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Editors' Picks June 2023: BMW 3 Series and more luxury sport sedans

This month sees a number of luxury sport sedans gain Editors' Pick status thanks to updated or recently-all-new models coming out. The BMW 3 Series is a longtime favorite, and so is the Alfa Romeo Giulia at this point. Just like the electric version of the G80, though, the gasoline version is also an Editors' Pick this month. In case you missed our previous Editors' Picks posts, here’s a quick refresher on whatÂ’s going on here. We rate all the new cars we drive with a 1-10 score. Cars that are exemplary in their respective segments get an EditorsÂ’ Pick designation. Those are the ones weÂ’d recommend to our friends, family and anybody whoÂ’s curious and asks the question. The list that youÂ’ll find below consists of every car we rated in May that earned an EditorsÂ’ Pick. 2023 BMW 3 Series 2023 BMW 3 Series View 15 Photos Quick take: The 3 Series may not be the standard anymore, but it's still a superb luxury sport sedan with powerful engines, great handling, impressive tech and tons of space. Score: 7.5 What it competes with: Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Audi A4, Alfa Romeo Giulia, Cadillac CT4, Acura TLX, Lexus IS, Infiniti Q50, Genesis G70, Volvo S60 Pros: Enjoyable and powerful engines; fun handling; lots of space in rear seat and cargo area; attractive design inside and out Cons: Infotainment is frustrating to use sometimes; value isn't the best From the editors: Road Test Editor Zac Palmer — "The 3 Series ticks all the boxes that a top-shelf luxury sport sedan should. It's attractive but not gaudy. The driving dynamics leave me grinning at the end of a fun road, but don't beat me up on the highway. Any and all modern tech is present and accounted for. And while the price is high, it's not so bad for what you get. I'm an especially big fan of the M340i with its inline-six, but the four-cylinder in the 330i is an excellent option if you don't want to spend as much." In-depth analysis: 2023 BMW 3 Series gets fresh styling and infotainment   2023 Genesis G80 2022 Genesis G80 Sport Prestige View 61 Photos Quick take: The G80 has looks to kill, and it backs that design up with a functional and also-gorgeous interior. There's a lot of value to be had with this nice-to-drive luxury sedan.

Did BMW really win the luxury car sales race?

As anyone who follows our monthly By The Numbers series already knows, the luxury car sales race in the United States was close all of last year as BMW, Lexus and Mercedes-Benz seesawed up and down for sales supremacy. At the end of the year, it was BMW on top of the standings with 346,023 total sales. Or was it? According to data released by Polk, comparing the actual number of vehicles registered between the three top luxury players in the US paints a slightly different picture. Polk's data suggests that only 335,259 BMWs were registered in 2015, compared to 340,392 Lexus models. Why the disparity? It's all a matter of timing. Actual end consumers buy new cars, in almost all cases, from a franchised dealer. BMW delivered 346,023 vehicles in 2015, but only 335,259 of them were registered by their new owners. Presumably, those 11,000 BMWs did (or will) end up registered in the driveways of consumers, but they hadn't before January 1, 2016. Lexus General Manager Jeff Bracken wrote in an email to Automotive News, "Luxury sales leadership as measured by vehicle registrations is important to Lexus as it represents actual consumers engaging directly with our dealers." Of course, it goes without saying that we'll be paying keen attention to the 2016 luxury car sales race as it unfolds. If it's anything like it was in 2015, it'll come down to the wire, and even then may not be entirely clear. Related Video: News Source: Automotive News - sub. req.Image Credit: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty BMW Lexus Mercedes-Benz Car Buying Car Dealers Luxury luxury cars

BMW can't build enough M3 wagons, but the U.S. won't see any

Why, oh why, won’t the automobile companies that supposedly cater to Americans give us a viable touring wagon? Seems that BMW is one manufacturer thatÂ’s aware of the question, but skirts the answer. WhatÂ’s more frustrating is that the German company, and others, have for years been off-handedly tossing out the same refrain: “Maybe weÂ’ll bring a wagon back to the U.S.” Not. All the more irritating then is the news that the Bavarians have increased production in Munich of its M3 Touring longroof version to keep up with demand. The information comes via Bimmer Today, which spoke with BMW M CEO Frank van Meel. He said that the company was surprised by the amount of interest in the M3 Touring since its debut during last year's Goodwood Festival of Speed. In fact, he said, the company had to facilitate a production ramp-up within its Munich facility. Despite that increased production, the backlog of orders means that customers are still on wait lists, he said. Last year, van Peel admitted that demand for M-wagons in the U.S. has been steadily increasing, and exporting a touring example was a concept BMW was "taking into consideration.” Crossovers certainly are this decadeÂ’s version of the wagon, which leaves American enthusiasts will few choices: only expensive versions from Audi, Volvo and Mercedes-Benz and a couple of others. Details that were announced last year — a few months before the wagon went into production for sale in Europe, the U.K. and elsewhere — noted that the M3 Touring was only available in Competition spec with xDrive all-wheel drive and a 3.0-liter twin-turbo inline-six with 503 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque. Pricing started at GBP80,550 ($105,000 U.S.) More data on the M3Â’s intro here. Related video: