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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  CPO Purchase Paid off. - 2008 BMW 5-Series
  By Mirquat - August 12 - 9:54 am

  Many visits to the dealership, all while under warranty. Repairs were done under both the original mfg warranty and the CPO warranty. Thankfully, since the warranty expired, there has been only one visit to the dealer in the past 2 yrs, approx 25K miles. All struts were replaced at 75K, and well worth maintaining a new car ride. They werent broken, just a bit worn. I find the combination of sport car performance and storage utility makes this car exceed any SUV on the road today. Unfortunately, import of the 5 series wagon ended, I believe, in 2010. Recently, I test drove the X5 as a replacement, but didnt find a discernible difference in ride, mpg, comfort or handling. Sooner or later........

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  Worst mistake I ever made - 1990 BMW 7-Series
  By Brendan Kelly - August 10 - 12:38 pm

  OK, so I bought a 1990 Car in 2014 and it had 200,000 miles on it. It was only $2000 so I paid cash, and I trusted the guy who sold it to me. It has been in the shop so much that in the past 9 months I have only put 3000 miles on it. I didnt expect it to be perfect, I new it would take some work, but this has been ruinous for me. $800 for a windshied came with the $2000 price, but Ive put in about $4000 of work on the thing. Im honestly terrified to drive it lest something else break. It has dumped its coolant all over the freeway, it has caught fire, it has stopped moving in traffic at rush hour, the air conditioning doesnt work. I expected things to break but the problem is all the pieces that break are old and specialized. They are hard to find. If this was an old Ford I could get parts at a junkyard, but these have to come from Germany sometimes.

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  unleash the kracken! - 2012 BMW 5-Series
  By kevin m. - August 9 - 8:54 pm

  If your looking for good gas mileage the automatic 550i 2012 is not your car! But if you want a mustang/ vette killer this is your car! The torque and speed is hair-raising! I timed my 0-60 @ 4.4 . The 550i paddle shifters launches you out the box so fast that no crappy rice burner or Mustang 5.0 will ever recover. I havent loss a street race yet. ( lol) The fit and finish is first class and the seat position feels custom fitted. You will never find a a better combo of performance and luxury for under 35k.

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  A Refined Step up from prior X5s - Legendary BMW - 2014 BMW X5
  By Jon - August 9 - 9:41 am

  We replaced a 2007 X5 4.8i with the new 2014 X5 sDrive 35i model year and it is a much improve vehicle. Key areas of improvements for us are: 1) Idrive & Connect Technology - Voice command is incredibly accurate and easy to use. 2) Interior quality & refinement. Seats, instrument cluster and leather dash are higher quality material & overall design. 3) Ride comfort & Handling. You can still feel and have the legendary BMW style handling and road manners, but harshness is all but gone, as compared to 2007 model year. The car feels much lighter and agile than the previous model. 4) LED Headlights are impressive in looks, brightness and visibility while driving at night.

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  I absolutely love my BMW! - 2007 BMW X3
  By Katie - August 7 - 10:21 am

  So being the spoiled 16 year old that I am, my parents surprised me with this car before my birthday in December of last year. I absolutely love my car. When we bought it however, the radiator was busted and it was making some kind of ticking noise. We got that fixed. We kept the car in service and I havent wrecked or anything. The cars rear tires were worn down when we bought the car so we replaced them. We didnt know at the time that when you buy an expensive car the the front and rear tires were two different sizes. So it messed the transfer case up. When they replaced that, the towing company bent my steering rack which is now throwing off some lights and one of my O2 sensors needs to be replaced. My local BMW dealership told me that once you replace one O2 sensor that you will have to replace the others, which I found out is a lie. But I also had my oil pan replaced, (it had an oil leak when we bought it), and I wouldnt recommend taking it to a place that "specializes" only on foreign made cars. They charged us $2,000 to fix it. One of the parts only costed $35 and the labor was $800. Other than what all has happened, the car is an outstanding car, I honestly dont want to get rid of it. I have 4 siblings. One is a baby and the car is able to fit his car seat in it just fine! The interior is amazing to clean. Mine is white with tan interior and it is easy to spill things on it. But it is also easy to clean. I absolutely love my car and I would recommend it to anyone.

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  2009 BMW 750i - 2009 BMW 7-Series
  By Robert Felts - August 7 - 12:28 am

  Gas mileage is poor in town, more like 13 than 15. Hi-way mileage is ok, averaging about 21.5 mpg. About 16.3 combined. Car is a fantastic machine and a true pleasure to drive - acceleration. anti-sway, steering control and ability to cruise comfortably at high speed are all phenomenal. Accessories are second to none. I had a 2009 E550 before this, and IMO it was inferior to this 750i. Maybe the best car Ive ever owned -- except for a 2003 Honda V-6 that was an engineering marvel engine-wise. I know potential maintenance costs could kill me down the road, but this car was pretty much gone through by the dealer before purchase, so hopefully itll be a while before repairs start. Short story? The Ultimate Driving Machine, hands-down. I love it.

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  Great car but repairs are expensive. - 2006 BMW X3
  By rb - August 6 - 2:53 pm

  Bought this car in 2009 and have nearly 100k miles. It has been a great car but you need to be aware of some expensive repairs that will be needed. Started leaking oil at 80K miles. $600 to repair 2 seals at private mechanic, $1,200 dealer quote. Broken rear springs at 80K, $600 at private mechanic, $1200 dealer quote. Replaced passenger front seat due to airbag sensor problem $0 under extended warranty. Bottom line, get a good private mechanic if you want to keep your X3 long term. ALL BMWS HAVE THESE SAME PROBLEMS. Dealer repair prices are a rip off. You have to pay for the lush showrooms. All cars these days are meant to be leased and turned in before any manufacturing problems show up. In my opinion Acuras are more reliable but dont handle as well.

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  Buyer Beware of problematic Air Conditioner - 2015 BMW X5
  By Disappointed Owner - August 5 - 5:43 pm

  I had to bring my car to the dealership twice for repair on the AC on 2015 BMW X5 with less than 10k miles. Essentially, this is the first summer using the AC on long highway distance at speed. Dealership had to contact BMW in order to come up with a modification to the (transistor???) as a solution, yet to be tested. My understanding is this does happen on other BMW models as well. Buyer be aware of this as we learned the hard way on a brand new $60K SUV with problematic AC.

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  Awesome machine - 2011 BMW X5
  By Joey - August 3 - 11:00 am

  This thing is a blast to drive, and a really good option for families with one or two kids. You cant beat the safety features this things a tank. The only real concern with the X5 35d is the upkeep cost. If you consider the fuel economy, maybe it evens out...but doubtful. I cant say the repair cost is high, because we havent had to actually have any repairs done (60k miles). The warranty covered a few sensors that needed to be replaced, but everything else has been routine. Dont bother with a dealership for oil changes. They will straight up lie to you. I had two local BMW shops tell me its over $300 to change the oil and fill the DEF on my 35d. Order the Castrol oil, a filter and some DEF and do it in the driveway, or take it to a small shop and pay 15 bucks. Total cost for me was less than $100. If we can afford it in the future, we will certainly invest in another X-model. Lets hope we can squeeze 150k out of this one.

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  Dealer disgust - 2007 BMW 3-Series
  By Sam hutcheson - August 2 - 7:47 am

  Personally I think the 328i was constructed out of recycled past blue ribbon cans !! Had this since new and with 85000 miles and even with 100,000 mile warranty which ran out in after 5 years it has constantly something going out . 900.00 parking light assembly , $1400.00 air condition , one thing after another . Local dealership in macon ga. A bunch of con artist . They ve got more b.s. Than bill Cosby and bill clinton thrown together. I have gotten to the point I give this car the finger every time I go into the garage . You never know from one day until the next