Luxist spends a day at the BMW Performance Center Motorcycle School
Posted by admin in BMW Cars on 12 29th, 2009Luxist.com and Autoblog’s Jonathon Ramsey were invited by BMW at the Performance Center Motorcycle School in Spartanburg. Along with the M Performance School, BMW offers a variety of other courses, from motorcycles to young and more advanced drivers. The experience is quite unique and we had the opportunity to experience it first hand back in the summer. Since we haven’t man up yet to take on the task of riding these wonderful beamers, we’ll let Jonathon entertain us and give us some insight in the BMW’s Motorcycle School. “BMW invited Luxist to its Performance Center in Spartanburg for some lessons on how to ride and how to drive. The idea was that we would hone a few things we did know and learn a few things we didn’t, guided by some of the best instructors and piloting some of the best machinery in the business. The first day we tackled — sometimes literally — motorcycles. It was a cool, rainy morning in Greenville, South Carolina when we straddled the BMW F 650 GS for an education in 2-wheeled manners. It would also turn out to be a wet, muddy, and thoroughly rewarding workout. When it comes to BMW motorcycles, the case is more complex. We can still start off with “It’s a BMW,” and at that point you know, “All right, it must be good.” And then… blank. What does a BMW motorcycle stand for? We’d venture to say that most BMW car owners don’t even know. And you know who we can blame for that? Vanilla Ice. Well, we can’t blame this all on him, so we’ll throw in John Travolta to keep him rightful company. American motorcycle culture and perceptions are far more informed by Mr. Ice and the Wild Hogs bunch than Ewan McGregor and dusty roads of The Motorcycle Diaries. For the most part, U.S. riders want to check these three boxes: looks cool, makes noise, chicks dig it. Kawasaki and its sport bike brethren, and Those Harley Things generally get the job done there. BMW, uh, not really. Dare we say it, but BMW motorcycles are the Audi cars of the U.S. scene. You need to invest the time to understand them, get to know them, before you can fully appreciate them. BMW cars are The Ultimate insert-adjective-and-noun-here — it’s impossible not to understand that. Audi cars are “Vorsprung durch Technik,” commonly translated as “What?” Yet the “technik” school is where the BMW lives: it calls its bike division “Motorrad.” That means “motorcycle” in German, but to most American riders translates simply as “pretentious.” Continued at Luxist
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Luxist spends a day at the BMW Performance Center Motorcycle School
read comments (0)Road & Track drives the 2010 BMW X6 ActiveHybrid
Posted by admin in BMW Cars on 12 29th, 2009Road and Track just published their own test drive of the 2010 BMW X6 ActiveHybrid, a model that was recently unveiled at the L.A. Auto Show where our own Josh had a chance to drive it as well (the review will be coming up). In the mean time, let’s have a look at R&T’s first impressions of BMW’s first production ready hybrid. “During our quick drive, we achieved a consistent maximum speed of 34 mph with a fully charged battery on flat asphalt, but a light foot is needed to keep the car in electric mode. In normal driving, the electric motor will kick in when your foot is to the floor to provide additional boost. During full electric running, we achieved stints of about a mile in light city traffic before the gas engine would activate. Regardless of engine load or speed, the transition from electric to gas was seamless. The 312-volt nickel-metal hydride battery pack is liquid cooled and at full throttle can deliver 57 kilowatts to the motors. The battery’s cooling system dumps heat into either the air conditioning system (the a/c system can energize on its own) or the power steering cooling loop. Like other electrically motivated vehicles, the ActiveHybrid charges the battery pack primarily during braking. The brake-by-wire system blends regenerative and hydraulic braking systems excellently, but pedal feel is spongy and vague. There was an almost imperceptible “clunk” sound at very low speeds that lets you know the transmission is shifting modes. When in either Sport or Manual mode, the engine will not auto-stop and will instead charge the batteries at idle. BMW claims that the ActiveHybrid is 20 percent more efficient than the gas version, with a similar emissions reduction to boot. We achieved 19.6 mpg (versus 14 mpg) during our mixed-mode drive. And while some may criticize the X6’s overall concept, it’s hard to fault its seamless hybrid system.” Full review at Road and Track
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Road & Track drives the 2010 BMW X6 ActiveHybrid
Road & Track drives the 2010 BMW X6 ActiveHybrid
Posted by admin in BMW Cars on 12 29th, 2009Road and Track just published their own test drive of the 2010 BMW X6 ActiveHybrid, a model that was recently unveiled at the L.A. Auto Show where our own Josh had a chance to drive it as well (the review will be coming up). In the mean time, let’s have a look at R&T’s first impressions of BMW’s first production ready hybrid. “During our quick drive, we achieved a consistent maximum speed of 34 mph with a fully charged battery on flat asphalt, but a light foot is needed to keep the car in electric mode. In normal driving, the electric motor will kick in when your foot is to the floor to provide additional boost. During full electric running, we achieved stints of about a mile in light city traffic before the gas engine would activate. Regardless of engine load or speed, the transition from electric to gas was seamless. The 312-volt nickel-metal hydride battery pack is liquid cooled and at full throttle can deliver 57 kilowatts to the motors. The battery’s cooling system dumps heat into either the air conditioning system (the a/c system can energize on its own) or the power steering cooling loop. Like other electrically motivated vehicles, the ActiveHybrid charges the battery pack primarily during braking. The brake-by-wire system blends regenerative and hydraulic braking systems excellently, but pedal feel is spongy and vague. There was an almost imperceptible “clunk” sound at very low speeds that lets you know the transmission is shifting modes. When in either Sport or Manual mode, the engine will not auto-stop and will instead charge the batteries at idle. BMW claims that the ActiveHybrid is 20 percent more efficient than the gas version, with a similar emissions reduction to boot. We achieved 19.6 mpg (versus 14 mpg) during our mixed-mode drive. And while some may criticize the X6’s overall concept, it’s hard to fault its seamless hybrid system.” Full review at Road and Track
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Road & Track drives the 2010 BMW X6 ActiveHybrid
WSTO tuning kit for BMW 135i Coupe
Posted by admin in BMW Cars on 12 29th, 2009I invite you to see in this article some photos and a very well done video showing a tuned BMW 135i Coupe, tuning kit being made by WSTO. Tuners from WSTO have made the most spectacular BMW 135i Coupe on the market. American tuners have created a real monster from the BMW model, managing to
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WSTO tuning kit for BMW 135i Coupe
BMW X6 M Rensson
Posted by admin in BMW Cars on 12 29th, 2009“Rensson”? Yes, name doesn’t familiar and we haven’t seen any of their previous work, but an aggressive modded BMW X6 M bearing the Rensson brand was spotted in the old foggy London. If the X6 M wasn’t aggressive enough for your own taste, the Rensson branded one takes it to a new level. At the front-end, the redesigned hood gets a couple of air inlets and probably not our most favorite feature, a front-bumper with LED lights built in. (Audi anyone? ) The exterior design seems and it is indeed broader than the standard model due to the flared arches. Larger wheels and tires are also available on the car. At the rear-end, the X6 M Rensson gets two large oval exhaust tips that are likely to sound a bit different from the factory installed exhaust. The dark tinted rear windows enhance the overall aggressive look. No word on the engine upgrade, but our money goes on more horsepower than the 555 ponies that come standard. [Source: Autogespot ]
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BMW X6 M Rensson
Video: MINI Beachcomber – Interview with designer Gert Hildebrand
Posted by admin in BMW Cars on 12 29th, 2009Autocar magazine caught up with MINI’s head designer Gert Hildebrand for an insight into the latest concept coming out of the Oxford gates: MINI Beachcomber . The four-seater concept car was unveiled two weeks ago and many believe it is a preview of the production MINI Crossover that will be unveiled next year at the Geneva Motor Show. Built on an all new platform, MINI Beachcomber Concept has its roots back in the 1960’s Mini Moke, but with the new concept, MINI is finally moving away from the current round headlamp design. “The face is the first impression you get from a car, but with the Beachcomber, we have convinced the [BMW] board that we could reserve the circular light for the Mini and introduce this five-edge style on the Crossover”, says Hildebrand quoted by Autocar. The less conventional upright, tall and flat nose has a Moke influence and it has been designed to meet the new strict pedestrian safety regulations. The new concept measures 4007mm and the 2.6m wheelbase also offers great rear legroom compared with similar-sized cars. As Hildebrand points out, number “4″ is what influenced this concept: four meter-long, four-door, four-seater with the ALL4 four-wheel drive system. But let’s have a look at the video above and learn more about this new exciting concept.
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Video: MINI Beachcomber – Interview with designer Gert Hildebrand
MINI E – Huge mileage drop in cold weather?
Posted by admin in BMW Cars on 12 28th, 2009One of the stories tonight on some of the most popular technology related websites, revolves around the MINI E, the first electric car designed by BMW. According to an unconfirmed report by CrunchGear , some of the MINI E testers are seeing significant mileage drop in cold weather. The cold weather effect is similar to any other battery powered devices that see a quick decrease in charge levels if left out in the cold. The report mentions the overall driving range being reduced by 50% in 23 degrees temperatures. While the findings might be somewhat troublesome for MINI E owners, in BMW”s defense, we have to mention that the MINI Electric program is conducted as a field trial and only a few selected hundred people are enjoying their first all-electric car. As a quick recap, the MINI E is powered by a 150 kW (204 hp) electric motor fed by a high-performance rechargeable lithium-ion battery, transferring its power to the front wheels via a single-stage helical gearbox nearly without a sound and entirely free of emissions. Specially engineered for automobile use, the battery has (in perfect testing) a range of more than 250 kilometers, or 156 miles. The MINI E’s electric drive train produces a peak torque of 220 Newton meters, delivering seamless acceleration to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 8.5 seconds. Top speed is electronically limited to 152 km/h (95 mph). Currently, BMW is conducting field trials in the U.S., Germany and UK. Since the reports are not being officially confirmed at this time, we’re going to leave them at the rumor level for now, but it will be interesting to hear more from an engineer with knowledge in the matter. [Source: CrunchGear ]
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MINI E – Huge mileage drop in cold weather?
MINI E – Huge mileage drop in cold weather?
Posted by admin in BMW Cars on 12 28th, 2009One of the stories tonight on some of the most popular technology related websites, revolves around the MINI E, the first electric car designed by BMW. According to an unconfirmed report by CrunchGear , some of the MINI E testers are seeing significant mileage drop in cold weather. The cold weather effect is similar to any other battery powered devices that see a quick decrease in charge levels if left out in the cold. The report mentions the overall driving range being reduced by 50% in 23 degrees temperatures. While the findings might be somewhat troublesome for MINI E owners, in BMW”s defense, we have to mention that the MINI Electric program is conducted as a field trial and only a few selected hundred people are enjoying their first all-electric car. As a quick recap, the MINI E is powered by a 150 kW (204 hp) electric motor fed by a high-performance rechargeable lithium-ion battery, transferring its power to the front wheels via a single-stage helical gearbox nearly without a sound and entirely free of emissions. Specially engineered for automobile use, the battery has (in perfect testing) a range of more than 250 kilometers, or 156 miles. The MINI E’s electric drive train produces a peak torque of 220 Newton meters, delivering seamless acceleration to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 8.5 seconds. Top speed is electronically limited to 152 km/h (95 mph). Currently, BMW is conducting field trials in the U.S., Germany and UK. Since the reports are not being officially confirmed at this time, we’re going to leave them at the rumor level for now, but it will be interesting to hear more from an engineer with knowledge in the matter. [Source: CrunchGear ]
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MINI E – Huge mileage drop in cold weather?
BMW ActiveHybrid 7 will be first available to VIPs
Posted by admin in BMW Cars on 12 28th, 2009I consider this news very bad and awful and not because I would like to buy a BMW ActiveHybrid 7 but for those people who intend to buy a BMW ActiveHybrid 7. Why? Because I like to consider that we are all equals and with the news that first will be available only for VIPs,
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BMW ActiveHybrid 7 will be first available to VIPs
2010 BMW 118d Coupe
Posted by admin in BMW Cars on 12 28th, 2009This is a really cool car but if you would look at it through my eyes you will notice also another thing namely that this is weird. I mean BMW 1 Series is built to be presented by hatchbacks and the car that I will talk about is a coupe but it is still looking
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2010 BMW 118d Coupe
