2012 Bmw X5 Awd 4dr 35d on 2040-cars

Auto blog

BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe caught again

It's been a while since we've seen the upcoming BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe out testing, but we're sort of inclined to ask "Why?" yet again. After all, the 4 Series is what the new 3 Series-based coupes and convertibles will be called, so the idea of another four-door version just sort of seems redundant. In other words, just how different will a 4 Series Gran Coupe be from a 3 Series sedan, aside from perhaps a more rakish roofline or a four-passenger seating configuration? Probably not much, but BMW clearly thinks it can use the additional bodystyle to rake in some extra profits.
Anyway, back to these spy shots. No more of the 4GC's skin has been revealed since the last time we saw it, but we fully expect it to share a lot of its design DNA with the 3 Series sedan, not to mention the attractive 4 Series coupe concept that bowed at this year's Detroit Auto Show.
Powertrain options should carry over direct from the 3 Series line, so we expect to see 428i and 435i models on hand, packing turbocharged four- and six-cylinder engines, respectively. We're sure that BMW's xDrive all-wheel drive will be available, and who knows, we could even get a 428d version with the new 2.0-liter turbodiesel four that debuted in the 328d at the New York Auto Show last week, or even an M4 variant.

M235i outpoints 911, Corvette in CR testing, becomes highest-scoring BMW ever

Good news just keeps coming for BMW, as Consumer Reports has just handed out a stunner of a verdict - the M235i, a spritely, 320-horsepower coupe that starts at just $43,100 has bested the likes of the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray and Porsche 911, vehicles that can easily cost twice as much and come to battle with considerably more power.
CR awarded the spiritual successor to the 1 Series M Coupe a score of 98 out of 100, beating out the 911 and the Stingray by three and six points, respectively. In fact, the M235i is remarkably close to the Tesla Model S' 99, making it one of the highest scores CR has ever handed out. It's also, not surprisingly, the highest-rated BMW ever.
Of the M235i's many attributes, Consumer Reports cited the car's performance potential as well as its quiet ride and comfort for front-seat passengers. While it's a shock to no one, CR called out the limited space in the backseats as well as some finicky controls as this Bimmer's biggest shortcomings.

Gus Van Sant casts the BMW i8 in soft light

BMW has spent the better part of a century building its reputation with fossil-burning transportation, but now it's banking heavily on the success of its new i family of electric vehicles. In order to succeed, it will need to sell examples of the i3, but sell the idea with the i8. And in order to do so, it is going to need some out-of-the-box promotional thinking. And that's just what it seems to have done with this latest campaign of television commercials.
The series of three (or at least that's how many have been released thus far) ads wax more poetic than most of the car ads we've seen. But while they might skimp on the technical details, they don't skip over the talent. The videos are the work of Oscar-nominated director Gus Van Sant, the cinematic artist best known for films like Good Will Hunting, Milk and Finding Forrester.
Van Sant has also solicited the voices of Sam Hazeldine (Caleb from Resurrection), Sting's daughter Mickey Sumner (Sophie from Frances Ha) and Michael Pitt (Jimmy from Boardwalk Empire), but doesn't hide them behind the microphone in the recording studio. Instead they serve as the face of Bavaria's new hybrid sports car, and the results are rather stunning. See for yourself in the trio of videos below.