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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  To New York and back 51mpg! - 2014 BMW 3-Series
  By Magnus Rundqwist - September 17 - 2:58 pm

  I love the car. This is my 3rd 3-series, -when my last 328i at 180,000 miles started to show signs of costly repairs I thought is was time to trade in. I was hopping around for fuel efficient cars including hybrids, once used to the driving environment of the BMW its difficult to switch. The car has been 5/5. The mileage I get has been great. I am a bit of a mpg-geek and think its fun to keep track. Most recent was a full-packed 4 people trip to NY from Atlanta, including Labor day traffic jams and driving on Manhattan. Coming home after 1750 miles the trip computer showed 51mpg average. -Im happy with that. Around town (Atlanta traffic 25-30mph average): ~40-45mpg MPG "geek" driving (careful driving smooth acc etc): 55-60 mpg Typical highway at 75mph: ~53mpg

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  Horrible experience -returned in one day! - 2014 BMW i3
  By BH - September 15 - 11:21 am

  We purchased this car, I loved the look and everything about it. We were told it would charge over nite in our garage. When we got it home the car showed it wouldnt be charged for 20 hours. Then it runs for about 100 miles on that charge. The BMW chargers are about $6,000 and then it is a shorter charge time. After paying $60,000 for a car we didnt want to spend that. Other chargers can screw up the system. We returned the car and on the way back to the dealership at 45 miles an hour trying to reserve the power to get there, a tire blew out and completely shredded so there was no tire left. After you pay top dollar for the car there are thousands of dollars of upgrades and insurances. Be sure to pay for the tire insurance, they insisted we would need it because of the low profile of the tires they dont last very long but we never dreamed one would blow out the first day we had the car. Wasted two days and will never buy an electric car after this!

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  Awesome, super safe reliable car!! - 2002 BMW 3-Series
  By Natalie Goodloe - September 11 - 11:21 pm

  I owned one of these for a very short 7 months before I got into an accident which totaled the car..): but let me just say, this was my first car as a college commuter student and I absolutely loved it! The gas mileage was wonderful 35 on highway and about 25 or so in the city. Premium gas is better for the car, but I usually just alternated between premium and regular. Very sleek, attractive car. Everything worked wonderfully, never had any mechanical issues while owning it. My passenger window regulator did break after a few months, however I have heard that this is a fairly common issue in older bmws. I never had a chance to get it fixed, but century bmw said it would only be about $200 to fix. So not too bad! Despite all the rep bimmers get about being expensive cars, yes they can be but they do not break on you very often, especially the e46. I also feel that its important to note the safety of this car...as I mentioned earlier I was in a head on collision which totaled the car. But I am so thankful that I was in a bmw because both driver/passenger airbags went off, the car "crashed" like it should..I didnt have a single scratch on me. Not even whiplash. Like I said, great first car especially for young drivers!!

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  Love this car! - 2015 BMW 5-Series
  By Jamie - September 10 - 2:32 pm

  This is my first BMW, though in the past I have owned an Audi and two Mercedes Benzes along with a host of lesser cars. Ive had the car for five months and to be honest I cant see ever buying any other make of car ever again. The dealership experience was among the best Ive ever had and their follow-up has been on point - helpful but not overbearing. The car handles beautifully and delivers all the driving experience anyone could want. Build quality appears excellent (no problems) and the materials used are first-rate. I have only one issue, which is that the infotainment system is overly complicated. You learn it eventually, but theres a lot of redundancy and more than a few answers to questions that, as far as I know, no one is asking. Still, I consider this car an unbeatable value, and can honestly say that in this class theres nothing else on the road Id rather be driving.

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  Extremely disappointed - 2012 BMW 3-Series
  By Gordo - September 9 - 8:14 am

  This is my second BMW my first was a MY 2006 325i that I bought new. This time I decided to get a CPO 2012 328i. I have had the car for about 45 days it has been in the shop for 15 of those days. It needed: A NEW TIMING BELT (after I was told that the blender-like noise the engine was making was "normal" until I took it back to the dealer to investigate it further), an new window regulator, a new seat belt latch, re-charged AC, and crack in the instrument panel plastic covering the instruments. A week later I had to take it BACK because the steering wheel was making a load groaning noise when turned, and the stereo intermittently recognizes that I have a CD in the player or my iPhone connected to the USB. Sometimes I have to go without music on the wonderful upgraded Harmon Kardon stereo until the system decides to reset itself. The dealership still cannot diagnose this issue. Also, the only way to drive this car is to leave it in "Sport" mode. The default "Comfort" mode makes the car feel like a 1980s-era Cadillac-all floaty and bouncy on the highway. Steering and handling are tops in Sport mode, though. Overall Im disappointed in the quality. I had the 2006 325i for 5 years, and had ZERO issues other than the sunroof not wanting to close from time to time. I put 102,000 miles on it and only did basic maintenance-no unexpected warranty visits. Thank tha LAWD I got the extended warranty with this CPO (Certified Piece Of _____). I had a Mercedes C300 and Volvo S60 in the interim of the BMWs and getting this car-sad to say, I think I may go back to either one of them. Beautiful car inside and out, though.

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  Wouldnt Trade it for ANYTHING - 2002 BMW M5
  By Althund - September 8 - 3:26 pm

  Best all around car I have ever owned and my fifth BMW overall. I will drive this one till it dies. A lot of people have commented on high maintenance costs but I challenge anyone to say any high performance car from Audi, Mercedes or any other automaker is cheaper to maintain. They all cost $$$ for the performance. If you want cheap maintenance costs, by a Focus. Mine is a driver, not a show piece. But if I wanted a show piece, I would have bought a painting. I wanted a drivers car with the comfort of four doors. Sure there are faster car now, but they also have a multitude of complicated computers and active suspensions and systems that cost a fortune to fix. I have had mine for 3 years now, and all I have done is tires, brakes, oil and gas. My only complaint about the E39 M5 is the inability to change the nav/radio out in the car without a major investment due to the DSP system in the car. But like anything, if you are creative, you can get the system work with a tablet.

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  Looks/drives great for a 16 year old daily driver - 2000 BMW 5-Series
  By Rulrand Wiehl - September 7 - 9:22 am

  I have owned my 528i for almost five years and love it! Bought it with 43,000 miles on it and have driven it to 102,000 mostly commuting. Have had a few repairs ( radiator, nav system) but it has not been terrible as I use an indie shop. BMW even agreed to help me replace a bad nav unit and now that works great, and I saved about $3,000 dollars ( you read it right) installing a used part. As a road car it is really superb. Great ride and feels like a tank. Decent mpg overall ( 24).. Best of all mine is CLEAN. Looks new really and people are starting to comment as it is increasingly older. I took a risk buying a ten year old car, but its worked out great for me and I really respect the brand.

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  money pit - 2000 BMW 3-Series
  By terri - September 6 - 9:55 pm

  i drove the 324ci for close to 2 years. The repair bills emptied my bank account. I replaced timing belt, brakes, rotors, tune up air conditioner, misfiring twice, radiator, tie rod... The list keeps growing. I finally had to draw the line when the trunk started flooding and I had to vacuum over a foot of water out from under the spare tire. I "traded "it for another car. The value was next to nothing and I spend my savings fixing this awful car. Huge regret and now broke.

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  Not happy - 2015 BMW X1
  By Jim Smith - September 6 - 4:46 pm

  Number of things that bother me. 1. front door handles will pinch the fire out of your fingers if you are not careful. 2. after 600 miles the car only gets 18.2 mpg in Dallas traffic. 8 miles below what they say it should get. 3. not much of a pickup 4. wheel base porpoises a lot.

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  Where i went wrong - 2006 BMW X5
  By Larry - September 5 - 5:43 am

  Bought a 06 Bmw x5 6months ago within the first two weeks i knew where i went wrong BOUGHT A BMW Heres the thing about it Yes it runs rides and handles awesome but that doesnt make up for the lemon it is Within the first two weeks the mirrors started going crazy then the rear wiper wouldnt stop honestly it ran until it stripped the splines the headliner started falling and when i push nearly any button on the dash as soon as i lift my finger the buttons fly off at me then the driver window fell next the passenger fell followed by the right rear im like lmao $13k just thrown away not to mention burning a quart of oil every 1k miles As far as traveling yeah i trust it but im worried about the electrical system but who knows what part Will [non-permissible content removed] next By the way FOR SELL $8K My loss your gain