BMW Reviews

It’s a rare treat when the convertible version of a beautiful car is actually more attractive than the Coupe or sedan it’s based on, and this is not one of those occasions. While the M850i is a scintillatingly sharp thing to look at, the Convertible is slightly softer, as is the way it drives.But it does allow you the option of letting the sun in on a warm day, with the roof dropping - or raising - in an impressively quiet 15 seconds.Your $9000 extra spend - at $281,900 - over the Coupe does get you the very lovely Air Collar Neck Warmer.The big Beemer’s brawny 4.4-litre, V8 twin-turbocharged engine makes a whopping 390kW and 750Nm, which is enough to fire the Convertible to 100km/h in 3.9 seconds. Which is hugely fast for a rag top, and particularly one as luxurious as this.The 850i xDrive might have super-car-like power figures - so much so that it needs to be all-wheel drive (or xDrive) to get all its power to the ground, rather than in the traditional, rear-drive BMW fashion, but It is not a snapping sports car unless you want it to be. Its default setting is very much as a classic grand tourer, capable of crossing vast distances in VIP comfort. The standard inclusion list is as long as Lebron’s arm and includes the BMW Air Collar, to keep your neck warm when it’s cold, and then everything you get in the Coupe - 20-inch M-branded light-alloy wheels, a tyre-pressure indicator, M Sport Brakes, M Sport Differential, Adaptive M Suspension Professional with Integral Active Steering, Active anti-roll stabilisation, Comfort Access including a kick-open tailgate, wireless phone charging, Soft Close Doors, BMW Crafted Clarity Glass Application, Driving Assistant Professional, Parking Assistant Plus, including 3D View and Reverse Assistant, Laserlights, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a 10.25-inch Control Display, metallics, paint, merino leather upholstery, heated steering wheel and arm rests, and seats, a 16-speaker harmon.kardon sound system, a Head-Up Display and the hugely pointless Gesture Control. 

Buying a sports car is a bit like getting a tattoo - it’s not a sensible, practical or necessary choice, it’s an emotional one, and, if we’re honest, the most important factor is that it looks good, and makes us look good. At least in our own eyes.

Move beyond the middle child in the Z4 range, and you hit the wild-child variant, the range-topping M40i, which scores the more traditional, straight-six-cylinder engine, albeit a very modern, turbocharged version.

It might sound cruel, but there’s a reasonable chance that the sDrive20i will be referred to by BMW dealers as “showroom bait”.

Australia hasn't drawn the BMW X2 to its SUV-buying bosom. The M35i is late to the performance SUV party, but to make up for it, it's cheap(er than some of its main rivals). But is it good?

There are many ways to meet the demands of buyers, but paying a lot of money for a compact car isn't necessarily the best way about it. That isn't stopping luxury car brands from producing new, smaller SUVs that still have plenty of plushness, not to mention price tags that can be double that of equivalent mainstream models. These three models are some of the most intriguing examples of the breed.

At $70,990 before on-road costs, the 330i tops the two model 3 Series launch range.A 2.0-litre single turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine sits under the 330i’s bonnet incorporating direct-injection, as well as variable valve and cam timing. Peak outputs are 190kW from 5000-6500rpm and 400Nm between 1550-4400rpm.BMW says the 330i will accelerate from 0-100km/h in 5.8sec, yet it’s claimed to consume a handy 6.4L/100km emitting 147g/km of CO2 in the process.The 3 Series standard equipment list is long, including ‘Adaptive LED headlights’ (with ‘High-Beam Assistant’), LED fog lights and tail-lights, electrically adjustable and heated exterior mirrors (with electric fold-in function), rain-sensing wipers, three-zone climate control, electrically-adjustable sports front seats (with memory function for driver and front passenger), wireless smartphone charging, ‘Aluminium Tetragon’ interior trim finishers, 12.3-inch ‘BMW Live Cockpit Professional’ digital instrument display, ‘Navigation System Professional’ with 10.25-inch digital touchscreen display also managing a 10-speaker, 205-watt audio system, including a 20GB hard drive and DAB+ digital radio. Apple CarPlay is included.Also included are ‘BMW TeleServices’ taking in ‘ConnectedDrive’(free use of vehicle apps via ‘BMW Online’), real-time traffic info and ‘Concierge Services’. The ‘BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant’ responds to a “Hey BMW’ voice command with a range of hands-free functions like nav, calls and texts. We had mixed success in challenging this friendly PA.The 330i adds 19-inch alloys, ‘Vernasca’ leather upholstery, ‘Comfort Access’ (keyless entry to all doors), adaptive suspension, M Sport brakes, ‘Driving Assistant Professional’ (active cruise control with ‘Stop&Go’ function, front and rear cross-traffic warning, steering and lane control assist, lane keeping assistant with side collision warning, crossroads warning and ‘Evasion Aid’), and ‘Parking Assistant Plus’ (‘Parking Assistant’ with ‘Active Park Distance Control’ rear, ‘Reversing Assistant’, ‘Surround View’, ‘Panorama View’, and ‘3D View’)And the new 3 Series’ standard safety package is exactly where it needs to be, now including a swag of current active safety tech as well as eight airbags.BMW offers a three year/unlimited km warranty, which is drifting off the pace now with the majority of mainstream brands stepping up to five-year cover, with some at seven.On the upside, bodywork is covered for 12 years, the paint for three, and 24-hour roadside assistance is complimentary for three years.

At $67,900 before on-road costs, the 320d is the entry-point to the two model 3 Series launch range.It’s powered by a 2.0-litre twin-turbo four-cylinder diesel engine, featuring common-rail direct-injection and variable inlet timing. It produces 140kW at 4000rpm and 400Nm between 1750-2500rpm.BMW says the 320d will accelerate from 0-100km/h in 6.8sec, yet it’s claimed to consume a miserly 4.5L/100km, emitting 119g/km of CO2 in the process.The standard equipment list is long, including ‘Adaptive LED headlights’ (with ‘High-Beam Assistant’), LED fog lights and tail-lights, electrically adjustable and heated exterior mirrors (with electric fold-in function), rain-sensing wipers, three-zone climate control, electrically-adjustable sports front seats (with memory function for driver and front passenger), wireless smartphone charging, ‘Aluminium Tetragon’ interior trim finishers, 12.3-inch ‘BMW Live Cockpit Professional’ digital instrument display, ‘Navigation System Professional’ with 10.25-inch digital touchscreen display also managing a 10-speaker, 205-watt audio system, including a 20GB hard drive and DAB+ digital radio. Apple CarPlay is included.Also included are ‘BMW TeleServices’ taking in ‘ConnectedDrive’(free use of vehicle apps via ‘BMW Online’), real-time traffic info and ‘Concierge Services’. The ‘BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant’ responds to a “Hey BMW’ voice command with a range of hands-free functions like nav, calls and texts. We had mixed success in challenging this friendly PA.And the new 3 Series’ standard safety package is exactly where it needs to be, now including a swag of current active safety tech as well as eight airbags.BMW offers a three year/unlimited km warranty, which is drifting off the pace now with the majority of mainstream brands stepping up to five-year cover, with some at seven.On the upside, bodywork is covered for 12 years, the paint for three, and 24-hour roadside assistance is complimentary for three years.

Before the world went SUV mad BMW was best known as a maker of fast, sophisticated sedans, with sleek wagons, coupes and convertibles on the side. The new, seventh-generation 3 Series is here to remind us that BMW hasn't lost it's premium touring car mojo.

Coupe-styled SUVs, like the BMW X4, sacrifice space for style. But can they still pass the family test? We put the X4 iDrive20d to the test to find out.