Auto and Cars

BMWBLOG Podcast Episode 2: BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe, M8 and more It’s Monday and that means a new episode of the BMWBLOG Podcast is now live. In Episode 2, I talk about some interesting, and possibly polarizing, topics and we’re really excited to share it with you. Obviously, it all starts with the BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe, though, as that was the headline of last week. The all-new 2 Series Gran Coupe is a car that’s been incredibly polarizing among the enthusiast fanbase. So we had to start the discussion there. So I get into its styling, drivetrain and what it means for the brand moving forward. It might not be a car that we love, or even like, but it’s one BMW probably had to make. After that, we move onto some of BMW’s other new cars, such as the new BMW M8 and 8 Series Gran Coupe. W...

Doug DeMuro says BMW X7 is Cooler than Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class When BMW first debuted the X7, enthusiasts of the brand were a bit shocked. Seeing a Roundel, an emblem typically associated with small sports cars, on the hood of an SUV the size of a house was a bit odd. However, once enthusiasts started driving the BMW X7, they were quickly surprised with how good it actually is. Myself included. The X7 is a superb luxury SUV and an incredible first attempt by BMW. However, its main competitor is all new and it’s from a brand that’s been doing it for longer — the Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class. In this new video from Doug DeMuro, we take a look at the Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class to see if it can take down the impressive new BMW X7, a car DeMuro has also reviewed and liked a lot. There’s no doubt, th...

BMW 1 series goes against A-Class and A3 in comparison test Given the recent market introduction of the new 1 Series, the first comparison tests were just a matter of time to appear. One the very first battles is conducted by the German automotive news magazine Auto Motor un Sport (AMuS) and puts the Bavarian hatchback against two of its major co-national opponents: the Mercedes-Benz A-Class and the Audi A3. The chosen Bimmer was a 118d Sport Line to compete with a Mercedes-Benz A 200 d and an Audi A3 35 TDI. All three compact-sized premium models featured a 2.0-liter diesel engines with 4 cylinders and developed the same peak output: 150 PS (148 hp). And that is where the similarities end. The 1 Series can be described as the most dynamic and agile of the three. Moving onto a new, fro...

Report: SUV Boom could mean trouble for BMW workers in Germany You probably noticed that the traditional BMW best-sellers have lost some serious ground recently in favor of all sorts of high-riding alternatives. From SUVs to crossovers, people seem to be more interested in anything else but the sedan that made German cars so desirable in the first place. Right now, a whopping 44 percent of all sales made by BMW around the world goes to the SUV corner and that could trigger some really bad consequences for a number of people. Germany is the biggest economy in the EU and it does rely on its automotive industry quite a lot. 830,000 people have jobs in the field and they are getting less and less work done as demand for the cars traditionally made in Germany is going down. Instead, with peo...

BMW official confirms upcoming 2 Series Coupe will remain RWD The launch of the new 2 Series Gran Coupe made some of BMW’s most avid fans wonder what the future holds for the beloved 2 Series range. That’s mainly because the new Gran Coupe model is built atop a front-wheel drive platform and has a rather peculiar shape too. Furthermore, the 2 Series Coupe is such a good car, it would definitely be a shame to see it follow in the footsteps of the F20 1 Series and go FWD. Earlier this year we told you that the 2 Series Coupe will live on and that it will remain rear-wheel drive. Today we got yet another confirmation that this is the way BMW plans to do things, courtesy of Auto Express. Speaking to the BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe product manager, Gernot Stuhl, they learned that the 2 Series Co...

TEST DRIVE: 2019 BMW 745e – Straight Six For The Win Test drive and review of the 2019 BMW 745e plug-in hybrid. This is also one of the most extensive facelifts BMW has ever done. When BMW unveiled the facelift for the current 7 Series the world was certainly divided. The reason for that? Well, it’s staring you right in the face when you look at it: the oversized kidney grilles. However, before we get into that, I should point out that there’s a lot more going on with the LCI 7 Series than just the grille. This is also one of the most extensive facelifts BMW has ever done. The Design In terms of design, it’s basically as radical as the one done on the F20 1 Series about four years ago. The second generation 1 Series was initially launched with a rather odd design, especially up front, w...

VIDEO: Joe Achilles tests a BMW M135i alongside his M2 Comp For most BMW enthusiasts, the M2 Competition is the best Bavarian on sale. To most of those same enthusiasts, the all-new BMW M135i is the antithesis of the M2. Its front-wheel drive-based, it sports a transverse four-cylinder engine (on account of it being front-drive) and it only comes with an automatic gearbox. So what does a BMW M2 Comp owner think about having an M135i for a bit? YouTuber Joe Achilles is currently the owner of an M2 Competition and is a big fan. But BMW UK has lent Achilles an M135i for a few months, which is a really interesting contrast. So his two car garage for the next few months consists of one of the best rear-drive sport coupes in the Bavarian stable and its new front-wheel drive-based, all-wheel d...

The new BMW 330e plug-in hybrid model photographed in a special combo A sweet gallery of photos comes from Sweden, where a lucky owner presents us his outstanding BMW 330e plug-in hybrid vehicle equipped with M Performance Parts. The star of the photo show is the new G20 BMW 330e electrified model which has been specced in the M Sport trim line with 20″ M Performance forged Y-spoke 795 M wheels in black matte for a daring visual effect. As well, this 330e coming from Sweden is painted in the special BMW Individual Dravit Gray metallic color finish and also features BMW Individual full high-gloss Black line, which also includes the shiny black radiator kidneys. The interior is an all-black deal, boasting refined Vernasca leather with contrasting stitching in white color. The final resul...

BMW Formula E team completes successful and productive test sessions The sixth chapter of the ABB FIA Formula E “green” competition will kick off next month, on November 22, with the first two races of the upcoming season to be held in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia. Prior to the start, the teams have prepared themselves at Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain, where the official testing sessions have been held this week from Tuesday to Friday. The new contender of BMW i Motorsport, the iFE.20 single-seater, has impressed with its sustained performance emerging 1st in the overall practice standings and clocking a huge 536 laps over the course of three highly productive test days. The drivers for 2019-2020 Formula E season, Alexander Sims and Maximilian Gunther, got behind the wheel of their...

New ALPINA B3 Sedan G20 will debut at the Tokyo Motor Show In a few days, one of the most traditional auto shows for ALPINA will start – the Tokyo Motor Show. In Japan, the German automaker will debut the ALPINA B3 Sedan which completes the B3 family after the presentation of the touring at this year’s Frankfurt Auto Show. No other information was released now by ALPINA, but a few things are clear. Just like the B3 Touring, the ALPINA B3 Sedan will be powered by the S58 3.0 liter TwinTurbo engine. The very same engine is used by the X3 M and X4 M models, and will be under the hood of the future G80 M3 and G82 M4. While the pure BMW models get more power, the unit found in the ALPINA units is slightly detuned. In the Touring, the S58 has bespoke turbos and cooling helping to deliver 462...

VIDEO: Check the 4 Series Coupe in camouflage in motion Yesterday, we saw some spy photos of the new BMW 4 Series Coupe doing some laps of the Nurburgring. Today, we get to see some video of the very same car, doing the very same thing. It’s interesting to see both photos and video of the car because seeing a car in motion gives a better perspective of its styling. In this new spy video, the upcoming 4 Series Coupe looks refreshingly good, if I’m being honest. After seeing the frumy-assed BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe, it’s nice to see a proper rear-drive, three-box coupe with a long hood and short deck. It’s a handsome looking thing, this new 4er and I think we’re all going to get used to its massive grille when it finally debuts. After seeing the BMW Concept 4, the car which the new 4er tak...

RENDERING: How could the unlikely BMW M2 Gran Coupe look like Russian graphic designer Nikita Aksionov shows us how an M2 variant for the new BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe should look if ever greenlighted. As this will probably not be the case, we can only dream about the high-performance four-door coupe that would slot above the M235i xDrive. The main reasoning behind not greenlighting such a project is that BMW M wants to stay faithful to old school rules and not produce a model that derives from a front-driven underpinned car. The only M2 will remain the Coupe version: the current F87 LCI as M2 Competition (and in the near future, M2 CS) and the future generation derived from the next G42 model series (G87?). Nonetheless, if the M2 Gran Coupe would ever see the light of day, it would high...

Problem Solved: How Volkswagen Improved Our 2018 Atlas SE’s Turning Radius Everyone loves a good mystery. The quagmire of why our long-term Atlas had the turning radius of a Greyhound bus frustrated me from the first time I tried to make a U-turn. Unfortunately, without any point of reference, I chalked up the Atlas’ lack of agility to the fact that it’s a large three-row SUV. But once I got behind the wheel of another Atlas, that experience shed light on the fact that not all was what it should be with our long-termer. It turns out, we were right. After multiple visits to our local Volkswagen dealer could not remedy the situation, VW North America asked us to relinquish the keys for a week to see if they could diagnose the problem. What they found, according to our helpful VW PR contac...

007 Aston Martin DBS Designed by Daniel Craig Costs $700,007 If you have money to burn, treat yourself to this ultimate in James Bond gadgets: a stunning Aston Martin DBS Superleggera designed by the latest 007, Daniel Craig. There’s no word on what Daniel Craig did to “design” this particular car, but the inky-blue beast is being offered in a run of just seven units, and each costs $700,007. Every example comes with a limited-edition, all-platinum Omega Seamaster Diver 300m. The pricey stocking-stuffer is one of the latest “Fantasy Gifts” offered in the annual Neiman Marcus Christmas Book. Bond’s wheels join other presents for tony tastes including a Neiman Marcus–edition Moët & Chandon vending machine for $35,000, a Versace punching bag for $1,550, and a more affordable Bey Berk cigar...

Saleen GT4 Race Car Debuts With 450 HP and a $225K Price Tag Saleen is no stranger to GT racing, and its latest offering aims to bring the competition experience to drivers of varying skill levels. The company on Thursday in Las Vegas revealed its GT4 concept race car, based on the Saleen 1 (a.k.a. the Saleen S1) and intended to compete in SRO Motorsport Group’s GT4 series. Saleen plans to build the cars in Corona, California, beginning in November, and will open them to customer orders once SRO homologates the model for competition. Saleen revealed the turbocharged race car during a press conference and demonstration event held at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, and it said it designed its GT4 to compete in various series around the world as well as with SRO. The GT4 concep...

Refreshing or Revolting: BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe vs. Mercedes-Benz CLA The 2020 BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe answers a question no one asked: What would a BMW competitor to the Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class look like? Slotting below the 4 Series Gran Coupe, the 2020 2 Series Gran Coupe rides on a front-drive-based platform shared with the X1 and X2. For the U.S., the 2 Series Gran Coupe will only come with all-wheel drive. Upon first glance, the 2020 BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe borrows its front end design from the X2. The twin-kidney grille and headlight clusters are the same shape as in the crossover, giving it a familiar appearance. Compared to the 2020 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class, the BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe has a chunkier look thanks to its rounded appearance. More differences become apparent when yo...

Nearly 150 Collector Cars Seized in an FBI Raid Head to Auction In December 2018, federal agents from the FBI and U.S. Marshals Service raided the offices of DC Solar and the home of company founders Paulette and Jeff Carpoff, exposing the supposed maker of solar-powered generators and light towers for an $800-million-plus Ponzi scheme. Started in 2008, DC Solar attracted investments from Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway and Progressive insurance. The company brought in $810 million in total, $340 million of which came from Berkshire Hathaway. Now, almost a year after the FBI showed up at the Carpoffs’ 4,100-square-foot California mansion, 149 collector cars seized during the raid are going up for auction. So if you thought auction season was over, you thought wrong. As it turns out,...

Dodge Challenger Hellcat Redeye Test Drive Video: The Biggest and Baddest The Dodge Challenger doesn’t compete with the Chevrolet Camaro and Ford Mustang. The pony car proletariat may protest, but hear me out. As the Camaro gets lighter and sharper with track-focused 1LE versions and Ford develops high-revving flat-plane V-8s and carbon-fiber–wheeled GT500s, those cars are chasing a different audience than a car like the Challenger. Dodge’s take on the modern muscle car is bigger, heavier, more comfortable, and more audacious than those cars—the Challenger is its own thing. And the Challenger Hellcat Redeye Widebody is the most Challenger-ish Challenger Dodge will challenge you to buy. ...

Hyundai iMax N Drift Bus Makes Van Life More Exciting Vans are awesome—they haul stuff and take you on epic adventures along with seven other people (you like). But what if said van also gives you thrills? That’s exactly what Hyundai Australia added to a humble iMax (also known as Starex in other global markets) passenger van. However, it didn’t just give it a couple go fast bits and pieces, this iMax got the full N treatment. Say hello to the Hyundai iMax N Drift Bus, the eight-passenger, rear-drive machine that’ll happily go sideways. Normally, the Hyundai iMax is powered by a 2.5-liter turbodiesel I-4. That wasn’t enough so Hyundai Australia ditched that in favor of a 3.5-liter twin-turbo V-6 good for 300 kW and 550 nm of torque, that’s 402 hp and 409 lb-ft. The engine comes paired e...

Aston Martin DBX Undisguised: Details Revealed in New Photos Ignore the dogs. We’ve already seen photos of the upcoming Aston Martin DBX wearing trippy camouflage and bright red lipstick, but a new batch of undisguised detail shots provide fresh clues about the super-SUV. Bundled with a news blast covering accessories that can be optioned on the high-performance high-rider, the photos hint at its capabilities, as well as similarities and differences between other Aston Martins. Take a moment to stretch before proceeding, because we’re about to reach. The crew in Gaydon explicitly details the DBX’s cargo capacity as they describe the available Pet Pack. It’s listed as 632 liters, which converts to about 22.3 cubic feet. That’s comparable to other sporty fastback SUVs; the Lamborghini Ur...

The Canoo Electric Car: 6 Thoughts After Visiting the EV Startup We first reported on the intriguing Canoo electric-car startup last month—what follows are six thoughts from Kim Reynolds, one of the most knowledgeable EV experts in automotive journalism today. That misspelled name “So, could you tell me about the name, Canoo?” Three weeks ago, I typed the address of a new EV startup called Canoo into Google Maps. Canoo? That strange name was the first thing I was going to ask about when I got there. Pulling up to a surprisingly large, two-story building in Torrance, it took a while to find an empty spot. But inside, I was quickly greeted by Canoo’s CEO, Ulrich Kranz, a slight, wiry man in his sixties who speaks with a precise, German accent. After a quick tour downstairs, I followed him...

Ford Explorer, Escape Custom SUVs for SEMA Range From Mild to Wild This time of year, the days may be getting shorter, but we can already feel the SEMA lines getting longer. The well-established custom-car, accessories, and tuner show in Las Vegas, Nevada, is just around the corner, and while we’ve already seen what Ford has in store for some Ranger and F-150 pickups at its booth, now we get to learn about its plans for the 2020 Escape, Explorer, and Expedition SUVs. Read on to learn about the transformations, which range from street machines to off-road beasties. MAD Industries Ford Expedition Stealth This Ford Expedition Stealth by MAD Industries looks rad and is made for weekend warriors—check out that Yakima SkyRise rooftop tent, all you campers in the crowd. The all black and stea...

2020 Hyundai Palisade vs. 2020 Kia Telluride: Korean Cousins Square Off The Kia Telluride and Hyundai Palisade are built on the same platform. They have the same engine, with the same output, connected to the same transmission. They have the same number of seats, similar features and technology, as well as near-identical practicality. Therefore, cross-shopping the two proves you’re a car enthusiast. Why? Because when vehicles are so similar on paper, you’re forced to delve into subtleties and details to decide which is better. Look, if you just wanted a seven-seat people mover, you’d get whatever’s cheapest. But deciding between this duo shows that what you drive matters, even if it’s not an enthusiast car in the typical sense. Ultimately, finding the better SUV was a test of our enthus...

The 2020 Chevrolet Corvette C8 is Faster-Accelerating Than These 10 Pricier Cars MotorTrend has been performance testing cars for 70 years, and over that time we’ve recorded the 0-60 times of thousands of cars. We recently retested the first car to ever grace MotorTrend’s cover, a 1949 Kurtis Sport Car, which did 0-60 mph in an exceptional (the wrong kind of exceptional) 15.3 seconds. Today, some performance cars can even break the 3-second barrier. And now that we’ve tested the 2020 Chevrolet Corvette C8, we know that the sub-$100,000 mid-engine supercar-beater rips to 60 in 2.8 seconds. So which MotorTrend-tested supercars and sports cars are slower than the new 2020 Corvette? Check out the list below to find out. Interested in the 2020 Chevrolet Corvette? See our comprehensive covera...

2020 Volvo XC40 Recharge First Look: The First of Many Volvo EVs to Come Volvo isn’t being shy about it: We need to change our ways to combat climate change issues the world faces today. Cars in particular—including, by Volvo’s admission, its own—are primary contributors to greenhouse gas emissions and resource depletion that pose a massive problem for society today. Rather than take a fatalistic approach and suggest that we end driving entirely, Volvo thinks there’s a smarter, more holistic way. This new approach is better for the planet, but at the same time will add value to Volvo’s business—not to mention still produce fun-to-drive vehicles. Enter the 2020 Volvo XC40 Recharge. Sharing a name and body with the XC40 compact crossover, Volvo’s first-ever all-electric car is based on i...

Future 2020 Honda Fit Shows Its Profile in New Teaser The next generation 2020 Honda Fit (Jazz in global markets) has been teased ahead of its official debut at the 2019 Tokyo Auto Show. One of the most noticeable features on the new car is its length; its nose appears to be longer than the current generation Fit giving it a more car-like profile. The current Fit has a shorter nose that makes it look a little more unusual—even minivan-like in some angles. Other than the longer nose, the new Honda Fit’s looks appear evolutionary. It’s still got the same upright greenhouse, which should help retain its trademark roomy interior. Earlier this year, we spied the next generation Honda Fit testing in Europe sporting roof rails, Honda’s new corporate grille, and round headlights with halo-like...

Eight Supercars and Sports Cars Slower Than a 2020 Toyota Supra It seems that Toyota’s numbers for the new Supra are … let’s say, conservative. Toyota claims the Supra’s BMW-sourced force-fed inline-six makes 335 hp and 365 lb-ft of torque at the crank, but we took it to a dyno for more testing. It put down 332 hp and 387 lb-ft at the wheels, which, factoring in an approximate 15 percent drivetrain loss, suggests the engine is generating a lot more grunt than Toyota tells us. In terms of performance, Toyota’s numbers have the Supra hitting 60 mph from a stop in just 4.1 seconds, which is mighty quick. (Quick, not fast. Fast describes top speed; quick relates to acceleration.) Ah, but just like the power and torque figures, our own testing saw the Supra overperforming. The car completed ...

10 Relatively Affordable Camper-Van Conversions for Living That Van Life Looking to get out there—you know, really out there—but tents are a no-go and you don’t want to drag a trailer to sleep in or drive something the size of a house? Then you’re looking for a camper van. These handy homes away from home are based on normal-sized trucks and vans, meaning they should fit in normal driveways and parking spaces and be fairly easy to drive. We’ve gathered up 10 worth considering for going #vanlife, although fair warning: Even while the majority sit at the affordable end of the camper-van and conversion-van spectrum, they’re all significantly pricier than a regular ol’ van with an air mattress thrown in the back. Airstream Interstate Nineteen Looking for the bougiest luxury conversio...