2015 Bmw X3 Xdrive35i on 2040-cars

Auto blog

BMW M5 and FCA's 5-year plan | Autoblog Podcast #544

On this week's Autoblog Podcast, Associate Editor Reese Counts is joined by Green Editor John Beltz Snyder and Consumer Editor Jeremy Korzeniewski. We talk about driving the Subaru Ascent and BMW M5, and discuss FCA's five-year plan and the Audi Q8. As always, we help spend a listener's cash on a new car in the "Spend My Money" segment. Autoblog Podcast #544 Your browser does not support the audio element. Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown Cars we've been driving: 2019 Subaru Ascent and BMW M5 FCA's five-year plan Audi Q8 Spend my money Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video: Podcasts Audi BMW Chrysler Dodge Subaru Car Buying Used Car Buying FCA subaru ascent

Guess what BMW's '30 Years M3' special edition celebrates

It's anniversaries on top of anniversaries at BMW in 2016. The company celebrated its 100th year of existence at an elaborate celebration in March, last week we got a new hommage concept to mark five decades since the iconic 2002 debuted, and now, in time for the holiday weekend, there's this limited-edition M3. Wait, that's not what this holiday is for? This celebratory sports sedan gets the not-quite-grammatical name of "30 Years M3," which is totally grammatical when translated back into German ("30 Jahre M3"), and BMW plans to build just 500 of them for the whole world. We don't yet know how many will come to the US, but seeing as ours is one of BMW's larger markets, we are at least banking on "some." What makes it neat besides rarity? It comes with pretty much everything you can get on a standard M3, including the Competition package with its 444-horsepower engine tune, Adaptive M suspension, and Active M differential. To that it adds an M exhaust with black tips, the requisite dash plaque, shouty door sills, and unique "30 Years M3" badges on the fender gills. The interior has special seats with gray or blue inserts and stitched headrests, plus seat belts with M three-stripe trim. (And yes, the cars in the photos say "30 Jahre M3," but we already explained that, right?) And then there's the paint. It will be available in Macao Blue metallic, a color that was available for special order on the E30 M3. And if there's any car that deserves some celebration, it's the original M3. Happy 30th, neat car. Related Video:

2015 BMW i8: Autoblog Technology of the Year finalist

Traditionally, nominations for the Autoblog Technology of the Year award are earned for specific developments - a new-think powertrain, a uniquely developed material, a groundbreaking smartphone app, or what have you. In the case of BMW's marvelous i8, it so bristles with novel applied sciences and fresh features that we broke with tradition and nominated the entire car.
We just couldn't help ourselves. Oh, we could've focused on the i8's carbon-fiber monocoque, or its well-resolved plug-in-hybrid powertrain that incorporates a tiny 1.5-liter three-cylinder engine and an electric motor, or its seamless through-the-road all-wheel drive. This is a car that will even have frickin' laser beams for headlights - at least it will for our friends in Europe (and it will in the US, should our legislators ever catch up).