BMW

BMW is recalling a handful of models from the 2023 and 2024 model years due to potential problems with their antilock braking and stability control systems. The automaker is pulling back 11,579 vehicles in the recall, which was published on the NHTSA’s site on October 2.

Many automakers have softened their once-aggressive electrification plans, but that hasn’t stopped several of them from backing off development of their thirstiest internal combustion engines. BMW is one of the few companies that have publicly affirmed their dedication to gas engines, as an executive recently said it would keep the M3’s gas-powered inline-six for at least one more generation.

Today we bring you a 2003 BMW 540i M Sport that's an oldie, but apparently, also a goody.

While most people have gotten over the early concerns about EV ownership, like range, charging, and driving experience, one significant question doesn’t have an airtight answer: What happens to EV batteries when the vehicle is ready for the scrap heap? A handful of companies have sprung up to address that issue, and BMW recently partnered with one of the most well-known entities in the space.

As Morning in America dawned during the first half of the 1980s, with finance-industry mavericks shaking down S&Ls while Ford Aerospace did the same to the U.S. Army with its antiaircraft version of the ED-209, BMW was in an excellent position to cash in on newly fashionable conspicuous consumption in the United States. Hitting our shores just in time for this was the E28 5 Series, which was available here for the 1982 through 1988 model years. Here's an example of the early E28, found in a Carson City boneyard recently.

Almost three-quarters of a million BMWs are being recalled. The automaker is clawing the vehicles back for an issue with the water pump electrical connection that could increase the fire risk.

The recall impacts several models, including the 2012-2015 X1, 2013-2017 X3, and 2015-2018 X4, among others. In total, more than 720,000 vehicles are involved in the recall. BMW said the problem relates to the vehicles’ water pumps, which may have incorrect sealant. Over time, the pumps may be susceptible to water at the point of connection, which could cause a short and, potentially, a fire.

Despite having fallen out of favor with the average American decades ago, due to the rise of the minivan, station wagons have remained coveted by U.S. automotive enthusiasts. In most cases, they’re practical enough to serve as a household’s primary vehicle and don’t need to sacrifice desirable driving dynamics like you would on a crossover to make that happen.

Sadly, we don’t get that many options in North America. But, after much speculation, BMW has seen fit to ship the M5 Touring our way for the 2025 model year.

Today we bring a 2000 BMW M5.

Expectations were admittedly fairly low when the dealer relayed an X3 was the only loaner vehicle available at my service visit. “Oh, that’s fine,” I said. The visit cropped up suddenly, when the VANOS recall fix for the Z4 was finally ready. The next few days changed your author’s mind about the X3.

Last year, BMW walked back its decision to offer subscriptions for heated seats. This came after numerous automakers had started considering the financial benefits of placing hardware already equipped to the vehicle behind recurring paywalls. While just about every brand was testing the waters of subscription-based features, German nameplates were the most aggressive and therefore caught the most backlash.

Ultimately, the incurred shame forced the industry to retreat. But the intention to normalize subscriptions remained and BMW has since decided to offer monthly billings on adaptive headlights — which is something you’d expect a luxury brand to offer by default.

Today we have a low-mileage 2004 BMW 545i for your perusal.

The BMW M5 has a long and storied history as one of the best sports sedans on the market, but the car we have today is nothing like the one seen in earlier model years. BMW is gearing up for the release of an all-new M5 in 2025, and the car will arrive with a plug-in hybrid powertrain for the first time. Oh, and it’s also 1,000 pounds heavier than the last iteration.

BMW’s latest electric models offer plenty of compelling features and tech, but they’re far from affordable. To attract younger buyers who couldn’t otherwise afford one of its EVs, the automaker is developing a 1 Series electric model at the entry point of its lineup.

Despite its legitimately impressive performance, the BMW XM hasn’t been a blockbuster hit. Its price and, um, controversial styling are the most likely culprits, but BMW’s new offer (somewhat) takes care of half of those challenges. The SUV is available with a $17,500 lease discount and a $15k purchase incentive.

This week I was testing a 2024 BMW 750x xDrive plug-in hybrid, and honestly, I can't fully process the experience.

BMW has gotten plenty of mileage from its inline-six engines, but it’s not done yet. The 2025 M4 CS will debut on May 10, sporting a 543-horsepower turbocharged engine, plenty of carbon fiber-reinforced plastics, and chassis reinforcements to give it razor-sharp handling.

Today we bring you a 2007 BMW M6.

BMW’s sedan catalog is surprisingly expansive, though there’s quite a bit of overlap between model lines. The 4 Series cars build on the slightly smaller 3 Series with sleeker styling and other touches, and the range got a mild update for 2025 that brings better tech and slight cosmetic upgrades.

Today we serve up a heavily modified 1992 BMW 535i.

Wagons hold a strange place in the American car market. Auto journalists and car nerds gravitate to them like moths to a flame, but the general car-buying public seems like it couldn’t care less. That said, a small number of high-performance wagons enter the country every year, including the Mercedes-AMG E63 S Wagon and Audi RS6 Avant. Americans are about to get one more hot longroof, this time from BMW, as the automaker recently announced that it would bring the incredibly impressive M5 Touring wagon stateside for the 2025 model year.

I tested a 2024 BMW i5 M60 xDrive last week, and I have thoughts.

Hit the jump for more.

BMW has aggressive electrification plans, but the automaker isn’t taking its eye off the internal combustion ball. A new report from BMW Blog states that BMW is planning a next-generation M3 between 2027 and 2028 that will land with gas and electric configurations.

It seems only a couple of months ago I reported on my experience traveling from Cincinnati to Nashville to purchase the 2010 BMW Z4, thus satisfying a used convertible car search that lasted for a year and a half. Though that search was much more lengthy than I’d have preferred, I was convinced at this time last year that I selected the right car for my usage case. But does that still ring true, do I still think an old German car was the right choice?

Tesla might not be the most dominant EV maker in the world, but it’s on top of the market here in the United States. Legacy automakers like Ford and General Motors are in the hunt, but so far, no one has been able to topple Tesla’s top spot. BMW is hoping to take some of the shine off of Tesla’s crown with a new incentive that gives buyers a $1,000 discount to buy one of its new EVs.

Pursuant to federal law (we’ve always wanted to start a post in that manner), BMW is recalling approximately 80,000 machines from the 2023 and 2024 model years for vexing problems with braking systems.

Today we head to Florida for this Tampa-based 2002 BMW M5 Dinan.

Despite having been quoted as confirming the BMW M5 Touring for North America, Domagoj Dukec has just recanted. Earlier statements from the brand’s design head stipulating that our market would have access to both the sedan and wagon versions of the M5 have been taken back — leaving everyone following the story more than a little perplexed.

Last year, the owner of a 2015 BMW i3 REx was reportedly quoted over $71,000 to have a new battery pack installed. For reference, that particular model would have retailed somewhere around $50,000 brand new. While we’ve seen some staggering high prices being entertained for EVs in need of a new battery pack this has to be one of more egregious examples on record.

Football and marketing - does it get any better? In this era of fragmented streaming services, there are precious few moments of what was once dubbed Must See Tee Vee where one be assured hundreds of million eyeballs will be glued to the same message simultaneously. We likely will never have another shared broadcast moment like the finale of M*A*S*H, so The Super Bowl is it.

Today we feature a 2006 BMW M5 that looks fairly clean.

It’s increasingly difficult to find cars with manual transmissions in the U.S., but occasionally automakers surprise us. My Toyota GR Corolla is a great example of an unexpected treat, but BMW recently announced a much quicker, open-top manual. The 2025 Z4 M40i is getting a manual option for the first time as part of an options package with other performance goodies.

Regulators in Germany have opened an investigation into alleged diesel exhaust rule circumvention on the part of BMW. Claims have been made that the automaker used an illegal defeat device on select models to achieve lower tailpipe emissions during testing. It’s a situation reminiscent of the Volkswagen Dieselgate scandal from 2015. However, government regulators have been on the offensive ever since — roping in loads of manufacturers and leaving a subset of the public wondering whether modern emission laws are even tenable.

If old Bimmers are your thing, this 1992 BMW M5 might be right up your alley.

Dinan is a big name for BMWs, and so today we bring you a 2002 BMW M5 Dinan S.

Today we're going German with a 15-year-old sedan that ticks a lot of boxes -- powerful, handles well, and offers a manual transmission. It's a 2008 BMW M5.

BMW’s electric lineup can be found under the “i” branding in its overall catalog, but it will need to make changes to prevent a complete mess with its SUV naming convention. The current X3 and X5 have long, alphanumeric names that include drive wheel and other information, and tacking another letter onto the end could create a real mess of confusion. To avoid that problem, the automaker is reportedly looking at a more straightforward naming system for electric models.

BMW has announced it is expanding its ChargeForward incentive program to drivers of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles living in the contiguous United States. The proclamation coincides with the launch of the brand’s all-electric i5 and is supposed to incentivize customers into “aligning their vehicle charging with times when renewable energy is highest on the grid.”

That’s progressive-corporate speak for charging vehicles when the demand for electricity is lower to ensure less energy is wasted. One of the biggest obstacles presented by EVs is that widespread usage would result in explosive energy demand many electrical grids may not be able to accommodate. BMW believes this can be mitigated with ChargeForward by ensuring user charging times are carefully monitored and scheduled. 

Today we feature a 1991 BMW M5 that has high miles but a clean title.

As BMW’s first mass-produced “zero emissions” vehicle, the i3 boasted a predictably quirky design that seemed to underpin most manufacturers early attempts at fielding an electric car. But the model fell short in terms of range and luxury, especially in relation to MSRP, resulting in a de facto city car for those who liked the idea of owning a BMW-badged EV.

While the vehicle implemented some novel features, the model has aged rather poorly due to advancements in battery technology. It could be argued that the i3 ended up a failure due to the fact that BMW never figured out how to produce them cheaply enough to be a volume vehicle. However, it may have also been too odd to garner true mainstream appeal — something the brand says it doesn’t want to happen for the i3’s successor.

Apple has no trouble selling every new iPhone unit it can make, but the tech giant has run into quality and usability issues with fresh tech over the years. There was the “you’re holding it wrong” debacle with the iPhone 4 way back in 2010, and subsequent models have faced questions over durability. Now, iPhone 15 early adopters who own BMW models with wireless phone charging are finding that their cars are frying their new phones. 

Ford, Honda, and BMW have announced plans to create a new “vehicle-to-grid company” that’s aimed at standardizing vehicle charging via a singular platform. The service also seeks to return excess energy to the electrical grid, effectively converting EVs into publicly shared batteries.

The business will be known as ChargeScape and, according to the automakers' press release, seeks to “create a single platform that will seamlessly connect electric utilities, automakers and their interested EV customers to manage energy usage for a broad pool of EVs.” The scheme could be one way of addressing concerns that modern power grids couldn’t endure widespread electric vehicle usage while helping to position the involved companies in an industry that’s being heavily incentivized by the government.

Automakers and companies of all types frequently survey their customers to develop ideas for new products and get feedback on existing items. But while that information is valuable and should be considered when creating new products, some companies seem to bypass the process altogether and end up rolling out something unexpected. Apple did a great job of that with the iPhone, creating a whole world of new products that people didn’t know they needed, but BMW didn’t have the same luck when it made the move to package popular vehicle features in added-cost subscription services. Though it’s not ditching the controversial practice altogether, BMW walked back the heated seat subscription after receiving scathing feedback from customers.

Maybe I need to reconsider these newfangled “Sports Utility Vehicles” and their “crossover” brethren. They have, seemingly overnight, become surprisingly popular - in one unscientific study, I’m estimating that these two related subgenres of tall wagons work out to roughly 74 out of every 20 cars on the road.

If you’re wondering why I’m a writer today and not the mechanical engineer I aspired to be when I was 15, you can look at the above statement as well as my failure in high-school AP Calculus for an answer. 

Anyhow, it seems these things aren’t going anywhere. They keep growing larger and taller, Tower of Babel-ing their way upward so drivers can see the traffic signal ahead as they sit, ever idling in traffic surrounded by their ilk. So we must acknowledge their presence and even admit their suitability for certain drivers and their needs. The 2023 BMW X7 M60i xDrive you see before you is one of those which, by function of cost and size, must only fit a relatively few - but who is that driver? 

For decades, enthusiasts have known the M badge from BMW. M stands for motorsport, and indeed it was once a separate division within the company that produced both cars for racing and hot street cars. But the M badge had two meanings - and, for much of the lineup, still does. Here’s the decoder ring.

As a general rule, my biggest recent beef with BMW sedans has been that they feel a bit heavy and porky. A tad ponderous. Not so much that I’d eliminate them from my shopping list (in the fantasy world where an automotive journalist actually can afford a car in this class), but enough to notice.

As George Costanza once said, "there's still a little summer left." So if a drop-top appeals to you and you want one before the snow flies, this 2004 BMW 330ci convertible could be for you. Or you could live in Southern California or Florida and just have summer all the time.

Today we feature a Bimmer of recent vintage that appears to be in good shape. It also warms our enthusiast hearts that this 2013 BMW 335i M-Sport has a six-speed manual transmission.

BMW has been teasing the next-generation M5, specifically the long-roof wagon variant known as the M5 Touring.

This is a little odd. While European sport wagons were once relatively popular in the United States, it has become increasingly rare to see them migrating beyond the home market. But there are rumors that the be-hatched M5 will be sold stateside, enthralling automotive enthusiasts that we can only hope are genuinely interested in buying a few.

Today's UCOTD comes from my backyard (well, sort of -- it's within the metro but a bit of a trek). This Chicago-area 2008 BMW M5 with a manual (!) has belonged to the seller since 2016, when he or she brought it up from Dallas.

In the “old days,” you had two transmission options if you wanted to buy a car. More often than not, a manual transmission was the standard choice, but buyers increasingly had automatic transmission options. Then, ‘ze Germans started using dual-clutch transmissions in racing cars, leading to the array of the gearboxes seen on the market today. That’s about to change for BMW, at least, as the company’s M division head of development told Top Gear that the DCT would die as it shifted to electrification.

Today's used car is a California-based 1993 BMW 318is that is being restored.

Score one for the vanishingly few people who still prefer a sedan over an SUV (read: just about everyone working here). BMW has introduced a new 5 Series sedan, one which will be available either as a gasser or an EV when it goes on sale later this year.

BMW introduced the Concept Touring Coupe at the 2023 Villa d'Este Concorso d'Eleganza in Italy. Clearly intended to be a throwback to the convertible M Coupes of the past, the design has metamorphosed the current-generation Z into a shooting brake.

When I first became a wise and fair judge for the 24 Hours of Lemons race series, back in 2008, I got a lot of static from Internet Car Experts who noted the large quantity of BMW E30s in every race and proclaimed that any E30 in any condition was worth at least ten times more than the Lemons $500 limit on car cost. Because I spent a great deal of time in self-service junkyards and saw that—at least in California—such places were overflowing with unwanted E30s, I knew they were wrong. 15 years later, though, E30s have become fairly rare in junkyards, so this fairly complete 325es in a Colorado yard caught my eye a few weeks back.

Though it’s been several years since the first problems were reported, we’re still feeling the effects of the massive Takata airbag recall. B MW recently issued a “do not drive” warning to owners of its older vehicles over concerns about their airbags, adding to the list of automakers still recalling vehicles.

Remember that old Price is Right game in which the contestant would blindly reach into a bag and haul out numbers (or strikes) in an effort to guess the price of a car? It increasingly seems like that’s the tack for BMW’s naming system, particularly with some of their newer models – such as the just-announced i7 M70 xDrive.

Today's used car of the day is a 2003 BMW 325ci coupe.

It's wagon time yet again. This time it's a 3-Series wagon of 2004 vintage.

This 2004 BMW 325 XiT wagon has an automatic transmission and is a daily driver, so the mileage is over 191,000 and rising.