The rumor coming out of a BMW dealer presentation held in the Netherlands last week is that the previously rumored M550d will officially come in with 381 HP from its tri-turbo inline-6 cylinder diesel motor, far lower than the initial speculations of 500+ HP. But it will make over 516 lb-ft torque! Finally, it will be AWD-only, as speculated earlier.
This new tri-turbo diesel F10 5 series was previously confirmed to be coming, but a power figure was not yet known. That set off a round of high horsepower estimates because this model was supposed to have been tuned by BMW M.
Production of the M550d will begin next March, but it’s not yet known whether this model will be available in North America. Future applications for … CONTINUED
We recently asked our members to submit any questions relating to the F30 you may still have. We had the chance to get some answers for you from BMW during our F30 test drive in Barcelona last week, and here they are below.
If your question hasn’t made it to the list it’s probably because we don’t have an answer (yet).
Will the U.S. receive any diesel models?
There’s no official yet word on this. BMW feels that the Active Hybrid 3 attracts different buyers than a diesel F30 would, so they’re considering it. However, the E90 335d hasn’t exactly been a sales success in the US, so they may be considering a different diesel engine offering this time.
When will xDrive be available?
Both 335i xDrive and 328i … CONTINUED
Top Gear online takes their first drive of the F30 3 series, and like the other reviews they are impressed. So much so that they proclaim that “It’s the best car in its class. Still.”
For weeks we’ve been hearing that the F33 4 Series convertible (or 3-series convertible, as BMW has not yet officially confirmed a badge change) had recently begun public testing. And now we can now share with you the spy photos from its first ever sighting!
As clearly seen, the F33 4 series will retain its folding hardtop. The car is still heavily masked and it appears that it may feature a bit of a false trunk or heavy camouflage on the trunk lid, making it look more extended or larger than the actual design underneath. This is the reason for the odd-looking gap and space in the transition area to the rear lights.
Aside from the roofline, the trunk, and the roof-to-trunk transition, the F33 appears to share … CONTINUED
Although the BMW X4 has not yet been spotted in any public testing, it’s been confirmed by BMW. AutoBild utilizes some of BMW’s latest styling elements (including the exposed side grilles of the F30 3 series sedan), to produce renders of what they think the upcoming BMW X4 SAV may resemble, as well as the future iterations of the X1 and X5. They even threw in a render of a fantasy X2.
The X4 was recently confirmed, per: http://x3.xbimmers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=588424
In an interview with Auto Motor und Sport, BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer confirmed the plans for BMW’s newest SAV.
The X4 will be positioned above, but based on the X3. It will be 4.65 meters long (183 inches), which is the same length as the X3, and … CONTINUED
Missed the 2011 SEMA Show in Las Vegas? No worries, Johnny Lin provides us with a mega gallery of BMW models at the event (along with some other fine looking German vehicles). Hope you got the bandwidth to keep up =)
The BMW F10 M5 continues to impress, this time with its official Hockenheim lap time. It took BMW M’s latest and greatest super sedan just 1:12.90 to lap the track.
To put this into perspective, the M5 was faster than the E60 M5 (1:16.06), the 2009 Panamera Turbo (1:13.70), and the 2011 Mercedes CLS 63 AMG with Performance Package (1:13.90). The new M5 is the fastest BMW on the list behind only the BMW M3 GTS (1:12.90).
The time was achieved at the hands of Horst von Saurma, the chief editor of the German automobile magazine sport auto. Sport Auto is known for their “super tests” which uses a “Hockenheim Short” configuration for their famous tests.
The lovely M Sport Package for the all-new F30 3 series sedan made another appearance at the International Media Launch of the 2012 3 series sedan in Barcelona, from where we’ve just returned.
The M Sport Package will be available worldwide as of July 2012 production. This is the soonest that an M Sport package has been made available after a new BMW model launch. As BMW board member Harald Krüger explained to us, the advanced release date is to convince existing E90 M Sport customers to make a switch to the F30 M Sport model - customers who may otherwise not upgrade to the new 3 series or potentially buy a competitor’s model.
The exterior color Estoril Blue II as seen on this F30 335i M Sport … CONTINUED
Video featuring an interview with Adrian van Hooydonk, Senior Vice President BMW Group Design about design and the new BMW 1 Series in particular.
