BMW BLOG

A few days ago, we posted the Top 5 Finalists in the 2009 Green Car Award. We didn’t get into many details regarding the vehicles listed on there, but Shrawan, the Editor at indianautosblog.com put together a short article on the Top 5 “green” finalists.

Car Journal, the leading resource for information about exciting and environmentally positive vehicles, has announced the finalists for its annual Green Car of the Year award for 2009. The award recognizes new model vehicles that provide real answers for new car buyers looking for a personal stake in lessening environmental impact and without any surprises, the 3-Series diesel (335d) has booked a birth in the finalist’s roll call.

So, without further ado, we bring to you – The Top 5 Green cars for 2009(in alphabetical order)

1) BMW 335d

BMW’S 335d showcases how well advanced, efficient, and clean diesel power can be incorporated into a performance-based sport sedan. With 23 mpg city/33 mpg highway fuel economy and gobs of torque, there’s no sacrifice for performance fans here. This car, as per reports, is definitely heading India’s way in the next year or so.

2) Ford Fusion Hybrid

Ford’s first hybrid sedan uses a more advanced adaptation of the automaker’s full hybrid system to allow electric driving up to 47 mph, bringing the roomy five-passenger Fusion best-in-class fuel economy. An innovative SmartGauge with EcoGuide helps drivers achieve maximum mpg.

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What do you think of the BMW 335i competitor? Share thoughts, please don’t be too nasty towards Audi, this is an amazing car. 

Even though many people compare the S4 to an M3, I still believe that it’s a fair comparison. The new M3 is by far a more advanced car and unfortunately, S4 doesn’t match it yet.

Article By CARversation.com

Green Car Journal has just nominated the finalists for the Green Car Of The Year award and the highly-awaited BMW 335d has made the cut.

The other top finalists are:

• 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid
• 2009 Saturn Vue 2-Mode Hybrid
• 2008 Smart Fortwo
• 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI

The winner will be announced at the Los Angeles auto show on November 20

If you like to read more about the cars, feel free to head over to TheCarConnection Blog and they have some really good reviews of them.

And here is the latest and one of the best reviews of the BMW 335d.

Our Chicago based friends at MotivMag have just posted their review of the 2009 BMW 335d, first twin-turbo diesel coming to the States. Bryan picked up a U.S.-spec 335d in Munich and drove it to northern Italy and back, taking the car through the beautiful Alps.

The upside to fuel crises, if there must be one, is that carmakers offer up all kinds of solutions that would have no appeal in a low-cost and stable fuel marketplace. How else do you explain Cadillacs with V-8-6-4 engines? The downside, of course, is that once the perceived threat is over (or once we get used to $3-a-gallon gas) the market corrects itself, and these oddball crisis cars disappear as fast as they came. In some cases (i.e., the aforementioned Cadillac) that’s a good thing; in others, the march of legitimate alt-fuel progress gets kneecapped. Thankfully there’s Europe, where gas prices are reliably obscene.

It’s been nearly a quarter of a century since BMW last offered American buyers a gasoline alternative — in the form of the 1985-’86 524td — and conditions are certainly right once again for a Bavarian-bred economy champ. And while we sat fat and happy in our Excursions, European diesel cars kept evolving — unlike that smoky, choky 524td, BMW’s new diesel-powered 335d combines serious performance with remarkable fuel economy and serves them up in the ever-popular 3-series platform.

Indeed, the fact that the U.S. hasn’t seen a BMW diesel in more than twenty years doesn’t mean BMW hasn’t been building them. In Europe, the company sells more diesel- than gas-powered cars, and it’s gotten a solid reputation for building great oil burners. The heart of the 335d is a lightweight inline six-cylinder with intercooled, variable-nozzle twin turbochargers, common-rail fuel delivery, and high-pressure direct injection that borrows its basic architecture from the newest inline six gas engine used in the 335i. Like that engine, it employs such goodies as all-aluminum construction, electrically operated power steering, an electric water pump for reduced engine drag, and an alternator that engages only when the engine is off load.

Take a minute and read the full article

What does this guy do when he can’t afford a BMW M3, he buys a 1989 Honda Civic Si and tries to make it look like a BMW M3. This is just STUPID.

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Thanks to a tip from Jurgen, I’m going to show you one of the sexiest, hottest and most amazing BMW X6 I have seen so far. We all know by now that the X6 is an equally loved and hated bimmer. For ten people that are totally in love with the X6’s design, I can find another ten, that simply hate it and don’t see the purpose of it.

But let’s not get into the “hatorade” issue tonight and let’s focus on what Jurgen has sent us, photos of a BMW X6 in a blackish, dark grey color. The Sport Activity Coupe was spotted in a garage in Austria and the color looks simply “hawt”, like Miss Paris Hilton would say.

The black wheels complete the already perfect image and it leaves me wondering if this is a customer job or….yes, it has to be a customer job, since I have not seen a color remotely close to this one, in none of the BMW catalogs.

Do you dig it? Let’s see a photoshop of this color on other models, X1 for example. Any takers?

[Source: Autoblog.nl ]

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Ind-Distribution is famous for their BMW projects and especially, the ones that involve the E90 or E92 M3s. Back in April, they were featured on many BMW related forums or websites with their BMW M3 Coupe modding project.  

Ind-Distribution guys are based out of Illinois, so I had the opportunity to meet them at car events, such as Lux5 Luxury Car Show that too place this summer in Chicago and where they showcased a modded BMW 135i along with a beautiful white M3. 

So here they are, a few months later and a new project completed, but this time, better than ever. What did they do this time? They simply took a BMW M3 E90 Sedan and turned it into a “beast”.

But, let’s leave the photos speak for themselves.

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Angus MacKenzie, the MotorTrend editor and one of the most respected auto journalists, has another great review to share: 2009 BMW 335d. A few days ago, we posted his well thought and detailed article on the 2009 BMW 7 Series.

As we mentioned a little bit earlier today, the BMW 335d is available to order and within a month, we should be seeing the first vehicles in the dealerships’ lots.

But here is what Angus had to say about the long awaited BMW 335d:

Prepare to have your prejudices shattered and your perceptions altered. Prepare to relearn everything you thought you knew about performance cars. Prepare to drive the 2009 BMW 335d.

The 335d spearheads a freshened 3 Series range for North America that will be unveiled at the Los Angeles show next month. Key changes to the 3 Series for 2009 include a new hood with dual character lines leading down to a broader, chrome-ringed double kidney grille. There are new bumpers front and rear, new exterior rearview mirrors, plus new headlights and taillights. The front track has been increased 6 mm, while the rear has been pumped out 24 mm. Six new wheel designs are available.

Inside are mild upgrades to the interior, including a smattering of classier new materials, revised instrument graphics, and the latest-generation iDrive system, featuring the new controller and button cluster from the just-released 7 Series and the same glitzy, high-resolution graphic interface.

The big news is under the hood, however. The 328i and 335i drivetrains continue unchanged for 2009, but they are joined by BMW’s first 50-state-legal diesel, a twin-turbo, 3.0L straight-six that delivers 265 hp at 4220 rpm, and a thumping 425 lb-ft of torque between 1750 and 2250 rpm. Driving through a six-speed automatic transmission, BMW claims this engine will propel the 335d from 0 to 60 mph in 6.0 sec while delivering 23 mpg city and 36 mpg on the highway.

And the full review can be found here