BMW Sports Car reviews

The first-generation 4 Series still looks good to this day. It’s even better to drive, thanks in particular to the 50:50 weight distribution between the two axles and BMW’s affinity for a driver-centric experience - and by that, I don’t mean just the fact that the cockpit points every button, knob, or screen at whoever is sitting behind the wheel.

That genuine appetite for spirited driving is still present in the new 2021 BMW 4 Series, albeit wrapped up in a polarizing package. What I’m really trying to say is that this book should under no circumstances be judged by its cover. That would be a mistake.

The 2021 BMW 128ti is a performance-oriented version of the third-generation (F40) 1 Series. The 2021 128ti slots between the 120i and the M135i xDrive models in terms of equipment and performance. It borrows some styling features from the range-topping M135i xDrive, but its 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine is detuned from 302 to 261 horsepower. It’s also a rear-wheel-drive model with no option for an AWD system.

More importantly, the 128ti revives the iconic "ti" badge that BMW first introduced in the 1960s and used most recently in 2004. Let’s find out more about it in the review below.

The 2021 BMW M3 (G80) is the sixth-generation of the company’s high-performance compact sedan. Based on the seventh-generation 3 Series (G20), it debuts many firsts for the nameplate. Design-wise, 2021 M3 stands out thanks to its massive kidney grille, a feature it shares only with the M4 as of 2020. It’s also the first M3 model available in two versions: there’s a base M3 with 473 horsepower and a beefed-up M3 Competition model with 503 horsepower. The two-model lineup is an answer to the Mercedes-AMG C 63, available in standard and S guises. The 2021 M3 is also the first of its kind to feature an all-wheel-drive system. It’s available as an option for the M3 Competition trim. Unlike its competitors, the 2021 M3 retains a manual transmission, offered as standard on the base model. Let’s find out more about all of the above in the review below.

The 2021 BMW M4 Competition is a higher-performance version of the second-generation M4. A successor to the old M4 Competition, this nameplate is no longer a limited-edition model, but it has been included in the lineup alongside the regular M4. BMW is pretty adopting the same strategy as Mercedes-Benz, which offers two power versions of the C 63 S Coupe. An evolutionary design of the previous model on the outside, the 2021 M4 Competition introduces a new, massive front kidney grille and a twin-turbo inline-six engine rated at an impressive 503 horsepower. Not just the most powerful M4 ever built, surpassing the old M4 GTS, the 2021 M4 Competition is also the first M4 model to feature an all-wheel-drive system.

The 2021 BMW M3 Competition is a higher-performance version of the sixth-generation M3. Essentially a more powerful M3 with extra features inside and out, the 2021 M3 Competition is the range-topping model of the G80-generation sedan. An evolutionary design of the previous model, the 2021 M3 Competition stands out through a bigger-than-ever kidney grille and a twin-turbo inline-six engine rated at 503 horsepower. This rating makes the 2021 M3 Competition the most powerful M3 ever built.

Like most cars, the M8 Competition Gran Coupe is far from perfect. It’s preposterously fast for a car that weighs in excess of two tons, and yet, the speed doesn’t really translate to the kind of enjoyable driving experience you’d expect from BMW’s range-topping model. Fortunately, AC Schnitzer is always there to answer the bell.

The German tuner known for developing programs for all sorts of Bimmers has come up with a program for the M8 Gran Coupe, one that addresses some of the perceived shortcomings of the M8 Competition Gran Coupe. The result is what you’d expect from AC Schnitzer.

BMW is back at its special edition game with a new attire for the 8 Series. While the package looks alright and will at least prevent owners from painting their 8er’s rims gold, we cannot not wonder just how helpful will the Golden Thunder Edition prove to be for the 8 Series’ sales cause.

Manhart has a new toy for big boys and it’s based on the smoking-hot BMW M8 Competition, a car that’s already brimming with performance. Yet Manhart didn’t settle for the stock grunt because, honestly, that’s not what tuners do. So what you’re seeing here is the MH8 800, the fastest BMW M8 Competition... in the world.

Unlike the BMW M3, which just arrived in sixth-generation (G80) form, the BMW M4 comes from a family tree that goes all the way back to…2014. The first-generation F82 M4 arrived only six years ago, and while it has made a name for itself in the premium luxury coupe segment, it was evident that the F82 needed to give way to its successor. Enter the all-new, second-generation BMW M4 (G82). The hype surrounding the 2021 M4 G82 didn’t come without any trepidation, thanks in large part to the polarizing kidney grille that it now shares with a lot of Bimmer’s more recent models. But don’t get bogged down by that detail because the G82 M4 has plenty to offer. It comes in two forms like its predecessor — base and Competition — and it’s available with features and options (all-wheel-drive on the M4 Competition) that should make the next-gen coupe a strong challenger in its segment for years to come.

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.

Update 4/28/2020: The BMW 4 Series Coupe was spotted testing the the wild once again, this time with much less camo and padding. Check it out in all its glory in the Spy Shots section below!

With a 4.4-liter turbocharged V-8 engine producing 591 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque, the BMW F90 M5 packs a mean punch. The performance sedan is capable of sprinting from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.4 seconds. It’s also capable of maxing out at 155 mph, though if you take the limiter off, the M5 can blitz its way to a top speed of 186 mph. All these numbers paint a clear picture of the M5’s performance capabilities, and, at least on the surface, the numbers are impressive. Then again, the F90 M5 is still teeming with untapped potential, and when there’s room for improvement, a tuner like G-Power is there to answer the bell. This, ladies and gentlemen, is the orange metallic body wrap-wearing BMW F90 M5 Hurricane RS by G-Power, and it is a monster in every sense of the word.

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.

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.

As BMW prepares to give the current-generation M4 its proper swan song, the German automaker is rolling out what is probably one of the last special edition models of the F82-generation M4. It’s called the BMW M4 Heritage Edition, and while it’s offered exclusively as a coupe — the M4 Convertible doesn’t get any love — the Heritage Edition exudes all the qualities you’d want from a proper M4, right down to all the M-spec goodies included in the exterior and interior of the special edition M4. Only 750 units of the BMW M4 Heritage will be made. It’s tabbed as a global model so the U.S. market is expected to receive a healthy share of the allocation. There’s no word on how many will make it stateside — or how much each unit is going to cost — but we should expect more details on that front to arrive before production starts at the end of the year. If the M4 Heritage Edition ends up being the last special edition model that’s based on the F82-generation M4 Coupe, then consider it a proper send-off.

The year was 2018, and it was time for BMW to have a Halo car outside of the aging i8, but BMW didn’t go for another EV or a high-powered supercar. Instead, after a 20-year hiatus, BMW decided that it was time to revive the 8 Series name, and that’s exactly what happened on June 15, 2018. The modern, sporty 2019 BMW 8 Series shot like an arrow straight to the heart of purists as BMW let out the roaring promise of crippling power in a sexy coupe silhouette – 523 horsepower in M850i form, to be specific. Since the return of the new 8 Series that hot day in the middle of June, the 8 Series lineup has expanded to include the 840i, M850i, M8, and the soon-to-launch Gran Coupe that should be offered in both M850i and M8 form.

Like most BMW fanboys, we started picking apart the new BMW 8 Series. We wondered: Is it worthy of the 8 Series name? Will it be worth the near-six-figure price? Can this large of a car really offer up the performance, handling, and luxury that not only have we come to expect from BMW but from something that wears the crown of a halo car? We’ve set out to find the truth on a number of occasions, and have even compared it on paper to the 6 Series, the Aston Martin DB11, and the Mercedes S-Class. It wasn’t until Summer of 2019 that we actually got to sit behind the wheel of the new 8 Series, though. But, when we did, we were graced with the honor of driving the M850i Convertible – a model that is said to blend 523 horsepower, world-class driving dynamics, and the best open-air feeling on the market.

The question now is, however, does the all-new 8 Series actually live up to the bold claims made by BMW? Well, we spent a whole week with the M850i Convertible, and this is our story. You might want to buckle up because things get interesting!!

If rumors are to be believed, the BMW 8 Series Coupé is not long for this world. The good news, though, is that the impending demise is still a few years away. That should give us enough time to enjoy a model like the BMW M850i M Performance. Turns out, we’re not the only ones that have adopted a similar approach. Manhart Racing has been having some fun with the performance 8er, enough at least to create an arresting new tuning program that covers a lot of ground in the M850i. From exterior upgrades to engine enhancements, the German tuner has been a busy bee in the lab, though all that hard work appears to be time well-spent. This BMW M850i means business, and you wouldn’t want to be in its crosshairs.

BMW has decided to bring back the 8 Series, a model that was last produced in 1999. Since then, BMW did have the 6 Series Coupe, but now the 6 Series is only available as a four-door, while the new 8 is the top of the line coupe. The 8 series is available as an 840i with a six-cylinder engine or as an M850i with a V-8. We decided to test the V-8 version to see if the M850i is any good.

Rumored for many, many years, the iconic BMW 8 Series returned to the market in 2018 as the company’s flagship coupe. And unlike the first-generation model, produced from 1989 to 1999, the new 8 Series spawns a high-performance M8 model. As announced, a topless version was unveiled at once with the Coupe model, so the boys from Munich will finally have a competitor for the AMG-prepped Mercedes S63 and S65 Cabriolet. The M8 Convertible, like the Coupe, will be available in standard and in Competition trim. The standard model will put out 600 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of twist while the Competition version adds 17 ponies max torque comes on earlier.

Not only will the M8 Convertible arrive as a premiere for the nameplate, but it would also be a first for the 8 Series. Although it was produced for a full decade, the first-gen 8 Series remained a coupe only throughout its lifetime. The German firm did develop a Cabrio and built a prototype, but it later decided that it was unlikely to recover its development cost and scrapped the project. The same happened with the original M8, which was axed in favor of the less powerful, but still M-developed 850CSi. Some two decades later and both ideas are merging, at last, into a production model for the very first time. What a time to be a Bimmer fan!

Continue reading to learn more about the BMW M8 Convertible.

The BMW 8 Series returned in 2018 after almost 20 years. Developed to replace the 6 Series, the 8 Series is sportier, more modern, and enables BMW to compete against the Mercedes-Benz S-Class Coupe.. But since this is BMW we’re talking about, it’s not just a matter of competing against its rivals; it’s also about one-upping them when the opportunity comes. That "opportunity" has arrived in the form of the BMW M8, the high-performance version that will be offered in coupe and convertible form, not to mention coupe and convertible variants of the more potent Competition trim. Production for the M8 starts in mid-to-late 2019. The M8 is priced from $133,000 for the base coupe model to $155,500 for the Competition convertible model.

The BMW i8 Roadster is the car you want to have if you want to make more statements at once. If you want to look wealthy, unusual, and with an eye towards our future, you should park an i8 in your driveway. The 2+2 sports car still looks fresh six years into its production cycle and, as much as we love the glassed roof of the coupe, this roadster version is the one to have during the summer months. We took one for a spin to see if BMW has lost the lead in the hybrid sports car segment or if the i8 is still the king of the crop.

Now, the first thing you must know about the i8 Roadster is the concession it pushes you to make: due to the fact that you no longer have a fixed roof over your head and, instead, you have to make do with a soft top, there are o back seats. The place where the back seats used to be is eaten up by the two-piece, electrified roof when it’s folded away from view. On the other hand, you do get just as much oomph as in the case of the Coupe, namely 369 horsepower combined that translate to a 0-60 mph time of 4.4 seconds. Also, the roofless i8 was the first to come with the 11.6 kWh battery pack that feeds the single synchronous electric motor on the front axle and the one that sits on the back axle, near the engine.

The 2020 BMW X3 M is the high-performance version of the company’s popular compact SUV. The M-badged crossover arrived a full 16 years after the X3 made its debut and enables BMW to compete with beefed-up versions of the Mercedes-Benz GLC and Audi Q5. Alongside the X3 M, BMW also introduced a higher-spec Competition model. The highly anticipated X3 M arrived to put an end to more than a decade of speculation. Rumored ever since the crossover arrived in showrooms back in 2003, the X3 M is finally here to take on the Mercedes-AMG GLC63. The Competition model boasts a bit more power and extra standard features, which places it in the same league with the AMG GLC63 S.

BMW is going limited edition crazy on the new 8 Series Coupe. Barely a month after introducing a one-off 8 Series Coupe that had pieces of actual meteorite on it, the German automaker is rolling the M850i xDrive Coupe First Edition. Limited to just 400 units worldwide, the M850i xDrive Coupe First Edition is the first of what is expected to be a long line of special edition 8 Series models that we can expect in the coming years. Exclusive touches to the exterior and interior are the main selling points of the M850i xDrive Coupe First Edition. That includes the all-too-important individually numbered badge in the cabin. Production of the special edition 8 Series starts between April and June 2019 at the automaker’s facility in Dingolfing, Germany. Market allocation of the 400 units, specifically those earmarked for the U.S. market, is yet to be determined.