Auto and Cars

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...

BMWBLOG Podcast Episode 19: BMW M2 by Futura 2000 and More Episode 19 of the BMWBLOG Podcast has just been released and we apologize for some technical difficulties, as we published earlier but some listeners were having some trouble with it. It’s fixed now and the episode is live. Not to toot my own horn but it’s a good one because, in it, I talk about my time in LA to check out the BMW M2 by Futura 2000. A couple of weeks ago, BMW flew me out to LA to see the reveal of the M2 by Futura and it was a fascinating experience. I had the chance to go to Soho House in LA and see Futura and Lupe Fiasco do a bit of a joint interview, while really, really wealthy hip people looked down on my dad-clothes. I was totally the nerd in the room and everyone knew it. It was great. Then I ...

Video: Here’s Robert Kubica’s BMW M4 DTM car for the upcoming season If you’re following DTM, you’ve probably heard it’s going through some deep changes, with fewer and fewer manufacturers still interested in the series. BMW and Audi are still keeping the flame alive but Aston Martin decided to drop out after just one season in the German Touring series. On the other hand, solutions to keep things going and make the championship more appealing are sought and the addition of former Formula 1 driver Robert Kubica to the starting grid could work. The Polish driver announced his intention to compete in the series late last year and in the meantime we learned the details of his endeavor. He will be racing a BMW M4 DTM car under the colors of the ART Grand Prix team. He will...

BMW i4 Concept introduces a new logo, no plans to be used on new cars Today BMW showed us what it has been working for the past few years and finally revealed the BMW i4 Concept. Previewing the production model, the i4 Concept came with futuristic looks which, according to BMW, is 80 percent close to the production car. But those with a more keen eye also notice a couple of interesting details on the concept, including a different BMW logo and roundel sitting on the hood. Now, don’t be panicked, according to a BMW spokesperson, the new logo will not be used on cars. It is mainly for communication purposes (online and offline). Furthermore, concept cars can sport different badges and logos as they aren’t meant to be put in production in that exact shape. But even so, if ...

Video: Chris Harris Shares thoughts on BMW M8 Competition This week’s Top Gear episode featured the biggest, baddest BMW you can buy today, the BMW M8 Competition. In case you’re not up to par with the latest Top Gear line-up, Clarkson, Hammond and May are long gone and since they left, the BBC has been trying to find a good team to replace them. At the moment, the trio appearing on TV every Sunday night includes Chris Harris, who is an experienced automotive journalist and two other teammates who aren’t nearly as skilled behind the wheel. Why am I mentioning this? Because the M8 Competition was “reviewed” on the show last night but the reviewed wasn’t done by Harris but by Paddy McGuinness. And the takeaway wasn’t all that great for the M8 Comp...

LEAKED AGAIN: The 2021 BMW M3 Sedan Leaks and BMW seem to be synonymous these days, so it comes as no surprise that a new leak popped up today. And it’s the good ol’ 2021 BMW M3 Sedan which shows its face again. Literarily. A poorly captured photo gives us another look at the front-end of the G80 M3. And of course, that has sparked quite a few conversations online, mostly because of the angle of this image, and of course, because of the large kidney grille. So let’s dig into what we’re seeing here. The image is black and white, so it was likely captured that way (or processed after) to protect the leaker or the place it has leaked from. We already know that some prototypes are in the U.S. at the moment and making their way to several dealer and VIP events. Anoth...

Formula E: A Detailed Recap of the Marrakesh Race for BMW i Motorsport The BMW i Andretti team once again turned in a successful weekend at Round 5 of the 2019-2020 Formula E championship in Marrakesh, Morocco, with Max Guenther showcasing the speed of the BMW iFE.20 all weekend on his way to his second podium finish of the season. It was a mixed bag of fortunes for Alexander Sims, however, who drove a brilliant comeback race but retired from 5th place on the final lap of the race with a mechanical issue. The result sees young Max Guenther promote himself up to a sterling 4th place in the drivers’ championship, but the BMW i Andretti team slide down to 2nd in the constructors’ championship after a weekend of excellence from the DS Techeetah team saw the Chinese / French team...

Lucas Auer and Kyle Kirkwood complete Formula E tests Formula E is the next big thing in motorsport. As more and more manufacturers work on electric cars and keep developing the technology around them, the focus on the competition is gaining momentum. That’s why car makers such as BMW and others are now competing in the venue and are looking for new drivers to take the helm. This past weekend, two more had a go behind the wheel of the iFE.20 racer to see how they can handle it. As we mentioned a while back, the two were Lucas Auer and Kyle Kirkwood. While Auer is going to race in the DTM this upcoming season for the first time, BMW Motorsport wanted to see whether he would also be a good fit for Formula E. The rookie completed 86 laps in the #27 car and, with a personal best time ...

Photo Comparison: BMW 1 Series vs 2020 Audi A3 Sportback BMW is new to the front-wheel drive hatchback game. The new 1 Series hatch is the brand’s first attempt and it competes in a segment full of veterans. Cars like the Mercedes-Benz A-Class, Volkswagen Golf and Ford Focus have all been competing in this space for far longer. But the 1er’s biggest rival will likely be this — the all-new 2020 Audi A3 Sportback. The Audi A3 has been the longest-running premium hatchback in the segment, having debuted back in 1996. So to say that Audi knows a thing or two about making a premium, front-wheel drive hatchback would be an understatement. Which is why the BMW 1 Series is going to have its hands full, as it needs to go up against the newest iteration of a veteran car in its r...

Rolls-Royce Cullinan 6×6 Rendering takes opulence to next level If there’s one word that can be used to define the Rolls-Royce Cullinan it is, without a doubt, opulence. From the design to the materials used inside and, of course, the price, everything about the Cullinan screams luxury. It also reflects the fact that’s reserved for a certain, very exclusive demographic. The rendering here is taking things to an even higher level, as if that was even possible. Yes, for now, this is just a rendering but wouldn’t it be cool though? Think of the Mercedes G63 AMG 6×6 and what a crazy car it is and now picture a proper rival for it. The Cullinan 6×6 would be a proper alternative, especially if it would keep the 6.75-liter V12 twin-turbo mill under the hood intact...

IAA Frankfurt Motor Show Moving To Munich Starting In 2021 Germany’s Verband der Automobilindustrie has announced that the IAA Frankfurt Motor Show will move to Munich starting in 2021. The German car association says that “attractive event locations, excellent transport infrastructure, and expertise in the organization of major events” as the reasons for choosing Munich. Initially, the VDA picked Berlin, Hamburg, and Munich as the prospective sites for the Frankfurt Motor Show. “The three cities that were shortlisted as the venue have all presented highly ambitious and convincing plans to further develop the IAA together with the VDA,” VDA President Hildegard Müller said in the group’s announcement. “It was a very close race, for which I t...