2003 Bmw 530i Base Sedan 4-door 3.0l on 2040-cars

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BMW bringing 9 Series concept to Beijing

It appears that BMW is ready to take another step upmarket with a new concept flagship luxury sedan at the Beijing Motor Show at the end of April. The showcar is said to preview the company's rumored 9 Series, a sedan that would be positioned against top trims of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, like the rumored S600 Maybach.
According to Automotive News Europe, the concept sedan wears styling language adapted from the curvaceous BMW Pininfarina Gran Lusso Coupe (pictured above) shown at the 2013 Villa d'Este Concours d'Elegance in May. It rides on BMW's new, modular platform - codenamed G11 - for the company's largest cars, an architecture also expected to be shared with the next 7 Series and future Rolls-Royce vehicles. It's rumored to bring the weight of the 7 closer to the 5 Series, which would be several hundred pounds lighter when comparing the base models of both current vehicles. We spotted the next-gen 7 Series testing over a year ago, and both it and the 9 Series are expected to go on sale in 2016.
Unfortunately, at the moment there is no official information about the concept. "We don't have any official news yet on anything in Beijing," Julian Arguelles, BMW USA spokesperson, tells Autoblog. However, it's heartening to think that BMW might be adapting the gorgeous shape of the Gran Lusso for production.

Poor headlights cause 40 cars to miss IIHS Top Safety Pick rating

Over the past few months, we've noticed a number of cars and SUVs that have come incredibly close to earning one of the IIHS's highest accolades, the Top Safety Pick rating. They have great crash test scores and solid automatic emergency braking and forward collision warning systems. What trips them up is headlights. That got us wondering, how many vehicles are there that are coming up short because they don't have headlights that meet the organization's criteria for an "Acceptable" or "Good" rating. This is a revision made after 2017, a year in which headlights weren't factored in for this specific award. This is also why why some vehicles, such as the Ford F-150, might have had the award last year, but have lost it for this year. We reached out to someone at IIHS to find out. He responded with the following car models. Depending on how you count, a whopping 40 models crash well enough to receive the rating, but don't get it because their headlights are either "Poor" or "Marginal." We say depending on how you count because the IIHS actual counts truck body styles differently, and the Infiniti Q70 is a special case. Apparently the version of the Q70 that has good headlights doesn't have adequate forward collision prevention technology. And the one that has good forward collision tech doesn't have good enough headlights. We've provided the entire list of vehicles below in alphabetical order. Interestingly, it seems the Volkswagen Group is having the most difficulty providing good headlights with its otherwise safe cars. It had the most models on the list at 9 split between Audi and Volkswagen. GM is next in line with 7 models. It is worth noting again that though these vehicles have subpar headlights and don't quite earn Top Safety Pick awards, that doesn't mean they're unsafe. They all score well enough in crash testing and forward collision prevention that they would get the coveted award if the lights were better.

2016 BMW X4 M40i Quick Spin

There's only so much you can do to disguise the SUV-ness of a crossover. The physics are simply against it. Essentially a jacked-up wagon, the X4 is heavier and has a higher center of gravity than a 3 Series longroof. No matter how many badges or what sort of fancy suspension you throw at it, you can't defy the essential laws that govern the mechanics of the universe. This isn't to say that BMW is standing in the surf, ordering the waves to roll backward. The X4 is a valiant, if misguided effort, in injecting some sportiness into a very niche vehicle. The X6 M, a "full" M Division offering, does a decent job at this: it's quick like a rocket-assisted hippopotamus, and uses some black magic to stay planted. The X4 M40i, a less-full-blown M Performance model, is less dramatic, and less compelling. Here's the operating theory: this crossover won't sell on its dynamic charms, however superior to its X4 xDrive28i and xDrive35i siblings. It'll sell because it's the top of the X4 heap, the most expensive of the three ($58,795!), and with the most "M" badges. Anyone looking for utility and strong handling dynamics should examine a 3 Series xDrive Sports Wagon with the M Sport Package and the $700 Adaptive M Suspension, pocket the $10k, and marvel at the size and shape of the cargo area. Driving Notes: This is the same engine as seen in the brand new M2, making 355 horsepower and 343 pound-feet of torque in this application. That's 10 hp down from the M2. There's lots of torque, and with an intentional stab of the go-pedal, this X4 will scoot. The eight-speed auto is great heading through the ratio range – its shifts are swift and sharp. The paddles will hold gears to redline in manual mode, but would you really want to? We ignored them. The adaptive dampers have their work cut out for them. This is a 4,235-pound vehicle – a full 340 pounds heavier than a diesel, all-wheel-drive, 3 Series Sports Wagon, and 7.6 inches taller – and this is where physics comes into play. Slalom-like quick corners produce an uncomfortable jacking effect as the outer wheels unload and transfer weight to the other side. It handles well, for a hippo. Since hustling the X4 M40i is possible but not all that rewarding, know that it's very pleasant in Comfort mode. The extra oomph is realized as a thick, broad, rich torque band, and that's never a bad thing around town. It's nicely dampened in Comfort, without much wallow.