BMW X Models News

Some crossovers and SUVs have gone through seemingly radical transformations as of late, perhaps risking rugged reputations in favour of a little more on-road finesse and dynamic vigour. That's not so much the case with the all-new 2014 X5; BMW keeps the focus of the X5 remarkably close to that of its original 'Sports Activity Vehicle' mantra--except there's more technology and style, warmer cabin appointments, and a little more lean performance.While the second-generation model that was introduced for 2007, BMW introduced more power, better handling, and an array of in-cabin luxury and technology features that was more in sync with what you might find in the automaker's flagship sedan models. The all-new third-generation X5, which will reach US dealerships beginning in the fourth quarter of 2013, takes it a step further.Initially, there will be three models in the X5 lineup. The familiar 220 kW, 3.0-litre TwinPower Turbo in-line six-cylinder engine is the base engine, in the xDrive35i, while the X5 xDrive50i includes the 4.4-litre TwinPower Turbo V8, making 330 kW and 650 Nm of torque, as low as 2,000 rpm. Then a few months later, an xDrive35d model will join the lineup, powered by a 3.0-litre TwinPower Turbo in-line six-cylinder diesel engine, producing 190 kW and 560 Nm. Acceleration times are improved throughout, with V8 models capable of getting to 100 km/h in just 5 seconds and xDrive35i models making the dash in 6.2 seconds. And for the first time--perhaps eyeing the success that Infiniti has had with its FX--BMW is adding a rear-wheel-drive sDrive35i model.Curb weight is reduced by up to about 100 kg--enough of a difference that we expect to feel behind the wheel. There's also new electric power steering throughout the model line. All models include an eight-speed automatic transmission, and all but the base sDrive35i have xDrive all-wheel drive. Click into Eco Pro mode, and the X5 will recalibrate a host of systems for better fuel-efficiency, with Auto Start/Stop included.There's plenty of emphasis (and some important option boxes to check) on road performance. Go for the Dynamic Handling Package, and you'll get Active Roll Stabilization in addition to Dynamic Damper Control and a rear air suspension. Opt for the M Sport model and you can get an Adaptive M suspension that pairs Dynamic Damper Control and the air suspension with a stiffer, sport-tuned setup.One chassis advancement is Dynamic Performance Control (part of the Dynamic Handling Package), a system that manages xDrive and more finely controls the power split for the system, taking “handling dynamics and directional stability to new levels,” according to BMW.The new X5 has been nipped, tucked, and far more gracefully sculpted than the models before it—and you can see influences from the latest X3 along with BMW's latest sedans. The combination of tapered roofline and somewhat lowered beltline give the X5 a bit more of a sport-wagon look than before. Meanwhile, the front airdam design is complex, with several levels of detailing that come together in a way that's possibly overwrought (we'll wait 'til we see it in person).The front kidney grille is “thrust forward,” as BMW puts it, while it's supplemented with a smirk of a horizontal intake just below—and a larger intake down below. Headlights are set high up, and better-detailed than ever. Meanwhile, alongside BMW succumbs to the side-gill look, with a character line swooping upward to the LED taillights, which notch inward at a cleanly styled hatch.Those side gills, however, are functional—part of new drag-reducing Air Curtains that guide airflow around wheel arches. Meanwhile, the X5 is the first BMW to feature so-called Aero Blades—air-channeling elements that work together with the roof spoiler.Inside, the design will be instantly familiar to anyone who's been in other late-model BMWs. Only here the horizontal-shelf layout, with a cockpit-style instrument zone, is wrapped over (and just behind) by a separate layer that merges in with the rest of the dash at the door trim. Poplar wood trim is standard, and Dakota leather upholstery is standard on the xDrive50i and available on the other models. For the first time, two interior design packages (Ivory White and Mocha) bring lighter or warmer interior combinations than what's been previously offered by BMW.Luxury Line and xLine packages bring more personalization, with coordinated interior trims that are a step more attention-getting—with Satin Aluminum and high-gloss finishes in the xLine and a blacked-out grille chrome strips, and some sporty cues for the Luxury Line. The M Sport adds a body kit, Shadowline trim, high-gloss roof rails, sport seats, an anthracite headliner, and various other high-performance cues.The second-row seat in the X5 can now be split 40/20/40, for more flexibility, and they're adjustable for rake. If you get the optional third-row seats, there's separately a new Easy Entry function. Overall cargo capacity is up seven percent versus the previous model, BMW says, and there are new storage and door pockets that can hold larger bottles. The tailgate is still split in two sections, with the upper section including power operation. Get the power tailgate system, and it can be opened from the keyfob or the driver's seat.Active-safety features are heavily represented in the X5's hefty list of options. LED front foglamps are included across the model line; all X5 models now include Adaptive Xenon headlamps, while Adaptive LED headlamps are optional. New features include the Active Driving Assistant (Lane Departure Warning, and a pedestrian collision system with braking), plus ACC Stop & Go (full-range camera-radar cruise control), and a new Traffic Jam Assistant that maintains following distance and keeps the vehicle at the center of its lane by providing steering input. BMW Night Vision and a head-up display remain on offer, as well as a Parking Assistant, Surround View system, and Active Blind Spot Detection.Advanced Real Time Traffic Information is also available as part of a BMW Assist Convenience Plan, and BMW Apps (now with various audio-app options) are now standard. And buyers have a choice of two premium-audio systems—Harman Kardon or Bang & Olufsen. A BMW Navigation system is standard in all U.S. X5 models, and it has a new freestanding 10.2-inch screen and touch pad.http://www.thecarconnection.com 

The BMW X4 is being previewed as a concept car at the Shanghai motor show this month but is already a certainty for production as the German brand stretches its SUV stable.

We know a BMW X4 is coming. Now we have a pretty good idea as to what it will look like, thanks to this leak of a concept version previewing the new crossover. The images show the BMW X4 concept, which the German automaker will most likely present at the 2013 Shanghai Auto Show later this month. As the concept confirms, the new X4 will be a compact crossover with coupe-like styling. It will share its underpinnings with the BMW X3, just as the larger X6 shares its underpinnings with the X5. The body will feature four doors, and inside there will likely be four individual bucket seats.Targeting style and performance rather than utility, the X4 will go up against similar models in the compact crossover segment such as the Range Rover Evoque and upcoming Porsche Macan and Lincoln MKC.This focus on style-conscious buyers should help differentiate the X4 from its X3 cousin, which remains popular with young families. It will also mean that the X4 can be sold at a premium to the X3, which starts at just under $60,000AUD.Engine offerings should mirror those of the latest X3, which means a base X4 xDrive28i with a turbocharged 2.0-litre four, rated at 177 kilowatts, and a more powerful X4 xDrive35i packing a turbocharged 3.0-litre straight-six good for 221 kilowatts.A dedicated X4 M model sharing its powertrain with the next-generation M3 is rumoured, as is a BMW M Performance model featuring a number of go-fast parts from the automaker’s new accessories line. At least one diesel model will be launched as well, though it’s unlikely to make its way to the U.S.With the BMW X4 concept’s unveiling at the 2013 Shanghai Auto Show, which opens on April 19, we could be seeing the production version revealed before 2013 is out. Stay tuned for the official reveal of the concept very soon.www.motorauthority.com 

The recall, affecting about 1600 vehicles in Australia built from January 1 2007 to March 5 2010, is part of a global defect notice on 35,000 X5s in the US and Canada.BMW says a vacuum hose leading to the brake booster has the potential to bleed oil into it, damaging an internal rubber membrane and leading to the loss of power braking assistance.If that happens, the car can only be effectively braked if the driver pushes the pedal extremely hard – and with some drivers unable to exert enough pressure there is the risk of the vehicle not stopping soon enough or in a short enough distance to avoid collision.“The immediate fix is to replace the hose with a modified that eliminates the problem,” BMW spokesman Scott Croaker says. “However if oil has got into the booster, we will replace the whole booster.”The problem was discovered when overseas warranty claims increased, and Croaker says there have been no brake failure incidents reported in Australia.Owners of affected vehicles should contact their nearest BMW service centre, or call the BMW Australia Customer Service on 1800 813 299. 

Free M suspension and dress-up bits will help maintain BMW’s average of one in every two cars being sold with an M Sport pack.Anyone who picks up a 5 Series or Z4 between now and March 31 will get a free M Sport deal, which runs from stiffer suspension, lightweight wheels and an aero package to sports seats, alloy interior highlights and a leather-wrapped sports steering wheel. That’s a saving of up to $7900 on the entry level BMW 520i.Buyers of a 1 or 3 Series coupe and convertible will gain the same tweaks, along with differing alloys and gloss-black kidney-bar grilles rear light surrounds and for 1 Series buyers. Step up to a 3 Series and the deal includes chrome kidney-bar grilles, metallic paint as a no-cost option, sports seats, alloy pedals and black-backed exterior mirrors.BMW has dubbed the promotion the “Festival of M” and says the savings range from $2500 to $7900. BMW spokesman Scott Croaker says it isn’t so much of a run-out as it is a value adjustment as the model dates.“The 1 and 3 Series coupe and convertible won’t be run out until the end of the year and the upgrades reflect the corporate policy of adding value as the vehicles near the end of their production run, Croaker notes. “The specific M Sport offer recognises that 50 per cent of our customers already take the option and reacting to that.”BMW is also selling a new X5 M Sport Limited Edition based on the three-litre turbodiesel. The pack costs $99,000 driveaway against a regular $72,600 price for the 30d and adds a body kit, 20-inch alloys, chrome tailpipe, auto tailgate and bi-xenon headlamps with high-beam assist. BMW says it adds more than $15,000 to the donor car.

Once again, not much to see but it will be an excuse for a value boost......and probably some extra technology and economy improvement. 

The German SUV hero is also being forced upmarket by the latest X3, which is the same size as the original X5, and there a strong rumours it will be available for the first time as a seven-seater. 

The Commodore SS is so good it's headed to the USA to become a hotrod Chevrolet and will spearhead the heartland brand's NASCAR racing drive in 2013 and beyond.The Ford Falcon with EcoBoost motivation sets a new standard for big cars with baby engines and the Territory is selling strongly since it got an overdue diesel engine for motivation.The Toyota Camry and Aurion prove that Australian factories can still build world-class quality, with tasty local tweaking for our roads and drivers. So, what's gone wrong for the Australian carmakers, who are winding back and cutting jobs almost across the board?The simple answer is that we're spoiled. And spoiled rotten. More than 50 brands are plugging their stuff in Australia today and that means the choice and value has never been better. When you add the impact of the healthy Australian dollar, which makes cheap cars from Thailand and Korean even more affordable, the imports get an unbeatable head start over the locals.The only exception is the Holden Cruze, but we'll get to that later. So, why would you buy a Falcon or Commodore for family use when you can get a flexible SUV with more equipment for the same money, or even less?And it's a sad fact that the big, traditional Aussie cars are unfashionable on the school runs that are now dominated by the SUVs like the Nissan Dualis, Kia Sportage, Toyota LandCruiser and - at schools for toffs - BMW X5s and Benz MLs. The only possible exception is the muscular Holden Sportwagon, and we'll also get to that later.The real problem is with the meat-and-veggies cars that have been Australian staples for around 50 years, but don't provide the same taste or satisfaction today. Imagine trying to compete with Asian fusion cooking or the latest tasty Tapas using fifties-style burnt roast beef and baked spuds.In many ways, the three surviving local makers - Nissan folded in the eighties and Mitsubishi shut down in 2008 - are victims of their own long-term success and poor planning. They didn't need to change for the longest time, especially when Holden was exporting the Commodore to America as a Pontiac and Toyota was banking big bucks from its Middle East sales, and now they have been overtaken by rapid changes in showrooms.Every month there are more people moving to SUVs and small cars, which the locals - apart from the Cruze - don't make. And there is zero chance of Toyota switching to the Corolla or Ford Australia making a case to bring the Focus to Broadmeadows - even though it was once part of the forward program at the same time as Holden was committing to the Cruze - because small cars mean small profits, but the start-up costs would be more than $500 million.Ford and Holden say they are committed to the Falcon and Commodore until the end of 2016, and Holden has a much longer timeline thanks to the profits and flexibility it gets from the four-cylinder Cruze. But the VF coming next year and the updated Falcon in 2014 will be the last truly Australian cars.After that, if they still need a big car in a downsizing world, Ford and Holden will be looking to the USA and imports. That means big problems for the companies that Toyota chief John Conomos once said were locked into the 'rust belt' with Ford or Holden traditionalists from the fifties and sixties.These days, the younger generations who grew up with Toyota Corollas and then Hyundai Excels don't even consider a Falcon or Commodore, despite the incredible value of such big and comfortable cars with sub-$40,000 starting prices. By world standards, those prices are outstanding and the cars are way better than the everyday Chevrolets and Fords in the USA, but they rumble under the radar.Sales of big cars have been sliding for more than a decade and the Falcon is the most obvious victim. The company is winding production back to just 148 cars a day - and half of those are Territory. Holden is also being hit much harder now and, after losing its title as Australia's favourite car to the Mazda3 in December the Commodore could only manage eighth in June, its worst place since it hit the road in 1978.The Camry and Aurion are doing a little better, helped by a model change this year, the strength of Toyota's sales network, and the proven drawing power of a four-cylinder engine and the latest hybrid. All three local carmakers now rely on massive government subsidies and handouts - Ford much prefers to call it 'co-investment' - to keep them in business.The $100 million-plus update for the Falcon in 2014 would not have been possible without cash from Canberra, while Holden's recent profit of $90 million is - in a bizarre coincidence - almost exactly the same as its latest government support package.Both brands are now banking the expertise of their designers and engineers, who undertake a range of global projects from their bases in Fishermans Bend and Broadmeadows, but it's not nearly enough to give them a long-term future as local manufacturers.Holden has made a just-in-time jump from the Commodore to the Cruze, and Toyota in Japan is committed to an Australian car making outpost, but it's only a question of time before Ford is faced with the hard-line decision to close. At the time Mitsubishi decided to shut its factory in Adelaide its family-focussed 380 sedan was easily the best car it had developed or built in Australia. It was dowdy but did the job, as resale values now prove.It's looking like the same story for the Falcon, which is better today than ever before - and surprisingly frugal as an EcoBoost four - but not new or trendy or flashy enough for car buyers who have been won by the newer, tastier treats arriving almost every day from somewhere else in the world.FORD TERRITORY DIESELThe Territory with the diesel isn't just a good car, it's great. It has real performance, flexibility, towing power and the price is nice. But - and it's a giant elephant in the room - the updated engine arrived at least four years too late. A diesel Territory was approved way back when the late Geoff Polites was running Ford Australia - after bulldozing the Territory past the bean counters in Detroit - but the decision was reversed and then reversed again for the final go.Broadmeadows also failed dismally to respond to quality glitches and suspension dramas, tainting a hero it should have been boosting. Right now, half of the cars coming off the production line at Ford Australia are Territorys and that percentage is likely to rise as more people hook up with the bolder new look and quality boost, as well as banking the advantage of the diesel under the  bonnet.Ford Territory - compare this carPrice: from $48,240Engine: 6 Cylinder, 2.7-litre turbodiesel, 140kW/440NmTransmission: Sports Automatic, Four Wheel DriveThirst: 8.8 / 100Km  HOLDEN COMMODORE SS SPORTWAGONWhy would you buy a European car when you can get this much punch and panache for less than $50,000? When Holden changed gears on the Commodore wagon, taking it from a basic long-wheelbase hauler into a flexible family escape machine, it knew the Sportwagon was a gamble.But it's worked well and the proof is the number of buyers who go for a V8 in the nose and SS or Calais trimming. They are happy to pay for the bells-and-whistles because the car looks good and kicks. It's almost impossible to pick the Sportwagon from the Commodore sedan in any sort of driving, even with a full fun factor, and the tail end gives BMW-style flexibility for young families or singles with weekend hobbies. Sportwagon-style smart thinking is what is going to keep Holden going as a local maker, provided it can zero-in on a workable package for the Commodore beyond 2016.Holden Commodore SS Sportwagon  Price: from $49,790Engine: 6.0 Litre 8 CylinderTransmission: 6-speed, manual rear wheel driveThirst: 12.2l/100Km  TOYOTA CAMRY HYBRIDThe new greenie from Brand T is actually a closet performance car. It can run electric in stop-start city traffic for a maximum eco boost, but gets a battery belt when you want to go. It's one of the coming generation of hybrid cars - think BMW, think Mercedes, think Subaru - which will use extra boost from batteries to provide honest performance with only a small-capacity combustion engine.The new Hybrid is also part of a Camry family that's been totally changed for 2012, with new looks, more comfort and better value. Best of all, the Aussie Camry is tweaked and tizzied a home for local owners and roads - even though it's still a solid earner with exports to the Middle East.Toyota Camry Hybrid - compare this carPrice: from $34,990Engine: 2.5-litre, 4-cyl petrol, 118kW/213NmTransmission: CVT, front-wheel driveThirst: 5.2L/100km, 121g/km CO2  

The new M Perfance line is headlined by the new BMW X6 M50d, priced from $157,000 it features the most powerful, volume-produced six-cylinder diesel engine in the world. The top of the range M50d produces 280kW of power and a staggering 740Nm of torque propelling it from 0 to 100km/h in just 5.3 seconds. Yet, it uses 7.7 litres of fuel per 100km. The X6 M50d is the creation of BMW's iconic high-perfomance division, BMW M GmbH. The 3.0-litre six-cylinder in-line engine in the X6 M50d is without parallel worldwide, having the highest output ever achieved by a BMW diesel engine together with outstanding levels of efficiency. Its unique triple turbocharging sees two comparatively small high-pressure chargers working with a larger low-pressure unit. The integration of an additional high-pressure turbo increases the engines capability when it comes to generating charge pressure, a key ingredient in taking the engines power output to the next level. One of the factors contributing to its exceptional efficiency, especially in relation to its output  is the new version of the common rail direct injection, with piezo injectors that operate at a pressure of 2200 bar.  The heaving hitting diesel is hooked up to an 8-speed auto and the drivetrain, suspension technology and aerodynamic properties have been harmonised with the precision characteristic of BMW M GmbH.  

...but that could change soon with the arrival of a mid-life update.The styling of the SUV is largely unchanged, apart from lamps and the addition of predictable LED daytime running lamps, but BMW is expected to add refinement and extra quality, as well as tweaking the ride and handling.