Click above for high-res gallery of 2009 MY changes
BMW's lineup of M-fortified vehicles now numbers nine, which is the largest it's ever been in the sub-brand's 30-year history. Munich has tweaked the lineup for 2009, and while nothing groundbreaking has been added, the additions and changes are worth noting. For instance, the BMW M3 Sedan gets a new rear end that sports updated taillights with two LED light clusters, and the entire M3 line gets some minor interior tweaks, new colors and crash-active headrests. The M5 and M6 soldier on with larger sideview mirrors, though BMW mentions that regenerative braking and an uncoupling air conditioner compressor – both fuel saving technologies – are right around the corner.
Of course, all M models are now offered with the latest generation of the automaker's much maligned iDrive control system. We haven't had the opportunity to sample the new version yet, so we'll refrain from making fun of its user interface for now. A new, impressively large 8.8-inch nav screen is, however, available with the optional Professional navigation system package and each system has moved from being DVD-based to storing all the info on an in-dash 80GB hard drive. This fall, BMW will also be offering ConnectedDrive, the first application of unrestricted internet access in a car, across the M lineup and iPhone integration has now been worked out, as well.
Perhaps the most significant addition is the arrival of a Competition Package for the M6 Coupe. The Competition Package includes a newly tuned performance suspension that lowers the car 12 mm up front and 10 mm in the rear, an adaptable suspension control system and double-spoke forged alloy wheels. BMW claims this will be the most athletic M6 you can buy and that there will be visual distinctions to set it apart from a standard M6. Unfortunately, BMW refrained from showing us what those visual distinctions will be. You can view what they did show us, however, in the gallery below.
The BMW 6-Series is a lot of car, and while the 5.0-liter V10 in the M6 does a remarkable job of moving it around, critics have said it could use some help. Reports now indicate that the M division is giving it some help in the form of a new Competition Package.
The pseudo-CSL gets a new active suspension and a ride height lowered by 12mm up front and 10mm in the back, along with new wheels and a new front hood to set it apart from the standard model. With or without the Competition Package, however, the entire M6 range (coupe and convertible) gets new side mirrors, a new electronics package controlled by the revised iDrive system and a new shade of black for the exterior. While we're not sure the new option pack would prompt us to take the M6 Competition Package racing as its name suggests, it does make the big sports-coupe that much more tempting.
BMW has its own grammar rules. For instance, M and X cannot appear in the same car name. So while a BMW sport-ute/crossover (or whatever they want to call it) can for all intents and purposes be an M vehicle – that is, top-of-the-line sport model with all the go-fast components and power to spare – it can never wear the vaunted M badge. That is, for the most part, just semantics. BMW's solution for the 'Ring-running versions of its taller vehicles is to slap an S on there instead.
With those rules laid down, we bring you these spy shots of a BMW X6 M 5.0iS. While the name might have you thinking that BMW has shoehorned in the M division's highly praised 5-liter V10 to the X6, sources suggest otherwise: the same twin-turbo version of Munich's 4.4-liter V8 producing in excess of 500 hp is expected to feature in the next M5. Information indicates a release in about a year from now, complete with all the extra dressings you've come to expect from a performance-oriented Bimmer. You didn't think Bavaria would pass up the opportunity to create a high-performance version of the strangest segment-buster yet, did you? Certainly not when the opportunity to further confuse us with its nomenclature is just so tempting.
Click above for high-res gallery of BMW's latest M3
It's been 30 years since the first BMW wearing a trademark tri-color marking was introduced in a homologation effort as the M1. Since then 300,000 vehicles have been graced with that coveted "M" telltale, and still countless others have had the logo applied in the hopes the letter would add some magic to a plebian 318 or 528. Fully one percent of BMWs sold in 2007 were M models, and the milestone 300,000th car, an alpine white M3 Coupe, will live with its owner in the town of its birth, the East Bavarian hamlet of Regensburg. The M3 is likely the most legendary M car, with the original E30 version also existing for homologation purposes and morphing into the current V8-powered technical tour de force that can now be had in Coupe, Sedan or Convertible guise - a true triple threat. There appears no end in sight for BMW's M division's masterful application of the art and science of high performance engineering. Now, if BMW would just return our calls, we can permanently add the 300,001st M-model to the Autoblog Garage, though we're certain it's already built and sold. Press release after the jump.
The hefty price tag and somewhat limited availability of the BMW M5 and M6 ensures that only a select few get behind the wheel of a 500 HP masterpiece. That kind of power, coupled with the razor-sharp performance of a precision-tuned BMW suspension make for a driving experience rivaled by few automobiles on our planet. No matter how great these M-tuned Bimmers are, however, there are some who strive for more. That's why companies like Dinan are around to transform the sublime into the ridiculous.
If you have a passion for power and an additional $40,000 in your budget, Dinan can transform your "ordinary" M5/M6 into a race-ready athlete with the heart of the champion. For your 40-large, Dinan will take the 5.0L V10 that powers the "standard" M5/M6 and bore and stroke it to 5.7 liters. The end result is a legitimate road beast that cranks out 628 hp and 482 lb-ft. The additional hp under the bonnet of the Dinan M's still revs freely to 8100 RPM, and much of the torque is available as low as 3000 RPM. To keep Dinan's 5.7L flamethrower breathing freely, the engine tuner added high flow Intake/air mass meter assemblies, high flow throttle bodies, free flow mufflers and a racing exhaust. Sure the extra $40k can almost buy you a spare 335i, but if you want to make your M5/M6 even more exclusive, Dinan's solution is as good as any.
Click over and get your Sesame Street fix. You know you want to.
A Canadian court just ruled that the letter "M" does not belong to BMW, so it has decided to change its name to "BW." Just kidding. BMW Canada had sued Nissan Canada in a bid to stop the Infiniti brand from using the "M" model designation on its mid-level vehicles. BMW has been using the letter "M" to signify its top-performing models for decades and felt its use on Infinitis was confusing to customers.
Actually, BMW called Infiniti vehicles "inferior and more modestly priced." That should have put Nissan in its place, but no, Nissan fought back. And the Canadian Federal Court of Appeal is siding with Nissan, ruling that it's free to use the letter "M", as well.
This recent judgment in Nissan's favor overturns a previous one that went BMW's way and blocked Nissan from using the letter. Nissan was this close to changing its name to Missan. There we go, cracking wise again. Seriously though, BMW has the Supreme Court available if it still wants to fight.
Today's post was brought to you by the letter "M" and the numbers 3, 5, 6 and sometimes 4.
Automotive News is reporting that BMW will be unveiling a concept version of the successor to its Z8 sports car at the Shanghai motor show next month.The new Z9 (Z10 seems to fit current naming practices better, but we'll stick with Z9 here because it's what Auto News is reporting) will likely one-up its predecessor with a folding hardtop and possibly a coupe version, as well. The Z9 is likely to get a version of the 500-hp, 5.0-liter V10 from the M5/M6.
The new top-of-the-line sports car will go head-to-head with the Mercedes SL and Audi R8, among others, when it debuts sometime in 2009 or 2010. BMW hopes to find as many as 15,000 buyers a year for the new sports car even though it only managed to move 5,702 Z8s during the whole run from 2000 to 2003. There are plenty of pics of an SLR-like gullwing Z9 concept that has a 6-series butt and a long tapered nose, but we are praying for something better. We hope it can match the beauty of the neo-507 Z8 pictured above when it debuts.
There isn't always a lot of overlap between the world of golf and our own automotive realm. Tiger gets some folks interested in Buicks and there are the occasional holes-in-one that result in a set of keys for the lucky ball striker, but other than that, we don't usually cross paths very much. Sadly, today is one of those days. PGA golfer Arjun Atwal was involved in an incident that resulted in the death of a fellow motorist outside Disney World in Orlando, Florida on March 10.
Although no criminal charges have been filed, witnesses have said that Atwal and the other driver, John N. Park, were street racing. Documents from the Florida Highway Patrol say that Atwal estimated his speed at around 80 mph on the 45 mph road, although witnesses said they thought the speeds were more like 100 mph. Atwal was driving his 2006 BMW M6 alongside Park in a 2006 Mercedes-Benz CLS55 when the Benz "flipped and killed its driver." Park apparently lost control, clipped a fence and small tree and the car somersaulted up to eight times, disintegrating in the process.
The investigation is ongoing, but it doesn't appear the two vehicles collided or that either driver was impaired by alcohol or drugs at the time of the accident.
At the 1977 Geneva Auto Show, Porsche introduced the world to the 928, a – gasp – front-engine GT car that would compete with some of the great touring cars of its day. The portly Porsche achieved limited popularity over its 17-year run, but served as a sign of things to come when the Cayenne was introduced seven years later. Porschophiles the world over decried this latest offering as another bastard product that would water down the heritage of the automaker. No matter how much profit may have been generated by the Cayenne, or the Boxster for that matter, respect from Porsche's die-hard fanatics waned.
Fast-forward to 2006 and the controversy of Porsche's ever-expanding line-up comes to the fore again, this time in the form of the four-door Panamera. The new FR platform will allow Porsche to compete with other German manufacturers in the burgeoning $100k+ sedan market and also allows the automaker to resurrect the 928 moniker by shortening the wheelbase and lopping off its rear doors. Porsche wants a dog in the most prestigious of fights and in the realm of the high-price GT, stiff competition from BMW's M6, Merc's CL (now with AMG muscle), Aston Martin's DB9 and Jag's XKR proves that the market exists.
Car and Driver has put together what limited information is available about Porsche's new GT to come up with the above rendering and some technical speculation. As mentioned previously, both the Panamera and the 928 will share a platform, with the GT expected to share approximately 60 percent of the sedan's parts. A shorter wheelbase, coupled with a stiffer, multi-link suspension setup and the loss of a few pounds should lend a great deal to the 928's sporting pretenses. Motivation will come from a NA V8, producing upwards of 350 HP, with the option of cannibalizing the Cayenne's twin-turbo V8, making well over 500 HP and placing M.B.'s and BMW's high-po offerings directly in its sights. Gear selection will be similar to what's offered in the Panamera, with either a six-speed manual or a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox channeling power.
Pricing is expected to begin just above the 911's $90k, then head due north towards the mid-$100,000 market. If all goes according to plan, Porsche will debut the 928 sometime in 2011, with sales beginning the following year.
Weekly British automotive mag Autocar recently shut down the London City Airport because they wanted to find out what car was the fastest in London. Amidst a field that included hometown hero Bentley's Continental Flying Spur, as well as a Ford GT (it lost to the British-built SLR by nary 1.4 mph, fix!), Corvette Z06, Shelby Daytona Cobra, Porsche 911 Turbo, BMW M6, Alpina B5, and Vauxhall Maloo, the SLR McLaren was able to post the fastest time of 175.7 mph on the one-mile long airport runway. No word on how fast the bike in picture went, though.
The record attempt marks the fastest a car has ever been driven legally in London and will be submitted to the Guiness Book of World Records. Here are the final trap speeds of the other contestants.
Later tonight, I will be attempting the Cleveland, Ohio Land Speed Record in my 1999 Oldsmobile Alero on I-90 between mile markers 150 and 151. Wish me luck!
Follow the Audi Mileage Marathon starting Monday morning
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By the Numbers - September 2008: Nobody Wins Edition
