Archive for the 'Bimmer' Category

2011 BMW 335is

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Bmwtopnews.com
on January 28, 2010
in 2011 bmw, 2011Bmw, 3 Series, 3 series coupe, 335i, 335i convertible, 335i coupe, 335iConvertible, 335iCoupe, 335is, 3Series, 3SeriesCoupe, BMW, BMW 3-Series, BMW World, Bimmer, Bmw335is, Bmw3Series, FirstDrive, bmw 335is, featured and first drive
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It’s fair to say that few automobiles have ridden atop their segment for as long as the BMW 3 Series has managed. Admittedly, there have been occasional frights from other German automakers or the odd Asian upstart, but it’s as if Munich’s engineers long ago brokered some sweetheart deal with the devil, so total has been the range’s dominance. All of which has made it particularly tough for U.S. enthusiasts, as we’ve seen seemingly dozens of tempting higher performance specials and intriguingly efficient offerings pop up over in Europe and elsewhere, yet these models never seem to make their way into U.S. showrooms. Forgive us, then, for being slightly giddy at the prospect of this 335is, the first North American exclusive 3 Series in, well… eons.

Based on the freshly facelifted sixth-generation 3 Series, the 2011 335is will be available in both coupe and folding hardtop convertible forms beginning this spring - but we just couldn’t wait that long to get behind the wheel. Thankfully, BMW was kind enough to slip us the keys to a pre-production example on Portugal’s Estoril raceway as a dessert course of sorts at the launch of their new 5 Series sedan.

BMW 5 Series Touring caught testing

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Bmwtopnews.com
on November 9, 2009
in 2011 5 Series Kombi, 2011 5 Series Touring, 2011 5 Series Wagon, 2011 5 series, 2011 bmw, 2011 bmw 5 series, 20115SeriesKombi, 20115SeriesTouring, 20115SeriesWagon, 2011Bmw5Series, 5 Series, 5 Series GT, 5 Series Station Wagon, 5 Series Touring, 530i Touring, 530iTouring, 5Series, 5SeriesStationWagon, 5SeriesTouring, BMW, BMW 5 Series, BMW 5 Series GT, BMW 5 Series Wagon, BMW wagon, Bimmer, Bmw5Series, Bmw5SeriesGranTurismo, Bmw5SeriesGt, Bmw5SeriesWagon, BmwWagon, Gran Turismo, GranTurismo, M5, SpyPhotos, StationWagon, b7, luxury, performance, spy, spy photos, spy shot, spy shots and station wagon
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BMW 5 Series Touring caught testing

Unlike the never ending back-and-forth between the A6 and/or the A8, we’re certain this is the new 2011 5 Series Touring, a.k.a. a Bimmer station wagon or “Kombi” as they call ‘em over in Europe. Not bad, right? Kinda lithe yet athletic at the same time. Good looking, too. And let’s not forget the M versions of these puppies. Only thing is, what we think probably doesn’t matter - odds are we’ll never see the 5 Series Touring here in the States.

We’ve mentioned it before, but BMW just launched the 5 Series Gran Turismo. Selling both of the fairly similar five-door cars along side each other might cut into sales. Additionally, wagons have never sold well for BMW here in North America - and for some reason, Americans just aren’t into traditional car-like station wagons.

Never mind the nearly 1,000 pound weight advantage of the wagon (around 4,000 pounds) over the GT (about 4,800 pounds) - which should bring with it better mileage, performance and handling - to its detractors, the Gran Turismo just has an air of Chrysler Pacifica about it. Of course, since the day it came out, many of us auto-journo types have been asking why one would buy the SUV-ish X5 when the hauls-just-as-much-stuff 5 Series wagon is not only available but costs less, goes quicker, handles better, etc. Looks like BMW just might just disarm that line of questioning altogether.

BMW teases new 5 Series sedan

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on November 9, 2009
in 2010 bmw, 5 Series, 525i, 530i, 535i, 550i, 5Series, BMW, BMW M, BMW Museum, Bimmer, luxury, sedan, spy, spy shot, spy shots and video
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We knew that BMW’s pivotal 5 Series was slated for replacement soon, and we’ve seen plenty of spy shots to prove that it’s in the cards. Up until just now, however, we didn’t know when it would appear.

In a brief press release available after the jump, BMW promises that its new 5 Series will be revealed with a “Live-Stream of the unveiling ceremony” on November 23 at 8pm CET. In the meantime, the automaker has released a teaser video of an amazing kinetic sculpture at the BMW Museum that gives away the car’s outline.

BMW reduces the price of satellite radio by 41 percent

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on November 5, 2009
in 5 Series, 6 Series, BMW, Bimmer, SatelliteRadio, SiriusSatellite, satellite radio and sirius satellite
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BMW has substantially cut the price of its Sirius Satellite Radio factory option from $595 to $350 on select 2010 vehicles (excludes 5 Series, 6 Series and X3) while also adding functionality. Customers who choose Sirius will continue to receive “The Sirius Everything” package for one year, along with some of the most popular XM channels available including Oprah Radio, XM Public Radio and several sports channels.

Beyond cheaper hardware and expanded channels, BMW and Sirius have also made the satellite radio more user friendly. Users can now view the channel list as a channel name, artist and a new “Instant Replay” function allows you to replay a favorite song or program. You can also choose favorite songs and receive an alert when one of your favorites is being played, which is one of those good ideas somebody should have thought of long ago.

Anyone who has ever priced out a Bimmer knows that options can be a pricey endeavor, so lower satellite radio prices is sure to be welcome news to BMW buyers. We’re wondering if other automakers will soon follow suit and also drop the price of their satellite hardware. Subscriptions to the now combined Sirius/XM service aren’t exactly flying off the shelves, and a lower cost of entry to the hardware in cars can only help.

BMW M3 GTS is here!

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on November 4, 2009
in BMW, BMW M, BMW M3, Bimmer, BmwM3, BmwM3Csl, BmwM3Gt, BmwM3Gt4, BmwM3Gt4Street, BmwM3Gts, M3Csl, M3Gt, M3Gt4, M3Gt4Street, M3Gts, bmw m3 csl, bmw m3 gt, bmw m3 gt4, bmw m3 gt4 street, bmw m3 gts, breaking, coupe, csl, m3, m3 csl, m3 gt, m3 gt4, m3 gt4 street, m3 gts, performance, spy, spy shots and video
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The eye-catching orange paintjob is a throwback to extreme Bimmers of yore. But after you look past the timely Halloween color scheme, you’ll notice a set of exclusive 19-inch competition alloys - coated with 225/35 rubber up front and 285/30 in the rear - protruding out of the bulging bodywork, housing six-piston calipers up front and four in the rear and mounted to yellow springs and an adjustable suspension. You can hardly miss the giant front splitter and rear wing protruding from either end, and the interior’s been stripped down with contoured racing buckets, an emergency cut-off switch and a fire extinguisher taking the place of the air-con, nav and radio, along with mounting points for a roll cage and six-point harnesses and a Macrolon rear windscreen to replace the stock glass, helping the M3 GTS tip the scales at just 1490 kg (3285 lbs), some 419 lbs less than the stock M3 coupe’s 3704-lb curb weight.

First deliveries are scheduled to begin in Germany next May, carrying a sticker price of 115,000 euros (about $170k) before taxes. Official engine specs haven’t been released, but we’re still looking at somewhere in the neighborhood of 450 horsepower from an enlarged 4.4-liter V8, driving through the Bavarian automaker’s 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox.

$170k BMW M3 GT/GT4 Street

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on November 3, 2009
in BMW, BMW M, BMW M3, Bimmer, BmwCsl, BmwM, BmwM3, BmwM3Csl, BmwM3Gt, BmwM3Gt4, BmwM3Gt4Street, BmwMotorsport, M3Csl, M3Gt, M3Gt4, M3Gt4Street, M5, MCsl, Motorsport, Nurburgring, bmw csl, bmw m3 csl, bmw m3 gt, bmw m3 gt4, bmw m3 gt4 street, bmw motorsport, coupe, csl, m csl, m3, m3 csl, m3 gt, m3 gt4, m3 gt4 street, performance, spy and spy shots
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The former turned out to be a one-of-a-kind special. But details on the latter are beginning to circulate, and they look promising. Firstly, sources suggest that the model won’t wear the CSL designation at all, and instead be labeled either M3 GT or M3 GT4 Street, in reference to the homologated racing version.

First, the good stuff: the engine is tipped to be tuned in the neighborhood of 450 horsepower, give or take, driven exclusively through the 7-speed dual clutch transmission with no manual expected to be on offer. Stopping power is anticipated to come from Brembo 6-piston calipers up front and 4-pots in the rear gripping slotted steel discs, and while carbon-ceramics may be on the options list, the jury’s still out on when BMW will roll out the production version of its F1-derived Kinetic Energy Recovery System, a.k.a. regenerative braking. Recaro buckets and the removal of the rear seats should help the M3 GT (or whatever it will be called) shed some 220 lbs of weight, sitting 25mm lower on BBS alloys mounted to a Sachs suspension with standard roll bars.

The prototype is said to have already lapped the Nurburgring in 7:40, with testing still underway in France. Targeting the Porsche 911 GT3, the hard-core M3 will be extremely limited in production - possibly as few as 25 examples annually - available directly from BMW Motorsport but certified for road use - at a price point hovering around 110,000 euros ($172k). Unfortunately, the signs suggest that it won’t be making the transatlantic voyage Stateside.

BMW looking at cheaper 5 Series Gran Turismo

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on October 27, 2009
in 5 Series, 5 Series GT, 5-seriesGt, 535i, 535iGT, 550i, 550iGT, 5Series, 5SeriesGt, BMW, BMW Gran turismo, BMW Grand Turismo, BMW M, BMW Motorsports, BMW diesel, BMW wagon, Bimmer, BmwDiesel, BmwGranTurismo, BmwGrandTurismo, BmwM, BmwMotorsports, BmwWagon, Gran Turismo, GranTurismo, Grand Turismo, GrandTurismo, M-technik, Motorsport and diesel
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The famed automotive pot-stirrers at Autocar are at it again. According to two blurbs from the UK publication, BMW’s new 5 Series Gran Turismo may spawn at least one less costly, less powerful variant, but a high-performance M version is apparently off the table.

On the fuel and financial economy front, Bimmer is reportedly considering adding four-cylinder powerplants to the controversial new five-door, including the 175 bhp diesel from the 320d. A twin-turbo diesel may also be in the cards. The fear here is that the premium-priced 5GT may in fact be priced too aggressively, as it stickers above a comparable 5 Series Touring model. In any case, we don’t expect to see the less-powerful diesel Stateside, although we wouldn’t be terribly suprised if the company chose to shoehorn in something like the twin-turbo 3.0-liter diesel already on offer in the 335d.

On the M side of the equation, Autocar says that the gasoline V8-powered 550i will remain the pinnacle of the range, as BMW has “ruled out” a M-Technik variant. Given that BMW has recently seen fit to move M beyond traditional cars (see: X5 and X6) and that these higher performance models often have thicker margins attached, this strikes us as somewhat curious decision - especially as the 5GT figures to be the most dynamically promising of the bunch. This source also doesn’t jibe with what we heard from BMW officials just last month when we drove the car in Portugal. At that time, the official line was that no decision had been made, but knowing glances and meek smiles seemed to indicate that things looked good for the model.

BMW gets back into the leaning trike thing with SIMPLE concept [w/VIDEO]

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on October 9, 2009
in 3 Series, 5 Series, BMW, BMW CLEVER, BMW Museum, BMW Simple, Bimmer, BmwClever, BmwMuseum, BmwSimple, CNG, CNG bike, CleverConcept, CngBike, Mini Cooper, Motorcycle, Simple concept, SimpleConcept, clever concept, commuter, commuting, hybrid and trike
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BMW has been rumored as of late to be pursuing everything from a so-called “0 Series” range of cars to a revival of its Isetta microcar brand, but the Bavarian automaker remains essentially mum on plans to diversify into the microcar market. Stoking the fires, however, is the new Simple concept, a leaning trike that is geared toward the “professional commuter” - that is, an urban dweller who travels alone.

From the start, the SIMPLE (which stands for: “Sustainable and Innovative Mobility Product for Low Energy consumption”) was designed to minimize resources both in use and in production. The leaning concept is tall as a 5 Series, yet shorter than a Mini Cooper, and it offers seating space similar to that of a 3 Series coupe.

That tidy footprint and a slick drag coefficient of just 0.18 means that the Simple figures to be around 450 kilograms (under 1,000 pounds), so it only needs a small internal-combustion engine and an electric motor to power it. BMW says the Simple is capable of hitting 100 km/h - 62 mph - in under ten seconds and it tops out at over 200 km/h (124 mph), yet it needs a miserly 2 liters of gas over 100 km (62 miles), or around 118 mpg.

This isn’t the first time BMW has investigated thrifty trikes - it actually began working on its CLEVER (”Compact Low Emission Vehicle for Urban Transport”) concept back in 2002 in conjunction with the Berlin’s Technical University, a project that took the form of a compressed natural gas trike with a CVT.

While there are no plans for production of either the SIMPLE or the CLEVER, BMW’s expertise in motorcycles and its increasingly prominent Efficient Dynamics initiative doesn’t have us ruling out a similar vehicle sometime down the road. In the meantime, you’ll have to make the pilgrimage to the BMW Museum to check out BMW’s SIMPLE and CLEVER contraptions. Check out the high-res gallery below and a video and press release after the jump.