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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  Expensive chunk of metal - 2009 BMW 3-Series
  By Tam - October 15 - 8:16 pm

  I will never buy another nor recommend a bmw. German arrogance by not addressing major design issues!! My car has 56k miles. Has cracked valve cover ($1300) and morning misfires due to ?? Unknowns.....fuel pump, electronic, coils, injectors,?? Many blogs on this topic, and many people wasting money fixing things that dont need fixing because bmw mechanics can not troubleshoot properly. Really, even crappy cars will never have these problems. Bmw basically sells LEMONS!! Dont make the same mistake as I have!! I will change to Lexus, just change oil on regular basis, relax, and experience little to no issues!!

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  Beautiful car but breaks down a lot - costing $$$$ - 2011 BMW 5-Series
  By Ex BMW lover - September 16 - 12:56 pm

  I really did my level best to maintain my loyalty with BMW- after 3 brand NEW BMWs and 10 years of battling with repairs and literally dropping 1200 to 2k in repair costs each and every time, I have finally decided to depart from BMW for good. They are only good when under warranty, albeit you still have to go to the shop something- complete waste of time. Secretly, I have been discretely jealous of Lexus owners because the service and quality there get- but I always remained adamant and advocated for BMWs. I decided to keep my last BMW past the warranty, with 6 months post warranty, I came across 4 visits to the shop and over $7k in repairs. TRUST ME, I bought them brand new and always cared for them with the dealership, always put 93 premium feul. I have bent over backwards and now Im tired and must draw the line after remaining in denial for a long time. Its just a beautiful car but all garbage from the inside- not sure why would BMW would do this. it is very sad.

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  3 months in service, 3 years owned - 2008 BMW 5-Series
  By Eersten Keer - August 24 - 1:24 pm

  where do i begin? its a POS. in the 3 years i owned i cant say its a high performance vehicle because i have ALWAYS driven it with an existing problem. usually two problems at once. started with the tires that came on vehicle, factory recommended run flats that were causing vibration, did alignment, issue continued. replaced tires, issue went away partially because the boots needed to be replaced. water pump failed, flat bed truck towed, $$ thousands later, intermittent power reduction while driving, replaced two spark plugs and two coil overs, valve decarb recommended, replaced two spark plugs and two coil overs, no youre not seeing double, nor triple because power reduction again, and rpms all over the place, replaced both bank 1 & 2 turbos, $5k to find out it was the clutch (its a 6 speed manual) not the turbos, dealer could care less. ive never seen a car leak oil like this, its ridiculous, they replaced the oil housing 3 times, pretty much every oil change you replaced some major part. another power reduction issue caused by broken gasket, replaced that one too. this car promises 300hp, it never delivered because it always had an issue. the boot of the car contains all the electronics, a water bottle i had in trunk leaked and again power reduction, vehicle undriveable, $1100 to fix tpms sensor, like what does that have to do with engine power. and they had to reset the whole car. battery replacement $500+ has to be programmed. i swear they didnt make any of this up the dealer, but they might as well have. read around all 2005-2010 bmws have major issues like this. the list goes on, but i am at a loss for words.

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  Not another BMW - 2003 BMW 5-Series
  By ymmot - June 27 - 2:00 am

  Avoid buying this car. Have had nothing but trouble since the day we bought it. Headlight system has had to be replaced twice.

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  Good for first 50,000 miles - 2008 BMW X3
  By JR - April 28 - 1:28 pm

  BMW should really be embarrassed about the long term reliability these little guys have. Someone said it right, they are BMWs (Big Maintenance Waste). At 90,000 miles, the X drive system with the incredibly cheaply made plastic gear (transfer case actuator - google it) went out, both vanos units went out, shifts hard and lunges on inclines, there was about $4,000 of other stuff that I cant even remember the details of and the thing requires 93 octane. Pros: It does stop great for an SUV. It is heavy and feels substantial. I think it would be good in a wreck. My suggestion: buy most any American made small SUV. While not as nice and lacking the two bar emblem, they are more reliable and present less worries about what problems are going to surface when I crank up today. Any Japanese small SUV is more reliable and better made. These American and Japanese models also use the cheapest rot gut gas you can find and you simply hammer down to get from point a to b. BMWs must be babied and the initial cost is truly only the beginning of the heavy cost you will get to experience with an X3.

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  Tak ada fun right out of my BMW - 2014 BMW X1
  By PatD - January 11 - 11:23 pm

  My first BMW and Im now caught in the Takata airbag mess. BMW felt it was safe enough for me to drive but not take in trade, "they also have a stop sale on any affected models". I contacted BMW and asked for and got a rental car. The dealer now has my BMW and at this point I have doubts about if and when I will ever see it again and Im sure I will take a beating when I trade or sell it if and when I do. Do yourself a favor go to safercar.gov and check the vehicle ID number of ANY CAR you have or are looking to buy to check for open recalls! Avoid any car with a TAKADA airbag open recall like the plague. On the bright side I have a rental 2016 VW Jetta 1.4 that is almost as peppy as my BMW, has a better quieter ride is way more roomy and it is getting between 36-38 MPG. (The BMW only got 23 MPG average) I could almost buy three VWs for what I paid for my X1 BMW . NEVER AGAIN LESSON LEARNED.. Foot Note: Several manufacturers are still making cars with these deadly inflators buyer beware!!!!!

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  Worst decision ever! - 2015 BMW X4
  By Jose - June 4 - 6:17 pm

  When you purchase a new car you expect a New Car! I understand it might have issues here and there but when you have to take the car in 5 times in a 6 month period. Please note the car was BRAND NEW 5,300 miles at that point. Battery Discharge (just rest the system), Left parking light issue (all they did was reset it), Headlight issue again (now apparently the entire headlight needed to be replaced), Front center air-vent had to be replaced. All this issues and the car still did not meet the "Lemon Law". They couldnt even just replace the car. Now there is an apparent recall for safety. This car has just been a headache and the service department at Mckenna BMW was no help at all. We are returning customers as we own a X5 (2014) & 320 (2014). Will we be returning customers? NO!!!

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  My horrible BMW 528i ordeal - 1998 BMW 5-Series
  By millineumlaura - April 5 - 11:35 am

  I bought my 1998 BMW used in 2000 with it being certified pre-owned. My car first overheated and the passenger side window stopped working within the 1st year that I bought it,but I only had to pay $50 to get it fixed under warranty. My car overheated so many times its stupid. I was so scared that my eyes were always fixed to the temperature gage. I replaced the radiator, many hoses, reservoir tank, water pumps, plus the sunroof is stuck, trunk only opens with the key due to the inside buttons not working. This would be a great car if it worked half the time but it was so unreliable that I had to give up on it.

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  Love It AND Hate It - 2012 BMW X5
  By TQuinn - September 5 - 11:21 am

  I have owned this vehicle for 14 month. It has been on a flatbed truck FOUR times!!!! Thermostat failure caused car to shut down while I was driving on the parkway - stuck for 3 hours. Brakes seized and calipers would not free the front wheels - stuck for 2 hours. Coolant reservior EXPLODED - coolant everywhere - stuck for 3 hours. Oil Tank EXPLODED - oil EVERYWHERE - stuck for 3 hours. The only saving grace is that my local dealership has excellent service and has provided me with a loaner vehicle every time mine was in the shop (it has gotten to the point that I feel it needs repairs whenever it is dirty so I at least get a free wash out of it....). The X5 is pretty. It handles very well. It has great pick-up and braking capacity.......but it has ZERO reliability. NEVER AGAIN!

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  Buyer Beware - 2007 BMW M5
  By Luthien - May 22 - 8:58 am

  Buyer beware: ThereÂ’s a reason for all those mediocre reviews out there in the automotive press. In truth, many of the reviews sound as though the writers think even less of the car than what they actually write, but are reluctant to bash a car with the reputation of the M5. Well that reputation was built from the first three US models. This one is fundamentally different. This is a Mercedes posing as a BMW. Its all about speed and comfort and lacks the handling of the earlier cars. Its very heavy and you feel every pound. It about cruising not about flogging down a twisty road in the countryside. You feel disconnected from the road, there is no sense of immediacy on turn in.