Chris Harris dusts off his 1986 E28 M5, the first M5 ever built (and by hand too), which he hasn’t driven for years. It still feels nuts to him today, so what the hell was it like for him in 1986? See inside.
The 2012 M6 convertible (F12) is big, it’s heavy, and it’s for showing off. But, courtesy of the usual magic from BMW M GmbH, it does not feel as big, heavy, or just for showing off. What it is is a super high performing GT convertible and a hell of a looker.
We spent two days this week in Santa Barbara, California to check out and test drive the all new 2012 BMW M6 and 6 Series Gran Coupe (see our previous review). After over 100 miles of highways, backroads, and mountain twisties, here were our impressions.
Leading with our biggest reaction is that the F12 M6 is a seriously fast car! Car and Driver just published their test numbers, which have the F12 M6 convertible clocked from … CONTINUED
M5POST member GTR-Dad took european delivery of his F10 M5 and shares with us his enthusiast perspective (review) on his experience with the M5 in Europe. He provides some great feedback on the M5’s gearbox, steering, suspension, driver aids, and overall real-life experience with the car.
BMW invited us to test the all-new 6 Series Gran Coupe (internally dubbed F06) [full info thread] which is set to complement the already available Coupe (F13) and Cabrio (F12) versions. Here’s our review after two days and roughly 160 miles.
Let’s begin with some facts and figures. At 197.1 inches, the Gran Coupe is about four inches longer than the F13 Coupe, and only 2.7 inches shorter than the F01 7 Series. To allow the additional doors and rear space, the wheelbase of the Gran Coupe has been increased by 4.5 inches over the Coupe, making for 116.9 inches in total. The luggage compartment has a capacity of 460 litres and can accommodate three golf clubs. Split-down rear seats allow for a maximum capacity of 1265 … CONTINUED
The international press drives for the 2013 6 Series Gran Coupe are recently underway and with that come the car’s first drive reviews.
The general sentiment so far has unsurprisingly been that the 6 Series Gran Coupe is a sportier looking and driving alternative to the 5 Series sedan. Check out some of the car’s initial reviews/impressions inside.
Steve Sutcliffe of Autocar gives us his thoughts on his BMW 1M coupe long term tester. It seems that the 1M coupe has grown on Sutcliffe over time as his review is glowing. Video inside.
Chris Harris compares the M3 GTS against the Porsche GT3 RS and Mercedes C63 AMG Black Series in two criteria: track times and hooliganism. Sounds like a fun review already! We won’t spoil the results, so see for yourself below.
Specs of the 3 cars:
M3 GTS
450 HP (4.4L V8)
326 lb-ft torque
0-62: 4.4s
3,278 lbs
GT3 RS 4.0
500 HP (3.8L flat 6)
339 lb-ft torque
0-62: 3.8s
2,998 lbs
C63 AMG Black Series
510 HP (6.3L V8)
457 lb-ft torque
0-60: 4.2s
3,770 lbs
Matt Farah tests the X6 M out at its home track - the BMW Performance Center track in Spartanburg, South Carolina. As usual, the X6 M’s performance defies what the eye sees and mind expects from this 5300 pound CAV and Farah couldn’t be more effusive in his praise of it. Check out the video inside.
Road and Track undertakes a head to head comparison of the 2012 328i (F30) versus the Mercedes C250 Sport. What do they find?
The F30 is on the varsity team when it comes to performance. The 2.0L N20 engine pulls strongly without breaking a sweat, the shifts from the 8 speed automatic transmission are nearly telekinetic, and the chassis is great. The steering is lauded for having the right amount of resistence, offering great feel for what’s happening with the tires.
Overall, the BMW’s dynamic prowess and effortless performance won Road and Track over. View the video review inside.
