2008 BMW 335i
October 29th, 2006
BMW has finally announced its fourth-generation 3-series convertible and released photos of its first folding-hardtop car. The tin roof is a three-piece unit operated either by a single switch on the center console or a button on the key fob for remote opening. This feature will only work within about 15 feet of the car, which seems like nothing more than a party trick. If you have to be standing next to the car to operate the top, why not be sitting in it?
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New, Smaller BMW Coming In 2010 – The X1
September 26th, 2006
BMW has kicked off a top secret plan for a baby SUV – the X1 – to take on Toyota’s Rav4. The junior ‘X’ model will mix a 1-series footprint with the X3’s four-wheel drive. The four-seat X1 will run four- and six-cylinder engines, and arrive in showrooms in 2010. Photo above was sourced from carmagazine.co.uk.
BMW predicts that the mid-size SUV market will double by 2016. And the cheapest X car will be pitched at the largest sector of the market, targeting young families, active singles and empty nesters. Those punters want vehicles with a higher seating position, decent safety, extra space and a premium interior, but they are not obsessed with status-through-size and high-performance engines. Like its competitors, the X1 won’t be a hardcore mud-wrestler but a tall, pumped up estate, which majors on visibility and versatility.
2007 BMW 335i Sedan
September 26th, 2006
When the fifth-generation 3-series sedan made its debut in early 2005, it was hard to see just where a significant improvement might be made in this outstanding car. Then the 335i coupe came along, and suddenly the plan became clear: they’ll make that 3.0-liter turbo engine available in the sedan.
And here it is. Background: The 2006 330i helped the 3-series make its 15th consecutive appearance on the Car and Driver 10Best Cars list. Its classic inline-six, a BMW powertrain mainstay since 1924, was re-engineered from top to bottom, with heavy emphasis on weight reduction, including extensive use of magnesium, a new valvetrain, new everything. The result was a dramatic uptick in output: 255 horsepower, 220 pound-feet of torque, from a 3.0-liter engine that was 22 pounds lighter than its predecessor. It lowered the 330i’s 0-to-60 mph time to 5.6 seconds.
