Overview & Reviews

BMW is an acronym for Bayerische Motoren Werke AG -- or, in English, Bavarian Motor Works. Whatever you call it, the German-based company is one of the world's most respected automakers, renowned for crafting luxury cars and SUVs that offer superior levels of driving enjoyment.

Founded in Munich, the company began in the early 1910s as an aircraft manufacturer. BMW's current logo, designed to represent white propeller blades against a blue sky, reflects these origins; its blue-and-white color scheme also references Bavaria's blue-and-white checkered flag.

It wasn't until 1928 that production began on the first BMW automobile, the Dixi. The car proved tremendously popular, and its success helped the manufacturer weather the Depression. BMW's best-known pre-World War II vehicle was the Type 328 roadster, a supple two-seater that racked up more than 120 victories on the motorsport circuit between 1936 and 1940. Postwar BMW cars maintained this tradition, with several racing, rallying and hill climb victories.

The early 1950s saw the launch of the BMW 501, a roomy, voluptuous sedan that was resplendent with all of the hopefulness of that era. It was soon followed by the 502, which was powered by the world's first light-alloy V8, foreshadowing BMW's ongoing commitment to developing new technology. The best-selling BMW of that decade was the Isetta, a petite two-seat "microcar" typically powered by a 12- or 13-horsepower engine. The mid-'50s also saw the debut of the limited production and breathtakingly beautiful 507 sports car, which had an alloy body and used the 502's V8 for propulsion. In the 1960s, BMW sales strengthened significantly, thanks in part to the immense popularity of the 1500, a sporty family sedan.

By the 1970s, BMW was establishing itself as a full-fledged car company. It was a pioneer for many emerging technologies, including turbocharging and advanced vehicle electronics. BMW of North America was established at that time, and consumers who coveted both sports and luxury cars became loyal "Bimmer" owners. The '70s also saw the birth of BMW's three-tier sport sedan range consisting of the compact 3 Series, midsize 5 Series and large 7 Series cars and the creation of its performance M division. Though the 3 Series could be had with four-cylinder power, it was the company's inline-6 engines that developed BMW's reputation for spirited, yet highly refined performance. At decade's end, the limited production, short-lived M1 supercar debuted.

Throughout the 1980s, BMW became the unofficial poster car of yuppies, as the brand ostensibly signified one's financial success as well as a passion for driving. The elegant 6 Series coupe debuted, and the latter part of the decade saw the high-performance M division working its magic on various production models.

In the early 1990s, BMW replaced the 6 Series with the powerful (V12-powered at first) but heavy 8 Series grand touring coupe. A bit later, BMW introduced its popular Z3 roadster. The company also opened its first U.S. manufacturing plant in the latter half of the 1990s.

The 2000s brought a midsize SUV (the X5) as well as a compact SUV (the X3) as BMW joined the hot-selling segment. Since then, BMW has replaced the Z3 with the Z4, introduced the compact 1 Series, produced hybrid versions of a few models and debuted the X6 fastback crossover. The company has also expanded its empire to include Mini and Rolls-Royce and continues to build motorcycles, something it has done since the 1920s.

BMW's famous advertising slogan describes each of its vehicles as "the ultimate driving machine," and it's not mere hyperbole. Over the past couple of decades, BMWs have become the standard for performance and luxury in most of the "over $30,000" segments. With family-friendly wagons, crisp sedans, distinctive coupes, nimble sports cars and spacious SUVs offered, BMW's model roster is diverse. But its vehicles all share a common characteristic: the ability to make drivers feel gloriously connected to the road.

User Reviews:

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  n63 Engine is nothing but trouble. - 2011 BMW 5-Series
  By Telp Snowbeard - August 15 - 7:38 pm

  This is a bad engine. Google it. Constant engine light issues of "Crankcase Failure". These messages are related to bad engine parts like fuel injectors and sensors. I had to replace head cover gaskets, turbo pan gaskets and other gaskets. Car is a repair nightmare. Only 41K miles and way too many problems. Unreliable.

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  Dissapointing 524i - 2006 BMW 5-Series
  By Ben Bimmer - July 2 - 9:57 pm

  This car first and foremost is weak. It is a big car with no wow factor. Do not purchase premium package because youll get bored quickly. There is no exhilaration factor, nothing that stands out except good steering. The weird curves on this car make it somewhat confusing when backing up as it is very bloated. Electronic throttle makes the car seem not connected with the driver, there seems to be a delay. The looks are not impressive, I thought this was a car and not a spaceship. This car is a huge disappointment as I have compared it to my brothers 2001 BMW 525i which looks better and somehow feels more reliable and nicer to drive, has some more oomph to it. Do not be fooled.

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  Goodbye ! - 2007 BMW X3
  By VincentView - June 16 - 7:49 pm

  I finally had enough. Took a major loss by trading in the 2007 X3. Bought the car for 43K and got 29K in trade in ! The transmission problem in my opinion is dangerous and makes the car unpredictable in many situations (turns, acceleration from stop). Although I brought it back to the dealer for the fix, the problem persisted. In my opinion, it is a disgrace that BMW has the audacity to label this thing the "ultimate driving machine". I have been permanently soured by the BMW brand. Goodbye !

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  Huge dissapointment! - 2007 BMW X5
  By Junbug1970 - June 7 - 8:05 am

  I bought this 07 truck used with 89k miles from a local Lexus dealer. It came with 3 months/3k miles warranty. I thought great! It made me confident that it would be a reliable car if the dealership warranty a used vehicles. First off, i love the way this car looks. I considered it cosmetically flawless for an 07 truck. Shines like a pretty penny. It came with 3rd row seats and 2nd row entertainment dvd center. Ive owned 3 bmw sedans in the past and loved it. In the first 3 months Ive noticed few things. Power steering was a bit heavy. 3rd row seat is extremely tight with leg room, but at least we have it. No spare tire with 3rd row option which was expected, but they dont even have a jack? Once the 3 months passed, the problems begins. It has been continuing issues after issues that never ends. Ive owned this truck for a year now and put on less than 5k miles on it and its time to get rid of it before it becomes more of a money pit. Something about the yaw control that makes the vehicle jerk during take off from a dead stop when the car is still cold in the first 30 mins of driving it. Passenger AC/heater vent motor grinds inside the dash when turning or making a right turn. Now the passenger climate control only blows warm air even when the AC is in full blast but the driver side blows cold. Air suspension deflates over night and you can hear the pump running when you first open the door to inflate it and level the rear of the car. Now it deflates after it sat for about 2-3 hours. Driver passenger LED tail light went out. No way to fix it, but replace the whole tail light assembly. Dvd navigations takes a long time to load and it gets really warm. Rear camera clarity is soo poor that at night it was unuseable. It started leaking oil. Came to find out, the head gasket needed to be replaced. While replacing the head gasket the brittle breather hose needed to be replace because it was guarantee to be broken when you have to take this hose out to remove the head gasket. It never ran the same since then. Rough idles when its cold for about 30 seconds then it was fine. Now the water pump is out and recommeded to replace the thermostat while its being fix. The water pump is plastic electric design and the thermostat is also enclosed in plastic housing assembly. And the location of the water pump and thermostat is impossible to get to that you have to remove the wheels and wheel well to give a little more room to get to it. $560 for the water pump, $170 for the thermostat, 3 magnesium mounting bolts that needed to be replaced and cannot be reused. And 3.5 hours of labor at $175/hour. Right stage two brake light keeps coming on, ive replaced all the bulbs and still comes on intermittently. Lastly, the truck goes to neutral from drive position when you just started moving from a complete stop in the middle of the street while the engine is still running. You cannot just throw it back into drive, you need to press the brake pedal, turn it off and restart the car to put it back in drive. It happened 3 to 4 times so far when my wife was driving it and was afraid that she would get rear ended cus other drivers doesnt know that your car just stopped in neutral position. HUGE SAFETY ISSUE! Called BMW and ofcourse you know the answer to this. This is the first time they are hearing about it when hundreds of others online experiencing the same problems with this safety issue. No oil dip stick. Computer monitors shows how much oil you have. No engine temp gauge unless you unlock certain computer codes to display it on your cluster gauge. Time to get rid of it before something else major needs fixing. Heres the good. Great looking truck! Easy do it your self oil change and filter. No issues with little problems all has been big jobs. Every features works with no issues like heated seats, power windows, mirrors and locks, sunroof and etc. So sad to get rid this beautiful truck, but i cant afford for the unknown with this much major problems with only less than 5k miles in a year.

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  Needs improvement - 2008 BMW 1-Series
  By Jose - May 20 - 12:24 am

  Wonderful design, with a lot of power. The seats are uncomfortable, and the ride is rough over NYC streets. It is not built for long rides. The windows rattle & the radio is not good. I think that the engine is too powerful for the size of the car. I find that driver must fight to harness the power, only very experienced drivers should drive the car. The car makes interior noises as it rides over rough roads. The car burns gas (22 hwy & 16 city) & it burns oil. I have had to bring the car into BMW service three times to have oil added in the first 7K miles. I test drove the BMW 328i coupe & I should have paid the difference for a better car.

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  Driving a LEMON - 2001 BMW 3-Series
  By K Vu - May 4 - 2:00 am

  Biggest lemon I ever bought! My 1st new car a 325I, thought it was a dream. But the dream didnt last long at all! After 4 mo., bout 4000 mi. it became the "CAR FROM HELL". Psgr wind. got stuck, then driver, then rear psgr. To make the matters worse pass. wind. started leaking from rain after repair for sticking. I heard of car pool, but this is ridiculous. To top it all off my dr. side wind. is leaking too, after repair for sticking. Still leaks after 9 repairs. Now waiting for response for Lemon Law Case from BMW attorneys. Theyll try to fight it but dont give in! If you have this car you def. have a case against them & will WIN!

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  Bye-Bye BMW - 2002 BMW 3-Series
  By Donna - March 23 - 7:29 pm

  The romance is over. I wanted a BMW all my life and bought mine brand new in 2002. Everything was good until a year after warranty expired. All at once: worn front axle assemblies with leaking CV boots, broken rear springs, broken thermostat unit and an extremely annoying squeaking steering wheel. Car had 58k miles on it. Sent a letter to BMW North America asking "why?". CS rep calls me and says "these are just normal wear and tear items - what do you want us to do about it?". Drove Honda Civic for 10 years on same CT roads - no problems at all. On my way to trade this jalopy in before it falls apart on me again.

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  Looks great, poor performance and ease of use - 2009 BMW 3-Series
  By Mary Byers - February 19 - 1:52 am

  This car looks like a classic design, but with the worse user friendly design, terrible perform, gas mileage, comfort, repair cost, and resale, but that is to be expected given the poor dealer and manufacture and dealer support. Take the key fob design, instead of simply replacing the batt, you have to spend. $150 on a completely new key fob. Poor design that BMW would not stand behind. Their cars have only gotten worse over the years, and my 2001 530i was one of the better cars they made. BMW has lost their edge and that’s a shame.

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  BMWs Worst - 2006 BMW 5-Series
  By Bill Richter - February 13 - 12:31 am

  Ill start with the positive: the car is fun to drive. Now the negatives: There are several fatal design flaws that make ownership a real pain. For example, the six disk changers cartridge is at the back of the glove box and only accessible from the passenger seat (with all the glove box contents emptied). The center consoles is hard to access, provides limited space and lacks a power outlet or ipod connection. Unexplainably, there are two power outlets for the back seat passengers. idrive is useless. For a simply function, like shifting the air vent from the dash to the feet, it takes a dozen clicks. The 3 series is a classic and the 7 is luxury, but the 5 is downright useless.

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  Severe problems in manual mode - 2007 BMW 6-Series
  By yohjo - December 7 - 10:31 pm

  The 650 has what BMW calls an "inherent characteristic." If you drive in "manual" shift mode the vehicle is prone to stuttering when coming to a stop. Imagine your head bobbing back and forth like a doll on the dashboard. The vehicle is also prone to severe lunges when driving in m1 (such as you might in a parking garage looking for a spot or while moving forward in a metered freeway on ramp) and to a lesser extent in automatic. The lunges are dangerous and you must drive defensively at 4 miles per hour. BMW states the problem is with the software-it thinks the engine is stalling and the computer gives the engine throttle. BMW wont fix the problem. Stay away from this vehicle.