Jul 10 2011
There’s no end to the vehicles to which you could compare the BMW 1 M Coupe. You could pit it against its big brother the M3, or the original that is its spiritual ancestor. Top Gear put it in unusual context with the Volkswagen GTI. Autocar against the Porsche Cayman R. The list goes on and on, but perhaps its most natural modern rival is the Audi RS3.
Jul 1 2011
We tried the open version back in January and, despite a couple of BMW’s “I’m a niche car” choices for the model that are open to debate, largely enjoyed the 6 Series Convertible. Despite a serious keys-in-hand base price of $91,375 for the skybox 650i, the 6 Series is perhaps the best overall package in this small segment of near-millionaire large convertibles and coupes (i.e. sub-Bentley/Aston Martin).
Just considering sheer finish and accommodation for four real-sized adults, this new 2+2 BMW fairly well beats the Jaguar XK, Audi S5, and Mercedes E-Class Coupe, whether with or without a metal roof. The Cadillac CTS Coupe lineup suffers by comparison in total-packageness, though its discount pricing will convince some, and none of the premium Japanese brands currently offer anything even close in ambition to this latest 6 Series.
Source: AutoBlog
Jun 15 2011
The 2012 M5 is about more than mere surface beauty, after all. The sonorous V10 of the last M5 has been traded out for a twin-turbocharged V8 fist. Power is up, with 552 horsepower (the V10 produced 507 hp) coming on at 6,000 rpm – 1,750 rpm lower than the V10. Torque is hugely boosted from 383 pound-feet to 501 lb-ft, which will be great for shoving this car to 60 miles per hour in a reported 4.4 seconds. That’ll route to the rear wheels via a standard dual-clutch transmission, though a proper six-speed stick will reportedly be available here in the United States.
[Source: F10.5 Post]
