BMW Family Cars

Tesla can be credited for igniting this full-on electric car movement we’ve been witnessing over the past couple of years, with Dieselgate acting as a catalyzer for Volkswagen AG but also for other German brands, BMW included.

Well-established carmakers have been on a spending spree trying to develop electric powertrains and EVs and BMW CEO Oliver Zipse believes they will soon catch up with Tesla and even get ahead of it.

As a car enthusiast who spends some of its time watching YouTube, you may have stumbled onto Tyler Hoover’s channel – Hoovie’s Garage. The YouTuber consistently opens up with the slogan “The dumbest automotive channel on YouTube”, but we like to think it’s more of an educational/entertaining automotive channel. Mostly with regards to what we shouldn’t be buying. With this in mind, Tyler, once again, walks us through (or under) one of his many “hoopties”, as he likes to call them.

BMW revealed an interesting concept called the iNEXT at the 2018 Paris Auto Show. This was the time when the automaker also introduced us to the huge kidney grille. Who knew it would spread like a virus within the portfolio with many of them boasting it on their faces in the years to come?

Anyway, the iNEXT was soon renamed to iX, and BMW said that it will be roughly the size of the X5. But unlike the iX3, which is essentially the electric version of the standard X3, the iX will be much more. For starters, it’s based on a completely new platform that will underpin the future electric models, too.

The new Mercedes-Benz S-Class is nothing but a declaration of high-tech war aimed at its two main rivals, the Audi A8 and the 7 Series. BMW’s flagship received a hefty facelift in 2019 for the 2020 model year and other than the enlarged grille, it got a tech upgrade, including BMW’s then-new iDrive 7.0 setup. However, you can only stay relevant for a short time in the current luxury car climate and with the S-Class making no rebates on the technology front, BMW is already working on the next-generation 7er. Here’s everything we know so far.

It might sound like we’re pushing our luck here since BMW is already working on a station wagon version for the new M3, but looking at these renders, there’s no denying that the M4 would look rad in shooting brake attire.

Despite calls from a lot of people to infuse old design elements from the past in its future models, BMW isn’t keen on taking that approach. BMW’s design chief, Adrian van Hooydonk, made that definitively clear in a conversation with Top Gear. The 56-year-old Dutch designer admitted that while BMW does go through the designs of some of its past models going full retro with the designs of its newer models isn’t on the company’s radar.

The latest BMW M3 and M4 are the most dynamic and powerful of their kind, but they also stand out due to their polarizing exterior designs. The huge kidney grille is the main culprit. While some BMW enthusiasts find it daring, others think that the German company ruined them. Some would rather have Chris Bangle back on the design team!

BMW is well aware that many do not like the new grille, but it doesn’t have a problem with all the criticism it’s getting on social media. Design boss Domagoi Dukec explains that the oversized kidney grille was created for customers that want to stand out. In short, if you don’t like, you weren’t among BMW’s targeted customers anyway.

BMW announced a series of new features and drivetrains for the 3 Series and 4 Series models, including an optional M Carbon roof. Previously offered only on the range-topping M3 and M4 models, the carbon-fiber roof is no offered on lower-tier versions of the compact. Specifically, you can order it on the gas-powered M340i xDrive and M440i xDrive, as well as on the diesel-fed M340d xDrive and M440d xDrive variants.

The BMW X5 M is quite intimidating when it’s standing peacefully. With those big, burly wheels and tires, and the sharp cuts and creases all around, it has a very strong street presence. When you see it in action, well, that’s a whole different story altogether.

In its top-spec, it comes with a V-8 engine under the hood that can give even some powerful performance sedans a run for their money. But, it seems like this wasn’t enough for Manhart Performance. The German aftermarket company has created its iteration of this beast that comes with carbon fiber elements inside and outside, exhaust system and suspension upgrades, and a power boost that makes the X5 M even scarier in action.

Produced from 2003 to 2010, the fifth-generation BMW 5 Series is almost a classic now, mostly because it spawned the only M5 model with a V-10 engine, as well as one of only two station wagon M5 up until now. But upon its release in 2003, the E60 5 Series was actually hated by many BMW purists, who didn’t like the company’s new design direction.

Just like the E65-gen 7 Series launched in 2001, the fifth-gen 5 Series saw a big departure from traditional BMW styling, employing the then-new "flame surfacing" design. Chris Bangle is usually credited with the exterior styling of these cars (the rear end of the 7 Series was nicknamed "Bangle Butt"), but they were designed by someone else. And the story of the E60 5 Series is touching to say the least.

It’s hard to believe that BMW’s iDrive infotainment system is 20 years old this year. But it is, and if you need a little reminder of that, this short film from Bimmer will give you all the reminding you need. The film stars a grumpy, foul-mouthed BMW E65 7 Series and a much younger BMW iX. The two talking Bimmers argue about which of them is the better car.

Curse words are uttered, feelings are hurt, and a resolution happens towards the end. It’s a weird short film that’ll make you wonder what Bimmer’s marketing folks are sipping these days, but there is a story that’s told perfectly here, too. This is a story of two generations of BMW that couldn’t be more different from each other, though the two do have ties that bind. Give it a watch and prepare to have feelings about it afterward.

By now, a lot of you have your opinions of BMW’s new — and very controversial — kidney grille. Seen in models like the M3 and M4, the front kidney grille is, for better or worse, a visual conversation starter. But as much as it captures our attention, very little has been said about the functions of the kidney grille and, more importantly, what you can find behind the new nose.

See, there’s more to the kidney grille than meets the eyes, and thanks to Bimmer’s new “M3 and M4 - Explained” web series, we get a peek behind the curtain, or, in this case, a peek behind the two kidney grilles.

The X2 was introduced in 2018 and is the youngest of the German SUV lot. It was introduced to fill the vacuum between the X1 and the X3. Given how the market is shrinking and automakers are trying to capitalize on every possible opportunity, the X2 made sense. In its essence, it came in a package slightly smaller than the X3 but with more features and better specs than the X1. However, according to Autobild.de, BMW is giving the X2 bigger dimensions for the 2023 model. Do we really need it?

BMW updated the 5 Series sedan for the 2021 model in May 2020. It looks sharper and sportier on the outside, features notable changes on the inside, and comes with a new mild-hybrid system for the six-cylinder engines. There are some tweaks made to make it aerodynamically more efficient, too.

BMW is one of the most popular manufacturers out there, with a long history of producing exciting performance cars despite being a luxury brand above all else. That said, because of the ever-increasing demand for more eco-friendly vehicles even manufacturers who praise themselves for making some of the most engaging automobiles in the business, have to deviate from their main principles, for the sake of staying relevant. Some of the more recent developments experienced by the Bavarian company are perfect examples that the winds of change are upon us, and these are some of the results, we will see in 2021.

BMW has finally let the cat out of the bag, sort of. The cat being the new M5 CS, which is yet to be unveiled in full but, hey, at least it sheds some spec sheet secrets. And yeah, they’re of the juicy variety.

Manhart is known to come up with extraordinary builds. This time around, they’ve laid their hands on the BMW X7 and gave it an armored, military vehicle look. Called the Dirt Edition 2, this X7 boasts of a rugged-looking matte wrap on the outside coupled with smoking-hot black wheels, a raised stance, and a power boost for the V-8 engine under the hood. The Wuppertal-based tuner calls it the Dirt Edition, thus implying that this is a follow-up to the first dirt edition SUV that was based on the BMW X6 almost a decade back.