2005 Bmw M3 Coupe 3 Series Smg E46 Sunroof 05 on 2040-cars

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BMW 4 Series configurator comes online

The best money in the world might be configurator money - you never run out of it and you can never spend it the wrong way. We hope you're ready to dip into your configurator savings account, because it's time to start speccing out the 2014 BMW 4 Series, the coupe having just arrived in the virtual world.
There are four possible opening gambits: the 428i for $40,500, the 428i xDrive for $42,500, the 435i for $46,000 or the 435i xDrive for $48,000. After you've chosen your first move, there are three trim options: the $1,400 Luxury Line that features lots of chrome and wood (shown), the $1,700 Sport Line that adds lots of gloss black and contrasting trim color and stitching, or the $3,100 M Sport that offers the M Estoril Blue hue and lots of M-division specific accessories.
Starting with the 435i xDrive and M Sport, we then added items like the 19-inch wheels ($900), the Dynamic Handling Package ($1,000), Cold Weather Package ($700), Premium Package ($2,200), Tech Package ($3,150) and the Lighting Package ($1,900) on top of any other box we could check. The total, after the $925 destination and handling charge: $66,749.

2016 BMW 435i ZHP Edition Coupe Quick Spin [w/video]

BMW will make a total of 100 ZHP 435i coupes for 2016. This is not one of them. Nope, it's their predecessor, what the company calls a "replica," based on a 2015 car. Think of it as Car Zero. Bimmer nerds (the ones who correct you if you call their car a "Beemer") will remember the ZHP package from the E46 3 Series. An internal option code that became insider lingo and a must-have for enthusiasts. They're still sought after today. Built from 2003 to 2006, the original ZHPs included a power boost (to 235 hp), a modified suspension, an M-Tech II body kit, and a unique shifter and shift knob. The new ZHP has a considerably longer list of equipment. It builds on a 435i coupe with the M Sport package and either a manual or automatic transmission. Additions begin with the new-for-2016 Track Handling package – 18" wheels, M Sport brakes, the Adaptive M Suspension, and Variable Sport Steering. To that BMW adds an M Performance limited-slip differential, M Performance exhaust, the M Performance Aerodynamics package, and the M Performance Engine Kit; horsepower goes from 300 to 335, torque jumps to 332 lb-ft for automatic cars or 317 on manuals. Yeah, it's a lot of stuff, but nothing you can't order on a car for yourself. So the process that let BMW make this replica so easily also contributes to a lack of specialness. All of the equipment is available either from the factory or through BMW's VIA personalization program. VIA components are spec'd at the time of ordering and then installed at port when the car lands in the US. BMW hasn't announced pricing yet, but we have a hunch a full-on ZHP will come in slightly lower than a car optioned a la carte (though we don't know, since BMW didn't tell us how much our car cost). The 4 Series we reviewed had all the ZHP equipment save the wheels and tires. All 2016 ZHPs will get v-spoke wheels finished in Orbit Grey and wrapped in Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires; the car we drove had a different 18-inch wheel design and Bridgestone Potenza S001 rubber. Driving Notes The 435i already has too much power. The M engine kit provides more of it. You may not be surprised to learn that we also enjoy chocolate-covered chocolate. Perhaps the saving grace of the questionable output bump, and the most transformative part of this package, is the mechanical limited-slip. Even without the grippier tires it's supposed to come with, the near-ZHP put it all to the ground smoothly and predictably.

As BMW i3 US launch nears, more details discovered

Think of the BMW i3's gas-powered range-extender as akin to driving around with a middle linebacker in the back seat. Except that football player will have a hard time pushing the car 60 miles or so once the battery runs out. Thankfully, he won't prevent you from getting a nifty tax credit either, according to BMWBlog, which isn't affiliated with the company. The i3's front storage compartment is not watertight. Here in the US, where the i3 will be available in short order, BMW will offer an optional i3 plug-in vehicle with a range extender that will have a 1.9-gallon capacity gas tank. That sounds a good deal smaller than the 2.4-gallon tank used in Europe, but the two are actually the same, the US tank is simply limited to the smaller size, Dave Buchko, from BMW's product and technology communications department, told AutoblogGreen. The complete range extender system – including the tank, the engine, and all related hardware – adds about 265 pounds to the 2,634-pound curb weight of the i3 EV and the extra weight in turn adds about a second to the EV's 0-to-60 time of seven seconds flat. Adding the range-extender won't make the US government take any longer to dole out a $7,500 tax credit for the i3, though. We also learned that the i3's front storage compartment is not watertight since it is only meant to hold the mobility kit and the 110-volt charging cord. BMW recently increased its production of the i3 at its German factory from around 70 units a day to about 100 due to better-than-expected demand. Check out our First Drive impressions of the model here.