The 5-Series is BMW's mid-line car, slotting between the 3- and 7-Series models in both size and price, and the larger of the two wagon models offered by the Bavarian manufacturer. For 2006, the wagon only comes one way: the 530xi Touring. To decode BMW's nomenclature, the 5 denotes the mid-sized series; the 30 signifies a 3.0-litre engine; xi refers to all-wheel drive; and Touring is BMW-speak for wagon. Got that? While this is not an inexpensive car -- more later -- people don't seem to have problems spending serious dollars on SUVs. Consider for a moment that BMW's own X5 4.4i SUV is essentially the same price as the 530xi. With a 315-hp V-8 it would seem the X5 is more vehicle for the money. But its 470 extra kg -- that's more than 1,000 lb., folks -- translate into an identical zer...
With the goal of keeping the soul of the original MINI -- its benchmark go-kart steering and handling -- we wanted to improve the (car's) fuel efficiency, performance and driving dynamics. And we wanted to make it safer," says Horst Radivojevic, project team leader, New MINI Development. BMW inherited the MINI's present engines (co-developed with DaimlerChrysler and currently built in Brazil) when the Bavarian company had a controlling interest in Rover. BMW frankly admits it was never really happy with the end result. It asserts the next MINI will be faster and more frugal with the two new 1.6-litre four-cylinder engines BMW co-developed with French carmaker Peugeot that will be built in a BMW plant next to the MINI factory in the U.K. The interior foam cushion masking the Cooper S pr...
.... ACRONYMS . BMW Bavarian Motor Works . DSB dispute settlement body . ECU Eu...
That proof comes in the form of the Bavarian marque's new 335i Coupe. That's right, a 3-Series. Isn't that the low end of the BMW range? It may be BMW's smallest car line, but on paper, and most certainly on the road, this two-door bests its 8-Series ancestor in every way. Then there's the powertrain. The original's 5.0-litre V-12 had decent power in its day: 296 hp and 330 lb-ft of torque are worth noting even today, but the standard for specific output (measured as horsepower per litre) has advanced significantly since then. Now the 335i uses but 3.5 litres and six cylinders in a row to generate similar numbers: a nice round 300 horses and 300 lb-ft of torque. Mind you, BMW engineers accomplished this by using forced induction in the form of sequential twin turbochargers, but I don't ...
Audi's RS4, though, may turn out to be the BMW's most serious contender yet, with certifiable supercar bona fides. Unlike Audi's previous effort, the S4, the RS is track friendly. Its tires run on meaty 19-inch rims, and the quattro all-wheel-drive system is calibrated to send 60 per cent of the engine's power to the rear tires -- enough that the RS4 feels like a rear-drive sports car, not so much that all that torque breaks the rear tires loose. Raising the stakes is the most potent normally aspirated V8 ever to wear an Audi badge. Like its predecessors, it's a 4.2L affair with dual overhead camshafts. Unlike other 4.2Ls, the RS4's engine adopts Audi's recent FSI direct fuel injection technology that was first developed for the Le Mans-winning R8 race car. Thanks to the FSI technology...
... automobile, though it's a compliment to Bavarian engineering that such an old car still represents ...
Compared with the donor M3's powerplant, horsepower is down in the M Roadster's mill by three, to 330, caused by the more restrictive exhaust plumbing due to the Z4's smaller size. Don't worry -- you wont miss the three horses. After firing up the M Roadster for the first time, within half a block it becomes obvious that what this car is all about is heavily thrumming between its front wheels. No-brainer Number Two has to be the swapping out of the Z4's suspension -- shocks, springs and anti-sway bars -- with a firmer setup that's comparable to what's found under the M3 Competition Package. In addition to BMW's Dynamic Stability Control (DSC), the M Roadster gains stronger wheel bearings and heavier subframes to incorporate BMW's variable differential lock. The M Roadster's high-perfor...
...I mean, how many focus groups did the Bavarian company need to green-light this puppy? The bonus ...
Despite the M6 droptop's porky 2,005 kilograms, it moves with surprising grace. No, I wouldn't run it in the Targa Newfoundland, but it corners like a smaller car and displays prodigious grip. These are backed up by a cornucopia of electronics that keeps it pointed in the right direction, whether trolling with traffic or making up for lost time. There are a couple of niggles to the M6 but only one real disappointment -- interior room. As with the entire 6 Series range, the M6 is not a small car, so why couldn't BMW configure the cabin to properly accommodate four adults? The only negative thought I could muster after a week behind the wheel in perfect late-summer sunshine is that southern Ontario doesn't have the roads to do the M6 justice. I wasn't thinking autobahn, either, more alon...
... to the tune of 500 horsepower from the Bavarian automaker's compact yet potent 5.0-litre V10. I've...
For 2007, the popular compact-sized SAV sees better drivetrains, exterior styling improvements and interior refinements. The X3 3.0i, boasting a 215-horsepower, 3.0-litre DOHC in-line six, succeeds last year's X3 2.5. But it's the X3 3.0si (replacing the '06 3.0i) and its decidedly more robust 260-h.p. variant of the 3.0-litre six that will have the boy racers talking. No, it doesn't turn the X3 into an M truck, but it definitely livens things up. An extra 35 h.p. and 11 more pound-feet of torque (reached at a lower 2,750 r.p.m.) will do that, imbuing the 1,820-kilogram five-seater with extra scoot. There is slightly more lean, naturally, because of the X3's higher ride height, but it's not that far off the mark. As firm as the suspension is, though, it doesn't translate into a typicall...
... the same flat-attitude intensity as the Bavarian automaker's own fine-handling sedans. There is sli...
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