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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  Meant for the Autobahn - 2004 BMW 5-Series
  By jeeper3 - June 10 - 2:00 am

  Silver-Grey 530i w/sports package, cold weather package, rear heated seats, and xenon lights. I absolutely love this car. I have wanted BMW for almost 20 years now and I must say the 530i was well worth the wait. The handling is tight (best of any sedan, bar none), acceleration smooth and reasonably fast for a 6-cyl sedan, xenon lights are awesome; lights up the night like mid-day, heated seats a must w/leather here in Germany. Cant wait to take it back to the Rockies where I can put the adaptive steering through its paces. If youre able to, spring for the sports package...the added features and "ride like its on rails" road handling is amazing.

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  awesome - 2004 BMW 3-Series
  By leah shifflett - June 10 - 2:00 am

  this car is the greatest car ive ever owned,, i encourage everyone to have one.

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  BMW 3 Series - 2004 BMW 3-Series
  By nkalu - June 10 - 2:00 am

  Excellent drive, excellent ride.

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  mY bMw - 2004 BMW 3-Series
  By Crispin Kalarickal - June 10 - 2:00 am

  This car is so fun to drive, and is really fast.

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  X3 Makes Me Young at Heart - 2004 BMW X3
  By kimkim - June 10 - 2:00 am

  I love my first BMW - X3. It is incomparable. The handling is super!! the best!!! I traded my old RX300 and drove the new RX330:the drive are the same. The new RX330 had some minor detail enhancement and thats all. I was not impress at all and to think that Ive worked at Toyota in Torrance for more than 6 months. I know fully well that after owning the RX300 for 5 years which that the X3 is really different. The fuel consumption are about the same with my old car, but of course Ive been driving the freeways.

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  Reviews dont give it justice - 2008 BMW 3-Series
  By Wvortices - June 9 - 7:33 pm

  I have been reading reviews and have been driving BMWs for years now but despite how good everyone said this car would be it doesnt sink in until you pull it off the lot. I traded in an E46 M3 so there was a lot this car had to live up to. I couldnt believe that this car feels just as fast as my old M3 but is much easier to drive. The feel of the car is just as good but it handles the rough stuff way better. I need to mention something that has been a sore point for many reviewers but if you are at all computer literate, the iDrive will be a MUST have. There will be a learning curve but the technology integration is way better than many reviewers give it credit for.

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  Buying this car was my greatest decision - 1998 BMW 5-Series
  By beamer_is_love - June 9 - 3:06 pm

  Driving this car is so much fun the tight steering, the way the car responds to the gas pedal, the braking system, and the safety. Everything about this car is great, although I recently had a problem with the rear window. It is the most comfortable car I have ever owned. It has a luxury interior and a sporty exterior especially with my aftermarket m3 tires and rims. I highly recommend this car to anyone who is out to buy one, although there are some problems that can be fixed.

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  The best vehicle Ive ever owned. - 2008 BMW X3
  By Rick - June 9 - 8:36 am

  From the moment I first climbed into the cockpit of the X3 till now, it has been a great driving experience. I used to think all the BMW talk was hype. Not any more. Aside from the fact that this is the best handling auto Ive ever owned, I am still discovering all the fine features of the X3. Recently, I opened the sunroof. It opens the entire length of both the front and rear seating areas, wow. I play my iPod all the time, and I think the sound system is awesome. The bottom line is the 4 year or 50,000 mile warranty including all service and roadside assistance. Who else has this much faith in their vehicles?

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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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  The Best - 2007 BMW 3-Series
  By Mike - June 7 - 4:16 am

  Having owned BMWs previously, I expected an excellent car; however, the 3 series blew me away with its road feel, handling and poise versus anything else in its class or anywhere near it. Yes, I drove many others and some in this class cost less money, but you get what you pay for and this BMW is head and shoulders better in ride quality, handling, and quietness.