2013 BMW M5

Practically every automaker has an R or a GT or a V or an S or a Spec-Something-or-Other sexing up its catalog. But nobody commits to the job with the fervor of BMW’s M division GmbH. Granted, the gulf between track and street that opened up years ago means that BMW’s speed shop no longer puts motorsport specials on the road with detuned race engines. But that doesn’t mean new M’s are nothing more than Big Macs with barbecue sauce.
Okay, maybe the 1-series M sort of is.
But take the example of the new 560-hp “M TwinPower Turbo” M5—Bimmer-nerd code: F10—that goes on sale in the U.S. late next summer as a 2013 model.
In the F10 M5, you get: a unique engine [see sidebar]; a unique, reinforced and re-ratio’d, seven-speed dual-clutch transmission; and a unique, electronic limited-slip differential with a unique aluminum horse-collar mount for added rigidity. There’s a unique suspension with forged aluminum components and nary a part number shared with any other BMW; a unique variable-ratio steering gear with hydraulic instead of electric boost as in other 5s; unique, iron-and-aluminum brake rotors clamped by unique radial-mount, monoblock front calipers housing six asymmetrically sized pistons per wheel; and a unique front crossmember, stiffened and attached by two additional bolts because somebody thought that was important. A unique rear-suspension cradle is rigidly mounted to the unibody to eliminate the weight and flex of rubber bushings, unique stiffening rods and shear plates underneath serve as extra bracing, and the car runs enough special software to land it on an asteroid.
You may scoff upon learning the M5’s price, expected to fall near $92,000. To that prodigious sum we say: How can BMW possibly sell a couple thousand copies per year so cheaply? What does the dedicated tooling cost, anyway? How much is it to change 10 things about an engine, including the induction system and compression ratio, and then recertify it? It’s a lot of Big Macs. Maybe not as many Big Macs as creating a bespoke V-10, as in the previous E60, but a lot.
The new M5 will assuredly be profitable. But whether it is spectacular or merely great—many people would put a 4300-pound luxury sedan that hits 60 mph in 3.7 seconds firmly in the former category—it’s definitely no parts-bin badge job.
Speaking of acceleration numbers, we have them, stolen on a quiet side road in southern Spain while nobody was looking except some ducks and possibly a Chinese spy satellite. It took a while to master the new M5’s picayune order of button pushing and lever pulling to activate the launch control (example: Step on the brake but not too hard, hold the shift lever forward but not for too long).
Launch control automatically dumps the clutch at about 3000 rpm and upshifts for you. When we finally did it right, the quarter-mile went down in 12 seconds flat at 122 mph. In another 6.3 seconds, the car was passing 150 mph. It pulls nearly 1.0 g braking from 70 to 0 in 165 feet. A skidpad figure will have to wait until we can get a car to test in the U.S.
Compared with an E60 M5 equipped with an automated manual transmission, the F10 is a half-second quicker both to 60 mph and through the quarter-mile, and 2.4 seconds quicker to 150 mph. The braking distance is seven feet longer, but then, the F10 is about 200 pounds heavier. Will the larding up of our favorite vehicles ever stop?
Well, with the M5, one must remember that it remains unapologetically a heavyweight. It is an executive express, a velvet-wrapped hammer, a shark in whale’s clothes. It is not a four-door Lotus Elise. BMW figures M5 owners are richer than M3 owners and that they want commensurate levels of luxury and gizmology. Indeed, you cannot select a gear, push a pedal, or turn the wheel in the new M5 without assistance from the many watchful computers monitoring your every bodily twitch. Even the roar of the M TwinPower Turbo (we just like saying that name), muffled by the turbos and the cabin soundproofing, is partly ersatz, enhanced by a playback of engine noise through the stereo system to give passengers a heightened “acoustic experience.” (Two noises in the M5 that aren’t artificial are the tick-a-click of the dual-clutch automatic doing its business and, in our test car, a distinct hum from the differential.)
Experiential acoustics aside, BMW goes to lengths to make the electronic boundary layer between you and the machine transparent, or, at least, subject to an off button. And if you forget that nearly everything you’re feeling, hearing, and doing has been run through a microprocessor, the car, like the Matrix, is a nice place to be.
A sense of security pervades its every motion on the road, even when you’re busting through 100 mph on a riptide of—dare we say it?—profoundly diesel-like torque. The M5 flies through sweepers with a doctor’s note excusing it from Mr. Newton’s lecture, remaining flat and cool and seemingly impervious to the lateral forces that should roll it heavily to the outside given its relatively compliant suspension. You can starch up the shocks with the “Dynamic Damper Control” button, but even on “Sport Plus,” the car doesn’t tramp.
The M5 spurns the electric-assist steering in lesser 5-series models for a more natural-feeling hydraulic boost. And thanks to sharper camber and caster settings, the car’s commitment to the driver’s desired trajectory is firmer than in the wandering 5s and 7s we’ve driven lately.
When a hairpin comes up, the default stability-control mode is an intrusive buzzkill, cutting power and tapping the brakes even when the M5 seems well within its impressive cornering limits. Switch to the more playful M Dynamic Mode and you begin to see why; the rear just leaps sideways when kicked by the ol’ M TwinPower Turbo. To its credit, BMW avoided making the M5’s chassis too safe and dull by dousing it with understeer, even if increasing numbers of BMWs now sell in markets with, ahem, new drivers. In this department, the M5 is unquestionably an M. Stand down the stability control entirely and watch the M5 bonfire its tires drifting sideways, spitting smoke and chunks of expensive Michelin Pilot Super Sport rubber.
Yet, a slight fog of artificiality is there. The steering does everything you could desire—everything, that is, except talk back with those little organic tugs and sags that make lively cars feel, well, alive. What does tug and sag a bit is the power delivery as the M TwinPower Turbo’s boost crests and falls. We’re not talking lag here because there really isn’t any, just faint disturbances in the g-force that will bother some old Jedi knights who love long, linear windups to stratospheric redlines.
The previous V-10 had an 8250-rpm redline. With the M TwinPower Turbo, Elvis pretty much leaves the building at 6000, though the revs go to 7200 rpm, supposedly for track-day lappers who like to hold gears longer—and, we suspect, to uphold the M tradition of making spin-dizzy engines. The tall gearing of the seamlessly proficient seven-speed, with its two overdrive top gears handing off to a 3.15:1 axle ratio, is well matched to the M TwinPower Turbo’s torque curve, or lack of curve, as it were. The torque “peak” of 502 pound-feet is more of a mesa, arriving just off idle at 1500 rpm and not fading until 5750 rpm, ­figures for a gasoline engine that would make even Herr Diesel envious.
If the M5 achieves its stated goal of a 30-percent gain in fuel economy, combined mpg could reach 20 when the EPA gets around to rating it. BMW is also strongly hinting that the U.S. market will again get a manual-transmission option.
Change, like cold gazpacho, always has its haters. Atavists will doubtlessly cry out that M has abandoned them with all this turbo madness. To paraphrase a recent comment on our website: When the M5 got a V-8 for 1998, people said they missed the inline-six. When it got a V-10 for 2004, people longed for the V-8. That is all true, as is the fact that the new M5 remains a delectably sweet reward for personal financial success. And if the next M5 is a diesel-electric hybrid that hits 60 mph in three seconds flat, will we say the same? Maybe, but only if BMW comes up with an even better name than M TwinPower Turbo

E28: 1984–1988
The first M5s were hand-assembled by BMW’s Motorsport shop using a 3453-cc inline-six derived from the mid-engine M1. It made 282 horsepower for Euro buyers and 256 horses fully certified for the U.S. market, where lawyers won a class-action suit against BMW when U.S. sales rose above the promised 500 copies. It and the later E39 are the only M5s without wagon versions.
Global sales: 2211.
E34: 1988–1995
Still hand-assembled by the Motorsport shop in Garching, north of Munich, the E34 debuted with a 310-hp, 3535-cc inline-six evolved from the E28’s engine. Perhaps miffed by the class-action lawsuit, Germany sent only this version stateside, while Europe got a 335-hp 3.8-liter in 1991 upon the debut of the Touring wagon. Just 1678 E34 M5s were exported to North America.
Global sales: 12,253.
E39: 1998–2003
The first M5 built on BMW’s regular 5-series assembly line signaled the end of the M5’s direct racing lineage. The 4941-cc S62 V-8 produced 394 horsepower while drivers enjoyed the luxury of high-tech (for the times) amenities such as ABS and navigation. A wagon was considered, but ultimately BMW chickened out. By the final year, the base price rose to $73,195. It’s considered the benchmark M5 by many.
Global sales: 20,482.
E60: 2004–2010
A horsepower war was on and AMG was winning, so this M5 got a 500-hp, 5.0-liter V-10 with a titular link to BMW’s Formula 1 engines. On paper, the E60 looked fabulous, but the cold ergonomics and lumpy SMG automated manual transmission ruined it for many. A late six-speed stick for U.S. buyers couldn’t resuscitate its crashing resale values.

1. M Dynamic Mode
This traction/stability control button offers three settings: full on; M Dynamic Mode, which raises the intervention threshold to allow more wheelslip and tail wagging; and full off.
2. Sport throttle
Three settings—Efficient, Sport, and Sport Plus—tune the gas-pedal response to the driver’s mood and also crack open the exhaust (well, actually, a soundtrack of the car’s exhaust played through the stereo) for more cabin roar.
3. Dynamic Damper Control
The three settings—Comfort, Sport, and Sport Plus—electronically revalve the shock absorbers to alter their firmness.
4. M Servotronic
Again, three settings: Comfort, Sport, and Sport Plus, which vary the steering effort.
5. M DCT Drivelogic
In automatic mode, the three settings make the transmission shift schedule sportier, holding gears longer, speeding up the gearchanges, and engaging the clutch harder. It’s the same in manual mode except that you do the shifting.
6. Park-Distance Control
Turns the forward and aft proximity alarms on and off.
7. Surround-View cameras
Activates two small cameras near the front wheels for a view from the sides. Lets you keep an eye out for kids, pets, curbs, and 18-wheelers alike.

The M TwinPower Turbo 4.4-liter V-8 is known internally as the “S63 TU,” (for “technical update”), a term that marks its evolution from the older S63 already installed in the X5 M and X6 M.
The basics remain unchanged: The 90-degree aluminum block is crowned by reverse-flow heads that draw induction air from the sides of the engine and exhaust it to the center, where the headers and twin Honeywell turbos lie in the block’s vee. A spider web of individual tubes supplies each twin-scroll turbo with the exhaust gas of four cylinders—two cylinders from the left bank and two from the right. For each turbo, the respective firing orders of the feed cylinders provide equally spaced spurts of exhaust energy.
The new M5 is the first M to adopt Valvetronic, a BMW technology that meters intake air by varying intake valve lift instead of with butterflies (a backup throttle plate remains for crisis scenarios). Because of the bulky valve hardware and the limitations it places on engine speed, the M division has until now spurned Valvetronic. But BMW has downsized and lightened the components and reshaped the contact surfaces to enable the S63 TU’s 7200-rpm redline, 200 rpm higher than the X5 M’s.
The turbo compressors grow by about 10 percent to generate additional volume and 21.8 psi of boost, a gain of 4.4 psi. The large boxes hanging off the front of the engine are the air-to-water intercoolers, closely coupled to the turbos to shorten lag time. They are twice the size of those in the X5 M to limit intake temps at a relatively chilly 131 degrees for higher air density and power.
Direct fuel injection reduces combustion temperatures, so the TU’s compression ratio was raised from 9.3:1 to 10.0:1 to maximize energy yield from the fuel.
The X5 M’s engine banks are run by a single Continental/Siemens computer on the fire wall, but tighter clearances under the M5’s hood required splitting the box in two and moving the computers onto the engine itself—right next to the catalytic converters, in fact—so water cooling is used to prevent meltdown of the now-Bosch-supplied brains. The exhaust pipes running down both sides of the flywheel housing are 3.1 inches in diameter, 0.4 inch bigger than the X5 M’s, with double-layer walls to help contain heat.
The 529-pound S63 TU (nine pounds lighter than the retired V-10) is about as photogenic as a box of eels, but, says the M divison’s lead engine man, Jürgen Poggel, “If it is not sexy, it is powerful, which is sexy.”

2012 BMW 328i Sedan

Are you ready for a BMW 3-series capable of automatic hands-off parallel parking? A Bimmer smart enough to teach you hypermiling, one equipped with enough onboard cameras to scout locations for Warner Bros.? Welcome to the 2012 328i, BMW’s stab at charming the More Generation.
Test-driving the new 3-series this week in Spain revealed a shuffle of BMW’s priority deck. The current E90 3-series earned its respect and compact-sports-sedan supremacy with a double dose of driving fun backed by laudable performance credentials. With the sixth-generation 3-series, BMW is reaching beyond mere dynamic attributes to stir comfort, convenience, and far higher efficiency into the mix. To appeal to those demanding everything from their daily driver—that “we deserve more” crowd—the new F30 is slightly larger inside and out and loaded with features hard-core drivers—the “we love our BMWs” set—never imagined.
The fifth-gen 3-series greeted its driver with a secret handshake: high-effort steering that bends the car smartly into every corner with total authority over body motion. The 2012 edition that arrives in February says, “Have a nice day,” with normal steering effort and a ride that glosses over pavement flaws the way cream cheese fills bagel crevices. Impact harshness is significantly reduced. But with more rubber between you and the road, the cornering response isn’t quite as crisp, and hints of roll, heave, and pitch occasionally fluster the equilibrium. Adjusted to its most aggressive setting, the F30’s optional adaptive suspension provides less body control than the outgoing E90 model’s suspension did.
Six Becomes Four (but There’s Still a Six, Too)
For almost 20 years, the 3-series faithful have enjoyed the spellbinding whir of inline-six engines that were seemingly sent from on high. Although the 335i carries on with a single-turbo 3.0-liter six pumping out a handy 300 hp and 300 lb-ft of torque, there’s a new kid on the engine block with a point to prove. BMW’s new N20 2.0-liter four-cylinder powering the 328i sounds like a throwback to simpler times, but that impression vanishes the first time its twin-scroll turbo pumps up 18.9 psi of boost and output swells to 240 hp at 5000 rpm. What this engine lacks in cylinder-count prestige, it more than makes up for with what might be a world record for vigor per gallon.
Teamed with a ZF eight-speed automatic (the only powertrain combo available for driving around Barcelona), the N20 purrs while cruising and then snaps to attention when the throttle is pressed. By 2000 rpm, it’s already high on torque; by 4000, it’s growling like a baby grizzly roused from hibernation; and by 6000 rpm, it’s threatening to rip a hole through the 7000-rpm (redline) ceiling. Thanks to balance shafts and a dual-mass flywheel, this engine never gets the shakes or stammers, and it’s as genteel as a six when soft-pedaled. A two-mode muffler corks the din during cruising and then releases a rousing howl to accompany the stampede. EPA ratings aren’t final, but we’re expecting that the 328i’s highway mileage will reach the high 30s with the eight-speed automatic and that the combined rating might also crack the 30-mpg barrier. Those who pick the six-speed manual transmission will have to bear the loss of a couple of miles per gallon.
BMW claims the new four-cylinder is nearly as quick on its feet as the outgoing naturally aspirated six. That means a 0-to-60-mph run of about 5.7 seconds with the stick shift and 5.9 with the automatic. BMW rates the 335i’s 0-to-60 capability at 5.4 seconds with either gearbox.
Stiffer Structure, Duller Responses
This alacrity is partly due to the fact that BMW engineers avoided piling on weight in spite of the 2.0-inch wheelbase stretch and the 3.7-inch gain in overall length. To counteract the negative influence of more suspension rubber, the fully steel unibody’s torsional stiffness is a commendable 30 percent higher. Although the suspension systems are carry-over in design—struts in front, multilink in back—every component has been fiddled with in some way to suit the new mission.
In addition to the slightly duller turn-in agility, we detected a brake pedal that’s a touch softer underfoot. Quicker stops require a mix of pedal pressure and travel in contrast to the mainly pressure-sensitive response provided by the E90’s setup. The 335i upgrades the 328i’s floating front brake calipers to more-rigid fixed four-piston calipers, which might erase this gripe.
Two power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering systems are offered. Base equipment is the speed-sensitive Servotronic arrangement that has been available in the 3-series for ages. Replacing the evil “active steering” option, which had the bad habit of changing its ratio at precisely the wrong moment, there’s a new variable sports steering option. Using rack teeth cut at different helix angles, this gear provides a ratio of 14.5:1 on-center for poised straight-line stability and control, with a quicker 11.1:1 ratio at the extremes of steering lock to expedite parking maneuvers. An electric motor connected to the rack through a toothed rubber belt provides power assist proportional to vehicle speed and the tempo of the driver’s steering commands. The variable sports steering trims the Servotronic’s 2.7 turns lock-to-lock down to a more wieldy 2.2 turns. Steering feedback is comparable to that of the outgoing 3-series, in spite of the noticeable reduction in effort. The new steering system’s quicker ratios compensate nicely for the loss of response that—at least theoretically—accompanies any wheelbase increase.
Wider wheel tracks—up 1.5 inches in front and 2.0 in back—give the new 3-series firmly planted feet from visual and dynamic perspectives. Pile on sufficient speed and steering lock to find the adhesion limit, and it’s the front tires that slide first with a gradually increasing chatter as grip is lost. Our test car’s 19-inch Bridgestone Potenza run-flat radials—included with the Sport Line trim level’s optional adaptive M suspension package—demonstrated impressive wet and dry adhesion.
As usual, dipping into the throttle will nudge the tail around so all four tires slide like well-orchestrated figure skaters. Unfortunately, control of the normally open rear differential is handled by the ABS via single-wheel brake applications. To activate limited-slip operation, the master driving dynamics control located on the center console must be toggled to the most aggressive sport-plus selection, and the adjoining DSC button must be held down to disable stability control. It’s not difficult to control the amount of sliding with timely countersteering, but the added chassis rubber does inflict a slight snap-back effect when adhesion is regained. That means it’s best to investigate these handling nuances on a track day before indulging any drift fantasies on the street.
Oh, My Goodness—Look at All the Goodies
Beyond the classic driving-dynamic attributes, the 2012 3-series offers a whole Christmas catalog of comfort, convenience, safety, entertainment, and connectivity functions. The rear-door openings are slightly longer to ease entry, and there are modest gains in front and rear passenger space. BMW’s iDrive console-mounted mouse and a dash-top display screen are standard equipment. A USB port, an aux-in connector, and smartphone docking are provided under a sliding center-armrest lid. Front-door pockets can accept one-liter beverage containers. The rear-seat backrest now splits in 40/20/40 sections for utmost freight-versus-passenger flexibility. The 13-cubic-foot trunk not only provides one more cubic foot of volume than before, but there’s also a handy bin under a hinged floor panel for stashing items out of sight. An option the More Generation will surely love is a hands-free, noncontact means of unlatching and opening the trunk with a simple fore-and-aft kick under the rear bumper.
Although the optional head-up display focuses on navigation and speed-related information, the center-dash monitor will track power and torque on dual dials when asked to do so by the iDrive controller. A host of cameras and sensors provides blind-spot detection, lane-departure warning, collision warnings, rear-obstacle detection, and 360-degree views outside the car. (Don’t be surprised when Sky-Is-Falling!-Tronic is added next year.) A parking assistant will not only alert the driver to a suitable parallel-parking slot, but it can also assume control of the steering as the car is backed into place.
An unprecedented four trim levels are available. The Sport Line adds shift paddles with the automatic and a mix of gloss black and red accents inside and out to a base 328i or 335i. Contrasting stitching, anodized trim pieces, and red gauge markings do an excellent job of burying BMW’s past reputation for black-and-white austerity. The Luxury Line and the Modern Line use bright chrome or satin finishes, smooth or textured wood, colorful leathers, and color-keyed cabin trim to make their statements. Late next year, a fifth trim—the M Sport package—containing a sport suspension; shift paddles; firmer sport seats; a smaller-diameter, fatter-rimmed steering wheel; 18- or 19-inch wheels; and an assortment of aerodynamic add-ons will be available.
The F30 3-series game plan includes xDrive all-wheel drive and an ActiveHybrid 3 that combines the turbo six with an electric motor and the eight-speed automatic to deliver improved fuel efficiency with 335i performance. Coupe and convertible models—they might be badged 4-series—will come later; the E90-based models will continue through the 2012 model year. There will be a 3-series Gran Turismo. And you can of course expect an M3, but it remains a couple of years out.
BMW 3-series, the Greening
Two standard features declare the hybrid 3-series redundant. The first is an automatic stop/start function that shuts down the engine to eliminate consumption while idling in traffic. (Those who can’t stomach this feature can disable it after every startup by pressing a switch located above the starter button.) The second reason not to buy a hybrid is the eco pro mode offered by the driving dynamics control switch. Toggling down past the sport and comfort modes, you enter the low-consumption domain with powertrain settings adjusted to maximize gas mileage. Throttle response is softened, and the automatic transmission upshifts sooner and downshifts later. Electrical consumption by the climate-control system and heated seats and mirrors is reduced. Various displays in the instrument cluster flash to help the driver become adept at hypermiling—the technique of squeezing extra distance out of every drop of gas. Eco pro’s reward for exemplary behavior is displaying how many bonus miles of driving range were achieved on any given trip.
Clearly, the new 3-series is the compact sports sedan for a changed world. This is where 24/7 connectivity and socially responsible consumption join hands with skidpad grip and slalom-course agility. Without totally abandoning its driving-enthusiast constituents, the 2012 3-series tenders a rich menu of gimmicks and gadgets that probably will appeal to those who always want more. If BMW doesn’t appeal to them, Audi, Cadillac, Lexus, and Mercedes surely will. View Photo Gallery

2012 BMW M5 - Preview BMV Blue

It’s probably fair to say that the previous BMW M5 (E60) crawled a bit too far up its own posterior. That fourth generation of the archetypal sports sedan was a complicated and abstruse car, with a clumsy automated manual gearbox, a V-10 that prized horsepower over torque, and a series of driver interfaces that was only slightly easier to ­follow than Swedish experimental cinema. Despite its 106-hp advantage over the M5 it replaced, it was somehow less thrilling and not as visceral, and its relentless pursuit of speed, though noble, came at the expense of everyday drivability. The E60 M5 was a car that was only truly happy plowing into an autobahn fog bank at 155 mph.
So the new M5 (F10) has been rethought with an eye toward beating back the versatile Audi S6s, Cadillac CTS-Vs, and Mercedes E63s that have cropped up to challenge it. Without a drive, though, it’s premature to declare the fifth M5 a return to form. Curb weight is a concern: Based as it is on the heavy new 5-series—itself based on the 7-series—the new M5 could carry reflex-dulling mass in abundance. BMW tells us not to fret. Although the new model, like the 5-series, is 1.8 inches longer and wider than its predecessor, extensive use of  high-strength steel and aluminum bodywork (hood, fenders, doors) attempts to keep mass close to the E60 M5’s 4100-pound curb weight. Even if two-tons-plus still seems excessive for the ultimate sports sedan, at least the M division is fighting Jenny Craig’s good fight.
Underhood, the M-car foundation of high-revving naturally aspirated engines is crumbling. The new M5 will be powered by a modded version of the twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V-8 currently in the X5 M and X6 M warthogs. With its revised induction and exhaust systems, it makes five more horsepower (560) than in those applications and scoots just past the CTS-V’s 556. Torque is up two pound-feet to 502, yet that’s 119 more than the outgoing car. Though limited to a politically correct 155 mph, this thing, if uncorked, will run to 190 mph, per BMW, with an optional M Driver’s package.
As the obsession with fuel economy has reached even the sports-sedan exosphere, the new M5 promises a 30-percent reduction in consumption. (Tip: Set the engine-performance mode to “efficient.”) But as we’ve seen from this engine before, it wants for nothing, especially low-rev churn. This V-8 will host an eight-pot séance for the tire-melting, two-generations-gone E39 M5 and an exorcism of the V-10’s clinical power delivery.
Despite the two engines’ disparate characters—and a power-to-weight ratio that shrinks from more than to well below eight pounds per pony—the acceleration numbers wane. The launch-controlled sprint should bring 60 mph in less than four seconds, courtesy of a Getrag seven-speed dual-clutch automatic that drives the rear wheels through a version of the M division’s electronically controlled differential. (The U.S. will also get a six-speed manual.) Its predecessor managed 4.2 seconds to 60, but only  with the stuttering single-clutch seven-speed that was the car’s sole gearbox for its first two years.
Predictably, the chassis of the new M5 looks a lot like that of the regular 5-series: unequal-length control arms up front and a web of links in the rear. The M division, however, attaches the electronic dampers and control arms with firmer bushings. Reworked brakes feature six-piston fixed calipers clamping 15.7-inch rotors in front, and one-piston calipers on 15.6-inch rotors in the rear.
So what else do you get for the estimated $90,000 price tag? The requisite big nostrils, of course, but also some subtler alterations, such as a trunklid spoiler, flared wheel arches, four exhaust outlets, 19-inch aluminum wheels, a rear diffuser, and side vents that look as if they were pried off a Ford ­Taurus SHO. Inside, BMW has wrapped the entire center console in hides, installed M sport seats, laid in an M-specific instrument cluster, and provided M Drive buttons for two individually configured dynamic profiles that store preselected steering, accelerator, shifter, and damper settings.
The M5 goes on sale in the spring. We’ll soon see if it can beat back the competitors it has spawned.

 

2014 BMW X4 Rendered - Future Cars

 
Ask BMW executives their favorite success story among the company’s current products, and they’re likely to say “X6.” Combining the disadvantages of an SUV, a coupe, and a performance car, the X6 has nevertheless been a smash hit. It’s not hard to see why: Despite being over-the-top aggressive and less practical than the X5 with which it shares its bones, the X6 is perhaps Bavaria’s coolest SUV. Imitation being the sincerest form of flattery, other carmakers are scrambling to add coupe-like SUVs to their portfolios.
It's no surprise that BMW itself will duplicate its own formula, albeit one class lower. In an interview with German magazine Auto Motor und Sport, BMW chief Norbert Reithofer finally confirmed a very poorly held secret: The company is planning to build an X4. Based on the X3 architecture, this compact crossover will be to the X3 what the X6 is to the X5. That means the X4 will borrow its underpinnings—including powertrains—from the X3.
Like Father, Like Son
It therefore doesn't take a lot of guesswork to figure which engines will motivate the X4: There will be an X4 xDrive28i, powered by the turbocharged, 240-hp, 2.0-liter four, and an X4 xDrive35i packing a 300-hp, 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six. Other markets will get an entry-level turbo four with 182 hp, as well as four- and six-cylinder diesel engines. No word on an M version, but we doubt BMW would take the X4 that far any time in the near future, if only to protect the non-M X6. (The company has never built an X3 M.) All models will be fitted with fuel-saving goodies from the brand's "Efficient Dynamics" parts bin, including stop-start systems, brake-energy recuperation, and enhanced aerodynamics.
The X4 will share the X3's 110.6-inch wheelbase, and its length will be close to the same 183.0, but we assume it will be a few inches lower than the X3, which is 65.4 inches tall. The X4’s swoopy roofline is likely to take a significant toll on trunk space compared to the X3. True to the portly X6’s legacy—as well as the none-too-svelte X3—the X4 will tip the scales at well over 4000 pounds.
That’s One Way to Look at It
It remains to be seen whether the smaller dimensions will be sufficient to recreate the “awesome statement of beauty and power,” that is the X6 (in the words of former chief designer Chris Bangle). It will need to be a looker, though: When the X4 arrives, it won’t enjoy the same luxurious dearth of competitors as did the X6. Mercedes-Benz will offer a coupe-like crossover based on its A- and B-class platform for the 2013 model year, and Audi is looking at a coupe version of the Q5. Don't forget the Land Rover Evoque, either. Unlike the Germans, it is available with just two doors—which doesn't exactly make it a coupe, but brings it closer. Hey BMW, there's another segment you could enter, and then maybe you could make a version with an even faster roofline.

wirten by caranddriver.com
BY JENS MEINERS, ILLUSTRATION BY CHRISTIAN SCHULTE

2010 BMW 750Li xDrive – Long-Term Road Test

Lucky Number 7: BMW plays it safe with the new 7, and we win.
At 2:17 a.m. on June 6, 2010, an 800-yard-wide tornado packing winds of up to 135 mph ripped through the tiny hamlet of Dundee, Michigan. In its wake were damaged homes, uprooted trees, and utility poles scattered about like toothpicks. Amid all the windblown rubble surrounding the Dundee home of our copy chief, Cora Weber, sat our long-term BMW 750Li, amazingly unscathed and undisturbed. Fortune had finally smiled on the $119,080 luxury sedan. Previous spins of  Fortuna’s wheel hadn’t gone as well for this particular car. After all, it should have landed in the hands of a caring, wealthy owner instead of the greasy, disease-ridden mitts of  your humble C/D staff.
by blog.caranddriver.com

2012 BMW 650i Coupe - Official Photos and Info

BMW's top-of-the-line coupe has always been among the firm’s most highly desirable cars. However, things kind of went downhill after the first 6-series, the E24. The 1990s saw the excess of the 8-series, which launched with a V-12—and the accompanying astronomical price—and therefore walked away from much of the 6-series customer base. Then came the E63 6-series, which virtually defined the “Bangle Butt,” perhaps the industry's most obnoxious posterior.
That's history now. Longer, lower, and wider than its predecessor, the new 6-series is sleek and beautiful in a timeless way. From the aggressive shark nose down the sculpted body sides, past the Hofmeister-kinked C-pillar and all the way to the wide, low rear, the 6 boasts near-perfect proportions. It is finally a worthy aesthetic successor of the first-generation 6. Inside, it features a beautifully sculpted dashboard and center console, a tremendous departure from the strange mixture of baroque proportions and sober surface treatments that defined its predecessor's interior.
Eat it, World: U.S. Only Market to Get a Manual
Just as in the 6-series convertible, power comes from BMW’s twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V-8, which makes its usual 400 hp. (Europe also will get a a 315-hp inline-six under the hood of the 640i, as well as a possible 640d powered by a 3.0-liter diesel inline-six.) Most markets will get only a ZF-sourced eight-speed automatic, but a six-speed manual will also be available in the U.S. BMW says that the 0-to-60 dash will take just 4.8 seconds, and the artificial ceiling is set at 155 mph. Fuel-economy figures won’t be released until later this year, but don’t expect the 6 to be a miser. With that same engine and eight-speed auto, the 5-series is rated by the EPA for 17 mpg city/25 highway. The manual drops the 5’s ratings to just 15/22.
The 6-series portfolio is not complete yet. An M6 is coming, and will pack a version of the 650i’s turbocharged V-8 making around 600 hp. And there will be a four-door 6 as well, which will compete with the Audi A7 and the Mercedes-Benz CLS.
Pricing for the coupe has not been announced yet, but should stay close to that of the outgoing model, which started at $79,325. We’d be OK with even a moderate price increase: When was the last time you could, with a straight face, praise a new BMW for its timeless beauty?

 

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2014 BMW i3 and i8 Spy Photos - Future Cars

BMW is hard at work building its new i sub-brand, and we’ve got photos of the Spirograph-embellished development vehicles to prove it. The two cars spied here—the smaller i3 and the high-performance i8—will be the first electrified models from the new project. Both are expected to show up in 2013, likely as 2014 models.
BMW i3
The i3, formerly known as the megacity vehicle, is the better-camouflaged of the two. The head- and taillights are strictly for illumination during testing; the production elements will be integrated into the aerodynamic body. Camo covers the i3’s take on the Hofmeister kink (the trademark element can be seen better on the i8 as a pinched rear side window), while another unseen item, the BMW kidney grille, is promised for the production model. The grille will be ringed in blue to denote the car’s inclusion in the new i sub-brand. Only one door per side is visible, although additional openings, possibly of the rear-hinged variety, may be covered by the wrapper.
Underneath the demented paisley are a carbon-fiber passenger cell and an aluminum chassis. This small city car will use costly lightweight materials to offset the weight of its batteries. A short front overhang and truncated “hood” allow BMW to offer a big interior in this hatchback’s small footprint. While it’s tough to gauge the i3’s exact size from these shots, we do know that it is larger than a Mini Cooper.
BMW i8
When last we spied development mules of the i8, the car wore some 6-series body panels along with elements of the Vision EfficientDynamics concept on which it’s based. OK, so those weren’t technically spy shots, as BMW itself supplied the photos through a don’t-look-at-this-but-please-do microsite at dontblogaboutthis.com (it now redirects to a bmw.com subpage). The cladding has come off once again, revealing a car that looks very similar to the 2009 concept. BMW doesn’t seem too intent on hiding the car’s space-age design since we’ve already seen it; it’s a refreshing attitude in the world of camo’d future metal.
The production version of the i8 will use a powertrain similar to the concept’s, with a battery pack and electric motor working with some kind of internal-combustion engine. A diesel was used in the Vision ED, although we hear BMW may switch to a gas-fired unit, fearing buyers of the ultra-expensive laboratory on wheels might look down on a compression-ignition lump. The plug-in hybrid coupe will top the BMW range, packing the most current lightweight and fuel-saving technologies, and demanding the most currency as a result.
 

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2011 BMV AC Schnitzer 5 Series Touring Car News And Car Review

The ‘most beautiful form of dynamics beyond the standard’ in saloon form was launched earlier this summer. Now the tuning specialist AC Schnitzer has applied the ‘Power Treatment’ to the new dynamic BMW in the Touring variant, with numerous special accessories. At the same time, the product range for the saloon has been expanded to include aerodynamic components for MTechnik vehicles.
BMW has given the new 2011 AC Schnitzer 5-series Touring more load volume and flexibility. The specialists from Aachen have been even more generous – they have taken a step further in terms of driving dynamics and driving pleasure. The core of the upgraded Bavarian models is the AC Schnitzer performance upgrades. After conversion, the BMW 530d develops an impressive 286 HP and thus leaves nothing to be desired in terms of power. The uprated 535d now accelerates with an impressive 360 HP, while the 520d and 525d develop a powerful 218 HP and 245 HP respectively. The AC Schnitzer engine stylingwith capacity logo shows just what is concealed below the bonnet.
The hand of the BMW specialist has also been laid on the suspension. A new suspension spring kit is available which gives an improved balance between sports performance and driving comfort. In conjunctionwith the suspension, AC Schnitzer wheels with the corresponding tyres provide optimum springing comfort and the unmistakeable athletic appearance. The wheels are available in sizes from 18 to 21 inch in various designs: Type IV silver, Type IV BiColor, Type V forged alloy wheels in BiColor and Type VIII BiColor, and the brand-new Type VIII racing forged rims.

2011 BMV AC Schnitzer 5 Series Touring  Car News And Car Review
Finally, the Aachen tuning specialist has also upgraded the interior of the 2011 AC Schnitzer 5-series Touring. Carbon interior trim in black ‘Exclusive’ is available. The driver can ‘lay hands’ on the AC Schnitzer sports airbag §teering wheel and as an option, also the carbon §teering wheel spokes in black ‘Exclusive’. The iDrive System Controller is available with aluminium cover, and pedals and footrests also come in aluminium. Foot mats and a boot mat of velours complete the interior range.

BMW 2011 Alpina BMW B5 Bi-Turbo Car News and Car Review

The finely honed balance between athleticism, comfort and every-day luxury that has defined Alpina automobiles for decades reaches a new dimension in the 2011 Alpina BMW B5 Bi-Turbo.
Five different generations of 5 Series-based Alpina automobiles have been developed in the last 35 years, revealing to those in the know a unique and exclusive driving experience. The sixth generation draws from the finest ingredients provided by those previous generations to create a mouth-watering palette of characteristics for the most discerning of drivers in the high performance luxury saloon segment.
First introduced in the 2011 Alpina BMW B7 Bi-Turbo, the all-aluminium V8 powerplant endows the new B5 Bi-Turbo with sensational pace. It achieves 507 horsepower (373 kW) at a moderate 5,500rpm, with maximum torque of 700Nm from 3,000 to 4,750rpm. The “Bi-Turbo” appellation refers to the two turbochargers comfortably nestled inside the V shaped 8 cylinder block. They work in parallel, each feeding one of the two cylinder banks. Specially developed for Alpina in partnership with Honeywell-Garrett, the bespoke exhaust turbines are generously dimensioned. Compared to its super-charged predecessor, this engine configuration delivers more torque over a broader rev range and improves throttle response at low revs.

BMW 2011 Alpina BMW B5 Bi-Turbo Car News and Car Review
The blend of eight speeds and plenty of torque makes for unparalleled comfortable gear changes with no noticeable interruption to the delivery of power – only the accompanying acoustics and the dynamic rev counter provide feedback as to the workings of the transmission. The 700Nm of torque means the Alpina BMW B5 Bi-Turbo excels at gliding along at low speeds in a high gear with minimum revs, benefiting both consumption and comfort.
The new 2011 Alpina B5 Bi-Turbo presents typical Alpina virtues and design cues in a new and convincing fashion, with a refreshing and dynamic appearance.