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2017 BMW Alpina B7 xDrive is an M7 by any other name

Have you been waiting for BMW to release a more potent version of the new 7 Series? Try 600 horsepower on for size and forget all about the famous M badge. The new flagship performance sedan from Munich is the 2017 BMW Alpina B7 xDrive. Alpina is Bimmer's tuner of choice, and it designs customized features to integrate precisely with the factory build. The B7's 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged V8 is massaged to deliver a nice, round 600 horsepower, and a torque figure nearly as impressive at 590 pound-feet available from just 3,000 rpm. All that muscle is channeled through an eight-speed automatic to all four wheels (as you might have guessed from the new xDrive handle). The result is an Autobahn-blitzing 0-60 time quoted at just 3.6 seconds – 0.8 seconds quicker than its predecessor – and a top speed estimated at 193 miles per hour. Those would have been considered supercar figures not that long ago, but are delivered here in a luxury sedan as big as they come. They also stand up pretty well to the forced-induction eight-cylinder competition in the Audi S8 Plus, Jaguar XJR, Maserati Quattroporte GTS, and Mercedes-AMG S63. The Audi produces a bit more power but less torque, the Mercedes does the opposite, and the Jaguar and Maserati are left in the dust. Only the S8 Plus dares claim a quicker 0-60 time, and even then it's only said to be a tenth quicker. (The Mercedes-AMG S65 boasts much higher output from its V12, but without an all-wheel drive system capable of handling all its muscle, it's a fair bit slower off the line.) Keeping all that momentum under control is an air suspension with adaptive dampers, active roll bars, and four-wheel steering. It's all mounted to 20-inch wheels wearing Michelin Pilot Super Sport rubber and packing oversized brakes measuring 15.5 inches at the front (with four-piston fixed calipers) and 14.5 inches (with floating calipers) at the back. Of course it also benefits from all the advancements that the Bavarian automaker developed for the latest 7 Series, but takes things a step further with a specific aero kit and an interior decked out in even more upscale leather and trim. The finished product may not wear an M7 badge as so many have called for from BMW's flagship sedan series over the years. But the Alpina name carries a cachet all its own and has for the past 50 years now – which is a few years longer than BMW M GmbH has been around.

2015 BMW M4 Convertible will give the best bad hair days

BMW officially unveiled the 2015 M4 Convertible at the Javits Center in New York this morning. The droptop, which will slot in next to the M4 Coupe in BMW's performance line, offers infinitely more headroom, fresh air and sunshine for those that want a little more great outdoors and tousled hair with their M experience.
Visually, the M4 convertible is similar to the coupe, and carries on the hardtop's athletic stance with a long wheelbase, short front overhang, aerodynamic mirrors and in the case of this showcar, optional yellow-painted brake calipers. The car's expressive, angry face is perhaps the most notable aspect of its styling, screaming "get the hell out of my way!" with its signature twin-bar kidney grille, trio of air intakes and squinty LED headlights. Inside, the convertible employs three-temperature neck warmers (for chilly top-down days), an absurd amount of "M" logos and a wealth of luxury and technology features.
The rear-wheel-drive convertible uses the same engine as the coupe: a high-revving, twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline six producing 425 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque, mated to either a six-speed manual or a seven-speed M dual-clutch transmission. BMW says the car can make a 0-60 sprint in just 4.4 seconds when equipped with the manual.

2015 BMW X6 keeps it weird

Say what you will about the BMW X6 - odd and ugly as it may be, it's actually been sort of successful for the German automaker. BMW has now sold some 250,000 examples of the X6 since its launch, and the company's fastback-crossover-coupe-whatever-thing gets a host of meaningful updates for the 2015 model year while not straying from its original mission.
Aside from its revised styling, most noticeably set apart by its larger, X5-inspired headlamps, the biggest update for the US-spec X6 is the addition of a rear-wheel-drive model, the sDrive35i. This trim joins the all-wheel-drive xDrive35i and xDrive50i, and since you should all be capable of decoding BMW's weird naming structure by now, you know this means the X6 will be offered with a choice of 3.0-liter turbocharged six-cylinder and twin-turbo 4.4-liter V8 engines. Fuel economy figures have not been released yet, but BMW says the new powertrains are more efficient than before, mated exclusively to an eight-speed automatic transmission regardless of cylinder count.
Look for the updated X6 to hit US showrooms this fall, following its debut this week in Paris. Expect pricing to be revealed closer to the model's on-sale date. Have a look below for all of the details.