s thoughts on the new MINI Cooper SE and electric cars in general. This is actually a very clever video, as it’s a video review within a video. So DriveTribe created a video review of the MINI Cooper SE with the question of whether or not...

2020 BMW M340i Touring – A Road Trip Into The Alps Last week, we had the chance to spend time with one of the best BMWs you can buy today – the 2020 BMW M340i Touring. The goal was to pickup the car in Munich and drive to the Geneva Motor Show, but the unfortunate cancelation of the Swiss show changed our plans as well. Instead, we went for a long drive from Munich into the German and Swiss alps to see what the new touring is made of. Our full test drive is coming up, but first, we’d like to share some of the fantastic photos from our trip. Before we do that, let’s look at the specs of the M Performance Touring model. BMW’s beautiful touring gets the most powerful six-cylinder engine today, aside from full M models. The 3.0 liter six-cylinder unit makes 374 hors...

Video: MINI Clubman JCW vs Audi S3 and CLA 35 AMG drag race The MINI John Cooper Works Clubman is quite a brilliant machine. It received a massive upgrade last year, changing its engine among other things. This is the same one used on the current BMW M135i xDrive. That completely changed the character of the car and after driving the Clubman and the M135i xDrive I arrived at the conclusion that I like the MINI a bit more. Funny, huh? The guys from CarWow took the hardcore Clubman to their usual testing ground, the drag strip. To see just how good it really is, they brought along two other similarly fast cars and line-up them up for some tests. Alongside the MINI you’ll find an Audi S3 sedan and a Mercedes-AMG CLA 45. The CLA might be defined as a four-door coupe and the MINI might...

VIDEO: Check out this BMW M8 Competition in Ferrari’s Rosso Corsa The BMW M8 Competition is a great car, especially when you realize that it’s more of a fast GT car than an all-out sports car. It’s not a perfect car but it is a special car, one that any owner will enjoy for years. However, one of its faults is a lack of special colors. There’s a Motegi Red and a Frozen Bluestone Metallic but they’re not really stellar color options. Thankfully, that’s where BMW’s Individual program comes in and can make the M8 look properly special. Such as this 1-of-1 Rosso Corsa BMW M8 Competition in America. If you’re not familiar, Rosso Corsa is a Ferrari color and, in Italian, translates to “racing red”. It’s also a perfect shade of red fo...

BMW Concept i4 – What Would Be Your Favorite Color? The BMW Concept i4, and its production version, is one Bimmer that I’m personally passionate about. I’ve been driving a BMW i3 for the last six years, and I love it. Mostly because it’s practical and fun to drive, and secondly, because it has a Range Extender option. Therefore, it’s fair to say that any electric BMW excites me. And the BMW i4 is certainly one of them because it ticks a few boxes for me: It’s better looking than the i3 It has significantly more range (600 km on WLTP) Better driving dynamics and aerodynamic lines More premium features But unfortunately, the U.S. market will not get the BMW i4 until early 2022, so there is plenty of time to agonize over it. Certainly, picking the right color...

This BMW M8 Shooting Brake Features A Gorgeous Design Shooting brake models are rarity today in the automotive world, despite being some of the best looking cars one could buy. When it comes to BMW, we definitely wouldn’t say no to a proper Shooting Brake, especially since we’re drooling over the Ferrari F12s or the GTC4Lusso. But it’s unlikely that we will see such a model in the current or future BMW lineup. In the end, it’s an SUV world and Shooting Brakes have always been a niche. Now, with the BMW M8 Gran Coupe out in the market, a rendering artist decided to draw a BMW M8 Shooting Brake. The result? A fantastic looking automobile which would sit at the top of our shopping list. The car’s roofline is elongated for additional sleekness and the trunk op...

Video: 400 HP BMW i8 Drag Races Stock Corvette C7 The BMW i8 can hardly be considered a dragster. It’s fast in a straight line, don’t get me wrong, but it’s not exactly defined by that speed. Or, by the handling on a drag strip. A Corvette, on the other hand, could easily be turned into a drag race master with a couple of careful thought-out upgrades. It also doesn’t have the drag race pedigree exactly embedded into its DNA, but its V8 is definitely more appealing a drag strip than the i8’s 1.5-liter 3-cylinder. But what would happen if the two went at it in a drag race? That’s what the video below seems to try and figure out but with a couple of very interesting twists. The BMW i8 apparently has been upgraded and is now making 400 HP. But how did the...

BMW M4 EDITION ///M HERITAGE is presented in Laguna Seca Blue The BMW M4 EDITION ///M HERITAGE celebrates the rich history of the high-performance manufacturer from Garching. The newest resident of the BMW Abu Dhabi dealership is a special one: the limited-run BMW M4 EDITION ///M HERITAGE has finally reached the famous showroom from the Middle East. The special edition M4 was launched last year, with a production output slated to reach just 750 units spanning from November 2019 to April 2020. The M4 EDITON ///M HERITAGE is equipped with the straight-six 3.0-liter petrol engine that develops 331 kW/450 PS (444 hp), just like M4 CS, the model it is based on. The special feature is that a trio of ///M logo colors will be offered as exterior paint finishes for the M4 EDITION ///M HERITAGE ...

Video: Here’s the BMW i4 Concept sound, designed by Hans Zimmer The introduction of electric vehicles brings a host of challenges for car makers out there. For those who have built their image on the way they drive and sound, one of the most particular issues is the sound these new contraptions make. BMW is no exception and, as we already reported before, they went big when they decided to hire someone to handle the sounds the i4 and other EVs will make. They hired famous Hollywood soundtrack producer, Hans Zimmer. Hans is currently working with BMW sound designer, Renzo Vitale on what is otherwise called BMW IconicSounds Electric. This is a host of aural stimuli that will convey different feelings to you while you’re driving your electric BMW. Jens Thiemer, Senior Vice President ...

Unpopular Opinion: I Like BMW i4 Concept’s New Logo The all new BMW i4 Concept isn’t the only new aspect of BMW design that fans are up in arms about. Along with the i4 Concept, the Bavarians also rolled out a new logo and it seems that the majority of BMW enthusiasts are upset about it because of course they are. While I’m not one to sugarcoat everything BMW does, in fact I’m often lambasted for my criticism of the Bavarian brand on what seems like a daily basis, I have to admit, I think BMW made the right move here. Not only do I think the brand did right by updating the logo, I actually really like the new one. BMW’s new logo is drastically different than the one it replaces. It’s likely the most radical change the logo has ever gone through. BMW has cha...

SPIED: BMW 4 Series Convertible Seen with Top Down in Snow Many BMW fans are waiting with baited breath to see the next-generation of 4 Series. While any new BMW’s upcoming launch can cause intrigue among BMW’s fanbase, the next-gen 4er is garnering more attention than usual, mostly because of its new grille design. However, there’s a lot more to the new two-door Bimmer than just its grille. So let’s check out some new spy photos that have recently popped up. (We don’t own them but they can be seen here) In these photos, we see the next-gen BMW 4 Series Convertible doing some winter testing with its top down, which is brave of the driver. What’s encouraging to see is that the 4 Series still looks lovely with its top down. It’s not as pretty as t...

2021 BMW M4 G82 – A New Render Based On Recent Leaks One of the hottest car topics of this year is the upcoming 2021 BMW M4 G82. The next-generation M4 leaked several times before, so it’s only fitted that rendering artists are putting together the final design details. This new rendering gives us a closer look at the front and rear-end of the G82 M4. There are a few things worth mentioning. In the back, while the upper area is close to the final product, it’s the lower bumper that’s likely to be different. According to our sources, one of the M3/M4 models leaked had a pre-production bumper, so the final one might be slightly different. The rear-end also stands out with some wide hips, a subtle spoiler on the trunk and the slim and sleek taillights. The typical quad-e...

VIDEO: Tiff Needell explores the Nurburgring in a BMW M8 Competition If you like cars and motorsport, you likely know the name Tiff Needell. He’s a former racing driver and current TV presenter. He was a presenter on the original Top Gear, then Fifth Gear and now he’s all over, doing both TV and YouTube. In this latest video for DriveTribe, Needell takes us through the Nurburgring, where he raced in Group C, back in the ’80s. The video begins in London, where he picks up fellow DriveTribe presenter Mike Fernie in a BMW M8 Competition. From there, they head into in the Euro Tunnel and come out in France, where they begin the largest portion of the trip. From France, they drive through Belgium, which looks breathtaking, and into Germany where they finally end up at the &...

Video: Go round the Nurburgring in the AC Schnitzer ACS2 Sport Not long after the BMW M2 Competition was launched, German tuning shop AC Schnitzer unveiled a kit for the new kid on the block. Their complete package is called the AC Schnitzer ACS2 Sport in the traditional way the German tuner has been naming its cars over the last few decades. And by the looks, it is quite an impressive machine. Not only does it have more power but including all the other changes done to the chassis, this is a completely different beast. The guys from Sport Auto in Germany took the car out for a spin on the Nurburgring to see how all those changes alter the character of the car overall. So what are we looking at here, exactly? Well, the AC Schnitzer ACS2 Sport comes with a host of add-ons on the outside,...

This Mansory Coastline Rolls-Royce Cullinan is… Something Else The Rolls-Royce Cullinan is, in every measurable way, reserved for the wealthiest people in the world. It’s a stunning machine too, filled with all the best materials you could get on a car and more luxury than you could possibly need. For some people though, that’s still not enough and that’s how companies like Mansory make a living. They recently unveiled a special take on the Cullinan under the ‘Coastline’ name and it is… something else. The car was supposed to be introduced to the world via the Geneva Motor Show but since that didn’t happen, due to the Coronavirus, they tuner decided to go the virtual route. Therefore, here is what could probably be considered the most luxurious...

Photo Comparison: BMW i4 Concept vs Tesla Model 3 Performance Now that the BMW i4 Concept is here, it’s time to compare it to its main competitor — the Tesla Model 3 Performance. Of course, no one outside of BMW has driven the actual i4 just yet, so we can’t comment on how they compare on the road. However, we can compare their styling, so that’s what we’re going to do. (Full disclosure, Tesla doesn’t provide a ton Model 3 Performance photos on its press site and not all of them line up well with i4 Concept photos. So I used a mix of regular Model 3 and Performance photos. But since they’re barely any different, it works out fine) Of course, the BMW i4 Concept is just that — a concept. While the Model 3 is a full production car. So compari...

Photo/Spec Comparison: BMW M550i vs 2020 Mercedes-AMG E53 Among the many internet automotive reveals, in the absence of the 2020 Geneva Motor Show, was the 2020 Mercedes-AMG E53. Any AMG model with a ‘5’ at the beginning of its numeric nomenclature is a sort of mild AMG model, similar to BMW’s M Performance models. So this new AMG E53 is Stuttgart’s competitor for the BMW M550i. Being that we haven’t driven the new Mercedes-AMG E53, we can’t comment on how they drive. However, we can compare both performance sedans’ looks, specs and price. So let’s dig in. It’s shocking to me how well the G30 5 Series has aged. It’s a few years old now and it still looks as smart and handsome as it did when it was launched. In fact, I think it...

Video: BMW 3 Series vs Cadillac CT5 comparison review In the last year, Cadillac has been hard at work on their new line-up. They launched a series of new models recently including the Escalade and the new CT5 which is adhering to a new naming scheme. I’m not going into details but the CT5 is aimed at cars like the 5 Series, A6 and E-Class. Which brings me to today’s video. I’ve been watching the guys from Throttle House for quite some time now, before they made cool videos with Jason Camisa. They have been pretty spot on but this time I don’t agree with the comparison they set up. That’s simply because the CT5 is a bigger animal altogether. You can actually see that in the video below, in any of the shots with the two cars together. The 3 Series is smaller...

BMW i4 likely to have two powertrains: RWD and AWD The BMW i4 is one of the headlines in the automotive world this week. The four-door electric coupe is the second car from the BMW Group to use the fifth generation eDrive architecture. The other is the BMW iNEXT (iX). BMW has already released some details around the BMW i4. This fifth-generation tech for the BMW i4 brings out new electric motors, power electronics, charging tech and high-voltage batteries. The electric motor, for example, will be able to deliver up to 530 HP according to BMW, as much as the 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 on M50i models today. The Bavarians are also claiming their products are extremely efficient while the design and packaging of the batteries will allow the company to fit it in extremely tight spaces, due to ...

VIDEO: BMW X4 M Competition vs Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio Prior to driving the BMW X3 M Competition, the most brutal SUV I’d ever driven was the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio. Want a proper monster that Alfa is and, quite frankly, still probably the most exciting SUV I’ve ever driven. However, the X3/X4 M twins from BMW pack just as much power. So the question now stands: Which one is faster? In this new video from Cars.co.za, we take a look at a drag race between the BMW X4 M Competition and fast Alfa. On paper, both cars are extremely similar. Both have twin-turbo six-cylinder engines, pack about the same horsepower (503 hp for X4 M and 505 hp for Stelvio QV), have about the exact same torque (442 lb-ft for the Bimmer and 443 lb-ft for the Alfa), the same ZF-sourced...