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BMW offering glitch fix for i3 with range extender

The BMW i3 has received quite a bit of acclaim since its release, with the electric powertrain grabbing a spot on Ward's 10 Best Engines list and the high-tech machine earning the nod as 2015 Green Car of the Year. However, Consumer Reports uncovered a vexing problem with the range-extended version of the hatchback that has plagued it until a recent software update. While CR was driving the range-extended i3 last year, it discovered that when the internal combustion engine was running during low states of charge, hard acceleration could suddenly cut back with no warning to the driver. This was especially problematic when passing. BMW knew about the issue and promised a software update in the spring. That improvement is now available. BMW spokesperson David Buchko tells Autoblog that the software update adds a percent-of-charge indicator to all models of the i3 to let drivers know just how much juice is left. For the range-extended model, it also provides a warning of possible power reduction when the charge reaches two percent. According to Consumer Reports, the revision lets the car anticipate needing more reserve power based on the topography from the navigation system, as well. For any i3 drivers who want the upgrade, they need to visit a dealer for installation, according to Buchko, but it should be come at no cost to owners. Related Video:

BMW says this isn't an Art Car, and we fully agree

The "what is art" debate is as old as cave drawings. Or maybe it's older. That's up for discussion, but BMW says the artiness of this spaghetti-monster i3 is not. BMW found it necessary to put out a press release explaining that this pasta-decorated i3 is not only not part of its Art Car series, but also that its creator, artist Maurizio Cattelan, no longer makes art. So it definitely can't be called art, excluding it from Art Car consideration. We weren't going to accidentally call it either, though. The wrapped electric car was created for the Recontres d'Arles photography exhibition in Arles, France. They're calling it a "Spaghetti Car." Uh huh. Some choice quotes from the release: "Lest there be any confusion, it must be officially clarified that what Maurizio Cattelan created is not an official BMW Art Car. The artist's design will be destroyed according to Cattelan's wishes sometime after Rencontres d'Arles." We hope that means the wrap gets torn off and burned. There's a perfectly good i3 underneath to salvage. "Maurizio Cattelan has still officially retired from 'art' since his 2011 retrospective at the Guggenheim Museum, New York, although he only recently created a toilet bowl made of solid gold for the Upper East Side institution." See also: Marcel Duchamp's "Fountain" for more discussion of art/not-art. Related Gallery BMW Art Cars It sounds like Cattelan struggles more with the definition of the word "definition" than with "art." Is the irony that there is art in calling something not art? This might just be too meta for us to get. Anyway, about the only useful part of the release is a reminder that the next Art Car will be based on an M6 GT3 and is due in late 2016 or early 2017. It's currently being worked on by two people who presently consider themselves artists, John Baldessari and Cao Fei. We trust it won't be covered in food. Related Video: Green BMW Electric bmw art car

BMW 2 Series Active Tourer corners surprisingly flat on 'Ring

With seven seats and front-wheel drive, you might not expect the upcoming long-wheelbase version of the BMW 2 Series Active Tourer to live up to the Ultimate Driving Machine reputation that BMW has fostered over the years. But the latest spy clip from the Nürburgring suggests otherwise.
The Bavarian automaker has apparently been testing its new people mover on the Nordschleife, getting it ready to join the growing 2 Series family. And though it's wearing heavy camouflage, we can clearly see from the video below that it's cornering impressively flat - which bodes well for those who'll need to transport their expanding family but aren't prepared to give up on handling.