Auto and Cars

Manual 2002 BMW E46 M3 doubles its price in two days We are all aware that prices for certain older BMW M cars are currently on the rise. This is viewed by many as a bubble that’s probably going to burst in a few years. But bubble or not, if you want to buy a BMW E46 M3 these days you have to fork out some serious money. One very clear example of how things can get out of hand is a 15,000-mile 2002 manual M3 that was posted for sale not long ago on Bring-a-Trailer. I saw the car on December 28 on the website and it was listed at $15,000. At that price, it would’ve been an incredibly good deal but, by the time I got around to telling you about it, that price tag doubled. At the time of writing, the 2002 BMW E46 M3 had a price tag of $30,000. With three more days to go, that f...

Video: BMW 330e reviewed against Volvo S60 T8 The BMW 330e seems like a really good choice if you think about it. The new plug-in hybrid in the 3 Series range has really good specs and could allow you to drive on electricity alone most of the time around town, which is yet another plus. With the launch of the new 330e though, BMW entered a new segment, one where the competition is rather different than what we’re used to seeing. One of the cars the 330e has to beat is the Volvo S60 T8 hybrid. The review posted below takes a look at how these two are similar and what differentiates them. All while aiming to establish the winning car. The guys set up the two models in similar conditions across a test loop to see how far you could get on electric power alone first. The BMW 330e mana...

Rare 1982 BMW ALPINA B7 S Turbo goes up for auction One of the things that really helped put ALPINA on the map as a car manufacturer was the fact that their ludicrously powerful and fast creations were built in limited numbers back in the day. ALPINA started off by tuning BMWs and some say they are still doing that to this day, but on a different scale. However, back then, as the production capability of the Buchloe-based car maker was limited, only a few tens of cars could be built. One car that was created during that initial phase was the BMW Alpina B7 S Turbo. As a matter of fact, ALPINA only built 60 of them and out of that limited supply only a few still live on today. If you ever drooled over one, this is your chance to own a piece of history. A pristine 1982 model is going up fo...

DRAG RACE – BMW M135i xDrive vs. Mercedes-AMG A35 4Matic Car Mag South Africa heads out for yet another drag race. This time, the new BMW M135i xDrive is pitted against the Mercedes-AMG A35 4Matic. The two compact hatches are competing in the entry-level premium segment and they both bring to the table a front-wheel drive architecture. The two cars are very close in terms of performance. The BMW M135i xDrive uses a 2-liter 4-cylinder turbocharged mill mounted transversely in the engine bay, making 306 HP and 450 Nm (332 lb-ft) of torque. All that power is sent to all four corners of the car via the new xDrive system and an eight-speed automatic transmission. The Mercedes-AMG A35 uses a similar same setup, with the same amount of power but a bit less torque, being rated at 400 Nm (295 l...

The one-off BMW X7 pickup truck is now displayed at the BMW Welt What do you do when you get bored in your daily job? You come up with crazy projects that might never see the light of day. Or will they? That’s exactly what the BMW engineers in Munich did this Summer. Out of nowhere, BMW has put out a one-off concept model which was dubbed the BMW X7 pickup-truck. The very same project is now displayed at the BMW Welt in Munich. It was July 2019 when BMW showed us what a future BMW pickup truck could look like, using the large platform of the X7 SUV. The unique conversion was put together by BMW Group vocational trainees in cooperation with the Concept Vehicle Construction and Model Technology divisions at the BMW Munich plant. Twelve trainees from the occupational sectors bo...

Gordon Murray talks McLaren F1 and upcoming GMA T.50 Gordon Murray is a legend in the industry. He’s the mastermind behind several incredible machines, from Formula One cars to road cars but his most famous work has to be the McLaren F1. The F1 is widely considered to be one of the finest driving road cars in history, if not the finest. BMW fans especially love the F1 because it was powered by a BMW M-developed V12, designed by another legend of the industry — Paul Rosche. So both the F1 and Murray are beloved in BMW enthusiast circles. Which makes this interview between Murray and Car Throttle a must-read. In this new interview, Murray talks about his new GMA (Gordon Murray Automotive) T.50 and its parallels to the original McLaren F1. It’s fascinating to hear about h...

This was my favorite BMW test drive in 2019 Our editor asked me recently what my favorite drive was in 2019. Reflecting, I realize it was indeed another year of great drives. I’ve spent time driving some wonderful German cars on race tracks, autocross courses, flat out on the Autobahn and even in the insane curvy mountain roads of the Alps along the highest mountain road in Austria. Unbelievably, my answer for my favorite drive of 2019 lies in a from a helping a bud test drive some BMWs. He’s a rather reclusive wealthy man with excellent taste. He wanted me to go with him to drive a new 2019 BMW M5 Competition to consider joining his Bentley. We met up at the BMW dealership where they had a white F90 M5 Competition out front for him waiting. We got a thorough rundown on the...

BMWBLOG Staff — These are Our Best Cars from 2019 The year is officially almost over and with it another year of driving some great cars in great places. So we thought it best to look back on the year and reflect on our pretty incredible job and all of the cars in it. So let’s talk about the best cars we drove in 2019. Horatiu BMW M8 Competition Coupe This year I’ve driven a lot of new BMWs, more than in any other year, but without a doubt, the BMW M8 Competition sits at the top of the pack for me. I had the chance to track the car on the Portimao Circuit in Portugal and came back impressed. I guess what really impressed me it wasn’t the ridiculous amount of power, but rather how composed the car was. The M8 Competition, despite being a fairly large coupe, is quite a ...

2020 BMW X3 xDrive30e plug-in hybrid priced slightly below $50,000 The first-ever BMW X3 plug-in hybrid goes on sale in 2020. Today, we learned that the 2020 BMW X3 xDrive30e will be priced at $49,545 MSRP, including destination & handling. That base price positions the X3 xDrive30e at $4,600 more than the regular X3 xDrive30i ($44,945), but below the X3 M40i ($56,895). The 2020 BMW X3 xDrive30e arrives in a competitive segment where it will go head-to-head with the Volvo XC60 T8 ($54,945) and the Mercedes-Benz GLC 350e ($51,645). The XC60 T8 makes 400 hp and the GLC 350e is rated at 315 hp. The BMW X3 xDrive30e is available with an electronically-controlled xDrive chassis featuring the latest BMW plug-in hybrid technology and making use of a high-voltage, lithium-ion battery....

Video: BMW X3 M Competition versus Audi RS4 Avant drag race Just like any other new car from the M division, the BMW X3 M Competition has to pay its dues. Part of the process is being subjected to a series of drag races, not necessarily against its main rivals, but a host of cars. The latest comes from the guys from CAR magazine in South Africa. After putting the BMW X3 M Competition’s abilities in a straight line to the test against the Jaguar F-Pace SVR, they thought about a different opponent this time. Lining up at the starting line here is a brand new Audi RS4 Avant. Now, to some degree, these cars are rivals, but on different scales. If you think about it, the BMW X3 is the SUV alternative for those wanting a high-riding 3 Series Touring. The A4 Avant is the rival for the 3e...

Travis Scott auctioning a CACTUS JACK 1988 BMW E30 M3 for charity Coinciding with the release of the JACKBOYS compilation, American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer Travis Scott‘s Cactus Jack label is auctioning a CACTUS JACK 1988 BMW E30 M3 featured on the cover of the album. The proceeds will be donated to a charity. The iconic E30 M3 was adorned with a series of mods which will certainly increase the price of the car. The M3 is painted in a sky blue color, complemented by some off-white and brown color tones. Four Hella headlights are placed on the hood and just above the kidney grille. A redesigned front bumper is also included (along with a large air gap in the middle), while gold-painted BBS wheels were thrown into the mix. Of course, there is “Cactu...

BMW rumored to stop production of the quad-turbo diesels in M50d models in 2020 The history of the BMW quad-turbo diesels in the M50d models is coming to an end. Even though there is no official BMW announcement, our sister magazine Bimmertoday reports that the 400 hp six-cylinder diesel will come to a stop in 2020. A worthy successor is not planned and instead the almost 70 hp weaker TwinTurbo diesel from the 40d models will take on the role of the top diesel in the future. The marvelous engine was used in the BMW M550d Sedan and Touring, as well as the 750d and 750Ld Sedan, and more recently by the M50d versions of the BMW X5, X6 and X7. The BMW quad-turbo diesel has been at the top of the BMW diesel portfolio since its launch in 2016. With 400 hp and 760 Newton meters of to...

BMW iFE.20 Formula E car has parts made of renewable textile fibers The 2020 Formula E races are coming up fast and BMW already has a couple of tricks up its sleeve, looking for some next-level tech to be infused in the competition. As you might be aware, BMW, as well as other manufacturers in Formula E, are using the competition as a testing bed for technology that could be used on production cars. That said, the new BMW iFE.20 will be sporting some cutting edge parts made of renewable textile fibers. In a competition as tightly regulated as Formula E, where most car makers have similar specs, using out of the box solutions could get you the winning edge. BMW announced today that the iFE.20 race car will become a pioneer, using parts made of renewable textile fibers. The car will use a...

Legends Face Off: MINI Cooper vs VW Beetle in Auto Express Test Two of the most iconic and important cars in the history of the automobile also happen to be some of the smallest; the Volkswagen Beetle and the Mini Cooper. The former proved to the world that cheap, reliable transportation was not only a possibility but that it could be made available to the masses (even if the Beetle did have a touch of Nazi influence) and the latter proved that that same small, reliable transportation could also be fun. After decades of producing essentially the same cars, both Volkswagen and Mini stopped production on their respective icons, for different reasons. However, both cars were eventually resurrected; the Beetle was brought back by Volkswagen and became the New Beetle and BMW bought the right...

This BMW M850i Gran Coupe in Carbon Black Metallic looks stunning This BMW M850i Gran Coupe radiates an exciting mix of dynamism and elegance with a unique configuration that can currently be seen at the BMW Abu Dhabi Motors. The top of the line BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe is painted in the Carbon Black Metallic color which is one of the most stunning paint jobs offered by BMW. The blueish looking paint enhances the elegant lines of the four-door coupe and reminds us why this is one of the best looking BMWs today. Furthermore, the dark metallic paint is combined with the accents of the carbon package for the exterior. So future owners of this combination will get an equally luxurious and sporty-looking car. The kidney surround in high-gloss black is combined, among other things, with the s...

2019 is Almost Over — What was the Best BMW of the Decade? Now that 2019 is soon coming to a close, we’re nearing the end of not just the year but the decade. The twenty-teens will be remembered for a lot of interesting things, spanning everything from social media to movies to politics. However, it was also a huge decade for the automobile. The car industry has made massive changes over the course of these ten years, with BMW being one of the brands to change the most. Think about this for a second: in 2011, BMW fans were complaining about the 1 Series M having a turbocharged, non-M engine. Now, there’s a BMW M8 with two turbochargers, all-wheel drive and a brake-by-wire system. So BMW has changed a lot over the course of the past decade. Which begs the question — whi...

BMWBLOG Podcast Episode 11 — BMW 1M vs M2 CS, BMW X8 and More The holiday season is nearing its end, as we approach the new year in just a few days. Being the end of the year and the holiday season, most people are in slow motion at the moment, wanting to sit back and unwind, rather than commute to work in the morning. For those of you that do need to make that morning commute, or need something to listen to to make the work day go faster, we’ve got you covered. For about a half hour, at least. Our latest episode of the BMWBLOG Podcast is now live and it’s here to help you make it through the rest of this work week. In this latest episode, we talk about a few interesting topics surrounding the BMW brand. For starters, I discuss a topic that we had talked about last week and ...

Video: How to adjust Lane Changing warning system settings With the advancement of driving assistants, which are meant to become so smart they should allow cars to drive themselves, using the systems we have today can become a bit of a nuisance. Car makers are adding more and more driving assistants and active safety features to their cars, some willingly, others forced by various laws around the world. Most BMWs today come with Lane Changing warning systems and their level of sophistication depends on the options you tick when configuring your car. Having driven a number of BMWs recently, I noticed how these systems became more and more complicated. And also a bit more annoying. I, for one, don’t keep every single system turned on. Steering intervention is the most annoying featu...

Report: BMW i6 in the works, but likely not true A new report has surfaced recently, claiming that BMW is not only working on the iX3, iNext and i4 models but another all-electric model as well aimed at the four-door coupe niche. This new report, coming from Italy, claims the BMW i6 is now in development and will target cars like the Porsche Taycan, Audi e-tron GT or the Mercedes-Benz EQS. Of course, one couldn’t rule out the Tesla Model S from this list too. According to the report from Autoblog.it, the new BMW i6 would have a four-door coupe body style inspired by the BMW i Vision Dynamics. The problem with that is that the BMW i4 is already doing that. BMW has also confirmed that the i4 will basically be an electric 4 Series Gran Coupe inspired by the concept unveiled last year...

Video: Toyota Supra laps Nurburgring faster than Z4 M40i, M2 Competition Ever since BMW and Toyota announced their collaboration will spawn two cars, sharing a lot of their underpinnings, the world has been hellbent on comparing them. Truth be told, the Toyota Supra and the BMW Z4 do have a lot in common. Even the infotainment system inside the Toyota looks like and older version of BMW’s iDrive. So yes, the comparisons might be warranted, especially considering the fact that the engine is virtually the same. The video below shows a run done on the Nurburgring aboard the Toyota Supra with legendary journalist Christian Gebhardt from Sport Auto behind the wheel. You’re more than welcome to check it all out as it does include some awesome skills from Gebhart. Furthermore, you ...

Hamann teases full tuning program for 2020 BMW X4 The BMW X4 in its second iteration has been around for quite some time now. And yet, one of BMW’s oldest collaborators and specialized tuners out there, Hamann, was yet to release tuning parts for it. That changed this week as the tuner posted a few pictures online, teasing a potential full kit for the new X4. The kit that would cover every aspect of the car. For now though, we’ll have to make due with a teaser. The pictures below showcase the changes done to enhance the look of the BMW X4 with some very well picked out parts. Up front, the X4 tuned by Hamann features a new front bumper spoiler. This one seems to be usable solely on cars using the M Sport package, judging by its shape. Yet, It does make the car feel more aggr...

SPIED: 2020 BMW iX3 spotted, first look at the interior design Earlier this week, the forthcoming 2020 BMW iX3 electric SAV has been captured while it was stopped for “refueling”. The new BMW iX3 will be the pioneer of the electrified wave of models. It will also be the very first all-electric model to use the fifth generation of the BMW eDrive technology. The high-voltage battery unit with typical prismatic design of the new BMW iX3 is an integral part of the 5th eDrive generation. The new battery features an efficient, high-density architecture, which reduces the overall weight and increases storage capacity. The net energy content is calculated at 74 kWh (gross capacity 75 kWh), which is enough to ensure a range of over 440 km in WLTP cycle. The estimated energy consumpt...

Report: BMW probed by S.E.C. over sales reporting Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg and other publications are reporting that BMW of North America is allegedly under the scrutiny of the S.E.C. The report says that BMW is facing an investigation in the United States by the Securities and Exchange Commission over a practice known as sales punching in the U.S. Sale punching occurs when a company boosts sales figures by having dealers register loaner vehicles delivered to dealerships are reported as purchases to improve sales figures. BMW acknowledged the investigation, but wouldn’t comment on the specifics of the probe. “We have been contacted by the SEC and will cooperate fully with their investigation,” the spokesman told The Wall Street Journal. A spokesman for the S...

BMW G29 Z4 gets even more aggressive, thanks to a 3D Design tuning kit Tokyo-based tuning shop 3D Design is pushing the envelope once again with a new tuning kit designed for the BMW G29 Z4. The new roadster built by BMW in collaboration with Toyota already comes with aggressive looks, but there is always something more that can be done. With that in mind, 3D Design got to work and put together a tasteful tuning kit for the G29 Z4. The front-end is enhanced by a new lip spoiler made of urethan, while the rear-end is adorned with a rear diffuser in carbon fiber. The diffuser can be fit to Z4 M40i OEM exhaust as well. Furthermore, a trunk spoiler in urethan adds a bit more downforce to an already super sporty car. Speaking of the exhaust system, 3D Design decided to enhance its sound and...

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from the BMWBLOG Team! Another year is coming to a close and our favorite holiday of the year is here once again! On that occasion, the entire BMWBLOG wanted to, firstly, wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. We hope you take some time off and spend it with your loved ones and we certainly hope that Santa was generous this year. Secondly, we once again would like to thank you for your support this year and for keeping us honest. We strive to bring you the best and most professional BMW news, and even if we fall short sometimes, we don’t give up. It has certainly been a busy year for us, for the BMW Group and for the automotive industry in general. Image: instagram.com/da.green.machine There were countless of new products and technologie...

MINI Tomboy Electric concept is your new city car obsession MINI is widely known for one main advantage it has over its rivals. And that advantage can be spotted in the name of the brand. MINI started off making small, compact, city cars. Some would argue it basically invented the niche altogether and, over the years, it ended up being widely recognized for these compact little hatches. In recent times, the Brits might’ve forgotten their way, but we definitely haven’t. The Rocketman concept was unveiled in 2011 and people responded well to it. That’s understandable as the recent trends dictate car makers of all types build and sell huge SUVs and crossovers, something that’s not exactly on MINI’s alley. Thus, when the Rocketman concept was unveiled, some peo...

Video: 1,300 HP BMW E30 M3 with 2JZ engine is a proper smoke machine The BMW E30 M3 achieved legendary status a while back. While I’m not sure whether the engineers in Munich were aware of how important their work would be for the years to come, I’m certain that they gave their best to create this iconic car. These days, prices for this piece of history are going through the roof, but only in pristine condition. Thus, the one we’re about to show you today is not of that assortment. As a matter of fact, people looking for a BMW E30 M3 would probably scroll right past it if it was posted on a car sales website. However, for those looking to actually have fun behind the wheel, it would probably be an interesting choice. That’s because this little bundle of joy has n...

Five Reasons to be Excited about the upcoming BMW i4 One of the most exciting cars in the pipeline at BMW has to be the upcoming i4. The Bavarians have been slacking a bit on the electrified front, over the past few years. While BMW has sold a lot of “electrified” cars, and recently boasted about it, those cars are mostly hybrids which all have internal combustion engines. Where BMW has slacked is in fully-electric vehicles, cars that burn not a drop of fuel of any kind. However, that’s going to soon change, as BMW is going to release no less than three all-electric models by 2021. Most importantly, the BMW i4. So let’s take a look at five reasons why you should be excited about the i4. 5. Gran Coupe Styling Everyone loves a BMW Gran Coupe. Be it the 4 Series, 6 ...

Know Your Leather: Here are the different types of BMW Leather Options When buying a new BMW, there are quite a few different leather options that can be had, depending on the model. And, if you’re like most people, you just see words like ‘Nappa Leather’ and go “Ohh, like where they make the wine. That sounds nice.” However, the different leather options in modern BMWs actually vary quite a bit, based on several different factors. So it’s worth knowing which leathers have which qualities, as that knowledge allows you to determine which BMW leather is worth the upgrade. So let’s dig in. Sensatec Entry-level BMWs don’t get real leather as-standard kit. Instead, they get a synthetic leather called Sensatec. It looks real enough and it feels ...

Analysis: BMW M2 Competition brakes vs. BMW M2 CS brakes BMW M products are emotional. That’s the slogan we’ve heard over the years and with every new product, it gets reinforced. When a new M car comes out, there are countless of posts that analyze every aspect of the car and every pound or extra bolt is part of the discussion. So naturally, when the new BMW M2 CS was launched, the BMW community got busy. The brakes setup is a hot topic today, especially when put in the context of the BMW M2 CS vs. the BMW M2 Competition. So we reached out to a friend of ours (Artemis) to shed some light on this. Here is the analysis that came out of it: M2 Competition brakes vs. M2 CS brakes: EUR-spec: The BMW M2 Competition comes standard with the smaller blue-colored brakes of the M2 and...