BMW’s big unveiling in 2011 was for the North American debut of a car that many wanted to purchase but that BMW refused to produce in sufficient volume. Rather than taunt the media this year with the 1M coupe as it did last year, BMW chose to show off the newest variation on its mainstay volume seller 3-series. Read more…
A while back we were staring down a schedule featuring two consecutive Audis powered by the company’s latest 2.0-liter four cylinder. There was a time not so long ago that seeing such a pint size engine in a anything from a premium manufacturer like Audi would have spelled certain sales doom and a hearty round of “what were they thinking!” reviews from the automotive press. Having spent considerable time with these engines in various Volkswagen and Audi products, including an A4 that we tested and approved a few years back, we were confident we’d continue to like what Audi was offering. It didn’t hurt that both the A4 and A5 were equipped with the standard 6-speed manual transmission, an increasingly rare treat for us three-pedal fans. But the question remains, does a four cylinder belong in today’s premium cars? Read more…
By now you’ve read all about what the 2011 BMW 1M Coupe is capable of. The 1M is an amazing machine. So when a friend of Automotive Trends decided he needed to add a 1M to his collection we were more than willing to tag along, document, and aid in its retrieval from the BMW Performance Center in Greer, SC. On its maiden voyage home to Michigan we stopped by the Tail of the Dragon for a bit of fun. More in depth coverage is coming, but the raw footage above pretty much speaks for itself. Enjoy.
The boys have spring fever but somehow managed to get a 2011 BMW 335i Coupe out for a little bit of track time. Catch up with them as they discuss the 2011 New York Auto Show and throw a quartet of new cars at Gernand’s Design Wall before driving down the middle of the road in a Nissan Murano.
BMW’s Popular Coupe Loses a Turbo But None of its Charm
We’re sorry if a certain subset of our readers are tired of hearing the automotive enthusiast press gush about how great the BMW 3-Series (pick a body style, any body style) is. We maintain that if you don’t understand why the 3 earns our endless praise you’ve either never driven one, or are economically relegated to something far less German and far more Gremlin-esque. Either way we feel obligated to remind you that the 3-Series has been around a long time making used examples relatively affordable. Also, life is too short to drive something mundane. The rest of you already know how this review is going to end and just want us to get on with how the newly installed single turbo straight-six engine improves the breed. The quick answer is fuel efficiency. The 841 word answer is below. Read more…
Spring has sprung (albeit there is still snow on the ground) and to celebrate the occasion Senior Editor Jason Muxlow takes a BMW 335i coupe out to the Automotive Trends’ Test Track.
BMW fans are always happy when the magical “M” gets glued to the decklid of a new vehicle in the German automaker’s lineup and when that vehicle is a tidy little coupe we know the outcome is going to be full of driver satisfaction.
Late in the summer of 2010 BMW teased the automotive world with photos of their 6 Series Coupe Concept. Today, BMW made the unusual move of introducing the production 6 Series convertible without having officially shown us the production coupe first. Regardless of the semantics, BMW was willing to divulge just a few of the juicy details on their newest model. Read more…
There was little doubt that as BMW finished out the millennium with updated 3 and 5 series lineups, that the Bavarian automaker’s design language was beginning to look a bit stale. Rather than introduce yet another attractively conservative redesign, the 2002 7-series turned BMW’s design language from cautiously good looking to garishly daring. The revived 2003 6-series coupe followed closely to the 7’s bold new themes. Read more…
On one of the coldest days of the year the BMW 1-Series convertible turns everyone’s attention to summer time driving as it is rolled out at the 2008 NAIAS.