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M235i outpoints 911, Corvette in CR testing, becomes highest-scoring BMW ever

Good news just keeps coming for BMW, as Consumer Reports has just handed out a stunner of a verdict - the M235i, a spritely, 320-horsepower coupe that starts at just $43,100 has bested the likes of the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray and Porsche 911, vehicles that can easily cost twice as much and come to battle with considerably more power.
CR awarded the spiritual successor to the 1 Series M Coupe a score of 98 out of 100, beating out the 911 and the Stingray by three and six points, respectively. In fact, the M235i is remarkably close to the Tesla Model S' 99, making it one of the highest scores CR has ever handed out. It's also, not surprisingly, the highest-rated BMW ever.
Of the M235i's many attributes, Consumer Reports cited the car's performance potential as well as its quiet ride and comfort for front-seat passengers. While it's a shock to no one, CR called out the limited space in the backseats as well as some finicky controls as this Bimmer's biggest shortcomings.

See the BMW 3 Series morph through history in this animation

The BMW 3 Series is now over 40 years old, and the folks over at Donut Media have put together a very cool animation to commemorate its four decades on the road. The minute-and-a-half-long video shows some of the highlights of the 3er's career, with the side view morphing from the super-basic 1975 E21 316 to the Group 5 racecar based on the same chassis, and up to the current F80-body M3 in Austin Yellow, with stops along the way highlighting different body styles from each of the car's six generations. The color names are at least as interesting as the little info callouts scattered around the video, and the sound bites of racing commentary are a definite treat, so be sure to have your speakers on. Another plus is that you can halt the video between morphing and create some very weird looking BMWs. As a bonus, the creators offer posters of the iconic German cars. It's another clip in a series from Donut Media that brought us an earlier 911 evolution video, so be sure to watch that one as well for a quick automotive history recap. Donut Media is also asking for suggestions on what to morph next. You can leave your ideas in the YouTube comments. Related Video: News Source: Donut MediaImage Credit: Donut Media Auto News BMW Automotive History Racing Vehicles Classics Videos

BMW 7 Series to get quad-turbo diesel?

Sometime in 2016 BMW will ask its customers, "Would you like more turbos with your turbos?" Reports are the Bavarian company is working on an inline six-cylinder quad-turbocharged 3.0-liter diesel engine to replace the tri-turbo 3.0-liter diesel currently used in performance products like the all-wheel-drive X5 M50d and X6 M50d sold in other markets. The current N57 performance diesel is called the M Performance TwinPower Turbo. The new one, said to be codenamed B57 TOP, will first make its way into the new 7 Series that will be called the M750d. The coming quad-turbo diesel is expected to produce at least 400 hp and 590 lb-ft. It isn't known yet whether the additional turbo will be electric or conventional, nor how the new turbos will be sized relative to one another. At least one outlet figures the power numbers will be conservative for this first outing, so they could go up. After its launch in the 7 Series, it could migrate to create the next-generation G30 5 Series M550d, and the X5 M50d, X6 M50d, and X7 M50d. It's unclear if BMW has plans to bring this high performance engine to the US market. Related Video: The video meant to be presented here is no longer available. Sorry for the inconvenience. News Source: BMW Blog, AutocarImage Credit: Copyright 2015 AOL BMW Crossover Diesel Vehicles Luxury Performance Sedan engine bmw diesel