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American motorcycle brands most satisfying, Japanese most reliable, says Consumer Reports

Consumer Reports started tracking motorcycle reliability last year through its regular reader survey, just like the magazine's well-known auto guide. For the 2015 edition, CR now has data on over 12,300 bikes, compared to 4,680 in 2014, and the extra info means it can include more brands, like Suzuki, Triumph and Can-Am, to the list. However, the final results remain largely the same. As with last year, Japanese bikes are the best choice for buyers who prioritize reliability. Yamaha comes out on top yet again and is followed by Suzuki, Kawasaki and Honda. Victory and Harley-Davidson hold the middle of the list, and the European cycles from Triumph, Ducati and BMW sit at the bottom. The major outlier in this regional distinction is the Can-Am Spyder from Canada's Bombardier Recreational Products that comes in dead last in the dependability survey. Still, even the most dependable model is occasionally going to break, and the average repair bill across all brands is $342, according to CR's readers. Kawasakis are the cheapest to keep on the road at a median of $269 for fixes, versus BMW as the most expensive at $455. Through all of the companies, electrical gremlins are the most common issue, causing 24 percent of problems, but faults with the cooling system, pistons or transmission are the smallest concerns at 4 percent each. While Japanese cycles might be the easiest to keep on the road, they aren't the most beloved by riders. In CR's gauge of satisfaction, the Americans reign supreme. Victory owners love their bikes the most with 80 percent reporting that they would buy another. Harley riders are known for having a close bond to the company's models, and the brand comes in second with 72 percent. Finally, Honda rounds out the top three at 70 percent. Head over to Consumer Reports to see more results. News Source: Consumer ReportsImage Credit: Toby Brusseau / AP Photo BMW Honda Suzuki Motorcycle Ducati bike victory

Acura TLX Type S vs. BMW M340i xDrive | Sport sedan comparison test

Luxury sport sedans are still turning up on the market, and the Acura TLX Type S is one of the freshest cuts of meat in the window. It’s AcuraÂ’s big return to Type S performance models. Benchmarked against the proverbial best performance sedans of the segment, Acura is aiming to not just to compete, but to win dogfights like these. To see if the return of Type S is all itÂ’s cracked up to be, we decided to pin it up against the historical king of sport sedan shootouts: a BMW 3 Series. Specifically, the Type S is taking on the M340i xDrive, which is this AcuraÂ’s most natural competitor from Munich. Should the diehard BMW driver make the switch to Japanese performance? Does Type S do enough to lift this Acura up to best GermanyÂ’s finest? There are a lot of variables at play here, and they all make it complicated to choose a winner. The similarities between these two begin from the top of the spec sheet and go down. Both have 3.0-liter turbocharged six-cylinder engines — BMW arranges its cylinders inline, while Acura chooses a V configuration. Quick-shifting automatic transmissions are standard. BMW uses an eight-speed unit, while Acura uses a 10-speed. Both get electronically-controlled dampers, big brakes and sticky summer rubber. They each offer up usable backseat space and reasonably-sized trunks. WeÂ’d feel just as confident showing up to an important business meeting in either one as we would at a track day. ThatÂ’s the beauty of this mid-tier performance segment. After looking at their specs, it shouldn't be surprising that the M340i is the quicker of the two here. Its 382 horsepower and 368 pound-feet of torque hit noticeably harder from any speed than AcuraÂ’s 355 horses and 354 pound-feet of torque. The Acura is also carrying an extra 232 pounds of curb weight over the Bimmer, which makes the M340iÂ’s 1-second advantage in the 0-60 mph sprint make perfect sense. For the record, BMW quotes a 4.1-second time, and Acura only offers an approximate time of 5 seconds. Both estimates feel accurate. Beyond sheer acceleration, both engines offer up their own version of tingly feel-goods. BMWÂ’s inline-six is as smooth as ever as it plays its sonorous note all the way to the 7,000 rpm redline. There are few sounds in the automotive universe that surpass the glee we feel when listening to a BMW inline-six at full-chat, and that rule still applies to the M340i.

BMW readies EV, hydrogen updates for 2015 Detroit Auto Show

BMW's stand at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show will be the place to go for updates. News about advances in electric vehicle infrastructure, hydrogen fuel cells (maybe) and BMW's suite of connected vehicles app things will all make an appearance at the show next month. Let's start with what we know for sure. Both the i3 and i8 plug-in vehicles are supremely connected cars. A new announcement from BMW (available below) says that the suite of "Now" – ChargeNow, ParkNow and DriveNow – apps will be extended and available internationally. The updates include things like being able to find new new fast-charging stations and ParkNow LongTerm, which will let drivers find a permanent parking space where they can fill up their batteries. As Jacob Harb, BMW of North America's head of electric vehicle sales and strategy, told AutoGuide, "2015 is the year of infrastructure." While there is no official mention of a fuel cell stack in the official release (and we've asked BMW to see if there's anything to this news), Inside EVs says that BMW will also show off its new fuel cell stack in Detroit. That's the one that Toyota and BMW are working on together, as announced back in January 2013. If it makes an appearance, then it'll be our first look at the powertrain that's one generation beyond what Toyota has now in the Mirai. BMW at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) 2015 in Detroit. On 12 January 2015, BMW will welcome in the new car year by unveiling a raft of new products at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit. A fixture on the calendar since 1907, the event originally known as the Detroit Auto Show has a long tradition in the USA. This year will be the 27th time it has been held on an international stage, and more than 200 exhibitors will gather at the COBO Center on the Detroit River to present their latest offerings to a large audience. More than 18 million people have visited the show since 1989. The public days take place from 17 – 25 January. Celebrating their world premieres in Detroit are the new BMW 6 Series Convertible, Coupe and Gran Coupe, as well as the new BMW M6 Coupe, BMW M6 Convertible and BMW M6 Gran Coupe high-performance models. They will be joined at the NAIAS by the cutting-edge BMW i models and innovative services encompassing the world of electric mobility. And BMW ConnectedDrive will be showcasing its over-the-air regular automatic map updating technology.