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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  Complete Disappointment - RFT Tires are nightmare - 2011 BMW 5-Series
  By Jason C. - October 28 - 6:07 pm

  I purchased this Car in May, it is now October and Im returning the car to the dealer and taking the loss on the taxes and extended warranty I paid for to trade it in for a different car. Almost $10,000 down the drain plus whatever amount that car has devalued from use. First of all, let me just confirm the complaints about the tires I see from other reviewers. They are a total nightmare! I have the receipts for 14 tires that I have replaced in the last 5 months. I bought 4 brand new tires at almost $500 bucks each after my first two flats. 1 had a bubble and subsequently popped within 24 hours of having it installed. I had it replaced with a new tire using the road hazard warranty and within a week, the two front tires blew out again. At that point I was driving scared and being extremely careful not to hit any bumps. Ive owned 2 door coupes with 19" wheels and thin tires and never had this problem. I even tried getting tires with a bigger sidewall to see if the extra cushioning would help and it only made things worse. The Car started to have an issue with the transfer case. According to the dealership the car has to use the specific tire measurements that come with the car or the transfer case gets confused when doling out power to the wheels. So basically I had no choice but to keep replacing the crappy run flat tires that costs $500. Ludicrous, I am trading in the car because the money I will lose from purchasing the extended warranty , does not add up to the cost of constantly replacing these tires. Other issues I had in my short time with the car are: The windshield fluid stopped working and pump had to be replaced. iDrive controller completely stopped working so the entire infotainment system was uncontrollable. Driver seat kept causing a warning that it could not be calibrated. Radio kept having a strange feedback noise at high volumes. All of these problems are minor issues that could easily be fixed by the very attentive and pleasant BMW staff at the service center. They were great and very pleasurable to work with. However it takes a month just to get an appointment at any BMW dealer in the New York area and some dealerships dont offer loaners unless you purchased the car from them. When I went to the Service Center I was shocked, They had over a 500 Cars on the lot for repairs. Ive never seen anything like it. I previously had an infiniti and never had to wait for a service appointment or worry about getting a loaner. Not to mention the Inifiniti facilities are infinitely (no pun intended) better than anything Ive seen from BMW. To say that Im disappointed is an understatement. Im trading the Car in and trying out an Audi A7 or a Benz CLS. Hoping that other German Car brands dont turn out to be all hype.

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  X5 35d nightmare - 2010 BMW X5
  By Maxx - October 24 - 9:46 pm

  My 2010 x5 diesel such a nightmare Shame on BMW

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  Tranny issues that cannot be resolved! - 2008 BMW M6
  By DMK Dallas - October 22 - 1:51 am

  Do not buy this car unless you have a written warranty on all aspects of the SMG transmission. The dealer will sell you this car as an automatic with a 3rd party warranty, but when it fails, and it will, the 3rd party says that it is a manual transmission with normal wear and tear.... $15000 later you will still have a car that doesnt work! Anyone need any M6 parts??

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  German Junk - 2001 BMW 3-Series
  By Joe - August 31 - 4:35 pm

  What a piece of junk! I couldnt get to town and back (10 miles) without having to work on it. Water kept disappearing from the radiator, Leaked oil, head lamps kept going out. Replaced the whole cooing system and sold it. New owner didnt even make it home and had cooling problems. He tells me the head gasket is blown although it had no water in oil or oil in water? Ran smooth and engine made good power. The car is over engineered. Why use a complemented cooing system with the crazy O rings when a hose and clamp work fine? Easy to see why Germany lost WW2. I will never own another.

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  a headache from the beginning - 2004 BMW X5
  By Vanessa - August 17 - 6:56 am

  I felt in love when i saw this car at the dealer, i bought it used precertify. this suv is VERy VERy heavy to make turns and to park, its very tiff. I have oil leaking problem, doing my research turned out that most of them have the oil leaks problem after 100k miles or so, so every 2 week i have to add oil when its low on oil. Tires are not straight, they are a bit outwardd inclined, so,i had to change 6 tires in 1 year and 5 month period.,the left mirrow would always come out. Back light will go out often, either the turn, brake or tail light.. i had 2 windows regulator broken and the sunroof regulator was weak. The motor was burning too much oil, lots of smoke come out of pipe if i idle. One mechanic told me it need a tune up, another one says it needs a special oil, and the third says its the motor burning oil cuz of high miles(127k). I had to replace the battery once and it was a nightmate, and i have to replace the key cuz the remote control battery die and there is no way to get a new battery ,, the whole key need replacement. At the end i was getting the "trans safe program fail" light and the car was lossing power, i dont know if it needed another battery after changing it 4 months before that. But im glad i was able to get rid of that car before its brake down completely. I owned for 1 year and 5 month,

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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

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  BMW i3 Breaks first week - 2015 BMW i3
  By bmw_junk - June 5 - 9:51 pm

  Our BMW i3 broke and is in the shop after only 1 week. The car is now going on 3 weeks in the shop for repair of AirBag, Restraint issues. We are being told Germany Tech is working with the USA Tech. Unbelievable a 50K car that is broke, takes this long to repair and requires the help of Germany to repair. I can only imagine how long this is going to take.

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  Disappointment is the best compliment this car gets - 2014 BMW X1
  By mrcitizenkane - May 15 - 11:15 am

  I have owned five BMWs now including a 2001 3 series convertible, a 2003 3 series, a 2009 Z4 and now the X1. I intentionally dropped down in size and class of car, so I went in expecting some compromises..but not what I have gotten. Horribly cramped, the auto engine cut off is terrible, average gas mileage is 7-8 mpg worse than the lowest rating, interior is flimsy and several plastic pieces fall out of their place regularly and worst of all, my side airbags went of with no collision at all as I was taking a corner (BMW dealer has told me this isnt the first time they have dealt with this!) Add to this the fact that the seats are horribly uncomfortable and I am beyond disappointed.

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  Tires worn out in less than 3 Months /2000 miles - 2014 BMW i3
  By mohini15 - April 6 - 6:26 pm

  I was shocked when I looked at the tires of my new I3 that I bought two and a half months back. Rear tires have lost their tread completely. I mean completely that the steel wires are showing. The car had been wobbling and shaky from day 1 even at 25-40 mph speed . Took it to the dealership and they said it has small tires and this is usual. My other friends who have this car had the same tire experience in 6 months. I am totally distraught with I3 experience .

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  Dreaded Alternator Bracket Oil Leak - 2008 BMW X5
  By john arata, jr - March 2 - 4:47 pm

  Just purchased this vehicle with 40,000 miles on her and now its leaking oil. I am being told it is the "Dreaded Alternator Bracket Oil Leak" about 8 to 10 hours in labor to fix a $3 gasket. This is 1 of several problems. $1000 plus dollar repair.... really??? BMW 4.8L V8 has obvious problems and no recall. BMW needS to stand up for their mistakes and make them right. Do yourself a favor and DO NOT BUY A BMW!!!!!