Due to rather stringent emissions regulations and partly to lack of interest from the US audience, diesels aren’t making it into small cars over there.

Even for BMW, the engine company, the one that makes some of the most incredible oil burners out there, the ability to sell them in the US is limited.

Currently, there’s the X5 diesel option as the only one out there since the E90 335i is no longer available as a new purchase.

The future does hold a few good news for fuel efficiency aficionados as BMW is very interested in bringing more diesel powered vehicles to the US.

An image from a presentation inside the company leaked online and that’s how we’ve been able to find out that the Bavarians are preparing two engines for sale with six of their models.

The twin-turbocharged six cylinder N57 engine will live on, with just about all models having it as an option. The smaller sized vehicles will also get the N47’s variations to have fun with.

That means that your fuel will be burned through a 2.0 liter force fed four cylinder engine that can develop up to around 250 horsepower.

Meanwhile, the 3.0 liter option develops around 300 horsepower and considerably more torque alongside more refined delivery.

Whereas the US still won’t get the M Performance high end diesels, they are still getting a product which is rated by many reviewers as the best of its breed.

It will be available in the F30 3 Series, the F31 3 Series Touring, the F10 5 Series, the E70 X5 and the F01 7 Series.

With the 2.0 liter option, we expect to see the 3 Series, 5 Series and X3 crossover as they can still move quite swiftly with such an engine.

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Marcus M.

http://www.bmwcoop.com

The post BMW still has plans for diesel in the US appeared first on BMWCoop | BMW Blog, BMW News, BMW Reviews.

The next generation of the BMW M3 is almost here yet it seems so far away. Thankfully, the F80 BMW M3 is ready to treat us to something special.

Currently being tested around the Nurburgring test track, the F80 M3 sedan got recorded with some serious noise coming out of the quad exhausts at the back.

It’s not as loud as you’d normally imagine, which is to be expected given the turbocharger setup but it’ll certainly not need active sound technologies.

Also worth noting is the way the brake disks look. The unusual hue of those stoppers could be a sign into BMW using carbon ceramics.

Having delayed the sales of the carbon disks for the F10 BMW M5 the Bavarians may want to have the M3 ready with them upon launch.

Such abuse taking anchors may contribute to the time the F80 BMW M3 will set round the ‘Ring. Let’s remember that the E92 was quicker than the replaced Ferrari at the time of launch.

By that logic, the new BMW M3 will be quicker than the F430 which set a time of less than 7.55 minutes. That’s because alongside the brakes the engine is going up a few notches.

Even though it goes down to a 3.2 liter straight six, the turbocharger setup will provide 7% in terms of power and 18% in terms of torque.

Those of a boring considerate attitude will appreciate the 20% improvement in fuel economy levels.

Unfortunately we still have to wait for the 2013 Geneva Motor Show to actually get to see the unveiling of this newest BMW M3.

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Marcus M.

http://www.bmwcoop.com

The post F80 BMW M3 treats us to some serious noise appeared first on BMWCoop | BMW Blog, BMW News, BMW Reviews.

Usually when a new car is introduced it can be pretty easy to pinpoint if it’s a good or bad car. With this one, things aren’t so simple.

The British market is about to get a new entry level version of the F20 BMW 1 Series, something they call the 114d. Much like the new X3 entry level model, the point here is to save fuel and money.

This is why you’ll be getting a fuel economy tuned version of the 1.6 liter diesel four cylinder engine we’ve already seen in the F20.

Since being cheap economical, is the most important part of the equation, you can forget the performance side of the equation.

The engine was now tuned down to 95 horsepower and 173 lb-ft of torque. Less than 100 horses in a BMW, not the most glamorous of situations.

Now, getting up to 65.7 UK mpg (54.7 US mpg or 4.2 l/100 km) out of each combined cycle run does seem tempting and the emissions of just 112 grams of CO2 per km may be green but is that all that matters?

Can anybody really be satisfied with the idea of having a BMW they purchased for nothing other than the fuel economy of the engine?

I know people love the efficient part of Efficient Dynamics but that can’t be right. Much like the 116i of the E87, this car will almost certainly be a let down dynamically.

Then again, there’s plenty of folks driving these cars who don’t even know which axle is being driven so maybe they’re not missing out.

I might think the F20 BMW 114d is something of a bad car but there might be plenty out there who disagree and call me a poor fan of the company.

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Marcus M.

http://www.bmwcoop.com

The post UK newcomer – the F20 BMW 114d appeared first on BMWCoop | BMW Blog, BMW News, BMW Reviews.

America’s lack of interest in the fuel saving solution that is the diesel engine has been long discussed and over-debated for several years now.

There have been plenty of attempts, at the forefront of which BMW have been of major importance, to showcase the capabilities and performance diesel is capable.

Unfortunately, they’ve all pretty much failed. It may be for a number of reasons but as gas prices keep going up, diesels are making a comeback.

Since the US is finally finding out what rising fuel costs are, they’re taking a liking to diesels in increasing numbers.

While we’re on the subject, it’s not exactly a secret that BMW, makers of some of the greatest engines out there, also make the finest diesels available.

Two of their cherries are headed stateside now. It’s the 2.0 liter four-cylinder engine and the more interesting 3.0 liter straight six unit.

The first one will likely develop around 180 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque whereas the bigger engine will provide around 255 horsepower and some 413 lb-ft of torque.

Figures may be altered slightly by the time they hit the road in America as the emissions legislation there plays on different fields to the ones BMW is used to.

Even so, the economy minded motorist is in for a treat, even if he lives in the United States. Their highway system should make for quite a difference when it comes to settling into the cruise.

The new engines should be available in the 3 series, 5 series and X5/X6 models to begin with and there’s a chance at expanding its options later on.

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Marcus M.

http://www.bmwcoop.com

The post More BMW diesels headed for US market appeared first on BMWCoop | BMW Blog, BMW News, BMW Reviews.

Given the title of this blog, the most used word on it and the constant praise of a certain brand, one could easily identify us as being BMW fanboys.

Maybe we are, maybe we aren’t, one thing’s certain – we just love it when BMW hits the jackpot in the new cars they come up with.

Alongside the stunning new cars we love, we’re also quite big fans of the news that comes in from the marketing department.

There’s the brand assessment, the sales figures and also the stunning concepts that attract even more fans to Bavaria.

This time however, BMW is attempting to win new fans over with a more traditional approach – advertising. Just have a second look at how the best current models from BMW show off:

http://youtu.be/6X40rePwH5A

I’m not a big fan of cakes. In fact, I lose interest almost completely when it comes to most sweets but the sort of cake these guys are talking about seems yummy.

I wouldn’t mind actually getting some diabetes this way. Heck, I’m actually considering some serious gluttony on the Ultimate Driving Machine.

They may speak a little bit about fuel economy, efficiency and all that lot but with none of the vehicles in the video don’t seem to be focused on that particular aspect.

Do people really buy the F10 BMW M5 for the economy? Or the M6 for that matter? The M3 GTS is a few details short of a racing car too.

The BMW 1M Coupe is probably the only vehicle there that’s decent on the fuel economy numbers but since that’s sold out in the US and quickly going everywhere else, it’s not strictly relevant.

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Marcus M.

http://www.bmwcoop.com

The post BMW USA launches new commercial appeared first on BMWCoop | BMW Blog, BMW News, BMW Reviews.

There’s a lot of talk nowadays about how cars aren’t as good as they used to be. We live in a world where being sensible, green or safe seem to dominate the automotive industry.

Top Gear’s Richard Hammond seems to be convinced he’s found a car that’s certainly not tainted with modern “depreciation”.

The “Hamster”, loved the F10 BMW M5 earlier this year and now he’s found a new Bavarian product to adore in the form of the 320d in F30 form.

Hammond just had a bit of time testing the F30 BMW 320d and he really enjoyed it. He liked it so much he awarded it a bit of a new title.

Richard thinks it’s the best car ever made. Getting to this conclusion he summed all the features of the latest 3 Series came around and one of them is actually a huge surprise.

He praised the fuel economy, the low pricing of that feature compared to what the hybrid generation is offering and a few other things.

The interior and trunk space, the infotainment system and the exterior styling, they all found their way into the good graces of the Top Gear presenter.

What surprised me about his decision was where Hammond said that the 181 horsepower of the 2 liter diesel engine is enough. I’m sorry, but that doesn’t sound very Top Gear to me.

He didn’t give the F30 BMW 320d a perfect review however. The Sport trim of his tested model had a red line on the dashboard which was annoying to him.

As seen on the Mirror.

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Marcus M.

http://www.bmwcoop.com

The post F30 BMW 320d loved by Top Gear’s Richard Hammond appeared first on BMWCoop | BMW Blog, BMW News, BMW Reviews.

With the F30 328i making waves around the US, BMW’s X3 crossover that has the same engine has been getting a boost of attention too.

Not all of its coming from reviewers or interested buyers. The EPA recently announced the adjusted fuel economy figures for the BMW SAV.

The BMW X3 xDrive28i is powered by a 2.0 liter turbocharged four-cylinder which develops 245 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque.

The N20 engine not only pushes out a respectable amount of grunt but also eats a less than usual amount of fuel while its at it.

A BMW X3 xDrive28i is now rated by the EPA at a combined fuel economy of 24 mpg and that figure gets broken down at 21 mpg city and 28 mpg highway.

The testing was done using premium gasoline and, as a result, the agency thinks the annual fuel costs for owners of this X3 come in at around $2600.

Despite being the smaller engined model the BMW X3 xDrive28i will go from 0 to 62 in just 6.7 seconds and it will have an electronically limited top speed of 130 mph.

It won’t put too many cars to shame on a drag strip but we all know that in family car territory, those figures are more than respectable.

Further more, once you get to the SAV/softroader side of the business the BMW X3 manages to set itself apart thanks to them.

The X3 in itself is plenty of fun but what’s really important here is that BMW is sticking to their old guns and continue to make amazing engines that balance power and economy brilliantly.

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Marcus M.

http://www.bmwcoop.com

The post BMW X3 xDrive28i gets a new EPA rating appeared first on BMWCoop | BMW Blog, BMW News, BMW Reviews.

The earlier leak of the BMW i8 Spyder Concept has produced results. The Bavarians have scrambled together to announce it properly.

It must have been a weekend of hell for the guys in the marketing and PR departments that got the short straws and had to make the press release.

I wouldn’t normally worry about them but I do considering how the BMW i8 Spyder Concept seems to have appeared out of nowhere with an April 1st release date.

Let’s hope it’s not an elaborate April’s Fools and that BMW really plan to unveil the i8 Spyder Concept at the upcoming Beijing Motor Show.

Apart from loosing the roof and getting some slightly more rakish doors, the i8 Spyder Concept is pretty similar to the i8 Coupe.

Some extra tweaks are added to the interior but even that has a BMW familiarity to it and when it comes to the underpinnings, there really are no surprises.

There’s a total output of 354 horsepower and 405 lb-ft of torque coming from the 1.5 liter turbocharged three cylinder petrol and the electric motor.

On their own, the petrol powerplant will be ready at any time to send 223 horsepower to the rear wheels and the electric mill churn out instant torque and 131 horsepower to the front.

Having some proper grunt in a good looking light roadster sounds like fun but the drooling moment starts when you find out that there’s a chance at 78 mpg fuel economy figures.

Allegedly you can plug it in and travel on batteries for 19 miles. That’s nice, but not as impressive as the rest of the setup.

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Marcus M.

http://www.bmwcoop.com

The post BMW i8 Spyder Concept officially announced appeared first on BMWCoop | BMW Blog, BMW News, BMW Reviews.

The Bavarians have had themselves a bit of a stumble with the introduction of the 2012 F30 BMW 3 Series to the U.S. market regarding its fuel economy.

This is where the EPA makes the rules, come up with a grading system and no matter how well manufacturers think they’ve learned, they still bring back the test scores.

Whereas BMW estimated their eight speed automatic 328i could do 36 mpg in highway testing conditions it seems that’s not the case.

The EPA has adjusted the figures of the F30 BMW 328i to 33 mpg highway and 23 mpg city. That’s a drop of 3 and 1 mpg respectively.

Those are the final figures the 2012 version of the new 3 Series will be sold with in N20 engine spec and that means it’s no longer better than the 335d version.

Rumor has it these retests may be happening since the EPA is getting a bunch of complaints of other cars. Everything may have started from the Hyundai Elantra.

Even so, BMW isn’t very pleased with the changes and they’ve officially announced that they’ve managed to get up to 36 mpg on the highway.

The halfway solution is going to come from fueleconomy.gov as they’re rating it at 23/34 mpg. That could be seen in new window stickers of the 328i.

This is weird because the 2012 F30 BMW 3 Series is rated at 23/33 in accordance to the new EPA rating but some of the official websites are still carrying the old predictions.

Not that we’re not sorry for the hit BMW took with this fuel economy rating, but even so, the F30 328i is a class leader in its segment.

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Marcus M.

http://www.bmwcoop.com

The post 2012 F30 BMW 3 Series gets downrated EPA fuel economy appeared first on BMWCoop | BMW Blog, BMW News, BMW Reviews.

Offered as the stylish member of the newest BMW M Performance diesel lineup, the 2012 X6 M50d got its Geneva debut.

It’s not really one of my favorite choices of anything with a BMW badge on the front but the X6 M50d does make itself interesting.

If you’re like me, not a big fan of the looks, you can’t deny the impressive effect the figures of that new diesel engine has.

The very lovable 3.0 liter straight six tri-turbo version of the company’s N57 engine develops 381 horsepower and 550 lb-ft of torque.

This sort of performance is not only enough for the 2012 BMW X6 M50d to shift around its bulk, it can also deliver some impressive fuel economy and performance while at it.

First, the performance. 0 to 62 acceleration takes a mere 5.3 seconds and its so fast at the top end that it had to be electronically limited to 155 mph.

The company’s 8-speed automatic transmission has something to do with that and the xDrive all wheel drive system ha something to say in keeping all that torque in check.

As for fuel economy, I will admit, it’s not exactly going to give the Toyota Prius any worries but for a bus-like coupe like the 2012 BMW X6 M50d it’s quite amazing.

On the EU test cycle the Bavarian company claims it’s going to average at least 36.7 mpg Imperial or 30.6 mpg U.S.

Like I said, not a worry for the Toyota Prius but then again, the little hybrid doesn’t have nearly 400 horsepower available on tap.

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Marcus M.

http://www.bmwcoop.com

The post 2012 BMW X6 M50d gets Geneva debut appeared first on BMWCoop | BMW Blog, BMW News, BMW Reviews.