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Motorweek remembers the Bimmers that made us all fall in love

The enthusiast's tied-in-knots relationship with BMW makes the Bavarians one of those brands especially ripe for nostalgic flights. That's why as soon as we saw the opening shot of Motorweek's review of the 1986 BMW 325e and a 635Csi, we let out a long sigh and thought, "Ahhhhh, I remember those days..." The two red barons were the new entries for the year, the 325e offering a couple of extra doors for the first time, the 635CSi rounding up the powerplant's displacement compared to the 633CSi that preceded it. The inline six-cylinder in the current 335i sedan gets on with 300 horsepower; 28 years ago, the 325e made do with a 2.7-liter inline six offering 121 hp, taking 9.3 seconds to get to 60 miles per hour from a standstill. That's four seconds more than today. Those willing to pay $41,000 for the 635CSi got a 3.4-liter inline six with 182 hp, and Motorweek praised it as a "confident handling car that does feel big and clumsy at times." The more things change, you know... Check out the video for a reminder of how BMW got to be what it is, and to hear the most unusual use of the word "oriental" we've heard in a while. News Source: MotorWeek via YouTube BMW Coupe Luxury Classics Videos Sedan

Mini Vision Next 100 concept invokes an alternate universe

Sir Alec Issigonis, designer of the 1959 Mini, would probably find Mini's new Vision Next 100 concept amusing. The original Mini was largely an exercise in efficient packaging and clever engineering. That it was handsome, and became iconic, was more a product of its wild success than an intentional product of its exterior styling. While the Mini concept is undoubtedly cleverly packaged, it's almost purely a styling exercise, no matter what sort of futuristic connected/autonomous functionality Mini says it'll have. Mini doesn't seem able to move past the Mini as a caricature of itself. The heavy, floating roof, the vestigial round and friendly "headlamps", the oversized gauge pod. This seems very German, the inability to communicate essential brand attributes without using cliches. Mini is in a styling rut, trying to evolve the same basic styling language with each new generation, stretching it over larger hard points. The Vision Next 100 program would have been a great time to communicate to the public that Mini is more than just styling tropes: it's an attitude, a way of thinking, a connectedness to the driver. More than a badge or bug-eyed headlights. To its credit, the interior is massively decluttered. That's in part to the rear-engine layout, but more on that in a follow-up piece. The comparatively vast footwell and ultra-minimalist dash pair well with the giant windscreen. It feels light, airy, and authentic to the ideals of the originally Mini in terms of space efficiency, without being overly sentimental. Futurism is a thankless profession, and we can't take this concept literally as a vision of what the brand will be in 100 years. We can say this: it doesn't seem that Mini will be able to transcend the styling tropes that currently define Mini. Let's hope they find a way out of their rut. Related Video: Featured Gallery Mini Vision Next 100 Concept View 38 Photos Design/Style BMW MINI Coupe Hatchback Concept Cars Future Vehicles vision next 100

2016 Technology of the Year Finalist: 2016 BMW 7 Series

BMW remade the legendary 7 Series around technology for 2016. Yes, the sixth generation of BMW's iconic flagship remains a luxury leader, but its sophisticated new features expand the 7's traditional strengths to a new generation that relies on smartphones. The 7 Series' extensive tech is most evident inside, where the driver and passengers have new interactions with the car. A feature called gesture control allows the driver to turn up the volume, accept or decline phone calls, or turn off the home screen using hand movements (see the video below). The sedan also has a digital instrument cluster, LCD touchscreen keyfob, wireless charging feature for phones, and a pinch-to-zoom function that makes iDrive simpler to use. Life is especially good in the backseat, where a seven-inch Touch Command Tablet allows the passenger to control comfort, lighting, and infotainment tasks. There's also WiFi, a gorgeous panoramic Sky Lounge LED roof, and 10-inch screens mounted into the seatbacks. Creature comforts and connectivity aside, BMW literally redid the 7 Series to the core. The new body structure, called Carbon Core, helps the sedan cut weight by up to 190 pounds compared with its predecessor while improving stiffness and rigidity. Meanwhile, the big sedan now offers four-wheel steering, improved aerodynamics, and it will get a plug-in hybrid version next year. It's still a 7 Series, and that means it has all of the luxury can you imagine. The car will massage you, perfume the air, and ionize the cabin. Naturally, it has a potent twin-turbo V8 pushing out 445 horsepower. This is what you've come to expect from BMW. But with the new 7 Series, the venerable automaker moves toward the modern tech-savvy consumer, and that's why Bavaria's most decadent sedan is a finalist for our Technology of the Year award.