Category: BMW

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2014 BMW GRAN COUPE REVIEW

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BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe is the latest competitor in the premium midrange class; these five-door hatchbacks with stylish rear ends are mainly from the big name German marques, though the Brits and Japanese are in there fighting as well. While these cars do sometimes lose a little in practicality, they gain a lot in sporting appearance. BMW’s Gran Coupe is an exception as it provides good interior space and makes an excellent long distance cruiser. In the Bavarian marque’s range the all-new 4 Series Gran Coupe joins the three-door… Read more

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BMW X4: STYLE AND PERFORMANCE

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BMW X4 is a crossover between a coupe and an SUV, so BMW prefers to call it an SAC (Sports Activity Coupe) not an SUV (Sports Utility Vehicle). A small brother to the well established BMW X6, the X4 is aimed at those who want a quality on-road performer that can be used to explore bush trails, perhaps even make trips to the beach. We’ve just spent a most enjoyable week at the wheel of the topline model, the high-performance BMW X4 xDrive35i, the quickest, most enjoyable model in a… Read more

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BMW 435i CONVERTIBLE M SPORT – CHUBBY YUPPIE JALOPY OR SERIOUS SPORTS CAR?

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As surely as outrage follows a federal budget, the introduction of the BMW 4 Series coupe was followed by the 4 Series convertible. Its predecessor, the E93 3 Series convertible finally bowed out almost two years after the death of its sedan basis. Convertibles are always a tricky proposition for a keen driver – they’re often best in a basic engine and suspension tune to mask the deficiencies of a car missing its roof. The car we tested was fitted with BMW’s crackerjack turbo straight-six, adaptive suspension and M Sport… Read more

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2014 BMW X1 sDRIVE 20i REVIEW

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In the rush to SUVs, not every carmaker gets every one of them right. Even a carmaker with a history like BMW’s can zig instead of zag when it comes to getting the suburban soccer dollar. When the X1 arrived almost four years ago, the styling was greeted with something approaching dismay. But with typical confidence, BMW has stuck at the X1 and the ugly duckling returned the favour with over half a million global sales. One in ten BMWs sold in Australia, believe it or not, is an X1…. Read more

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2014 BMW X4 REVIEW

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Several months ahead of the anticipated time, BMW has launched an all-new model, the X4. So keen was early interest when details of the X4 were revealed in Europe that BMW Australia put a strong case to the company’s head office to bring forward the launch date. Given the success of the German giant downunder in recent years, and perhaps as a thank-you to BMW Australia’s managing director Phil Horton, who is about to move back to Europe, the request has been granted and the X4 is now on sale… Read more

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THE NUMBER’S UP FOR BMW’S SUPER COUPE

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Last week we reviewed the latest BMW M3 sedan that we tested on both road and track in New Zealand. This time it’s the turn of its two-door hardtop sibling, the M4 coupe, launched alongside the sedan and replacing the previous M3 coupe. As the ‘M’ prefix suggests the M4 is the high-performance version of the new 4 Series which arrived in Australia in late 2013 and which extended BMW’s even-number naming format where the sportier two-door variants of the 1, 3 and 5 Series cars were renamed as the… Read more

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LESS IS MORE FOR BMW’S NEW M3

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BMW has launched the fifth generation of its famed M3 high-performance machine. A major change is that it again uses a straight-six engine not the V8s of recently superseded models. This new engine, together with significant weight reduction, mean major improvements in both fuel consumption and emissions. At 1560 kg the M3 is about 60 kg lighter than its immediate predecessor. This has been achieved through the use of a variety of lightweight materials in particular carbon fibre and aluminium. Adding to the more and less equation, there’s a slight… Read more

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BMW 4 SERIES GRAN COUPE

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BMW has added yet another model to its range, this time a 4 Series Gran Coupe (without the ‘d’ on the end of grand to give a continental ring to the name). It’s the latest competitor in one of the fastest growing market segments globally, that of ‘premium midrange class’. These are five-door hatchbacks with stylish rear ends that add a real touch of sportiness. The terms ‘four-door coupe’ and ‘five-door coupe’ has been created to describe them. The BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe joins the three-door 4 Series Coupe… Read more

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NEW BMW M5 – MORE REFINED, BUT AS EXCITING AS EVER

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BMW’s M5 landed in a blaze of excitement – and consternation – in 2011. As is usually the case when an icon has a shift in philosophy foisted upon it by a change in the way the world works, the internet exploded when it was discovered the latest M5 would have – gasp – a twin turbo V8. Of course, all that has long since been forgotten because, predictably, the new fast Five (codenamed F10) was brilliant. Now, less than three years into its life, BMW has released the traditional… Read more

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BMW’S i8 HYBRID SUPERCAR IS ON ITS WAY

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BMW Australia has given local motoring journalists their first look at its spectacular and innovative i8 plug-in electric hybrid supercar. A two-door coupe, the i8 will be second model to be produced as part of BMW’s ‘Project i’ following on from the i3 city car that was revealed last year and which is due to go on sale soon. Two more different electric vehicles it’s hard to imagine, one a sleek and powerful track-ready racing machine the other a tall, boxy hatchback. Styling of the BMW i8 is very supercar,… Read more