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2014 BMW 328i xDrive Gran Turismo

"The Ultimate Driving Machine" has been BMW's tagline for nearly 40 years. Launched in the 1970s, the marketing campaign was a stroke of genius by ad firm Ammirati & Puris, as the phrase helped differentiate the imported Bavarian cars from their fellow European rivals by subtly pointing out that Mercedes-Benz and Audi were offering luxury models, while BMW was selling sporty and youthful driving dynamics. The campaign worked - some would argue that stands among the most effective ad campaigns ever - and countless Baby Boomers embraced the brand's fun-to-drive image by taking delivery of the company's new models.
BMW still boasts that its vehicles are "The Ultimate Driving Machine" four decades later, but the brand is very different today. It offered just a few model lines in the mid-1970s, and only a handful of vehicles within. In 2014, the automaker offers an exhaustive range comprised of nearly a dozen lines with almost 50 different models. To survive and thrive, BMW has decided it must massively broaden its appeal.
One of the latest arrivals to BMW's ever-growing stable is the 2014 3 Series Gran Turismo. The five-door hatchback is best thought of as a smaller version of the company's 5 Series Gran Turismo built on stretched 3 Series platform that, in the case of this test car, shares the running gear of the 328i xDrive sedan. On paper, the five-passenger vehicle checks all the proper boxes with regards to performance, utility and economy. But does this family-focused 3 Series still deliver driving dynamics that qualify it for the title of Ultimate Driving Machine?

The Bilenkin Vintage is a retro-Russian coachbuilt BMW

If you want to add some retro Russian style to your E92 BMW 3 Series, the coachbuilt Vintage by Bilenkin Classic Cars is probably your best (and only) option. The coupe's shape takes inspiration from vehicles of the Communist era, but this bespoke machine's design gets even crazier on the inside. The company's website shows that Bilenkin already has experience restoring classic cars, but this design. That experience is on display here. The stylists do a masterful job of hiding the BMW donor at the front, and the two big headlights and low-mounted, chrome bumper seem to take inspiration from old Volgas. In a fantastic touch, lengths of chrome also run through the door handles down the side to accentuate the rear. The back might be the styling's best angle because of the way the fins step down over two tiers to create the taillights. While the exterior focuses on mixing vintage looks with modern underpinnings, the interior cossets the occupants in opulent trim that features gold and diamonds. Bilenkin upholsters one example in its photos (above right) with paisley fabric, teal trim, and a frosted gearshift. The company also has one with a more traditional look that combines brown leather, wood, and crimson carpets. The Vintage recently debuted at the 2015 Dubai International Motor Show, but Bilenkin doesn't go into much detail about the vehicle's mechanical specs. According to the company's site, "it is intended to embody elegance and style along with the principle 'Sheer Driving Pleasure.'" The retro design certainly achieves the first part of that goal, while the BMW bones probably deliver the latter as well.

Motor Trend first to compare Jaguar XE and BMW 3 Series

How many automakers have loaded up how much ammo and taken how many shots at the BMW 3 Series? Yet here we are, decades on and at least a decade away from the 3 Series' halcyon days, waiting for someone to give the sport sedan something beyond a flesh wound. In this most recent episode of Head 2 Head, Johnny Lieberman goes to Spain to figure out if the Jaguar XE is the sedan to do it. Here the champion wears the guise of the 335i M Sport, powered by a 3.0-liter, turbocharged, inline-six with a square 300 horsepower and 300 pound-feet of torque run through a ZF eight-speed transmission. After a short time behind the wheel Lieberman quotes from a familiar hagiography, saying it's evident "just how great this car is and why it defines the segment." The all-aluminum challenger from Jaguar comes in XES trim, meaning a 3.0-liter, supercharged V6 with 340 hp and 332 lb-ft. It uses the same eight-speed transmission as the BMW, but with different programming. According to the specs in the video, some of which are manufacturer estimates, the Jaguar is heavier, more expensive, and much thirstier at the pump. Away from the spreadsheet, Lieberman holds that the XE looks better and feels more special inside. In case you're wondering, the comparo was done before MT could get its mitts on the 320-hp BMW 340i. Lieberman says the English company spent its money on the XE suspension and it shows, but there have been other efforts from other automakers with excellent dynamic chops that weren't enough to threaten the BMW. His final assessment is that one of the two cars is awesome, and one is quite a bit better. Watch the video to find out which is which. Related Gallery 2016 Jaguar XE View 74 Photos Related Gallery 2016 BMW 3 Series Refresh View 57 Photos News Source: Motor Trend Channel via Carscoops, YouTube BMW Jaguar Luxury Performance Sedan motor trend jaguar xe head 2 head