BMW releases official X5 M video

By Ben Pulman

23 December 2008 10:00

BMW clearly thinks the time is right to release an official video of the X5 M testing at the Nurburgring. It’s the car, along with the X6 M, that’s caused BMW to can the M3 CSL – and risk alienating a generation of M division fans.

So we get this BMW X5 M instead of a CSL?

Afraid so. M Division’s old boss Gerhard Richter once told CAR that the company would only produce high-revving, naturally aspirated engines powering rear-wheel drive cars. Go-faster SUVs simply weren't on the agenda.

Richter is no longer M Division boss, however. He was replaced by Ludwig Willisch, who has cancelled the CSL and approved cars like the X5 and X6 M. According to Willisch, there just won’t be enough demand for a stripped-out M3.

Instead we get an X5 with a 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 and around 500bhp. See the car in action in BMW's teaser video below, and watch the introduction carefully – it features lots of M Division’s rear-wheel drive cars in action. We feel like shedding a tear.

BMW Z4 (2009): first official pictures

By Tim Pollard

13 December 2008 23:00

After the leaked Z4 photos last week, today we finally see the first official photos of the new BMW Z4. The 2009-spec Z4 gains a folding hard top and offers a softened design language over the flamboyant banana curves and arcs of today’s roadster. Think of a bar of a soap that’s been through some palm duties and you get the idea.

It’s bound to provoke debate, but the new 2009 Z4 retains its long-bonnet classic roadster proportions. Sure, it’s a tad less extreme than the original and the detailing more mundane, but that’s where BMW design is right now. And perhaps they’ll alienate fewer buyers as a result.

BMW Z4: the lowdown

BMW calls this its first roadster with a retractable hard top and – yes – it replaces the separate convertible and coupe models hitherto sold. The hood is a two-piece affair crafted from aluminium and does its origami street theatre in 20 seconds.

Munich claims the boot space is 310 litres with the roof up, 180 ice cream boxes with the tin-top stowed. There’s naturally a heated glass screen to ensure better visibility for third-hand buyers in 12 years’ time.

Enough sensible stuff! Tell me the engines in the Z4

Now it’s official. There will be three straight sixes on offer, stretching from a 201bhp 2.5 to a 302bhp twin-turbo 3.0 motor. Each is equipped with Efficient Dynamics in a bid to trim fuel economy (although read our slightly disappointing ED experiences in our long-term Mini Cooper S here).

The new Z4 range will be available with seven-speed twin-clutch boxes – like the latest 3-series – and Dynamic Drive Control remaps the responses of the throttle, steering, stability control and engine management so drivers can tailor the Z4's responses to their mood. This generation also ushers in a new naming policy. Out go nice straightforward badges, replaced by:

• Z4 sDrive23i, straight six 2.5, 201bhp, 184lb ft, 199g/km, 34.4mpg
• Z4 sDrive30i, straight six 3.0, 255bhp, 228lb ft, 199g/km, 34.0mpg
• Z4 sDrive35i, twin-turbo straight six 3.0, 302bhp, 295lb ft, 219g/km, 31.4mpg

Those names (redolent of thegrammarbustingX6range)? Perhaps the space bar isn’t working in Munich’s typewriters…

The interior has received much attention and there's a typically modern BM cockpit feel inside. There's also iDrive for the first time, plus a folding 9in digital display.

Expect the Z4 on sale by May 2009 costing from £30,000 in the UK...

BMW cancels CS four-door coupe

By Ben Whitworth

05 November 2008 15:00

If you think America’s Big Three are finding market conditions tough, Europe’s finest are sagging on the ropes, too. This week BMW announced it was axing the radical CS four-door coupe – this, after its recent cancellation of the X7 – while Mercedes recorded a 25% drop in North American sales this month.

It’s not looking good for BMW is it…

No indeed. In the last quarter, BMW’s profit after tax plummeted by 62.9% to €298m, compared to a healthy €803m for the same period in 2007, and the company faces a €1.3bn tax burden for the first three-quarters of 2008. On top of the news of the CS’s demise, BMW boss Norbert Reithofer yesterday announced that in addition to the recent reduction of 25,000 units, the company would reign in production by another 40,000 before the end of the year. The CS will be canned, according to Reithofer, 'because the vehicle does not meet the internal requirements for rates of return', even though it was to be twinned with the new 7-series.

The financial crisis will not, however, mothball the research and development alliance BMW has forged with Mercedes to produce engines both companies need to battle the Volkswagen Group, as well as collaborate on advanced hybrid technology, dual-clutch and automatic transmissions and driver assistance systems. Nor will it pour cold water on Munich’s vaunted Project I, it far-seeing programme to tackle sustainable urban transport with a range of lightweight two and four-wheeled vehicles that draw heavily from its motorbike experience.

Is anyone in decent shape…?

Within the last fortnight, PSA Peugeot Citroën, Renault and Fiat have all downgraded their 2008 earnings forecast, as European and global sales continue to stagnate and decline. The one beacon in the darkness, however, is the Volkswagen Group. Despite this pervasive pessimism, it defied the market this week and stuck by its optimistic forecast for 2009 – in the same quarter where Mercedes and BMW suffered, Europe’s biggest carmaker posted an 11% sales hike to a robust €28.9bn on the back of a 27% rise in its third-quarter net profit.

But the champagne won't be popping for long – poor sales of Seat in Europe and Bentley in America will make 2009 ‘a very tough year indeed’ according to VW's chief financial man Hans Dieter Pötsch.

BMW-Mercedes alliance: the latest news

By Georg Kacher

06 October 2008 17:13

BMW and Mercedes are continuing to work on joint projects, CAR can reveal. The two premium brands reckon working together might just stave off the threat of the credit crunch, collapsing car sales in key markets and the uncertainty wobbling the very foundations of the motor industry.

But the BMW-Merc collaboration is proving difficult, according to executives in Germany contacted by CAR. Maybe it's a mutual case of 'not Invented here'. Maybe it's what decades of ingrained rivalry does to you. Or a mix of shortsightedness, ignorance and stubborness. Perhaps a combination of the above.

And if they can't finalise a deal, BMW is likely to hop into bed with a rival manufacturer. Talks with the Fiat group are at an advanced state, too (more of which later).

What BMW and Mercedes are working on

BMW and Merc are finding it very difficult to agree on even the smallest common denominators. Like engines – be it the new V12 or the new small petrol-fed four. A common V12 looked for a while like a done deal. And for good reason: both brands want it, Rolls-Royce and Maybach need it, and together they could easily afford it.

BMW chairman Norbert Reithofer is in favour of collaboration, while his counterpart at Daimler, Dieter Zetsche, has also given the thumbs-up. But both men cannot change the corporate culture overnight. And that corporate culture forbids sleeping with the enemy.

Why are they working together?

The reason BMW and Mercedes top brass want to work together is a homegrown rival: the increasingly threatening VW/Audi/Porsche powerhouse, which builds more V10, V12, W12 and W16 engines than the competition combined.

That's why M-B has thrown M295 into the ring, its brand-new direct-injection stratified-charge twin-turbo all-aluminium V12. But so far, to no avail.

What's in the alliance for Mercedes?

The Swabians urgently need a cheap-to-build four-cylinder petrol engine for their new A-/B-class, which is switching from sensationally clever to emphatically boring.

Merc's old four-pot was tailormade for that special sandwich layout and the new C-class's four-cylinder is too big, too heavy and too expensive. As it happens, BMW has got exactly what Mercedes wants: namely a modern turbocharged four with a 1.6- to 2.0-litre displacement range.

It'd be a perfect fit for everything in the lower echelons of Mercedes' range, stretching through A-, B-, C-, E- and GLK-classes. Combined with production of the 1-series, 3-series, X1/X3, Mini and Project i, it'd make for some bean-counter friendly numbers.

Why not cast the net wider than just BMW and Mercedes?

Indeed. For optimum economies of scale, there's talk of inviting BMW's R&D affiliate PSA to take part in the evolution process. A surefire recipe for success? Not to BMW. The Bavarians would rather sort out their own two four-cylinder engine projects first, according to CAR's sources.

Other collaboration opportunities between Munich and Stuttgart include more pace-setting hybrid modules, more efficient dual-clutch and automatic transmissions, advanced driver assistance systems and a highly flexible small car concept.

And what about Fiat?

BMW is holding joint discussions with Fiat, as well as Daimler. On the table are a new jointly developed series of small engines – including a baby two-cylinder motor – for use in the next generation of small cars, as well as platform sharing. Our senior sources in Turin told us at the Paris motor show that the next Mini could be twinned with the next Grande Punto.

Teaming up with Fiat isn't as mad as it might seem. Fiat is desperate to find a rear-drive donor to meet its needs for future, more upscale Alfas and is talking to both BMW and Jaguar.

Whichever way it goes, we'll know in the next few weeks. The deal is likely to be announced in autumn 2008 – so watch this space.

United, BMW and Mercedes could be strong. Divided, they are bound to lose out in just about any numbers game to the Volkswagen group behemoth.

BMW X1 at the Paris motor show 2008

By Ben Barry

02 October 2008 16:03

The new X1 and 7-series were the stars of BMW’s Paris stand, but there were plenty more treats for showgoers, including the subtly revised 3-series saloon and Touring – the Efficient Dynamics-fettled 3 now boasting the lowest carbon emissions in its class.

Tell me more about the X1 and 7-series

The X1 is BMW’s smallest off-roader, sitting below X5 and X3 – and, let’s not forget, above the soon-to-be-production-ready Mini Crossover Concept. In the metal it doesn’t actually look much smaller than the X3, but it does look a hell of a lot lower. It’s prettier than the X3 too, save the slightly odd clash of lines that congregate around the Hofmeister Kink area.

BMW chairman Norbert Reithofer gave the Lexus LS a not-so-subtle kick in the goolies when he introduced the new 730d. ‘It uses only 7.2 litres per 100km,’ he said. ‘Can you think of any of today’s large hybrids that offer comparable mileage?’ Ooof.

With the Lexus already down, BMW then went in for the kill with the world premier of the 7-series Active Hybrid – a V8 petrol augmented with electric hybrid power to boost mpg by 15 percent. It’ll be with us early in 2009, as will an Active Hybrid X6. Take that RX350!

What else is new on the BMW stand?

CAR got incredibly distracted by a white 125i coupe kitted out with BMW’s Performance range: hardcore Recaros, carbon aero aids, M3-CSL style induction kit and six-pot brakes. Elsewhere we spotted the world debut of the 320d Xdrive Touring. Forget a hybrid X6, surely this is the ultimate four-by-four for eco-conscious downsizers.

CAR's verdict: BMW at the Paris motor show 2008

You've got to hand it to them – BMW aren't standing still. There's still something of the Marmite about them; you'll either love or loathe its latest design statements, but you can't argue with the hybrid achivements or the persistent downsizing being offered.











CAR's BMW stand score: 4/5

New BMW Concept X1 unveiled: first official photos and video

By Ben Whitworth

01 October 2008 00:31

This is the new BMW X1. Okay, BMW calls it the Concept X1 – it will be wheeled out tomorrow at the opening day of the Paris motor show – but 99 percent of what you see here will be arriving in production form in the UK in autumn 2009. Expect prices to kick off around £20,000 as the X1 tries to capitalise on its lack of direct rivals – Audi’s Q3 is still two years away. No surprise BMW is predicting 100,000 sales a year as buyers continue to downsize without loss of image.

This Concept X1 is quite easily the ugliest BMW yet – and that’s saying something!

Err, yes, it’s a safe bet that the X1’s lines are likely to have design purists swooning for all the wrong reasons. Its busy mix of lines, uncomfortable proportions and heavy-handed detailing means the X1 stands out – but probably in more of a point-your-finger-and-snigger way than its designers would like. BMW obviously disagrees because it believes the X1 is all about 'cool elegance, modern style, and variable function'. So there.

Codenamed E84 and known internally as Sports Activity Wagon, the German-built car is underpinned by architecture borrowed from the E90 3-series – the same basis for the 2009 Mini 4x4 – which means an extensive range of four and six-cylinder turbo-charged direct injection petrol and diesel engines, hooked up to six-speed manual and new eight-cog automatic transmissions. Efficient Dynamics will also feature to trim the X1’s thirst and emission levels, and a hybrid should arrive within two years of the production version.

The X1 looks bigger than expected.

That’s because it is. At 4457mm long, the X1 is just 108mm shorter than the X3, and its 2760mm wheelbase is only 35mm shorter than the bigger off-roader’s. Which leaves us with furrowed brows – why launch a car that supposed to sit below the X3 but mimics it in size and footprint? No doubt some slick marketing manager will have an equally slick answer involving youth appeal and early adopters for us when we quiz him at the motor show later this week. Expect interior accommodation to be generous up front and adequate out back, despite BMW’s claims the X1 offers 'ample room for spontaneous mobility'. Whatever that means.

Talk me through the off-road bit

The X1 will be feature a part-time four-wheel drive system, one that shunts torque up to the front wheels as and when it’s needed. Not that the X1 will ever tackle anything more strenuous than the kerb outside fashion boutiques and coffee shops. So the dynamic emphasis will be squarely on driver engagement – to the extent that, according to our well-placed sources – BMW is already prepping a hotshoe tii flagship to give the X1 some pretty sharp performance teeth.

What! A tii version?

There’s more. If that doesn’t leave you rolling your eyes, wait until the wraps come off the X2 coupe! Based on the X1, the X2 will look like an X6 that’s been put through a hot wash. Called Sports Activity Runabout, the X2 will be a three-door hatch with a steeply raked roofline, a much more aggressive stance and more power to match its status. Expect it to arrive in early 2011 to take on Land Rover’s LRX, which arrives a year later.

It’s X madness!

Despite selling more X-models than Audi does Quattros and Mercedes does 4Matics, BMW hasn’t lost the 4x4 plot completely. It’s canned the proposed X7, a vast off-road monster said to make the X5 look effete and lithe. And the X4 – the coupe version of the next X3 that would sit between X2 and X6 – has also been put out of its short-lived misery. Phew….

New BMW Concept X1 teaser video

By Ben Pulman

29 September 2008 11:04

BMW will unveil its Concept X1 at the Paris motor show, a tarted-up version of the production car that will debut in mid-2009. But ahead of the official debut BMW has released this teaser video.

Of course it's a PR stunt, with glimpses of the Concept X1 mixed in with shots of skateboarders and grafftti artists, but it gives us our first look at the new X1 on the move. Except the real thing to arrive in mid-2009, while a 'coupe' X2 version will also be spun from the same platform.

Watch the video, then click 'Add your comment' below and tell us what you think of the BMW Concept X1

Scroll down the page to the embedded video player below to watch BMW's uneditted footage footage of the Concept X1

BMW M6 Competition Package (2008): first pictures

By Ben Whitworth

11 August 2008 16:30

BMW has given its top-end 6-series performance models a visual and dynamic boost. The top-drawer M6 is now available with a £2180 Competition Package that drops the front and rear suspension by 12mm and 10mm, retunes the DSC Dynamic Stability Control and ABS settings, and throws in a modified Variable M differential. There are also unique alloys shod with Pirelli P Zero Corsa System rubber and a restyled bonnet.

What about my non-M BMW 6-series?

Available on all non-M derivatives, the new Sport Edition pack – which adds £3650 to the coupe and convertible’s pricing – features bespoke 19-inch alloys, stiffer anti-roll bars (10 percent front, 30 percent rear), a sports exhaust, a more scalloped bonnet, brushed aluminium cabin accents and a wider choice of exterior colours, plus those Pirelli tyres.

Any news on the range-topping BMW X6?

BMW has announced prices and specifications for its new X6 flagship. The £53,930 xDrive50i, which arrives in November, is powered by twin-turbo 4.4-litre V8 petrol that develops 408bhp – good enough for a 60mph sprint in 5.4 seconds and a 155mph limited speed.

Those with an environmental conscience will be pleased to hear that the BMW’s CO2 and combined fuel economy figures of 299g/km and 22.6mpg shame those of the Cayenne GTS (332g/km and 20.3mpg) and Range Rover Sport (374g/km and 17.8mpg). But then everything’s relative…

BMW supercars

By Tim Pollard

29 July 2008 09:00

For a company that calls itself a purveyor of 'ultimate driving machines', it hasn't much form in the supercar arena. However, its one real entry is one hell of an effort. The '70s M1 was a mid-engined brute that mixed a mid-engine straight six with scintillating looks and a razor-sharp drive. Twenty years on, and BMW is considering launching a Mk2 in the shape of the Hommage concept shown earlier in summer 2008.

Make and model	Year	Price	Engine	0-60mph	Top speed
BMW M1	1978	£26,810	3453cc straight six, 277bhp, 239lb ft	5.8sec	161mph
	For:	Spawned the Procar F1 support races: often better than the main event
	Against:	'Only' 277bhp in road trim
	Verdict:	There's been a supercar-shaped hole in BMW's range ever since

BMW's only mid-engined supercar nearly never happened: Lamborghini was asked to develop it, then almost went bust. Built in tiny numbers (fewer than 500) but the glorious straight-six lived on in the first M5 and M6.

BMW 3-series facelift first photos

By Tim Pollard

11 July 2008 14:20

BMW has just lifted the embargo on photos of the new 3-series, after an American website published photos early. So here they are: a pair of photographs revealing the look of the – very lightly revised – 'new' 3-series. It's a compact exec with a few surprises up its sleeve, including the ability to travel 60 miles on a single gallon of fuel...

Thankfully, the facelift has abolished some of the Three saloon's dumpier overtones; there's always been a bit too much Mitsubishi Carisma for our liking in the rear lights, for instance. It looks a lot better now – trust us, we've seen it in the metal.












Saloon and estate: both new Threes at once

That's right, the four-door and Touring come first, but you can expect some of the facelift to spread across to the coupes and convertibles in fullness of time.

What's new? Well the headlamps are subtly reprofiled, the bonnet is new and there are numerous detail changes to the styling that add up to a classic Germanic, evolutionary redesign.












And inside the facelifted 3-series?

Inside, there's new trim but it's hardly that different. The press material talks of 'ergonomically optimised positioning of the window lift operating panel on the driver side', for goodness' sake. Rather more noticeable is the latest iDrive, which has been honed and improved some more – and now includes programmable short-cut keys. There's also the BM joystick gearlever on certain auto models.

Look out also for BMW ConnectedDrive; the revised 3-series is the first BMW to get this gadget, which allows unlimited internet use from inside the car. We suspect we'll be hearing a lot more about this particular gadget...












New tech then?

The 330d gains a new 3.0-litre straight six, mustering 245bhp and Euro 5 compliant know-how. It slots into a five-diesel and five-petrol line-up – and every one now includes Efficient Dynamics.

Look out also for the M3's seven-speed twin-clutch gearbox, that's now moved sideways onto the 335i coupe and convertible. It comes complete with paddles for finger-flicking fun as you nudge up and down the gearbox.

The full engine choice is as follows:
335i: 306bhp/295lb ft 3.0-litre six-cyl DI twin-turbo, 5.6sec, 155mph, 31.0mpg, 218g/km
330i: 272bhp/236lb ft 3.0-litre six-cyl DI, 6.1sec, 155mph, 39.2mpg, 173g/km
325i: 218bhp/199lb ft 3.0-litre six-cyl DI, 6.7sec, 155mph, 40.0mpg, 170g/km
320i: 170bhp/155lb ft 2.0-litre four-cyl DI, 8.2sec, 142mph, 46.3mpg, 146g/km
318i: 143bhp/140lb ft 2.0-litre four-cyl DI, 9.1sec, 130mph, 47.9mpg, 142g/km












335d: 286bhp/428lb ft 3.0-litre six-cyl TDI twin-turbo, 6.0sec, 155mph, 42.2mpg, 177g/km
330d: 245bhp/384lb ft 3.0-litre six-cyl TDI turbo, 6.1sec, 155mph, 49.6mpg, 152g/km
325d: 197bhp/295lb ft 3.0-litre six-cyl TDI turbo, 7.4sec, 146mph, 49.6mpg, 153g/km
320d: 177bhp/258lb ft 2.0-litre four-cyl TDI turbo, 7.9sec, 143mph, 58.9mpg, 128g/km
318d: 143bhp/221lb ft 2.0-litre four-cyl TDI turbo, 9.3sec, 130mph, 60.1mpg, 123g/km

Whatever you think about BMW, you can't deny there are some pretty impressive outputs here. Just think about it: 60mpg and 123g/km in a compact executive? Expect to see plenty more poverty-spec 3-series on the company car choice lists some time soon...New tech then?

The 330d gains a new 3.0-litre straight six, mustering 245bhp and Euro 5 compliant know-how. It slots into a five-diesel and five-petrol line-up – and every one now includes Efficient Dynamics.












Look out also for the M3's seven-speed twin-clutch gearbox, that's now moved sideways onto the 335i coupe and convertible. It comes complete with paddles for finger-flicking fun as you nudge up and down the gearbox.

The full engine choice is as follows:
335i: 306bhp/295lb ft 3.0-litre six-cyl DI twin-turbo, 5.6sec, 155mph, 31.0mpg, 218g/km
330i: 272bhp/236lb ft 3.0-litre six-cyl DI, 6.1sec, 155mph, 39.2mpg, 173g/km
325i: 218bhp/199lb ft 3.0-litre six-cyl DI, 6.7sec, 155mph, 40.0mpg, 170g/km
320i: 170bhp/155lb ft 2.0-litre four-cyl DI, 8.2sec, 142mph, 46.3mpg, 146g/km
318i: 143bhp/140lb ft 2.0-litre four-cyl DI, 9.1sec, 130mph, 47.9mpg, 142g/km

335d: 286bhp/428lb ft 3.0-litre six-cyl TDI twin-turbo, 6.0sec, 155mph, 42.2mpg, 177g/km
330d: 245bhp/384lb ft 3.0-litre six-cyl TDI turbo, 6.1sec, 155mph, 49.6mpg, 152g/km
325d: 197bhp/295lb ft 3.0-litre six-cyl TDI turbo, 7.4sec, 146mph, 49.6mpg, 153g/km
320d: 177bhp/258lb ft 2.0-litre four-cyl TDI turbo, 7.9sec, 143mph, 58.9mpg, 128g/km
318d: 143bhp/221lb ft 2.0-litre four-cyl TDI turbo, 9.3sec, 130mph, 60.1mpg, 123g/km

Whatever you think about BMW, you can't deny there are some pretty impressive outputs here. Just think about it: 60mpg and 123g/km in a compact executive? Expect to see plenty more poverty-spec 3-series on the company car choice lists some time soon...