Well this is a bit of a disappointment. After the brilliant BMW 1 Series M Coupe a lot of eyes had turned to the F20 M135i for comfort.

It didn’t disappoint. The small hatchback ran the ‘Ring at a very fast time and then it defeated a track day special Subaru around a circuit.

Apart from these great examples, there are lots and lots of reviews that are basically raves. Something did come up now however.

This is the point where some bad or unfortunate news had to appear. Thankfully, it’s just the first kind we’re dealing with.

One of the … addicts from the 1 Series forum, has identified a bit of foul play with the sound generated by the M135i.

Much like the M5’s Active Sound system, the M135i uses a sound symposer device to provide a different, throatier noise to the interior of the car.

Two videos were posted by the happy owner of such a wonderful machine and he discovered the noise he enjoys so much isn’t real.

Once the device is disconnected, the car’s audio system is disabled, which does kind of convince you not to do it anyway.

The other convincing moment is when you hear the noises in the second video. A very muted straight six cylinder engine is what you get with a few turbo noises here and there.

So what’s the verdict? It’s a shame BMW couldn’t pull it off technically, but we’re sure glad they thought about it long enough to make it happen anyway.

The noise is fake, but the car is brilliant so I for one don’t care, do you?

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Marcus M.

http://www.bmwcoop.com

The post F20 BMW M135i engine sound uncovered appeared first on BMWCoop | BMW Blog, BMW News, BMW Reviews.

BMW’s three cylinder engines have gathered more than a bit of attention lately. They are spoken of with great pride by the Bavarian car maker and yet the enthusiasts are less than thrilled.

To meet them halfway, the Internet is ready to provide us with a favorable argument. Here’s a couple of videos courtesy of BimmerToday and PaulTan which are meant to show us what the three cylinder turbo is about.

The critical aspects of noise and performance are what you should notice here. It is also important to stress that the F20 BMW 1 Series is the model used fr these tests.

Taking one of these cars for a drive should, in theory, be the sort of experience that drones away, offers no excitement and is just a tool.

It may not impress, and it may not thrill you but it gets you home in an economical manner, doesn’t harm the air and all that green stuff. But have a watch:

Decent performance at speeds generally used on the open road are beyond what the typical four cylinder could ever manage.

The noise isn’t bad either. Some people lovingly say it sounds like a six cylinder and others completely hate it because it has a diesel-like idle.

Each of them have a seed of truth onto which they can lay their exaggerating suppositions. Even without over-reacting, this engine seems to be much better than the holocaust we all thought.

Don’t get me wrong, I still believe BMW’s naturally aspirated straight six cylinder engines are the powerplant you should want, but these newer creations are very impressive too.

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Marcus M.

http://www.bmwcoop.com

The post BMW three cylinder engines seen on video appeared first on BMWCoop | BMW Blog, BMW News, BMW Reviews.

There are few cars in the world we love as much as the F10 BMW M5. It’s so damn good it’s almost annoying to talk about.

You can’t even down talk its heritage because apart from the trailblazing models of yesteryear, there’s the recently defunct E60 BMW M5.

That 5.0 liter naturally aspirated V10 monster of an engine that sits under its bonnet is basically just an oversized Formula 1 engine and boy can it produce some results.

Just take a look, or rather listen, at the video below. The car portrayed in this video uses the standard engine in the E60 BMW M5 but its sound is properly unleashed by a Meisterschaft exhaust system.

You can be anybody, nobody, or everybody and you can drive whatever you want, however you want, there’s just no way you can dismiss it.

If you didn’t see the four door sedan body you’d seriously think some nutter took an F1 car for a joyride on public roads.

Judging by the interior footage, people inside must also be wondering why on earth would a single seater sports car needs four doors.

The performance may be less than the F10 version of the M5 but last we heard, there was no talk of active sound systems being used in the E60.

Did we mention a second hand V10 powered BMW M5 is now worth about as much as a diesel 5 Series of the F10 cred?

The only question is, will you be missing the extra toys and some safety equipment. You can probably squeeze the right pedal a few times to make up for it.

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Marcus M.

http://www.bmwcoop.com

The post Video: Remember the V10 BMW M5 appeared first on BMWCoop | BMW Blog, BMW News, BMW Reviews.

It’s a special weekend for BMW products. The product lineup, the future plans, the sales figures and all that lot don’t matter this weekend as it belongs to the BMW Zagato Concept.

A collaboration between a car maker that makes some of the best underpinnings of the industry and a coachbuilder that makes some of the stunning designs had very little chance go wrong.

Even though I’m not the biggest fan the BMW Zagato coupe has, I couldn’t say anything other than it being a success for both companies.

In preparation for such a warm welcome, the two companies have created a few videos that showcase just what the new Zagato creation is about.

http://youtu.be/vHDEps0BB6E

There’s a lot of people who’ve had a say in what the “making of” of this new BMW concept is about. That’s a nice video to see, but a tad boring, just like the following one.

http://youtu.be/TWlzSavPgSw

Don’t worry though, both BMW and the Italians at Zagato have a good idea about what truly excites us petrolheads so they’ve also created the opportunity for the following one to be created.

We couldn’t accept the BMW Zagato concept being a fully working and running creation without having a good look and listen, right?

Sadly, both parties are keeping it quite cool about telling us just what is making that noise. Most estimates are pretty sensible and speak of the drivetrain coming from the BMW Z4.

That means we’re talking about a 3.0 liter inline six with 320 or 335 horsepower teamed to a very comfy setup.

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Marcus M.

http://www.bmwcoop.com

The post BMW Zagato goes on film appeared first on BMWCoop | BMW Blog, BMW News, BMW Reviews.

The Nordschleife got a very interesting visit recently in the form of the 2011 BMW M3 GTS.

The limited edition of the E92 M3 will stand to replace the CSL version of the previous generation of M3 as this is still a lightweight, hardcore, track racing focused car that is still road legal.

Road legal is a relative term as all the modifications brought to the car will fail to make it past road-going legislation in many countries, the biggest of which will be the United States of America.

The GTS version of the BMW M3 is due to be on sale by next month and features a 4.4 liter V8 engine that has an output of 450 horsepower. The list of upgrades also includes a 7-speed M DKG Drivelogic gearbox, a multitude of weight saving materials used in the body and as a list of downgrades you know get no stereo, no air conditioning and no back seats. Reminds you of any recent BMW CSL’s list of equipment?

To sum up, other than a 419 pound diet you get a hardcore BMW M3 with a wing on it’s back. Well, not really. What you do get is probably one of the best driving machines made to date and one of the most amazing sounds ever to be heard round the Nurburgring.

Find that hard to believe? Listen to the following recording:

About Post Author

Marcus M.

http://www.bmwcoop.com

The post BMW M3 GTS recored at the ‘Ring appeared first on BMWCoop | BMW Blog, BMW News, BMW Reviews.