2002 M5, Lemans Blue, Dinan Suspension, Dinan Exhaust, Gruppem! We Finance! on 2040-cars

Auto blog

BMW reveals M4 safety car with innovating water injection system [w/video]

Racing series don't just pick their safety cars at random, or use just whatever car is lying around. These days the car that sets the pace at the front of the pack is typically provided through consideration by a sponsor. In the MotoGP series, that's BMW and its M division, which have served up the Official Car of MotoGP since 1999. What you're looking at is the latest, and it packs some innovative technology on board. Aside from the matte black wrap with BMW's iconic striped livery, upgraded aero kit, retrofitted interior and emergency equipment, this BMW M4 coupe packs a new injection system under the hood. Only instead of injecting fuel, it injects water into the combustion chamber – something that wouldn't usually be recommended, but BMW insists actually aids in the combustion process. The idea is that the temperature of the air being mixed with the fuel inside the engine is usually hotter than ideal, so the system injects a fine mist of water into the collector in order to reduce the air's temperature... sort of like one of those hydrating misters at an amusement park or outdoor mall, but in an even hotter environment. The system brings the temperature of the air down to a more optimal temperature, helping it combust better. The process is said to yield a number of positive effects. For one, it reduces knocking. For another, it can make more out of lower-octane fuel where higher octane isn't available. It also can control the adverse effects of higher ambient temperature on the combustion process. But most of all, it increases output and reduce fuel consumption by around eight percent. Whether that eight percent is worth the added weight of the system – particularly with water pump and a 1.3-gallon tank in the trunk – is up for debate. But we'd imagine that the Bavarian engineers have weighed very carefully. Of course there's also the matter of refilling the water tank, which BMW says would be carried out whenever the safety car is refueled, but in real-world conditions would only necessitate attention once every five top-ups at the gas station. By now you might have guessed that BMW probably didn't develop this system just for the MotoGP safety car, and isn't planning on keeping it confined to the racetrack. Instead it's being tested and demonstrated on the safety car before being rolled out on production models in the future.

Volkswagen Group, BMW Z4 top Total Value Awards by Strategic Vision

It was just nine months ago that Strategic Vision announced its 2011 Total Value Awards, but you don't have to wait until next year for the 2012 awards. The Volkswagen Group keeps its lead as the number one brand, with seven products taking top category spots: Golf, Jetta Wagon, CC, Eos and Audi A3 Wagon, Q5 and Q7. Strategic Vision says "true innovation" - "rich and impactful, intuitive, motivational, in-depth and is able to trigger description by the user in great specificity" - is the open secret of the brands with the strongest showings. Results are culled from 77,153 owners covering more than 350 new cars bought between September of 2011 and 2012 ranked in the Total Value Index (TVI).
Other notable winners are Hyundai-Kia following VW in the brand category and having the Hyundai Elantra and Kia Sorento among category winners, the BMW Z4 taking the premium roadster category and the highest overall score of any vehicle, the Chevrolet Volt continuing to gather silverware in the Special Category, nabbing the second-highest score of all and representative of "nearly perfect innovation," and Chrysler and Dodge being most improved.
Check out the press release below for your day's dose of jargon and all the winners.

Volvo S90 Recharge, Lexus RX 350 and spring beer picks | Autoblog Podcast #679

In this episode of the Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Consumer Editor Jeremy Korzeniewski. They start off discussing the Volvo S90 Recharge and wonder out loud why the brand's plug-in technology isn't also offered with a wagon body style. They then discuss the Lexus RX350 and why it's likely an ideal premium crossover for a large percentage of buyers. From there, Greg and Jeremy cover some recent news items, including the current state of BMW's coupes and rumors that Toyota's next Land Cruiser will lose its V8 engine in favor of a turbocharged V6. Then it's time to go over some of our current favorite spring beers before turning to the mailbag and spending some listener's money. Autoblog Podcast #679 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown Cars we're driving 2021 Volvo S90 Recharge 2021 Lexus RX 350 News BMW 2 Series preview Land Cruiser powertrain rumors Spring beers Mailbag Spend My Money Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Autoblog is now live on your smart speakers and voice assistants with the audio Autoblog Daily Digest. Say “Hey Google, play the news from Autoblog” or "Alexa, open Autoblog" to get your favorite car website in audio form every day. A narrator will take you through the biggest stories or break down one of our comprehensive test drives. Related Video: