For those BMW fans who hated the looks of the 7-Series, redesigned in 2002, and who can’t stand the sight of the new Z4, we have some bad news.  The distinctive “flame surfacing” design theme isn’t going away any time soon, you see.  The 2004 BMW 530i is the latest offering from the German manufacturer to display the carefully sculpted, organic surfaces that have been envisioned on BMW show cars for years.

The new bodywork is evidence of a ground-up redesign.  In addition to the new face, the 530i reenters the …

As a nod to its sporting intent, BMW’s diesel runs with a bit more growl than Mercedes’ whisper-quiet oil-burners. And BMW makes great use of that mountain of torque.

When BMW announced four years ago that it would be introducing a sport-utility that reflected BMW’s performance values, it seemed like an oxymoron at best.  The X5 was a 40,000 unit-per-year success, however, and now other performance-oriented brands like Infiniti and Porsche are joining the performance SUV party.  Even more pedestrian marques like Volkswagen and Cadillac are fielding sport-utes whose mission in life is to conquer curves rather than mud.  With the new competition in mind, BMW has given the X5 a thorough but nearly invisible freshening for 2004.

It doesn’t …

For those BMW fans who hated the looks of the 7-Series, redesigned in 2002, and who can’t stand the sight of the new Z4, we have some bad news.  The distinctive “flame surfacing” design theme isn’t going away any time soon, you see.  The 2004 5-Series BMW is the latest offering from the German manufacturer to display the carefully sculpted, organic surfaces that have been envisioned on BMW show cars for years.

The new bodywork is evidence of a ground-up redesign.  In addition to the new face, the 5-Series reenters the …

The BMW Z3 is on its way out, so we decided to take one last fling with one of our favorite sporty roadsters.

Introduced in 1996 to compete with Mercedes’ SLK and Porsche’s Boxster in the newly reborn two-seat convertible market, the Z3 boldly took the throwback approach to open-air motoring.  Compared to the austere Miata, refined SLK and track-bred Boxster, the Z3 was an unshaven street brawler, with a dramatic, controversial design and a suspension that bordered on crudeness.  And we loved it.  In 2003 the Z3 is slated to …

BMW’s sports sedans are perennials on the top ten lists and performance shootouts of all of the major car magazines.  In addition to being the darlings of young professionals and car enthusiasts, the German sedans command a high level of respect from well-heeled luxury buyers and the status-conscious.  All of this attention naturally elevates the sticker price to a level at which the average car buyer has to ask what makes it so special.
Park a BMW M3 next to a Honda Civic coupe and you’ll notice that they’re about the …

Imagine that you’ve come up with an absolutely foolproof way to teach a polar bear to tap-dance, complete with top hat and tails.  It’s a heck of an accomplishment, sure, and everyone’s really impressed.  The question is, if you stopped along the way to ask yourself if the effort was worth it, what would the answer be?

Meet the BMW X5, the auto industry’s latest tap-dancing polar bear.  Don’t get us wrong, it dances well, and we appreciate the show–it’s just that we can’t help but wonder what, exactly, the point …

Fast, capable and luxurious, the BMW 3-Series has long been the Michael Jordan of the sports-sedan set, a world-class performer that seems to have no weaknesses or vices other than a high price tag.

Driving the adorably stubby 135i, it was hard not to imagine a BMW X5 and 7-Series somewhere playing the part of the little car’s parents, nervously wringing their hands as Junior went out into the world for the first time.

It’s not a very large car, but there’s something larger-than-life about the BMW Z4. The edgy design captures the light in a certain way that its competitors from Porsche, Mazda and Mercedes just can’t match. I can’t explain why, but the BMW Z4, whatever its performance chops might be, has a way of making you feel like a superhero.

Maybe it’s just because it bears a strong resemblance to BMW’s last exotic, the Z8, star of movies like The World Is Not Enough, Jackie Chan’s The Tuxedo and Fastlane, but …