BMW BLOG

Despite of being clearly a BMW focused online media, we try and many times succeed in keeping an objective tone in our articles. There are of course more times when we brag about our bimmers, but there are also times when we present to you less flattering articles.

Well today, it’s one of those times and courtesy of the British magazine Autocar, we bring you a short comparison between the new 2011 BMW 5 Series and its old-time competitor, the Mercedes Benz E-Class. The only difference this time is that the bimmer comes second.

While most of the articles until now were more than positive towards the F10 5 Series, we anticipated the day when a negative reaction will be shared as well. But we wouldn’t really call the Autocar’s reaction as being negative, the final decision came down more as a personal choice. Read the rest of this entry »

Historically, BMW has always been compared to its German compatriots from Ingolstadt and Stuttgart (Audi and Mercedes-Benz) and from time to time, vehicles produced by Lexus or Infiniti would jump into play. But now, surprisingly, there’s a British company that’s actually in the mix, not a new contender, but rather a classic in the automotive industry.

You see, Jaguar has always produced fine cars. But then it came the S-Type and their ambitious goals to try and gather up some sales from the BMW 5-Series, Audi A6 and Mercedes-Benz E-Class.

It didn’t go over so well and Jaguar went back to the drawing board. Read the rest of this entry »

BMW diesel engines have always been sort of our favorites here at BMWBLOG and after we posted the 2011 BMW 530d test drive, we realized what a great combination it actually brings: the luxury and sportiness of the new 5, associated with a powerful, competitive but still efficient diesel engine.

Available in Europe only, the BMW 530d is equipped with a single turbocharger version of the same 3.0-liter inline-six diesel engine used in the 335d in North America. It is matted to the new ZF eight-speed automatic transmission that comes with steering wheel mounted paddle shifters for the true enthusiasts.

The engine outputs 242 horsepower and 540Nm (398 lb-ft) of torque. Top speed is limited at 155 mph.

Read the rest of this entry »

At the International Media Launch of the new 2011 BMW 5 Series, our very own Benny at BimmerToday, had the opportunity to speak with Jos van As, the man responsible for the chassis tuning and the suspension in the new sport luxury sedan.

Some of the topics that we wanted to touch in our discussions also revolved around the active rear axle kinematics and the issue of run-flat tires that has been going through an intensive debate on our website.

BT: The new BMW 5 Series features again an active rear axle kinematics. It has been 10 years since a similar system was offered in the BMW 850CSi. Why the long wait?

JvS: In the early 90s, this subject was mainly interesting for added stability, but in the same time, electronic stability systems, like DSC, appeared and made mechanical systems, like the one we used in the 850CSi, unnecessary. But then the cars got bigger and heavier and we had to find a way to make them handle like before, despite the increased weight. In the 90s, we used an eletrohydraulic system for the rear axle,  and now we can use an electromechanical system that can be combined with the variable steering on the front axle. Read the rest of this entry »

While the video is in German and there no subtitles available, we believe most of you will enjoy seeing the new 2011 BMW 5 Series in motion once again. The new model has recently launched at the International Media event in Portugal and we have already provided live coverage here and here.

Our first impressions were on the positive side, with the new 5 Series showcasing precise handling that one expects from a BMW. The sedan handles tendency to understeer very well, offering a very balanced ride.

Despite the increase weight, around 1,700 kgs for the automatic model, the ride quality doesn’t suffer and continues to offer an impressive, dynamic ride.

Read the rest of this entry »

The new BMW 530d is one of those models that many of us are already craving for. Available in Europe only, the BMW 530d is equipped with a single turbocharger version of the same 3.0-liter inline-six diesel engine used in the 335d in North America along with the new ZF eight-speed automatic transmission. The automatic comes with steering wheel mounted paddle shifters for the true enthusiasts.

The engine outputs 242 horsepower and 540Nm (398 lb-ft) of torque. Top speed is limited at 155 mph.

During our test drive in Portugal ( conducted by BimmerToday), first thing we noticed was that the BMW 530d, in normal driving, is hardly recognizable as a diesel. While the engine runs on diesel fuel and one would expect some noise (a misconception we spoke about in the past), when you stand next to the vehicle, it is practically inaudible in the cabin at low speeds.

Read the rest of this entry »

There seem to be multiple definitions of the term, Gran Tourismo Turismo . How else could such disparate vehicles like a Mustang GT, Bentley Continental GT, Nissan GT-R, Ferrari 599 GTB, Pontiac GTO and the new BMW 550i GT all be considered Grand Touring cars.

The definition of a Grand Touring car revolves around the following characteristics, room for two (or 2+2) and their luggage, capable of comfortable high speed cruising, oriented to the driver (not chauffeur driven), and capable of handling any road thrown at it. The classic GT car would be something like the BMW 3.0 CS, lithe, agile, perfectly proportioned and eminently capable on mountain passes or autobahn.

Few previously would have included the 550i GT in the Gran Tourismo Turismo category, however. Its tall, Reubenesque, four door body makes this the BBW BMW. But what that rather large shape does do is coddle three plus passengers in the lap of luxury. Its versatile two mode rear opening allows it to swallow the contents of an antiquing run using the hatch, or a smaller items without exposing the cabin to the weather using the smaller bootlid. And yet it still provides the driver the tools to enjoy the joy of long distance, high speed, motoring.

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Autoblog is next in the 2011 BMW 5 Series reviews lane. Our turn has finally come today and a quick review was posted earlier, but before our full review goes up, let’s take a moment and learn more about the 5 Series through Autoblog.

A few thoughts on the new N55 engine

While we liked (okay, adored) the outgoing 5 Series’ N54 3.0-liter twin-turbo in-line six, the 535i receives a new single turbo engine dubbed N55, and it offers exactly the same 300 horsepower and 300 pound-feet of torque. So why bother? Because BMW’s smarty-pants engineers have imbued the new motor with superior packaging, cleaner emissions and better throttle response.

About that last bit – if you’re wondering how a single, larger turbo can be quicker to respond than a pair of smaller units, BMW has cracked the code with the combination of a dual-scroll element and the company’s Valvetronic throttle-less intake technology. Suffice it to say that the N55 just plain works, with eager revs and a wonderfully flat power curve (the engine’s torque cup runneth over from just 1,200 on through 5,000 rpm). BMW says 60 miles-per-hour can be cracked in 5.7 seconds and top speed is limited to 130 mph – 150 mph if you spring for the Sport Package.

Read the rest of this entry »