2008 Bmw X3 3.0si, Low Miles, Cpo, Guaranteed Automatic 4-door Suv on 2040-cars

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2015 BMW X4 configurator is ready to get personal

The 2015 BMW X4 configurator is ready for your special touch. Starting with the 300-horsepower xDrive35i that starts at $48,925 after destination, our special touch aimed at a luxury cruiser and added $9,250 to proceedings for a final tally of $58,175. That got us the Technology, Lighting and Driver Assistance packages, navigation and enhanced USB and smartphone integration. We were tempted to go for the Dynamic Damping Control for just $1,000 and a set of 20-inch M Double Spoke Wheels, but the configurator didn't want to mix the M Sport Line with our Sparkling Brown metallic exterior hue so we skipped it.
We've covered the details on pricing and the breakdown of the order guide elsewhere, so you can always click through for refreshers. Or you can skip all those words and dive straight into trying to build an X4 that makes you say, "Yeah, now I get it."

BMW i3 will come with unusual 'OwnersChoice' non-lease option

In case you were interested in driving a BMW i3 but were afraid of getting into a traditional lease, there's some good new for you. We think. BMW recently announced that it would offer something called "OwnersChoice" and "OwnersChoice with Flex" to make the elegant city EV an easier purchase. Or temporary purchase, anyway. Something called "OwnersChoice with Flex" is not listed on the federal government's consumer information page on vehicle financing and we couldn't get a better explanation out of BMW than the official announcement, but the gist appears to be that an i3 buyer can make a gigantic balloon payment at the end of the contract term in order to pay less in monthly costs along the way. The way Automotive News describes it, the typical balloon note chains the buyer to the car in such a way that, while you can get lower monthly payments, you're still on the hook for the amount of the financing even if you return the car. With OwnersChoice, if you give the i3 back after the contract is done (usually after three years), you're in the clear. With OwnersChoice with Flex, you need to pay up no matter if you keep the car or not, but you can take the $7,500 federal tax incentive and increase your balloon payment by - let's see here, what's the amount? ah, yes - up to $7,500, which would knock $208 (7,500 divided by 36) off your payment every month. BMW Group Financial Services (GFS) came up with this new lease/payment hybrid thing, and Fred Isele, BMW GFS vp of sales and marketing, says it lets owners get, "a comfortable payment for one of the highest technological and efficient premium electric vehicles available to date." BMW GROUP FINANCIAL SERVICES OFFERS 'OWNERSCHOICE WITH FLEX' FINANCING PRODUCT WITH PURCHASE OF NEW i3 -- PROVIDES END-OF-TERM OPTIONS SIMILAR TO LEASING, YET BENEFITS OF OWNERSHIP WOODCLIFF LAKE, NJ – February 25, 2014 – With the launch of the BMW i3, the brand's first premium electric vehicle, BMW Group Financial Services becomes one of the first in the industry to create a financial solution to ownership that provides eligible customers with the options to lower their monthly payment and return the vehicle at the end of their contract term. The financing product called 'OwnersChoice with Flex,' provides eligible BMW i3 customers the option to increase their final OwnerChoice balloon payment due at the end of their contract term by up to $7,500.

2015 BMW M3 squares off against Alpina D3 in gas vs. diesel throwdown

There was a time when diesel meant one of two things: This vehicle's owner either wants to save some money at the pump or needs to haul massive loads. It definitely did not mean that the owner of said machine wanted to drive fast, but that perception has slowly but surely been changing over the last several years, with automakers from Volkswagen and Ford to Audi and BMW offering spiced-up versions of their high-compression, turbocharged diesels.
It's that last automaker we mentioned that's the subject of the video you'll see down below. One bright-blue BMW M3 was procured by the Brits at Autocar, and it was lined up against a deep-black Alpina D3 (which we sadly can't buy in the US) in a spate of tests, including acceleration, stopping, sound and lap times on a closed circuit. The results, which we won't spoil for you, were enlightening, and were followed up by personal impressions from the man behind the wheel.
We know you're curious. All it takes to find out which of these 3.0-liter, twin-turbo-powered 3 Series variants came out on top is to scroll down below and watch. You know what to do.