BMW Car reviews

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.

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.

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.

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 12/19/2019: BMW hasn’t decided to show off the production version of the iX3 EV quite yet, but it has filled us in on some vital information. Find out what we know in our “Update” 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.

The BMW X2 is barely two years old as a model and it’s already headed down the path of electrification. A prototype version of Bimmer’s relatively new compact crossover has been spotted in the snowy abode of Sweden, and while it’s easy to assume that said model is the plug-in hybrid variant of the X2, the truth is that it’s not.

This crossover is the test mule of the iX2, the all-electric version of the X2 crossover that will be launched sometime in 2021 or 2022. The spy photos captured the iX2 prototype sans any camouflage and that’s not by accident. Visually, it’s still the X2 but that little sticker that says “electric test vehicle” confirms that, other than a few design changes, this prototype is an all-electric crossover hiding in the X2’s clothing.

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.

The BMW M3 has been around for a while now, first entering production in 1985 as a high-powered go-faster variant of the ever-popular BMW 3 Series. The latest F80 generation dropped in 2014, essentially setting the benchmark for all other fast four-doors to match, and now, there’s a new generation in the making. Dubbed internally as the G80, the next M3 is shaping up to be quite the ultimate driving machine, so we gathered up all the rumors we could find and put ‘em right here in the following speculative review.

Update 11/14/2019: The BMW M3 was caught out on a fall drive with new headlights and a revised decklid.

Where do you go when you want a car that looks like a BMW and still is a BMW deep inside, but sports subtle design tweaks, boosted powerplants, and new badges without looking over the top and rather elegant instead? Well, if you’re thinking Alpina, then you’re absolutely right. The firm calls itself a manufacturer because it does not offer aftermarket kits, tuning chips, of mods, but instead, it delivers BMW-based models that have been tweaked from the ground up. Alpina’s latest product, the B3 saloon, just took the stage in Tokyo, so why don’t we get to learn what’s it all about?