2005 Bmw M3 M3 on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2015 BMW M4 Convertible Quick Spin [w/video]

Quite a while ago, we ran a story where our editors disclosed their guilty pleasure cars. There, I admitted my love for the ultra-comfortable Acura RLX. But I have another automotive guilty pleasure, and it's the BMW M4 Convertible, and the droptop M3 that came before it, as well. Whether it's an E46, E93, or the new F83 M4 model, I just love the idea of a droptop M car. It kind of goes back to my Lexus RC F review, where I posit that most consumers buy a car like this solely for the image. To the point of this car, if you're opting for a convertible, you're boldly throwing out any pretense that you bought this car for its performance. It's a different and far grander indulgence than something like a droptop Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro, or even a Corvette, and that's especially the case with the new M4, as I found out after a week at the wheel. Driving Notes Anyone that's listened to me on the Autoblog Podcast knows I've been none too kind about the state of BMW's turbocharged M cars. In effect, they're too easy to drive. In older models, the narrow power band meant you needed to always keep an eye on the tach, lest you fall into a weak zone. But because today's turbocharged M engines are so damn torquey, you can simply mash the throttle, regardless of engine speed or gear, and zoom forward. That's mostly the case here, although with a 7,500-rpm redline, the M4 at least maintains the illusion that you have to keep the revs up. Power delivery is fast and immediate, capable of catapulting the M4 towards the horizon at even half throttle. But more than the brutal power delivery, this latest M entertains with a strange but familiar singing voice. It's an almost feral, straight-six howl, particularly high in the rev range. But because of the single-scroll turbochargers and today's sound-tuning sorcery, the noise here is far richer and complex than what you'd get in a naturally aspirated M car, like the old E46. The turbos hiss and spit, and wide-open-throttle upshifts come with a cackling snap from the quad-tipped exhaust. Despite my belief that M cars' manual transmissions are generally pretty lousy these days, the M4's gearbox is far better than what you'll find in an M5. The clutch is more forgiving than in the larger sedan, too. With a broad catchpoint and a linear action, it feels natural and intuitive to work.

KBB 2013 Brand Image Awards has some obvious and oddball winners

The sixth edition of the Kelley Blue Book Brand Image Awards have crowned a wide range of winners - in a couple of cases the recipient of the laurels might say more about KBB users than they do about the actual winner. Compiled from the responses of more than 12,000 shoppers on KBB.com over the past year, there are 13 categories broken into non-luxury, luxury and truck segments "representing the combined wisdom of the American car-buying public."
The award categories have been revamped this year, with some dropping off, some new ones appearing and at least one other given a new term. What isn't surprising is that Honda won Most Trusted Brand for the second year running, Best Value Brand for the third year in a row and took Best Overall Brand, which wasn't on last year's list of awards.
On our own shores, in the non-luxury categories Chrysler got Most Refined Brand and Buick took Best Value Luxury Brand. Neither one of those marques won anything in last year's Brand Image Awards, while Cadillac, which won Best Interior Design Brand and Best Comfort Brand last year - those awards disappeared this year - went home without a single accolade.

2014 BMW i3

A Purer Than Ever Sort Of Driving Pleasure
This all started back in 2007 when the megacity urbanization trend hit full stride and BMW began brainstorming the 2020 future of mobility. The product was thus originally called the BMW MegaCity vehicle. Then the 'i' division of BMW was officially born in 2011, and we have since been exposed to various "leaked" images and official prototype unveilings of both this i3 and the i8 eco sports car. The latter (called i12 in the halls of Munich) was originally called the Concept Vision Efficient Dynamics and presented as a diesel-hybrid.
The time is now upon us for the market launch of the plug-in i3 (called i01 internally). The wider motoring public already has its opinions and BMW is listening to all of them, so there's a bundle of nerves around these limited drives of the i3 for a select few members of the media, Autoblog included. We came to an airfield outside of Munich and were handed an i3 test car to drive around a set course filled with blue- and white-striped cones. BMW tech experts were everywhere and some of the discussions around the various technical displays even got a little heated.