BMW M3 2014

The first BMW M3 2014 with turbo power is ready to charge in. Our spies have got the best glimpse yet at the next-generation supersaloon, which looks set to be one of the firm’s best all-rounders yet.



The standard BMW 3 Series hasn’t even been unveiled to the public yet, but these images reveal the BMW M3 version is not far off. Clearly visible are muscular wheelarches, an aggressive front bumper and a larger rear apron, including the trademark quad exhaust pipes. The wheels are taken from the current car, but expect the finished version to come with unique lightweight designs.



The BMW M3 2014 is rumoured to be getting an engine that lives up to its name, in the form of a 3.3-litre straight-six unit fitted with three turbochargers – two driven by exhaust gases and one driven by electricity. This unique set-up is rumoured to offer around 450bhp – that’s compared to the 414bhp produced by the current 4.0-litre V8.







The BMW M3 2014 pictured here is based on the four-door BMW M3. But it’s likely that the two-door BMW M3 will arrive in the UK first – as was the case with the existing version – some time in 2014, with a price tag in the region of $90,000.

BMW 328 Hommage Concept

BMW is showing off what it calls the BMW 328 Hommage Concept, a two-seat sports car. The BMW 328 Hommage Concept car is intended to recognize the 75th anniversary of the original BMW 328, a radical and coveted BMW of its time.



More exciting than the BMW 328, at least to auto geeks trying to divine the future, is that BMW has installed two iPhones in the BMW 328 Hommage Concept dashboard. And not for calls, but to use as stopwatches, needed for rallying and some racing, and to show other key information.



Auto-futurists foresee a time when the driver plugs his or her iPhone, iPad or similar device into a dashboard dock. The device would contain all the driver's settings and preferences, instantly customizing the car.



BMW is mum about the likelihood of producing the BMW 328 Hommage, although if the company is playing by the usual rules, designating it a "concept" means there is at least a shadow of a chance it could reach showrooms.



The BMW 328 Hommage concept was created in honor of the 75th anniversary of the venerable BMW 328, considered by many to be not only the best looking sports car of the 1930s but also one of the most successful on the track. The BMW 328 was the embodiment of what the BMW brand still stands for today – dynamics, aesthetics and a high level of innovation.



In its day, the BMW 328 was noted for its lightweight design, powerful inline six-cylinder engine and responsive handling. The expressive exterior design of the BMW 328 Hommage depicts the modern interpretation of a highly emotional and dynamic two-seater Roadster – just like the BMW 328 75 years ago.







The BMW 328 Hommage is the modern embodiment of those attributes. Translating the idea of lightweight construction into this day and age, most of the exterior and interior of the BMW 328 Hommage are made of carbon fiber reinforced plastic. The CFRP used on the BMW 328 Hommage is visible to the eye. The entire interior structure is also made of CFRP.



As did its predecessor, the 328 Hommage uses BMW's most powerful inline six-cylinder engine, continuing another longstanding BMW tradition.

BMW 3-Series convertible

Top up, now that it has a metal roof, the BMW convertible lacks the crisp sense of purpose achieved by the coupe's design. Top down, however, it's a striking statement: fast, yet poised; aggressive, yet not childish. It's an iconic look that will stand the test of time.

Interior

Done in black Dakota leather - with new sun-reflective technology that keeps seats up to 36 degrees cooler - our test model reflected the serious nature of BMW design. The front seats support spirited driving, while the back seats are best left to packages, not people. Instruments are precise and easy to read. Buttons are a bit small, but well-organized. There are plenty of storage bins, though the cup holders that pop out of the dash are dreadful.

How it works

While the 335 model gets turbo-chargers, the 328 makes do with BMW's naturally aspirated 3.0-liter in-line six-cylinder engine. Coupled with a six-speed manual, this motor makes 230 horsepower - up 46 horsepower from last year's 325Ci convertible and goes from 0 to 60 mph in 6.7 seconds. With this sweet stick shift, I think there's plenty of power for most drivers.

Neat bit

BMW adds a retractable hardtop for the first time, and it's a crowd-pleaser. It lowers in 22 seconds, raises in 23 seconds and is like an electro-hydraulic carnival show. The three-piece steel roof makes for a quiet ride when you decide to keep the top closed. A trunk partition makes for a bit of trunk room, but just a bit.

Fumes

20 mpg city and 29 mpg highway. According to fueleconomy.gov, this car with the same engine and transmission will get 17/27 in 2008 using the new EPA formula.


Extras

While the $750 cold-weather package adds heated seats, and the $2,650 premium package adds leather seats and some enhanced mirror functions, it's the $1,200 sport package with its 18-inch alloy wheels, better tires and sportier suspension that makes this already road-hugging car such a joy on the twisties.

The 328i is easily BMW's top-selling convertible in the United States, over the other 3-Series variants, the different Z4 models and the 6-Series droptops.

2007 BMW 335i Coupe Turbo

The 335i, 328i, 330i, and 325i all have 3.0-liter inline-sixes. The 328i is a coupe with a 230-horsepower six that falls between the 255-horse 330i and 215-horse 325i, which are both four-door sedans. Deep breath. The 335i, then, is a twin-turbocharged direct-injection 3.0 that makes 75 percent of the expected power of next year's M3 V-8.

There's linearity to BMW horsepower numbers, from the M5/M6's 500-horse V-10 to a 400-horse, 4.0-liter V-8 in the 2008 M3 to 300 horses for this handsome new coupe. This is something different for BMW: Its first-but not last-gas direct-injection engine, with piezo injectors feeding the combustion chambers for a more equal distribution of fuel. The twin turbos act in parallel, each boosting three cylinders. They're inside an all-aluminum block with cast-iron liners that cut cylinder bore by 1.0 mm versus the naturally aspirated 3.0-liter. The world's first twin-turbo inline-six, according to the Bavarian automaker, is its future in providing efficient high performance.

Like all good sport coupes and all good BMWs, the 335i is greater than the sum of its parts: full of unquantifiable qualities, an embarrassment for the car critic who's trying to be critical. It's like butter, that twin-turbo six, and the turbo lag you might expect melts into smooth acceleration. But there's still a power surge to tell you turbos are in place hard and early. Its exhaust gives off a satisfying rasp that'll quickly become identified with this specific engine to sharp-eared juvenile enthusiasts. Three-hundred pound-feet of torque kicks in from 1400 to 5000 rpm, making it a quick-launching Euro coupe that'll feel at home in the American V-8 environment.

The 335i's suspension offers more compliance than one might expect, although springs and shocks are stiffer than any 3 Series sedan's. North American 335i buyers get as standard the Euro-spec Sport Package suspension, with a delete option. For the U.S., "Sport Package" means 18-inch wheels with 225/40R18F front/225/35R18R rear tires, upgraded from the standard 225/45R17 H-rated all-seasons. Both sizes are no-spare run-flats, and their stiff sidewalls allowed German engineers to remain on the supple side of the ride and handling equation. It works as well-or better than-it's always worked for the 3 Series. While our drive was limited to mostly tabletop roads in the Austrian Alps, there was enough rough blacktop to learn that Americans who are used to substandard pavement will be comfortable in this car.

2007 BMW X3 3.0si

The "si" is a meaningful addition to the badge, signifying a new, stronger engine, but there's more to the 2007 BMW X3 than a power upgrade. Fresh styling throughout, an available six-speed automatic, a more capable chassis, and additional content enhance this already appealing vehicle.

The BMW X3's freshened visual athleticism is technically supported by a more sophisticated version of BMW's standard xDrive. Quicker in response to traction issues, it also offers, for the first time in a BMW sport/ute, Dynamic Traction Control that allows the driver to choose a higher threshold of wheelslip before the electronics kick in. A longer push of the button deactivates stability controls completely except when the system detects wheelspin--not difficult to achieve with the brisk throttle response from the 260-horse inline-six.

Its 225 pound-feet of torque peaks at a low 2500 rpm, helping the 4100-pound BMW X3 claim 0 to 60 in 6.9 seconds with the six-speed manual and 7.1 seconds with the no-cost optional six-speed STEPTRONIC automatic. Any way you want to shift it, the BMW X3 is as rewarding as any of BMW's sport sedans.

2006 M Roadster

Offering more for less is a powerful selling tool. BMW hopes that approach will persuade prospective buyers of topless Teutonic tin to opt for its all-new BMW M Roadster instead of, say, that other roadster from Stuttgart. You know the one, the dream machine we said had "superb mid-engine balance, high cornering limits, scythelike steering," and a "wailing flat-six." But after a preview drive through southern Spain and a track session at the Circuito de Jerez in BMW's second-generation M Roadster, which packs 50 horsepower more than a Porsche Boxster S yet stickers for $3500 less, we can confidently tell you Porsche has legitimate cause for concern.

Like its predecessor, essentially a steroidal BMW Z3, the new BMW M Roadster is a high-protein version of the brand's Z convertible, in this case the face-lifted Z4--which, for 2006, receives freshened fascias and BMW's magnesium/aluminum N52 3.0-liter engine. Stylistically, the jump from Z to M is modest, but a roundel eye will spot the differences: two longitudinal humps in the aluminum hood; a sportier nose with larger air intakes; 18-inch double-spoke wheels wearing 225/45s in front and 255/40s in back; a more aggressive rear end with four chrome exhaust tips and a black diffuser; and, of course, the necessary M badges on the front three-quarter panels and the rear decklid. BMW prefers its M cars to appear "subtle and purposeful," and the roadster successfully conveys the credo.

That philosophy carries over inside, where the BMW M Roadster gets understated tweaks to jazz up the cockpit. The leather-wrapped steering wheel, adorned with the usual red-and-blue stitching, is thicker-rimmed than Buddy Holly's eyeglasses but looks appropriate and, more important, feels just right in the hands. Standard M sport seats, featuring embossed M logos on the head restraints, provide support in all the right places and wear soft leather upholstery, which also ornaments the door panels, handbrake, and shifter. The M's dominant dash decoration--a thick trim piece that sweeps from A-pillar to A-pillar--comes standard with a new brushed-aluminum surface, but also can be had dressed in carbon-fiber-look leather (a no-cost option) or walnut wood. Of course, the interior bit that really adds spice is the 9000-rpm tachometer scale, which, as in the BMW M3, sports a variable warning segment that adjusts the redline according to engine temp. This is useful because, once the 8000-rpm light turns off, the concert can begin.

Borrowed from the BMW M3, yet putting out three less horsepower due to more constrictive space for the exhaust, the BMW M Roadster's S54 inline-six mill not only produces 330 horsepower at 7900 rpm, but also plays mechanical notes so pleasing you'll want to put the sweet song of successive redline shifts on repeat mode. It's an engine that zings as much as it sings; and in a car that weighs over 200 pounds less than an BMW M3 coupe, its three-horse deficit means as much as a politician's promise. BMW claims the M Roadster can accelerate from 0 to 60 in 4.9 seconds, but the company is notoriously conservative with its figures. A 3383-pound M3 Competition Package we tested needed just 4.8, so the roadster is likely capable of around 4.7, or 0.3 quicker than a Boxster S. Top speed is limited to 155 mph.

2006 BMW 325xi Sports Wagon

The latest xDrive system (available in the 325, 330, 525, and 530 sedans, and the only drivetrain available in 325xi and 530xi Sports Wagons) is designed for a low center of gravity and optimal dynamics with minimal intervention and "extremely fast response times," BMW engineers say. (xDrive won't be available on the 7 Series until the all-new 2009 model.) The latest-generation xDrive, an update over what's in the X3 and X5 (there's no space for the SUV's transfer case in the cars), is integrated with the dynamic stability-control (DSC) system to provide a safety and handling benefit that'll satisfy most enthusiasts. The aluminum front axle is placed high up, through an opening in the oil pan, and the clutch can lock up completely when sensors detect the need for hard-core traction. Normal torque split is 40/60 front/rear, but the system can transfer all the torque to the front wheels. xDrive adds some 250 pounds.

How does it work? With good winter tires, like a rally champ on Arjeplog's ice circles and snow routes. You can mindlessly floor the throttle, and the DSC will work with xDrive to get you motivated efficiently, if not quickly. The DSC catches you if you turn in too fast. The hand of the Bavarian gods lets itself be known, although not as resolutely as an AWD Benz or Lexus.

Turn the DSC off, and you can play junior rally driver, sliding the car around an ice circle or drifting it on an icy road course, so long as you're prepared to pull it off a snow bank. xDrive is a worthwhile option on sedans if you're in schussing around in a far-northern climate, but enthusiasts facing more moderate weather will be happier with a set of winter tires and the lower weight and better balance of rear drive.