2006 Bmw X5 4.8is Black On Beige Suv Clean Carfax Certified on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2014 BMW i3

We can only imagine the challenges BMW is going to have explaining the i3 electric vehicle to the world. It's got a new powertain (all-electric, with optional range extender), a new production method (carbon fiber reinforced plastic!), a new brand (the 'i' line) and a new vehicle type (it's a city car). Despite everything that's different, BMW is still trying to talk about the i3 as if it fits in with the rest of the company's vehicles. But it doesn't. Not really. And that's going to make the marketing and salespeoples' jobs quite difficult.
Which is a shame, really, since the i3 is amazing. If it didn't carry the BMW 'heritage' baggage, people would be falling over each other to sing its praises. This is one of the smoothest, roomiest and slickest electric vehicles we've ever driven, with a lot of hidden surprises. It is a wonderful city car, and well designed for the car-sharing, emissions-aware drivers of the near future. But since the i3 carries the BMW name, everyone we ran into while cruising the narrow streets of and flat countryside around Amsterdam in a Euro-spec i3 recently wanted to know one thing: is it "a BMW" as well as being an electric car? During one photo shoot, a police car pulled up next to us, totally stopping traffic. While my co-driver and I instantly thought we were going to be asked to move, the officer simply wanted to know what the scoop was about all the i3s he had seen that day. Oh, and does it drive like a BMW?
We'll answer that question in detail below. The most important thing to remember is that the BMW i3 comes from the new "i" sub-brand within BMW. Like Mini, the i line really is a different beast, despite the roundel's presence. So, what makes a BMW a BMW? The answer is as easy as ABC. Or, in this case, as simple as Bayerische Motoren Werke, or Bavarian Motor Works.

2014 BMW X5

Is Better Than Ever Still Good Enough?
By now, all but the staunchest of traditionalists have moved past the shock and horror of seeing their favorite automotive brands branching into categories and segments that break with their previously accepted norms. In other words, you and I don't really care all that much if the BMW M3 is powered by an inline six or a V8, or whether it boasts a turbocharger, just so long as the end result is an awesome car. Similarly, we don't get all hot under the collar seeing that same M3 share space on the showroom floor with a brace of SUVs and crossovers... or, as BMW continues to insist, Sports Activity Vehicles.
Time, as they say, heals all wounds, and the BMW X5 has been around long enough, having first seen the light of day in 1999, that anyone offended by its existence has since gotten over it. Plus, the X5 is a legitimately nice vehicle to drive, offering such desirable qualities to family men and women as seating for up to seven, all-wheel drive and a commandingly tall view of the road. For the enthusiast set, the X5 serves up a taut chassis and powerful engine options.

BMW M4 to debut in Detroit, lose manual transmission

BMW took the wraps off its M4 Concept at Pebble Beach last weekend, and many speculated that the highly anticipated production version of the sleek new two-door sports coupe would debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show later this year. But a well-placed source tell Autoblog that the E92 M3's successor won't arrive in Southern California this November. Instead, the German automaker will wait until the Detroit Auto Show in January for its first official reveal.
An all-new 3.0-liter inline-six with twin turbochargers is expected under the hood, and it should provide about the same horsepower as the current 4.0-liter V8 (rated at 414 horsepower), but with much more torque that arrives lower on the tachometer. The lightweight engine is said to have an impressively high redline, which is unusual for a turbocharged engine.
Unfortunately, Save the Manuals members aren't going to like this next bit of news. After four generations of three-pedal M3 models, our source says the upcoming F82 M4 will arrive with a dual-clutch transmission (DCT) as standard equipment - with no manual option - just like the latest iteration of the track-ready Porsche GT3 (few have complained about the automaker's PDK after driving the latest sports car from Stuttgart). In exchange for some moans, groans and gripes from enthusiasts, BMW's DCT mounted aft of the M4's inline-six will provide quicker acceleration and improved fuel economy.