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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  Unflapable Ride - 2003 BMW 3-Series
  By Me Three - June 6 - 2:00 am

  Many magazines comment on the BMW ride and feel. I finally bought one on their recommendation. It took awhile to get acclimated but when I did I understood what the magazines meant. This car is unflappable!!

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  bought a second one - 2005 BMW X5
  By owned two - June 5 - 10:26 am

  This is my second X-5. This time I got the 4.4 vs the 3.0 last time . Very impressed with the difference in performance with the new I drive and engine. Performance center pickup a must to see what this vehicle can do. Overall gas mileage is better than the 3 liter, average 16.9 mpg overall

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  Best overall sportscar - 2005 BMW Z4
  By Anthony - June 5 - 8:20 am

  The power is more than adequate with excellent low end torque. The engine is the most refined in any sportscar. Transmission is excellent with well defined gates. Clutch take up and feel is excellent. Steering tightens up beautifuly at speed. Corner placement is intuitive with no corrections necessary in steering feed. Run flat tires provide safety, consistent feedback due to very low flex, rim protection in potholes and excellent convertible trunk space. Interior is excellent in design amd materials. Excellent rear visibility with top up. Solid roll bars. Exceptional sound system even with top down at high speed. Minimal wind buffeting and noise at high speed. Excellent 2 stage skid control

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  Im in love - 2004 BMW 5-Series
  By jlma - June 5 - 2:24 am

  I am delighted by my 530. It is a joy to drive it. I look for out of town trips in order to really feel the car. It has had no problem, other than a cracked windshield, caused by a stone that a truck tire sent flying into the glass.

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  A Great All-Rounder - 2004 BMW 3-Series
  By Helios - June 4 - 4:22 pm

  Our first BMW. Its difficult to summarize why we love this car so much - lets just say it does everything well. All the components work together perfectly. Athletic and refined at the same time. Driving it can be relaxed or exciting - you choose. Options can add up quickly, but do yourself a favor and spring for heated seats and park distance control. The stock halogen headlights are the best Ive ever used - no need for Xenons in my opinion. The 2.5 liter engines fine above 2500 rpm and absolutely loves to run at highway speeds.

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  Bmw performance - 2001 BMW 5-Series
  By Mr.Bmw - June 4 - 2:29 pm

  This car is one of the best cars I ever driven. The styling is very terrific. I love my xenon lights and the rounded fog lamps. The leather seats can feel a little uncomfortable at times but if youre not going on long trips it should be just right. The thing I hate most is the reliability. I seem to find myself at my local Bmw dealership about every month for such things like noises, brakes etc.

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  This car ROCKS! - 2005 BMW 3-Series
  By Wendy - June 4 - 1:06 pm

  Ive moved from an 03 Suburban to this 325ci Convertible. They obviously dont compare....the handling power of the BMW is phenomenal. Almost gives you a false sense of security when taking a corner a bit too fast. Also best to utilize the cruise control because you can be going 90 and not even realize it........Im a new BMW fan!

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  2006 525i - 2006 BMW 5-Series
  By cw - June 4 - 6:30 am

  The 3.0 liter engine provides plenty of power. This car is lots of fun to drive. However, everything is electronic. There is not even a oil dipstick; youll have to use iDrive to check oil level.

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  Best BMW below $5000! - 1995 BMW 3-Series
  By Murtaza Agha - June 3 - 8:48 pm

  This is truly the best BMW that money can buy for less then $5000! I bought this car as a project car, the engine was perfect, body was straight and thats why i bought it. Ive had it for about 5000 miles now and everything seems to be great. This car now has a BMW m3 body kit with a JL Audio sound system, its a show car aswell as a Daily Driver! Love it! Good Job BMW!

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  2016 750i xDrive (G12 Platform) - 2016 BMW 7-Series
  By JW - June 3 - 8:12 pm

  After having a less than acceptable ownership and service experience with my 2015 MBZ S63 AMG Sedan (Transmission failures less than 8k miles), I decided to try the new 7. I would have opted for the Alpina B7 had it been avail but due to timing I opted for a 750i xDrive. Although not quite as fast as the much more expensive Benz I traded, this car is far more engaging and athletic to drive. The 4.4L V-8 is silky smooth and the transmission programming is spot on. On a car with as much technology as these high-end sedans have, I much prefer the interfaces and user-friendliness of BMWs approach to controls, infotainment, and gizmos (exception of the seat controls.... MBZ has the best placement for seat controls). The drive settings provide a cadre of options ranging from pillow soft to firm. Perhaps I havent discovered how yet but Id like the car to stay in the mode I last drove it in (defaults to comfort every time I start it up). In all drive settings the car performers admirably on road trips over varied pavement. I do notice more dramatic pitch from the front suspension than I am used to in a BMW under hard braking or hard acceleration. I dont opt for the 21" wheels based on others reviews that they are overly harsh. I am running the 20" M-Sport 5-Spoke wheels on Pirelli Run-Flats and they seem to be a good compromise. I am sure, as with all other BMWs Ive owned, performance comes partly at the price of accelerated tire wear. This being a long wheelbase all-wheel drive 7-series, I expect 12-15K miles out of a set of tires tops.... The Bowers & Wilkins Stereo is worth the coin and far superior to the top of the line Burmester Audio in the Benz (Speakers in my AMG were poorly designed/installed and began resonating badly very soon after purchase). My initial impressions on the new 7 series are positive and my hope is I still enjoy my seat time in this car in year 2, 3, and beyond. I believe BMWs biggest strengths in this segment are in its general user-friendliness of high end features and general quality implementation and refinement of all systems. For me, BMW has done a far superior overall job to MBZ and Audi and worth noting, Tesla (Sorry Tesla, If I want to open my sunroof, I dont want to browse through menus on a big screen to get there....).