Tech Package Navi Rear Seat Dvd 2011 Bmw X5 Awd Xdrive35i Leather Pano Camera on 2040-cars

Auto blog

BMW says current M3 sold out, no new AWD M models planned

Car and Driver asked the head of BMW M, Friedrich Nitschke, a few questions about what the go-fast division had in mind for the future, and was rewarded with some enlightening answers. The best news to purist ears is that Nitschke said customers don't want all-wheel drive on their M cars, so it's the rear wheels alone that will propel new product into the future. If you want both an M badge and four driven wheels, it's the X5 M, X6 M and M Performance models you're looking for in the catalog.
"Mixed bag" is the phrase you're looking for regarding the other answers. Nitschke said that future M engines "at the core of their architecture" would "be closer to BMW AG engines" that are optimized for M cars, instead of following in the line of unique marvels like the V10 and naturally aspirated V8. They will keep the high redlines, however, with Nitschke saying "there is room beyond" the 7,000 rpm mark in BMW's current V8 turbos.
Managing weight will keep the same priority for M that it is for every other brand, so electrically assisted power steering is coming, as is an "unconventional" materials mix. At the smaller end of the M scale, Nitschke described three-cylinder engines as "attractive," saying that the brand can produce more than 310 horsepower from a three-pot.

Lexus to use BMW 3.0-liter straight-six in next-gen IS sedan?

Here's a rumor so wild it needs a U.S. Fish and Wildlife permit. Japan's Best Car magazine reports that the next-generation Lexus IS will offer BMW's B58 3.0-liter inline-six as one of four powertrain options. That's the same engine found in the new Toyota Supra with 335 horsepower and 365 pound-feet of torque. What's more, the fourth-gen IS will resurrect the IS F model gone AWOL during the current third generation, and do it with the twin-turbo V6 from the Lexus LS 500. The current TTV6 makes the same 416 hp in the LS 500 as the 5.0-liter V8 did in the first Lexus IS F 12 years ago. According to the magazine, the other engine options would be Toyota's 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, a 2.5-liter for a hybrid model, and a 2.4-liter turbo. We don't know where that last engine fits in. BMW doesn't make a 2.4-liter, and Toyota appears to have retired all of its 2.4-liter applications. Ignoring that, the 3.0-liter straight-six looks like it would replace the current 3.5-liter V6 rated at 311 hp and 280 lb-ft. This wouldn't be the first time the Supra's engine has been ported to the IS. Lexus mavens will remember that two years after the introduction of the original IS in 1998, Lexus put the Supra's 2JZ 3.0-liter straight-six engine in the IS 300 — without the turbochargers, thank you. But Best Car's prediction would have zero relation to history. Those were both Toyota engines back in 2000, and even ignoring the power differential, the IS didn't compete with the Supra. Putting BMW's 3.0-liter in the Z4 and the Supra works because they are the same car. And again, even ignoring the power differential, the more powerful Z4 doesn't compete with the Supra. Best Car's scenario has BMW selling one of its best engines for use in a direct competitor to the 3 Series. Lexus would need to design an engine bay long enough to swallow an inline-six, not a bread-and-butter engine for the brand, yet still be sensible for three more compact powerplants. Then, assuming BMW and Toyota made the same deal as with the Z4 and Supra, the Lexus would be down by a healthy double-digit horsepower margin on its German foe. The new Supra gives up 47 hp to the roadster. Where's the upside? It's said the trim sedan will stay about the same size, on a wheelbase roughly four centimeters longer, but lose a substantial chunk of weight.

Feds greenlight BMW X5 diesel sales for 2016 [UPDATE]

Update: The EPA also confirmed that the 2016 X5 diesel passed the tests in a statement: "EPA and the California Air Resources Board certified BMW's 2016 diesel X5. EPA is performing additional screening when it conducts confirmatory emissions tests before issuing a certificate. Our screening tests found no evidence of a defeat device in the 2016 BMW X5, concluding our certification review." The 2016 BMW X5 xDrive35d is the latest diesel model to pass rigorous emissions tests by the Environmental Protection Agency and prove that it doesn't circumvent regulations with a defeat device. The luxury SUV can now go on sale to customers, and BMW spokesman Hector Arellano-Belloc confirms to Autoblog the first of them should arrive at dealers around late January. The automaker previously delayed production of the new model at the Spartanburg plant until the EPA completed certification. Following Volkswagen's emissions cheating, the EPA, California Air Resources Board, and Environment Canada began stricter testing for diesel vehicles to ensure that they met regulations. The first models to get the additional scrutiny were the 2016 Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon with the Duramax engine, and they passed with no problems. According to Reuters, the X5 diesel was the only other non-VW from the 2016 model year that the agencies needed to certify with this more rigorous evaluation. The 2016 X5 xDrive 35d starts at $58,695 after the $995 destination charge. A 3.0-liter six-cylinder engine sends 255 horsepower and 413 pound-feet of torque through an eight-speed automatic to the all-wheel drive system. BMW claims that the vehicle can reach 60 miles per hour in 6.5 seconds, and the 2015 model carries an EPA fuel economy rating of 24 miles per gallon city, 31 mpg highway, and 27 mpg combined. Related Video: