Contender: BMW 5 Series
By: Jonny Lieberman

We Like: Abusive amounts of power result in skull-cracking acceleration.

We Don’t Like: Hefty, complex, and surprisingly numb.

We were quite excited to get our hands on the updated 528i and the new 535d. We’d had a not-very-loved long-term 528i, and hoped the refresh would fix some of what we didn’t like (i.e., stop/start). And we’re cuckoo for diesels. Sad to say, BMW couldn’t get us either car in time for Car of the Year. It did, however, happen to … CONTINUED

The X5 M50d is reviewed by Car Buyer. The M50d features 381 horsepower and 546 lb-ft of torque, from just three liters of displacement (with tri-turbos).

Unfortunately, like the last generation M50d, this one is available for our European members only.

On this episode of Head 2 Head Jonny Lieberman is joined by Mike Shaffer and two extremely potent hyper sedans, the 2014 BMW M5 Competition and the 2014 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG S Model. Between the two of them, these two mighty Germans produce 1152horsepower and 1092 pound-feet of torque. On paper. After a day of horsing around/testing Shaffer and Lieberman grow suspicious of each twin-turbo V-8′s actual output. So, they take them to the dyno gurus at K&N engineering to learn what’s what. The … CONTINUED

The production BMW i3 recently had its first press drives in Amsterdam and the reviews are beginning to roll in. First up is a video review by Ausfahrt.tv

And what did Car & Driver think about the i3? Here are some highlights.

The i3 doesn’t stray very far at all from what makes most BMWs great; it simply carries those principles into a new realm.

There’s no appreciable feedback from the (of course) electric power steering, but it is nonetheless very quick and precise. On our first … CONTINUED

Jeremy Clarkson has published his list of the top 100 cars of 2013, and the BMW i3 has placed first, i8 second, and the 3 Series second, in their respective categories of Electric Cars/Hybrids, Supercars, and Family/Estate Cars.

The other three BMW models to crack the 100 list were the 7 Series (8th place in Executive category), the 5 Series (10th place in the Executive category) and the X3 (9th place in SUV category).

This week on Ignition, Carlos Lago tests the BMW M5… again! This time around it has something called the Competition Package, which adds a host of small adjustments and improvements in an effort to improve the car’s performance and the satisfaction it gives to its driver. Is more power and a recalibration of the suspension and steering enough to make this incredible sedan behave? We find out on the test track at Hyundai’s Proving Grounds.

The first drive reviews are in for the BMW i3 electric car and they are resoundingly positive so far.

Check out what Top Gear, Autocar and Autoexpress have to say about BMW’s first fully electric vehicle.

Watch the E90/E92 M3 take on some beefy cabrios.

Car and Driver compares three of the best performing luxury ‘coupe’ styled sedans available – the M6 Gran Coupe, Audi RS7 and Mercedes CLS63 AMG.

On paper, the M6 Gran Coupe starts from the rear position on the grid with the lowest factory power figures and RWD (for acceleration). Its 560 hp / 501 lb-ft were short of the RS7′s 568 hp / 516 lb-ft and the CLS63′s 585 hp / 590 lb-ft. The RS7 and CLS63′s AWD system also give them the 0-60 advantage, in … CONTINUED

BIMMERPOST correspondent Jens Meiners just spent a day at BMW’s testing center near Munich for the BMW M3/M4 workshops and ride-along. Here is our report:

Thanks, BMW, for the earth-hugging i3 and the i8, but what enthusiasts really care about is the next M3 – and its two-door variation, the M4. Production of the current one has ended in July, while the next models won’t go into production before Spring. Why the gap? We hear that BMW has essentially run out of parts to build them.

It … CONTINUED