BY ALISA PRIDDLE
BMW adds a performance diesel to the U.S. lineup, but no seven-speed dual clutch.
BMW has released the first official pictures of the new 3-series sedan and wagon that will be unveiled this fall at the 2009 Paris auto show, prior to going on sale in North America in October. (more…)
BY STEVE SILER, PHOTOGRAPHY BY MORGAN J. SEGAL
The quickest BMW you can get that doesn’t start with an M (until the 135i arrives, that is).
It used to be easy to write about the BMW 3-series. For the most part, we knew what we were gonna say before we ever got in the car. On the other hand, there were nuances about the character of the car that were extremely hard to put into words to convey just how good these cars feel. But we’d try, and it usually came out in the form of unbridled praise for perfect steering, elegant interior simplicity, and a brilliant ride-and-handling balance.
Maybe BMW got bored of hearing the same thing over and over again, because suddenly we had to come up with new words to describe the 3: controversially styled, technologically overwrought, and now this: quicker with the automatic. (more…)
BY DAVE VANDERWERP
For its fourth go-round, the icon gets a can-do-no-wrong chassis and a beastly V-8.
Maybe you’ve been following the trickle of information flowing out of Munich ever since BMW showed the concept of the fourth-gen M3 at the Geneva auto show in March. (more…)
BY ERIK JOHNSON
Munich’s poorly kept 1-series secret is out.
It’s officially official! BMW will be selling the 1-series coupe in the U.S.! Okay, so we realize it wasn’t the best-kept secret, but now that the company has issued a press release and we figure there’s no taking it back, we’re really beginning to get excited. (more…)
BY JARED GALL
The trickle-up effect: BMW 5-series changes find their way to the 6.
Like leap year, L.A. gridlock, and a nice MSG coma following a binge at the all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet, we saw this coming. BMW confirms that its numerous little tweaks to the 5-series for the 2008 model year will also show up on the 6-series coupe. (more…)
BY DAVE VANDERWERP, PHOTOGRAPHY BY AARON KILEY
Connoisseurs wanted: BMW blesses Alpina’s super 7-series for the U.S.
In the company’s words, Alpina builds fine automobiles for the connoisseur. These are big-torque BMWs with automatic transmissions, more of a luxury bent than BMW’s own high-performance M cars.
The first thing one of these connoisseurs might notice on the Alpina B7”it amounts to a hot-rodded 7-series”are the mammoth, concept-car-worthy 21-inch, 20-spoke BBS wheels. That’s because they are simply spectacular to behold. And that’s before they start moving; then the spokes blend together in an envy-inducing blur. Splendid. (more…)
BY JARED GALL
We sample the new 535i as well as the other flavors of the slightly revised 5 available for 2008.
BMW has made small improvements throughout the 5-series, but the real news is not the relocated window switches. It’s the revised six-cylinder engines. That’s why we were summoned to Las Vegas to take our turn behind the wheel of each new model (528i and 535i), as well as the mechanically unchanged 550i and M5. To read more about the mini-Gumball-like rally. (more…)
In faraway Shanghai, China, the annual auto show doesn’t usually draw debuts from European brands, but both BMW and Audi are debuting new concepts to the world in this city of 18 million people. If you’re wondering why BMW is showing off a new sedan concept in China, it might make more sense when you consider the fact that BMW sells more 7-series sedans in China than in any other market except for the United States. BMW also makes a long-wheelbase version of the 5-series that is only sold in China. It’s clear that BMW sees the potential for huge growth for the sales of its cars in China—an emerging and important market for BMW’s new design direction. (more…)
The 2007 BMW 3 Series Convertible is a 2-door, 4-passenger luxury convertible, available in two trims, the 328i and the 335i.
Upon introduction, the 328i is equipped with a standard 3.0-liter, I6, 230-horsepower engine that achieves 19-mpg in the city and 29-mpg on the highway. The 335i is equipped with a standard 3.0-liter, I6, 300-horsepower, turbo engine that achieves 19-mpg in the city and 28-mpg on the highway. A 6-speed manual transmission with overdrive is standard on both trims, and a 6-speed automatic transmission with overdrive is optional.
Prices - $43,200-$49,100
