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Filed under: Car Buying , Government/Legal , Plants/Manufacturing , BMW , Mercedes Benz , Porsche , Driving Under proposed new fuel economy rules set by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), automakers with powerful short-wheelbase models are going to feel some pain. The agency is considering a plan to create two sliding scales of efficiency for cars and trucks of different sizes. Automakers will be assigned fuel economy standards based on the "footprint" ( short wheelbase = small footprint ) of their vehicles, and the number of vehicles they sell. Companies like Porsche, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz, independent luxury brands with high-performance models, will be hit the hardest. Interestingly enough, Toyota, Chrysler, and General Motors, big players with diverse model lineups, won't feel as much pressure. Conforming to the tough new proposed rules may be very expensive. As a result, some industry executives expect some automakers, such as Porsche, just to...
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Filed under: Videos , Crossovers/CUVs , BMW , Driving Click above for high-res gallery of the BMW X6 in the wet During our recent trip to South Carolina to drive the new BMW X6 , our test loop included a stop over at Michelin's U.S. proving ground in Laurens. Two tracks were available for us on which to thrash the X6, one lined with sprinklers to wet the pavement and the other dry. Lou Ann Hammond of CarList.com shared an X6 for the test drive and she brought along a video camera. Lou Ann has now posted several video interviews on her site with BMW engineers talking about some of the technology in the X6. She also braved the passenger seat with her camera as I explored the limits of wet adhesion in the X6 and that video is online, as well. The X6 is heavy and even the most sophisticated slip control systems can't overcome the basic laws of physics. After 17 years working as an engineer on slip control systems, the most important lesson you learn is that Newton was right. Nonetheless...
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Filed under: Coupes , Crossovers/CUVs , BMW , Driving Click above for high-res gallery of the 2009 BMW X6 I must be missing the gene that makes high-riding vehicles appealing to so many other people. As a car enthusiast and an engineer, I can certainly appreciate the performance that companies like BMW and Infiniti have managed to wrangle from vehicles like the X6 and the EX35. But there is absolutely nothing in the new 2009 BMW X6 that couldn't be done better in a vehicle with a normal car-like ride height. After all, who is going off-roading in one of these? The best explanation I could get out of BMW officials for the existence of the X6 is that many drivers like that commanding view of their surroundings that the elevated altitude provides. According to BMW, the X6 is designed to provide stylish coupe looks with the high performance people expect of a BMW and the utility of an SUV. As is so often the case, vehicles that try to fit too many categories at once end up not fitting any...
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Filed under: Coupes , Videos , Supercars , BMW , Nissan , Porsche , Driving Britain's Autocar hit the track with the BMW M3 , Nissan GT-R , and Porsche 911 GT3 to see which of the musclebound sports cars could best its immediate competition, and they captured the three-way face-off on video. There's been plenty of GT-R vs. Porsche chatter since the Nissan's launch, but how would Bimmer's latest juggernaut fare against a tag-team of the GT-R and Zuffenhausen's latest road carver? We're not going to spoil it for you. Follow the jump to see if Godzilla devours Germany or if Nissan's monster is repelled by the defensive outposts in Munich or Stuttgart. Gallery: Nissan GT-R (US-spec) Gallery: 2008 BMW M3 Gallery: 2007 Porsche 911 GT3 [Source: YouTube] Continue reading VIDEO: Nissan GT-R vs BMW M3 vs Porsche 911 GT3 Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Coupes , BMW , Driving When Jeremy Clarkson isn't expounding on how wonderful the Jaguar XKR is or how horrible the G-Wiz is on Top Gear , he does much the same thing in the pages of the Times of London . In his most recent entry on those hallowed pages he takes on BMW's new 135i coupe. On the recent Top Gear Awards show Clarkson called Munich's other new small car the Mini Clubman a toilet and less desirable than a bag of dung. Maybe it's just hatchbacks from BMW that he doesn't like because he also hated the original 1-series hatch. Fortunately for the Bavarian engine gurus, the new 135i coupe does not suffer the same fate. The new shape and the twin turbo 3.0-liter inline six have transformed the 1-series in Clarkson's eyes. Aside from the absence of rear leg room, he calls this the best car BMW makes. We can hardly wait to try it out. Now about that price tag! [Source: Times of London] Gallery: BMW 1-Series Coupe Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Garage , Sedans/Saloons , BMW , Driving Click the photo for a high-res gallery What do you get when you blend two turbos, some compression ignition, six cylinders in-line, and a wonderfully tuned Bavarian chassis? Why, it's the BMW 535d! You can't buy one in the US...yet. It's got 428 lb-ft of tire shredding fun that gets better mileage than a Scion xB or Saturn Aura Hybrid. BMW will be bringing its diesel engines to the our shores sometime later in 2008, but AutoblogGreen got to spend a week trying out the latest in high-performance, clean diesel technology thanks to fuel system supplier Bosch. Head over to ABG for the full rundown on this dieselicious German sedan. [Source: AutoblogGreen] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Coupes , Videos , Supercars , BMW , Bugatti , Driving The all-new, V8-powered BMW M3 is one hot ride, and 414 HP can leave a lot of rubber behind. Yet while the M3 is one of the most highly anticipated vehicles on the road, it doesn't even...
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Filed under: Coupes , Etc. , BMW , Driving BMW is serious about its M3 coupe , so much so that the German automaker is willing to invest big bucks to show potential buyers just how great the M driving experience is. To give you control of the M3, BMW...
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