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:

• 

  Money Pit But Worth It - 2006 BMW 3-Series
  By Tony - October 26 - 8:46 am

  I Love my Bmw 325xi. It holds the road beautifully! This car looks amazing to be a 2006, Ive had friends ride with me and think its brand new! Perfect car for a 16 years old first car! There is nothing wrong with the car except for the cost of ownership. My car has 150000 thousand miles on it and Ive put about 30000 thousand on it already. Ive but about $10000 into it in repairs but i knew what I was getting into to. When my Parents bought it for a good price, the transfer case that drives the front wheels had gone out and it cost about $2800. Also I had to replace the oil pan and things which cost me $1500. Both of the rear windows motor went out but that was not the cars fault, every time my friends get in and out of my car, they all feel the need to slam my door shut! I am getting an appraisal to see how much it will cost, but its not looking good. Now for the big problem, a few months ago an error code came up with the transmission! The automatic had locked itself in 3rd gear (says the dealer) there was nothing they could do they said but replace it with a brand new one, which would cost a JAW DROPPING $11000. Needless to say I took it to my personal mechanic and he got it done with $5400 cash. That is all the problems Ive had with my car. While yes it is a money pit, it was worth every penny.

• 

  2003 Z4 3.0 manual Long-term driver - 2003 BMW Z4
  By Don Avirett - October 24 - 1:41 pm

  I have driven this car on the highway at 80 mph for 1 hr each way to work for the last 4 years. I bought it with 107k miles and it now has 224 k miles and runs like new and looks almost new. The only things I have done to it besides tires and brake pads is an AC compressor, a starter, front end stabilizer bar, front left wheel bearings, valve cover gasket repair, and a radio all normal maintenance stuff. I never take it to a BMW dealer for repair. Almost any regular mechanic can work on it and they do not charge high prices. If you get your parts through a regular parts store, they are not expensive. Also, I had rear main seal leak that I fixed with Lucas stop leak. I do not like the electronic power steering its a little different, but Ive gotten used to it. The car has a lot of get up and go but it could use a little more power to demoralize Texas turbo diesel pickups. I drive the car through hailstorms, snowstorms, and windstorms of the Texas Panhandle, and it performs amazingly well. It gets about 27 mpg on the highway.

• 

  Great for Everyday commute in the city - 2013 BMW X1
  By Jopa - October 23 - 1:04 pm

  Ive been looking for an all wheel drive hatchback car for my daily commute. Since I live in the midwest region I have always experienced that AWD cars are perfect. I am also into Cycling so I needed a car not to high so I can easily mount by Bicylces on the roof. I bought my X1 Certified Used at a local BMW dealership. I was so impressed with the performance of the car while test driving it on the roads both at High and Low speed driving. Ive driven Domestic and Japanese models before but this car has surpassed the comfort and power and now I truly understand why they call it the ultimate driving machine. The warranty also is much better than buying brand new Domestic brands since it came with a 100K Warranty being Certified used. Ive been driving my X1 for 6 months now and so far everything is perfect.

• 

  Very nice and quite expensive with options. - 2014 BMW X3
  By Russ - October 10 - 1:01 am

  I recently "test drove" a pre-owned 2014 X3. The dealer was very knowledgeable and we ended up driving about 15 miles during my drive. The car had 34K miles on it, yet it still looked new. The leather seats were in great shape. I have read some articles that mention a firm ride. I have been driving for 45 years and the X1 has one of the nicest (and sportiest) rides of the many vehicles I have driven. The ride was certainly not overly firm. In fact, it was downright fun. When the rear seats are folded, there is a surprising amount for room. If you want to have a little fun while driving your small SUV, this is the one to get. I just wish the new models werent so expensive. Forty-five to fifty-five thousand is a lot of money for a small SUV, regardless of how nice it is. BTW: I did not reply to all of ratings because I did not have the opportunity to try all of them.

• 

  Great SAV /Sports car - 2008 BMW X3
  By Joe Iuzzolino - October 8 - 10:18 pm

  Ill tell ya, Ive had a bunch of SUV Japanese vehicles and none compare to the X3. Love the power and handling. I have not had it in snow yet but looking forward to taking to the mountains this winter, its a tight suspension and I like it. Bluetooth works but not as easy to set up as other vehicles. Really like the interior but most of all the power and steering are aesome, I have the xenon light pkg wow! I love the adaptive lights!

• 

  Love it with a few minor complaints - 2015 BMW 3-Series
  By BMWDriverCA - September 28 - 6:29 pm

  The car looks great and drives great! I enjoy the drive, its very comfortable and Im overall pretty happy, but... I do not have satellite radio (which I had in my much cheaper Toyota) and miss it, and am loathe to spend $600 for it. I am very disappointed by the locking system. The fact that I have to find my keys to enter and exit/lock my car and I cant do that through automatic sensing is very annoying (again my much less expensive Toyota had this). I understand that I cant even have this feature added to the base model, but rather must get a whole new car. I am leasing, and every time I get into and out of the car, I am reminded that I look forward to getting a new car once the lease is done in 3 years... Overall this is a great car, its just a shame to be so frequently reminded of this shortcoming. The voice recognition is not great.

• 

  It died on me - 2011 BMW 3-Series
  By Martijn - September 28 - 1:07 pm

  I loved my 2011 335i x-drive from the moment I saw it black out side, red inside, manual transmission, fun to drive up the canyon to my house. Bought is at 60k 10 months ago. Until two weeks ago ticking noise in the morning, car died in the afternoon. Towed to BMW rap new engine needed, will cost 25k. Hoping it can be re-built, but this is about the same cost I owe on it, so I cant even get rid of the car. BMWs are fun and beautiful when they work, but the maintenance is a serious risk to your solvency, or at least to mine.

• 

  Best comfort and handling car IMO - 2012 BMW 5-Series
  By Brandon - September 21 - 8:37 pm

  I test drove a used silver 528i. Owned a 3 series in the past. BMW handling is given and this one was no exception. This 5 series was by far the most comfortable ride with great handling. Perfect balance. Did test drove 550 couple years ago, super power but little to stiff for me. The car was comfortable, roomy with grest view. Navigation was easy to operate. Everything was great. The only thing I did not like was the auto stop. I got caught in 5 traffic light within 4 minutes. The car being shut of and starting again to me was very annoying.

• 

  2008 BMW 335i, Transmission died at 84k mi - 2008 BMW 3-Series
  By Lovely Day - September 21 - 7:50 pm

  This car was great! When I first bought it I loved it. It had 72k miles on it. I bought it from an Audi dealer (someone had traded it in). In less than 6 months I needed new brakes all around. The driver side headlight had also gone out. Around 3 months after that, the passenger side headlight went out. I purchased the car in April 2014 and by August 2015 at around 84k miles, I had to get a new transmission which thankfully was covered under an aftermarket warranty. So within not even a year and a half, and about 12k miles, the following repairs needed to be done: new transmission, all around brake pads, driver and passenger side headlights, brake fluid flush, oil leak, power steering fluid leak, and some kind of fuel sensor or something that I dont know what in the world the dealer was talking about.

• 

  Almost Perfect Car, has a few quirks though... - 2015 BMW X5
  By theahn - September 21 - 11:57 am

  This is a brand-new car for me and the year or so Ive owned it now I have to say that the reliability has been fantastic so far. No problems to speak of, drove a lot (15,000 miles so far), had one service, and still going strong. THE GOOD STUFF: As far as a driving machine goes this car is very hard to fault. Coming from a manual transmission car I was afraid I was going to lose some of that sporty fun of shifting gears, but this has a very good select-shift automatic that is fast and doesnt nanny you too bad. The push forward for downshifts and push back for upshifts is also more akin to racing cars, which is great. The MOST amazing thing about this car is definitely the fuel efficiency. For my mix of commuting of road trips, Im averaging about 26 mpg, which is about the same I got with my old Mark V GTI, which is a 4-cylinder compact car. The fact that I can get that kind of mpg of a car so heavy and powerful is nothing short of amazing. A large thanks to this is the 8 speed transmission, which barely spins the engine when you are in top gear on the highway and still lets you have some low-end power for gentle passing. Besides that it holds corners very well, brakes well, and acceleration is very strong when you need it. Itll happily cruise at around 80-90 mph and when passing itll reach up to 115 or so without much trouble. One of my favorite things is that when you are in drive and push shifter to the manual mode, itll automatically shift down two gears as though it knows you are trying to pass on a narrow road. Even in Comfort mode the ride is quite firm. A lot of people associate "luxury" cars with plush rides and supreme quiet. This is not that car, this is for someone who enjoys driving and feeling the road for sure. Its a refined ride for sure, so you dont feel fatigued even after many hours of driving. Its also got a huge gas tank so you dont have to stop and fill up too often (~5oo miles per fillup) The steering is electric and takes some getting used to I thing, but once you do, you dont really think about its little weirdnesses too much. The space is immense and it has a lot of storage for items and various small knickknacks. Besides that Its got all the standard luxury car fare like rain sensing wipers, bright headlights, seat memory, electronic trunk close, backup camera and all that. They all work as they should, but the seat memory is particularly notable in that it memorizes the position of the side mirrors as well, which I feel is the most difficult thing to get right. THE BAD: For as much as I like the car, there are a few things that are annoying. The first is the looks, while I like it, I liked the previous generation better, it was more aggressive and masculine. The 2015 one looks a little more subdued and feminine. The driving is great, but its so heavy and has so many gears that the engine braking is not great on moderate downhills. The only other thing I wish could be improved with the driving experience are the automatic headlights. It seems to come on when it is almost totally dark, I wish it would come on sooner. Ive also yet to find a why to prevent the air conditioning to stop turning itself on when you start the car on a hot day. This means Im constantly turning it off. Like many German cars, its also a huge hypochondriac in that it tells you to pull over and go to a dealership even when a tire has slightly low pressure due to cold weather. That is very annoying and alarming when you are trying to just drive casually somewhere. When it comes to the iDrive. The only good thing about the map is how you can instantly zoom in and out with the use of the track wheel thingy, but the routes are really dimwitted. The new letter tracking input is just not easier than the normal track wheel letter selection. Its just too hard to get right at 70 mph. The iPhone/iPod integration is also bad because it is meant to be universal so it works like a really dimwitted file directory sort of system so you cant do advanced features specific to your device. Im also really disappointed the stereo has no midrange control, it has a great set of speakers, but its hard to get the midrange out for sure. The primary reason I chose the X5 over its direct competitors, the Lexus RX, Acura MDX, Audi Q5/Q7, Mercedes M Class, Porsche Cayenne, etc. is that l preferred the look of the exterior and interior over all the others. Having had a BMW in Europe I knew what to expect with the driving experience. What I wasnt prepared for coming from a VW to a this car, in America at least, is just how hated you can be in the real world. People seem much less likely to let you pass on a highway, let you merge, and let you out of side turns. I thought it was imagination, but even my wife noticed that she is definitely treated differently in this car that our other cars.