The BMW M1 Hommage blends a wide, aggressive stance with intentionally retro/modern twists on the key visual elements that defined Paul Bracq’s original BMW Turbo concept and the Giugiaro-designed M1 homologation special that followed. It is instantly recognizable as an M1, particularly in profile, where the M1 Hommage’s basic shape clearly mimics that of its forebear. BMW’s stylists also incorporated similar nods the particulars of the original, such as the louvered rear window; the badge placement in back; the line extending aft from the side glass; and even the wheel design, which is an exaggerated take on the ones you’ll find on the original road car.

Poring over the details of the Homage is akin to going on an Easter Egg hunt. The greatest departure is seen in front, where BMW has given the M1 Hommage a sinister, imposing face. Naturally, BMW’s prominent double-kidney grille is front and center. Its joined by outboard intakes and a trapezoidal lower opening designed to swallow and direct air for both cooling purposes and aerodynamic effect. The car’s four round headlights lurk behind thin slits in the front fascia, remaining essentially invisible until they’re illuminated — a tip of the cap to the hideaway nature of the classic M1’s flip-up lamps.

There appears to be no interior, and BMW doesn’t even bother mentioning specific powertrain possibilities. The M1 Hommage is strictly a design exercise meant to celebrate an icon, but it also reminds us that Munich can do the supercar thing, too. Maybe one day it will again.

Email This To A Friend or Social Bookmark It!

With its second-generation common rail fuel injection and variable-geometry turbocharger, the 520d engine produces 125 kW at a relaxed 4,000 rpm, as well as a surging 340 Nm of torque that is available from as low as 1,750 rpm to provide impressive pulling power. Equipped as standard with BMW’s six-speed automatic transmission and capable of accelerating from zero to 100 km/h in 8.6 seconds, the new 520d is endowed with the sporting all-round performance that is central to the BMW philosophy.

Yet, with a fuel consumption of merely 6.1 litres/100 km on the combined cycle, the 520d offers small-car fuel consumption. This frugality is augmented by low exhaust emissions, with the CO2 output of just 162 g/km made possible with the combination of advanced BMW engine management and the standard exhaust system particle filter.

The new BMW 520d Automatic is priced from $79,900 and makes the brilliant 5 Series accessible to an even wider range of Australian luxury car buyers. Exceptional dynamic prowess coupled with supreme passenger comfort and the highest levels of safety are already a given with the recently updated BMW 5 Series range. Now, the driving dynamics of 530i, 530d and 550i models can be augmented by the optional six-speed Sport automatic transmission that takes the crisp-shifting nature of the regular transmission to new levels.

The Sport automatic transmission option is available for 530i, 530d and 550i models and is priced at $1,000. The option also includes a multi-function sport leather steering wheel, featuring paddle shifts.

Email This To A Friend or Social Bookmark It!

Whether late at night or traveling in rain, snow or fog, you can feel a little safer by being able to see vehicles in the road or animals or people wandering alongside the road up to 1,000 feet with the night vision that is equipped in this vehicle. The system also employs heat-detecting sensors to spot the objects, which it shows on the navigation system screen. If it gives off heat, human or animal, car or motorcycle, it will glow on the screen.

As an added safe benefit, if someone is lurking in the bushes near the house when you arrive home at night, the heat detection sensors in your night vision give you an early warning. And don’t tell the teens, but the night vision also will tattle on them if they sneak out for a cruise. When Mom and Dad return home, the night vision screen will show the warm glow coming from the hood of the teen’s recently driven car.

Night vision runs $2,200, a seriously high price to spot deer in the road, people in the bushes or wayward teens. It was first offered in the 760 in 2006 and for 2008 will be offered in 5- and 6-Series cars for the first time. Another pricey option is the “coolbox” a mini fridge behind the rear-seat armrest. The tab is $1,800. At that price it better be really good water or really flavorful pop that you are cooling to 40 degrees. You have to remember to press the button on the door to activate the cooling mechanism, and to drink the pop or water in a reasonable time span because when the engine is off, the fridge shuts off and your cool drink quickly warms. And $1,800 is a stiff price to pay for warm water or pop.

Another problem with the fridge is that its compressor behind the rear seat robs a hefty portion of trunk space. Given a choice between holding a couple cold bottles of pop in the back seat or four sets of golf clubs in the trunk, BMW says the golf clubs usually win.

Other high priced goodies on the 760 Li include adaptive cruise control at $2,200 to reduce engine power and/or apply the brakes to slow the car if it gets too close to the vehicle ahead when cruise control is engaged; and a DVD entertainment system at another $2,200 to watch movies in the back seat. A flip-over video screen sits atop the center console.

The DVD system uses an iDrive control just like the one the driver has upfront to control everything from radio station of choice to when the doors should automatically lock or unlock. Be advised that iDrive isn’t as bad as some people insist it is. Yes, it is overly complex, but it takes no more than two, three model years tops to learn how to program all the electrical sensors to customize all the control settings to your liking. If you’re not a computer geek, however, it’s the system from Hell created by Lucifer himself.

Can’t understand BMW’s belief that folks enjoy spending their hard earned inheritance on a vehicle that turns the simplist of tasks into a monumental chore. There’s no disgrace in using buttons like all other cars do. Another extra-cost goodie is the comfort access system, which sounds as if you push a button to regulate seat softness. Nope. This is the keyless ignition system. Press a button in the dash to start or stop the engine, as long as you are carrying the fob with the magic.

Rather than a long gearshift lever, you get a mini lever behind the wheel to engage drive, reverse or park. Cute, but why not put it closer to the driver for easier use? Highest priced option of all is the Individual Composition. No, you don’t have to write a term paper to get a 760; for $10,000, you get leather upholstery and headliner, illuminated doorsills, storage net in the passenger footwall and 20-inch performance radials. But you also have to purchase ruby black metallic paint for $3,000.

Expensive list of options on a car with an impressive list of standard features, which should be no surprise considering it starts at $121,400. Dynamic stability control and traction control are standard to rivet the sedan to the pavement whether the road follows a straight line, twists and turns, is wet or dry. There’s also roll stabilization to keep wheels side down, electronic damping control to ensure the suspension doesn’t fidget over uneven pavement, self-leveling suspension so a cabin full of people or a trunk full of luggage doesn’t affect handling or braking and four-wheel anti-lock brakes for sure-footed stops whenever and whereever.

And there are the little things, rain-sensing wipers, headlamp washers, side-curtain air bags, front-seat knee protection to keep from submarining under the dash and headlights that move in the direction of the turn. Other niceties include heated and cooled front and rear seats so you can cool your butt as well as your beverage; power rear seats that not only motor forward, but also recline; and a button that allows the rear-seat passenger to motor the front passenger seat forward to increase rear seat leg room, best done when the front seat is empty, of course.

Like any BMW, the car is aimed at those who pay attention to a vehicle’s performance, its ability to leap into action from the stop sign, accelerate into and out of twists in the road, and stop on the proverbial dime and leaving change. The 760 is powered by a 6-liter, 438-horsepower, 48-valve V-12 engine with a 6-speed automatic transmission. Lots of energy to move the mini limo. But that comes at a cost, a 14 m.p.g. city/22 m.p.g. highway rating and a $1,700 gas guzzler tax. Ironic that people frown at a sport-utility but fawn over a BMW, which similarly eats gas.

Email This To A Friend or Social Bookmark It!

The X6 takes the swoopy greenhouse-style-über-alles idea to the sport-utility front. Just as the CLS is basically a rebodied E-class sedan, the X6 will put a faster, sexier roofline on the latest-generation X5 that bowed last fall at the Paris auto show and is now on sale in Europe. The resultant X6 is one of those neither beast nor fowl niche vehicles: an off-road four-door designed to look like a coupe with its low roofline.

Take a close look at the X6 mule seen here lapping the Nürburgring. Although the windshield is more upright and the wheels are of course smaller than those in the radical illustration (at right) we showed you a year ago, these photos suggest that the production model will keep the sharply rising beltline, as predicted. And the camouflage rear hatch that starts above the B-pillar is a good way to hide a rakish roofline, the sort that compromises rear headroom in the CLS and Concept CS.

The X6 will likely be offered with the choice of a diesel or gasoline six-cylinder engine (including the twin-turbo inline-six in the new 3-series coupe). And judging by the exhaust outlets and fat rear tires in the spy shots, a gasoline V-8 also appears to be in the lineup. BMW will build the X6 in Spartanburg, South Carolina, beginning next year, which means upping capacity at the German automaker’s only U.S. plant yet again. The X5 and Z4 sports car already start life in Spartanburg. BMW expects to build about 50,000 X6s a year.

And BMW has hinted that the next-generation X3 could make the oceanic shift from Graz, Austria, to the southern state in the future, which would be much to Magna Steyr’s chagrin, as the supplier is the contract builder of the X3 in Graz. But then, Magna Steyr could have its hands full if it ends up buying a chunk of Chrysler, so an X3 migration might not prove the end of the world. Maybe Dodge Avengers could fill that empty production halle in Austria.

Email This To A Friend or Social Bookmark It!

The automaker says the concept’s combination of luxury and sports car is a “unique combination never seen before” and emphasizes that with it, BMW is entering a segment where it has not been in the past. The four-door coupe concept is clearly intended to move BMW upmarket and give it a rival for the Aston Martin Rapide, the Porsche Panamera and the upper-end versions of the Mercedes-Benz CLS.

BMW describes the Concept CS as sporty, yet elegant, and its heavily sculptured design sets the tone for the future generation of BMW models. BMW design chief Adrian van Hooydonk called the concept “a step forward from today’s look” and commented, “We wanted to do a big, sporty car without making it appear heavy.” The sleek and low car is sizeable at approximately 201 inches long, 78 inches wide and 53.5 inches high on a 120-inch wheelbase.

A production version of the Concept CS is expected to be based on modified underpinnings from the next-generation 7 Series. There is also likely to be an M version. BMW has never done an M version of the 7 Series, so this car will allow the automaker to bring out an M version above the M5. The likely engine for such a car would be a 6.0-liter V12, which would be an M5 engine with two cylinders added.

Email This To A Friend or Social Bookmark It!

Suspensions for U.S. and European models are identical, even though some options can differ between the two cars. U.S. cars get 17-inch and 18-inch wheels; Canadian and European cars can be fitted with 19-inch wheels. Outside the U.S., you can order paddle shifters with any automatic transmission car; here it’s part of the sport package. Vaughn said that after a brief, one-day drive in Arizona, the 335i coupe seemed to drive better and had a stiffer body.

But back to road manners with the top down. “We remember that first with its bolt-upright front end and straight-up windshield hacking through the German air like a badly deflating Zeppelin with its fabric top stowed snugly beneath a hard tonneau cover as the wind tried to rip the shoulder belt and our left shoulder completely out of their sockets. Wind management is much better in this version.”

This 3 Series convertible adds 375 pounds and about $7,000 in price when compared to the 335i coupe. The hardtop is made up of three panels that fold into the trunk in 22 seconds and provides more noise insulation, back seat room, and visibility. The new 335i convertible weighs about 3,950 pounds vs. 3,582 pounds for a 335i coupe with automatic transmission. The convertible goes on sale in late March. There’s also a 328i convertible with a 3.0-liter inline six, but without the 335i’s twin turbochargers.

Email This To A Friend or Social Bookmark It!

The bike might be expensive for an under-performing 800, any sports 600cc will show it a clean pair of tail pipes, but, as shown by the the Bavarian marque’s strong sales, buyers are willing to pay a premium for a machine wearing that blue-and-white badge. The F800 is a middleweight sports tourer and doesn’t pretend to be anything that will light up a racetrack. It’s basically a commuter-cum-tourer for those who find the F650 GS a bit under-powered but who can’t afford one of BMW’s larger offerings.

The single-cylinder F650 will see 160km/h on a good day but the twin-cylinder F800 is good for more than 200km/h. More importantly, it also has a great deal more overtaking punch. The 798cc engine is a brand-new parallel-twin with four valves per cylinder and fuel injection developed jointly by BMW Motorrad and Austria’s Bombardier-Rotax, the company that makes the F650’s engine.

The 800 has a flat torque curve rather than hang-on-for-dear-life pace. Its 62.5kW at 8000rpm (it redlines at eight-five) falls far short of the 85kW-plus made by sports 600cc bikes but its healthy peak torque of 86Nm at 5800rpm is about 20Nm higher. So, while it’s not something that will shunt your eyeballs deeper into their sockets, the Beemer will accelerate with satisfactory pace and deliver a very linear powerband that makes frequent downchanges unnecessary. Its engine is notably smooth and vibration-free engine but the standard exhaust has little aural charisma.

The six-speed transmission is linked to the rear wheel by a quiet, long-life toothed belt that needs no lubricant and replacing only every 40 000km. The 16-litre fuel tank should be good for more than 300km, if ridden conservatively; BMW claims of 4.4 litres/100km at a steady 120km/h. The front wheel hangs on a standard telescopic fork whle the rear spring has a handwheel within easy reach to adjust pre-tensioning. There’s a single (and very neatly styled) swingarm and the rear brake disc, interestingly, is mounted inside the wheel rim.

Though it will not be the first choice for the knee-scraping brigade I can vouch that the F800 is a ball of fun around a racetrack. It displayed a lot of agility for a 182kg sports tourer (add five kg for the ST) around Pretoria’s tight Zwartkop circuit and both versions felt very predictable and manageable when thrashed. The bike has an easy-turning nature, strong disc brakes and the fuel tank is under the seat to lower the centre of gravity.

What surprised me was that the more touring-orientated ST felt no less agile around the track than the lighter S with its lower bars. Other riders echoed this somewhat heretical observation; some even said they preferred the ST which, they felt, inspired more confidence around the track. The track session was followed by a trip on public roads where, because of being a mostly superbike rider, I found the S had the more comfortable (lower) riding position. Other riders, more accustomed to perching on touring bikes, felt the ST was comfier. Horses for courses.

Wind protection in each case is adequate and the bikes slip through the air without your head being buffetted like a ping-pong ball on a straw. There were no pillion riders on the launch but the shape of the seat and location of the rear footpegs (identical on both versions) suggested an F800 would make a fine tandem machine.

The trip data computer, standard on each bike, is comprehensive and fiddling with it should help to break the monotony of long stretches in the saddle. You can scroll through average speed, fuel consumption, range, and air temperature on the easy-to-read digital display that also, usefully, shows the current gear selection.

Email This To A Friend or Social Bookmark It!

The rhetoric is that large diameter wheels will be avoided, as they mainly detract from ride quality, add unsprung weight, and don’t help handling as much as you’d think. The picture seems to run contrary to that statement, as the wheels fill the openings, but perhaps the graphic artist just got a little crazy.

These vehicles are aligned with the European “people mover” design ethos, as oppposed to the minivan convention here in the US. Both have their place, and we’d love to get some cool, fun-driving people movers over here. There’s no need to make the step-in height ridiculous, as it is with some SUVs, in an attempt to lend “off-road” cred to a vehicle that will never see terrain rougher than a Scout camp parking lot. A nice, carlike entry and egress with comfortable, slightly higher seating positions and plenty of passenger space would be a good trend to start.

Lower heights would equal a lower center of gravity, always welcome for those of us who like to occasionally overcook exit ramps. With the Roundel on the nose, you can be sure that the suspension engineers are making it behave in a familial manner, and they must be happy about removing any trucky pretenses from the platform, as well. Even if it costs as much as the Mercedes R-Class, it’ll likely have far more joie de vivre, and hopefully it pushes other manufacturers to flood to the practicality of this form-factor.

Email This To A Friend or Social Bookmark It!

And even BMW must admit that the sensational 3-series has gained weight, and with its high level of luxury and technology (and available iDrive), its purpose has expanded well beyond just driving. Enter the 1-series coupe caught here during winter testing in the Arctic. Bound for the U.S. and based on the rear-wheel-drive, European 1-series hatchback (which we also love), the tidy 2009 1-series coupe promises to be both light in weight and, based on our prior experiences with 1-series hatchbacks, pure in purpose.

Why doesn’t BMW just send us the hatchback, you ask? The company tried that once before in the form of the 1995–1999 318ti, but it languished on dealer lots, the concept of a $25,000 hatchback (probably $30k in today’s money) was more foreign than staying right except to pass. Cars like BMW’s own Mini Cooper have changed U.S. perception of hatchbacks somewhat, but the company isn’t pressing its luck.

Next to the sporty hatchback version, the notchback One is decidedly elegant. Still, with its upright grille, stubby front overhang, tall roof, and glassy greenhouse, the coupe’s proportions lovingly recall the “One” that started it all nearly four decades ago. And get this, sun-seekers: later in the year, the 1-series coupe will be joined by a cloth-top convertible.

Email This To A Friend or Social Bookmark It!

Under the hood is BMW’s familiar 4.4-liter V-8 with a centrifugal supercharger attached to bump the output to 500 horsepower over the standard 360 hp in the 750i’s 4.8-liter V-8. Torque is 516 pound-feet at 4250 rpm, a number that’s better than the 6.0-liter V-12 found in the 760Li. BMW claims a 0-to-60-mph time of 4.8 seconds for the B7, and that sounds conservative since we hit 60 mph in 4.9 seconds in a 760i we tested.

With a price of $115,695, the B7 is $40,000 more than a 750i, but $6,400 less than the long-wheelbase 760Li V-12. If that sounds like a relative bargain to you, hurry up and place your order, only 200 copies are coming stateside.

Email This To A Friend or Social Bookmark It!