BMW Car reviews

Despite the Geneva Motor Show getting canceled at the last minute due to the coronavirus scare, most of the automakers decided to unveil the vehicles at the same timelines, although on digital platforms.

BMW revealed the i4 Concept that previews what we can expect from the production version slated to release in 2021. To put it simply, the i4 will essentially be a 4 Series Gran Coupe with an electric powertrain. Will people accept it based on its looks?

Like most automakers out there, BMW announced plans to add a large number of electrified models, but while some companies are already offering a handful of EVs and hybrids, BMW doesn’t have much to offer beyond the i3 electric hatchback and the i8 hybrid sports car. But that’s about to change soon, as BMW developed a new-generation eDrive platform that will underpin a number of vehicles in the future. The new drivetrain made its debut in the iX3 Concept, which previews a production model based on the familiar X3 crossover.

Showcased at the 2018 Beijing Motor Show, the iX3 is a mildly revised X3 on the outside. This is a sign that BMW wants its electric lineup to be familiar to company enthusiasts and it’s a hint that upcoming EVs will share design cues with the conventional Bimmers instead of getting their own unique styling, like the i3. Specs and performance details are slim as of this writing, but BMW promises an innovative drivetrain layout, an output of at least 270 horsepower, and mileage of at least 400 km (249 miles). A prototype of the production model was already spotted in the wild, so it may be unveiled early next year. Let’s find out more in the speculative review below.

Update 2/28/2020: The BMW iX3 prototype has been spotted doing some cold-weather testing with little camo. Does this mean that a debut is imminent.

Back in 2014, BMW took a very confident step into the world of the EV, officially launching its “Project i” sub-brand with the i3. Following hot on its heels was the remarkable i8 hybrid coupe, which garnered the German brand oodles of green cred for its futuristic aesthetic and advanced powertrain. These days, BMW says it has big plans for its electrified lineup, with a total of 12 battery-electrics planned by 2025, plus 13 hybrids as well. One of the most exciting prospects is dubbed to i4, which promises four-door practicality, high-end luxury, extraterrestrial styling, and next-generation technology.

Update 2/27/2020: The BMW i4 Prototype with a RWD configuration was caught playing in the snow just a week before the i4 Concept is set to make its debut.

Prior to 2020, the BMW 7 Series was somewhat lacking when compared to models like the Audi A8 and Mercedes S-Class. For 2020, however, BMW put the 7 Series through an extensive facelift that included a revised exterior look, fresh technology, and updated powertrains – most of which were all inspired by the new BMW 8 Series. With a new V-8 engine being offered in the 750i trim, it was time to see what the 7 Series can offer, and we did exactly that. This is our experience with the BMW 750i and what we thought after spending a whole week with one of BMW’s most expensive models.

The BMW 5 Series is in line for a mid-cycle refresh and it won’t be long before it comes to full effect. What’s more, the revamp will also affect the M5 performance sedan, as our spy photographers have spotted a heavy-camo’ed facelifted BMW M5 mule out on the open road.

BMW is tight-lipped about the revised M5 (as it is about the 5 Series as a whole) but the test prototype displays a couple of interesting changes that touch on the front and rear light clusters and bumpers. There’s no word on power upgrades yet, but let’s take a better look at what the revamped M5 might have in store for us.

Update 2/21/20200: The 2021 BMW M5 was just spotted doing some cold-weather testing and it’s starting to come together nicely. Check out the new spy shots and what we’ve learned in our “Spy Shots” section below!

The 2020 BMW X6 M is the high-performance version of the third-generation coupe-style SUV. Just like the X5 M, it features a more aggressive exterior design with new options and a lot more technology inside the cabin. Thanks to new driver assist tech, the X6 M is a semi-autonomous vehicle in certain scenarios and it can park by itself. The really big news is the beefed-up engine, now capable of 600 horsepower. But BMW also offers a more powerful variant with the Competition badge that generates 617 horsepower. The new two-model lineup goes right after the Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 Coupe, also available in two flavors. Let’s find out more about that in the review below.

The 2020 BMW X5 M is the range-topping version of the fourth-generation X5 SUV. Unveiled in 2019, it’s the most powerful and advanced version of the midsize hauler. Sportier than ever design-wise and fitted with BMW latest tech, including semi-autonomous drive, the 2020 X5 M hides a twin-turbo, 4.4-liter V-8 under the hood. Rated at 600 horsepower, it’s a bit more potent than the old engine. But BMW also offers a 617-horsepower model under the Competition badge. The two-model strategy enables the 2020 X5 M to better compete with the Mercedes-AMG GLE 63. Find out more about the high-performance SUV in the review below.

Mere days after we saw a prototype version of the all-new BMW M4 prancing around in test mule form comes its hardtop sibling, which, not surprisingly, is also decked in full camo regalia. To be fair, this isn’t the first time that the BMW M4 Coupe was spotted in the wild.

Back in December, we caught a glimpse of the sports coupé being unloaded from a car transporter. That sighting didn’t amount to much, but this fresh batch of spy photos shows the M4 Coupe — still wrapped in heavy camouflage — in its more natural state, engaged in test runs in and around the streets of Germany.

Just like its roofless sibling, the all-new BMW M4 Coupe is set to debut sometime this summer ahead of its market launch at the end of the year. But before any of that happens, BMW will continue doing test runs of the M4, hopefully with fewer camo wraps in the succeeding sessions.

The BMW X7 is one of the newest models in Bimmer’s lineup, and it serves a noble purpose as the brand’s flagship SUV (or Sports Activity Vehicle, if you listen to BMW’s “we-need-to-be-different” nonsense.) It was announced back in 2014, and shown off in concept form (the BMW X7 iPerformance Concept) in 2017, but wasn’t available at dealers until March 2019. Since then, we’ve been itching to get behind the wheel of one, and BMW was happy to oblige.

As you might expect from a flagship model, the X7 is about as luxurious as you can get without dipping your toes in the six-figure range. It comes close, with the X7 XDrive50i commanding an MSRP of $92,600, but it won’t cross that big mark unless you start checking off option boxes. Even the M50i falls just shy of six figures at $99,600. Under the hood of our xDrive50i sat a 4.4-liter V-8 (the same one that may be discontinued soon enough,) and it was good for 456 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque. The sprint to 60 mph was rated at 5.2, but we got there in just a hair over 5 seconds, mighty impressive for a vehicle that weighs 5,617 pounds.

Interior space of the X7 was great, but what really caught our attention was the air suspension that would raise or lower as needed. Loading something into the rear? No problem, the suspension will drop to make it easier for you. Going over rough roads? Raise it up a notch. Spirited driving? The suspension will help keep things level. It’s like there’s nothing it can’t do. Comfort was on par with what you would expect, while materials and fit and finish were top notch.

We’re busy writing out in-depth review and driving impression of the 2020 BMW X7 right now, but until we’re done, we’ve posted our awesome photo gallery in the slider above and further down the page – be sure to check it out.

The 2021 BMW M4 Convertible is the upcoming, next-generation version of the company’s beefed-up compact drop-top. Set to be unveiled alongside the Coupe, the 2021 M4 Convertible will share almost all exterior features with the hard-top model, save for changes necessary to accommodate a folding roof.

Likely based on the BMW Concept 4, the 2021 M4 Convertible will probably feature the massive front grille seen on the show car. Like most recent M-badged models, the 2021 M4 Convertible will most likely arrive with two engine options, with the more powerful version called M4 Competition. Let’s find out more about the upcoming convertible in the speculative review below.

AC Schnitzer knows its way around BMW models. That knowledge comes in handy when we’re talking about a comprehensive aftermarket program for one of Bimmer’s resident performance crossovers, the X3 M.

You’re probably thinking the same thing. The X3 M already has 510 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque. It doesn’t need more power than what it already has, right? Well, don’t tell that to AC Schnitzer. The German tuner isn’t interested in what’s already there; it’s in the business of imagining what it could become and bringing that scenario to life. The product of all that is this extensive tuning program that not only adds a slew of aerodynamic improvements to the X3 M, but, more importantly, also adds more power to what is already a powerful performance workhorse.

AC Schnitzer hasn’t announced pricing details for the X3 M Competition program, but rest assured, expect to pay somewhere in the vicinity of $20,000 to $30,000 for the program alone.

The BMW 3 Series is arguably Bimmer’s most popular model, and it’s about to go electric. The all-electric 3 Series is one of the 25 electric and electrified models that BMW has in the pipeline, and while most of those models will probably end up being electric crossovers and SUVs, the 3 Series EV is arguably the most intriguing, in part because it’s shaped as a sedan and has big shoes to fill.

Recent spy shots of a heavily camouflaged 3 Series sporting “Electric Test Vehicle” stickers recently made their way into the Interwebs, providing us with all we need to know that the car under all the swirly bits is nothing else but the electric 3 Series. There’s no set timetable on when the electric 3 Series will hit the market, but with testing ongoing, it wouldn’t be surprising to see BMW debut the model this year ahead of a possible launch in 2021.

Remember the excessively polarizing BMW Concept 4 shown at the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show? Well, some of its distinctive styling cues are bound to be trickled down to the upcoming BMW 4 Series Coupé and we’ve already seen pics that suggest the oversized kidney grille is one such element.

Although we’ll have to wait a while to see the new 4 Series take a bow, our spy photographers caught a heavily camouflaged test mule and managed to sneak inside for a couple of interior shots. Read all about it and more in the in-depth review below.

The turn of the year marked the official demise of the BMW 6 Series in the U.S. But while it will no longer be offered in the U.S. market, the 6er will live on on the other side of the Atlantic. Proof of that comes in the form of new spy photos our eagle-eyed photographers culled of the soon-to-release, mid-cycle 6 Series Gran Turismo. Prototypes of the updated 6 Series GT have been spotted sporting barely enough camouflage to cover its entire body. A few physical changes are expected to come for the facelifted model, including some design cues that we’ve already seen in other new Bimmer models. The updated BMW 6 Series GT is scheduled to hit the market in the middle of 2020 as a 2021 model. It stands as the last 6 Series model in the market.

The 2020 BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe is a four-door coupe version of the second-generation 2 Series. Essentially a smaller alternative to the 4 Series Gran Coupe, the 2020 2 Series Gran Coupe is the very first four-door version of BMW’s smallest two-door coupe yet. It’s also the first four-door model this small that’s available globally, after the release of the China-only 1 Series Sedan in 2017. Although it runs on the same underpinnings as the 1 Series, the 2020 2 Series Gran Coupe sports a unique exterior design that combines a three-box layout with specific details front and rear. Its interior layout and the technology is, however, identical to the 1 Series. The 2020 2 Series Gran Coupe is aimed at the Mercedes-Benz CLA, but it also competes against the Audi A3 Sedan.

The BMW X6 has been around since 2007, and in the space of 13 years, it has become one of the most popular coupe-SUVs in the segment. Now that the third-generation X6 (GO6) has arrived, Bimmer’s resident coupe-SUV is ready to take on all comers in its segment. The third-generation X6 comes with plenty of upgrades. All the press releases and first-wave reviews made points of all of that. But you don’t get to appreciate these upgrades until you actually see the X6 in person, as we did when we recently took one out for a spin around town.

The all-new X6 looks good on paper, but it looks even better up close. BMW outdid itself in designing a coupe-SUV that fully embraces its identity. The X6 also comes with a gorgeous interior, though that’s hardly a surprise considering the company that makes it. Very little about the all-new X6 comes as a disappointment, though considering the market that it calls home, it’s still going to have a fight in its hands against some of its rivals. BMW did the new X6 proud, though. It’s arriving at the party packing serious lead.

Alpina is one of BMW’s most loyal tuners and the latest 3 Series-based B3 models continue to boast with a unique identity and performance figures that irk any M3 owner. The G20-generation B3 Touring is the 462 horsepower stopgap in a world without an M3 Wagon in it. Our only complaint? That we can’t buy this pinstriped grocery-hauler Stateside.

Once upon a time, Alpina and AC Schnitzer were duking it out on the race tracks of the world as BMW’s favored privateers teams. Both received support from Munich and decades of on-track rivalry now see both companies - but especially Alpina - put out some of the best modified cars on the market. So good, in fact, that Alpina has been a manufacturer for over three decades - although you’ll still find BMW logos on the B3. But Alpina doesn’t plan to crash the party of the upcoming M3 Competition either. That’s fair play!

BMW is set to launch an all-new 4-Series two-door sometime in 2019 or 2020, and while the G23 coupe version will not feature any dramatic changes over the current model, the G22 droptop will. Spy shots indicate that for the first time in two generations (E93 and F33), BMW is giving up on the folding hardtop design in favor of the more traditional soft top option which it last used on the E46 model discontinued in 2006.

Heavy camouflage covers the prototype spotted, but this important change is quite evident as the canvas top is left completely bare (quite obviously on purpose). It might be an illusion caused by the camo, but it also appears this new 4-Series has a longer hood and rear decklid compared to its predecessor.

Update 12/30/2019: The BMW 4 Series Convertible was caught on the back of a transport on the way to some final testing before its big debut. Check out the latest pictures in our “Spy Shots” section below.

The 2021 BMW M2 CS is higher performance, limited-edition version of the M2. Unveiled at the 2019 Los Angeles Auto Show, the M2 CS follows in the footsteps of the M4 CS. A beefed-up version of the M2 Competition, the M2 CS boasts revised aerodynamic features, exclusive items inside the cabin, the same engine as the M4 CS. Although not quite as powerful as the M4 CS, the turbocharged inline-six powerplant packs as much oomph as the M4 Competition Package, rated at 444 horsepower. This makes it the most powerful 2 Series model ever created. Not only the quickest 2 Series ever, it’s also quicker than the M4 and only marginally slower than the M4 CS. Let’s find out more about that in the review below.

The 2021 BMW X8 is an upcoming crossover based on the familiar X7. Rumored to arrive by the end of 2020 or in 2021, the X8 will fill another gap in BMW’s SUV lineup. Essentially an X7 with a coupe-style roof, the X8 will become BMW’s range-topping coupe-SUV, as it will slot above the X6.

BMW has yet to confirm the existence of the X8, but intel from BMWBlog claims that the vehicle is already in development with the internal designation G09 (the X7 is codenamed G07). Once it arrives, the X8 will be the eighth SUV in BMW’s lineup. What do we know about the X8? Quite a lot, and we also have a couple of renderings of the SUV’s design. Join me in the speculative review for more.