BMW BLOG

We return with another interesting review from Down Under where our aussie fellas over at Brisbane Times tested the BMW 118d Hatchback. Even though they name the 118d, BMW’s most fuel efficient car, the truth is that the “2008 World Green Car of the Year” was recently “demoted” to the ….second most fuel efficient bimmer. BMW’s 116d Hatchback, another model not available in the U.S. market, has become the EfficientDynamics flagship.

But without any further ado, let’s find out more about the car and BMW’s plans in Australia:

“118d hatchback takes fuel economy battle to hybrids but is even better to drive. We also sample twin-turbo diesel versions of the 1-Series hatch and convertible coming to Australia at the end of the year.

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We might not be lucky to get the BMW 1 Series hatchback in the U.S., but this doesn’t stop us from bringing you car reviews around the world. The Aussie fellows at CarAdvice spent some time behind the wheel of a 5-door BMW 120d Hatchback.

“Marrying sharp driving dynamics and strong performance credentials with drip-sipping fuel consumption figures and a low carbon footprint sounds like a match that, if not already deep in couple’s therapy, is well en route to a bitter divorce.

In fact most so-called green vehicles are about as exciting to drive a fun park go-kart – you know, the ones that couldn’t fight their way out of the proverbial wet paper bag – a stigma I’m certain no self-discerning driving enthusiast would dare want gracing their garage.

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BMW 1 Series Hatchback models are not part of the 1 Series fleet in the U.S., but BMW sells them across the world with the largest sale numbers registered in Europe. Many BMW fans have been hoping to see similar models in the U.S. as well, but BMW has never confirmed any future plans to sell them in the american market.

In the past, several 1 Series Hatchback models have been still spotted on U.S. soil, some of them registered them in Mexico to embassy diplomats while others belonging to BMW suppliers (Bosch).

One of our readers, Dal, spotted another 1 Series Hatch in Los Angeles and unfortunately, we’re going to shatter your dreams: the car is still registered in Mexico and not an actual test mule.

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Jeremy Clarkson gets another BMW in his hands, but this time, he’s not feeling so generous with the BMW brand. A few months back, in a way, he surprised us when he gave the new Z4 nothing but praises. The latest car that went through his purgatory was the BMW 135i Convertible with the M Sport package, but the review was less flattering.

In a way, this surprises us since in his review, he mentions how much he enjoyed the 135i Coupe model, a vehicle that is very similar to the convertible. design, dynamics and performance of that car are nearly identical with the convertible model, hence our confusion, but let’s take a look at what Jeremy had to say.

“Joy’s not really a German thing, I suppose. We do joy. The Americans do joy. The Italians do joy, even though they never laugh. Germans, though? They’re rather better at precision and accuracy and following orders. Which is why I can’t quite understand what went wrong with the new convertible version of the 135i.

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Our close friends and long time supporters of our blog, Julius and his team at WheelSTO, have an exciting project to share with us: a BMW 135i Coupe which went through a series of modifications. As always, we will let them share the story behind the Project 135i.

We picked up our 135i in September 2008. We instantly fell in love with its gorgeous looks, well designed interior, powerful motor, and more importantly the way it made the driver feel completely in control. We chose Black Sapphire Metallic as it’s a beautiful spin on the standard black. Understated and looks brilliant in the sunlight. The car came with the beautiful Coral Red interior as well. As soon as we got it back to the shop we knew we were in for a really good experience.

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Among the BMW community and true addicts, the 135i Coupe model needs no further introduction. Every since its launch in 2007, the BMW 135i Coupe has earned the title of one of most exciting to drive cars in the BMW line-up.

Many BMW owners, tuning and modding shops had and still have fun modifying the standard features and convert the Coupe into an iconic racecar. The white painted 135i Coupe featured in our article belongs to David S., a long time reader of our blog and an even bigger BMW fan. The tuned up 135i made its debut this year at the 24 hour race at Nurburgring and was praised by the press and the community present at the event.

Together with his friends, David S. created a 135i Motorsport kit that turns the 135i Coupe into a real race car. With that being said, let’s take a look at some of the changes implemented by them:

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Ever since I started BMWBLOG, one of the main goals, beside producing the best and most BMW related content, was to connect us with you, our readers. The secret behind any successful car website is the community and I am constantly looking for ways to bring all of us together.

You always help us with stories, tips and wonderful comments, so it is only fair that we would give something back, from time to time. The “BMW Of The Week” series is a way for us to express our gratitude by featuring some lucky cars in our weekly post, a car that will be seen by hundreds of thousands of readers every month.

The Flickr BMWBLOG Group gives us  plenty of choices when it comes to choosing the weekly bimmer, but those choices can be very difficult. Some cars stand out with their tuning jobs, others with mods and extraordinary photography. In some cases, the car itself needs to “pampering” and can be simply stunning.

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BMW is expanding their 1 Series line-up and they introduce two new models to the Coupe range. First one is the new BMW 118d Coupe powered by a four-cylinder diesel engine which produces 141 horsepower and 221 lb-ft of torque.

The 118d runs from 0 to 62 mph in 9.0 seconds and it is electronically limited to 130 mph. BMW claims a combined fuel economy of 52.3 MPG and CO2 emissions of 119g/k.

In the UK, the 118d starts at £20,500 and £23,375 for the M Sport variant.

Second model introduced is the 120i Coupe, a gasoline powered 2.0 liter engine which produces 167 horsepower and 155 lb-ft of torque; top speed of 139 mph and running from still to 62 mph in 7.8 seconds.

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We’ve been taking a break from our regular “BMW of the Week” articles, but we are back and we plan on doing this for a long time. As some of you, that have been with us for a while, might recall, a couple of months back, we started an official BMWBLOG Group on Flickr.com where everyone could upload their own BMW photos to it.

At this moment, there are almost 400 photos of your own bimmers and it’s growing every day. Our goal is to reach 1,000 within the next few months and eventually create the largest BMW photo gallery.

So let’s recap a little bit what we’ve done in the past. Week 1 winner trophy was awarded to not one, but three bimmers: 1987 E24 M6, 1992 E36 325iS and 1974 BMW 2002. In the second week, the award went to the previous generation E83 Z4 Roadster with some of the best scenery photos we have seen so far. Third week and the most controversial one, was all about this “funky” modded E36 BMW which went a bit over the top.

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Entering the 2010 model year, the BMW 1 Series as the guarantee for the broad-scale impact of BMW EfficientDynamics and as the epitome of Sheer Driving Pleasure in the compact segment is gaining even greater significance.

Two additional, extra-economical low-emission engine variants are enhancing the model range of the BMW 1 Series Coupé as of September 2009: In the guise of the BMW 120i Coupé and the BMW 118d Coupé there will then be two further models with the EU5 emission rating.

Following the successful launch of the new entry-level three-door and five-door models, the BMW 116i and the BMW 116d, in spring 2009, the BMW 1 Series is once again proving its value as the pacemaker for efficient mobility combined with outstanding driving pleasure in the compact class. Other new models as of September 2009 are the Lifestyle and Sport Editions of the BMW 1 Series three- and five-door.

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