2009 Bmw Z4 Sdrive 3.0 Xenon Bluetooth Brushed Aluminum Trim 24k Miles on 2040-cars

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Mercedes leads in US luxury car thefts

Mercedes-Benz makes some fine automobiles. The Silver Arrow'd cars are so good, apparently, that thieves can't help but try to steal them. The German brand is at the top of the charts for luxury car thefts in the US, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, with New York City leading the way. (And those New Yorkers complain about Detroit being bad!)
The C-Class was the most stolen model, with 485 ganked between 2009 and 2012 in NYC alone, while the E-Class and S-Class (which also boasted the worst recovery rate, at 59 percent) both finished in the top ten. Following the C-Class was the BMW 3 Series and Infiniti G. Not surprisingly, each of these were the most common models in their respective lineups. Los Angeles and Miami are also prime hotspots for luxury car thefts, according to the Detroit News report.
While getting your car stolen is pretty awful, there was one inspiring statistic compiled by the NICB - the average recovery rate across the board was 84 percent, with the Cadillac CTS getting recovered 91 percent of the time.

2015 BMW X4 xDrive28i

When BMW unveiled the X6 back in 2008, critical reviews were mixed, to say the least. By all accounts, the heavyweight crossover actually drove quite well, but the idea of a BMW X5 that traded a lot of functionality for polarizing looks and a higher price tag seemed like a tough sell. Then it went on sale and quickly proved to be a cash cow. Today, the German brand has moved over a quarter million of the things worldwide. Unsurprisingly, this success has moved BMW to double down on its so-called Sport Activity Coupe by adding a smaller variant. The all-new X4, while not a bad steer in and of itself, makes even less sense than its big brother, particularly when viewed alongside BMW's other offerings. Like the X6 and X5, the X4 borrows heavily from another of the brand's utility vehicles, in this case, the less-costly X3. Also like the X6, this new crossover-coupe's styling is sure to cause a schism among critics and consumers alike. You can probably guess where the majority of the Autoblog camp falls. To be totally frank, the exterior of the X4 is simply ghastly to this writer, particularly in this tester's eye-catching paint. Admittedly – and much like the X6 – there's not much objectionable from the A-pillar forward, where the X4 has a lot in common with the X3. It's only once moving towards the rear that things well and truly go wrong. There's just so much visual mass, and it's been made worse by the way BMW designers wussed out. Bear with me. Compare the profile of the X6 with the X4, and pay particular attention to the roofline on the bigger vehicle. The angle of the roofline is noticeably more dramatic on the X6, which comes at the expense of second-row headroom (an oft-criticized area for the big boy). For the X4, designers tried to have their cake and eat it too, maintaining second-row headroom but with a coupe-like profile. The result is an X4 that is bulbous and uncouth from the B-pillar back, more hunchbacked Gran Turismo than svelte Gran Coupe. BMW might have been better served if its exterior work had followed the stylings of the cabin, which is more or less a clone of what's on offer in the X3. Material quality is still great, with soft-touch plastics and available cool-to-the-touch brushed aluminum throughout. I really dug the Ivory White Nevada leather and contrast red stitching on this test vehicle, as it provided an eye-pleasing departure from the sea of blacks, grays and tans so typical of the luxury crossover market.

Revised 2015 BMW 6 Series family shows its tweaked face to the world [w/video]

BMW is unwrapping refreshed versions of its luxurious 6 Series family for the 2015 model year, and the range features some styling tweaks inside and out, along with new standard tech. The biggest change for 2015 is a redesign at the front end to make the 6 look even sharper than before. Only BMW superfans might notice one of the reasons why, though. There are now nine slats in the kidney grille instead of 10 to create larger openings. In addition, all versions get standard Adaptive full-LED headlights with a slightly more angular shape. They're joined by new side mirrors with integrated indicators in thin strips of lights. Lower down, a revised front air dam boasts a tweaked design and LED foglights at each top edge. Updated side window surrounds are exclusive to the four-door model and feature the Gran Coupe name embossed into them near the rear doors. Buyers of any of the models can choose among a palette of new colors including: Jatoba metallic, Cashmere Silver metallic, Glacier Silver metallic, Mediterranean Blue metallic and Melbourne Red metallic. For 2015, the interior revisions are subtle. There's high-gloss black trim covering the center console, and LEDs are used for some lighting. Navigation, heated front seats, two-zone climate control, dynamic cruise control and heated exterior mirrors all come standard for all models, though. If the regular leather doesn't suit you, then there are now Ivory White/Black and Cognac/Black two-tone Nappa options. Mechanically, the 6 Series family carries over from last year. That gives the 640i a turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six making 315 horsepower and the 650i a turbo 4.4-liter V8 with 445 hp. The M6 carries over its 560-hp version of the V8, too. Standard models get an eight-speed automatic with optional all-wheel drive, and the M has a seven-speed dual-clutch. If all this isn't enough for some buyers, there are also two new optional packs. The Black Accent Package adds high-gloss black parts for the grille, window surrounds and pipes, plus includes Cognac/Black leather inside with wood trim. The M Sport Edition brings an M body kit, steering wheel and 20-inch wheels, along with cabin additions like a leather dashboard, ventilated seats and soft-close doors. Read all the details about the latest crop of 6 Series models in BMW's verbose press release below, and while you're there, check out an official BMW video.