Well, one RWD advantage comes to mind instantly!
These days, front-wheel-drive has become the drivetrain layout of choice for many manufacturers. Even BMW, famous in the past for criticizing the layout, has given into the temptation with the launch of the Concept Active Tourer. But many of us gearheads have pooh-poohed automakers for this, claiming that rear-wheel-drive is far superior. And in some ways, that’s certainly true. Let’s have a look at the facts so we can draw some conclusions.
BMW has been receiving some much-deserved scoffing from the enthusiast community in recent years. Just look at the abominations in their lineup today – the 5 Series GT and the X6 for instance. They’ve become obsessed with filling every market niche they can think of. But nevertheless, they have made some good cars. So that got me thinking – what’s the best car BMW has ever produced?
In recent years, we’ve seen the advent of tiny, and arguably useless, crossovers – the Audi Q3 and BMW X1 come to mind. But such machines aren’t exclusive to the Germans. The Nissan Juke and the Ford EcoSport are also examples of such cars, and now Mazda is rumoured to be joining the bandwagon with a car they’ll call the CX-3.
Have you ever looked at the BMW 3 Series Coupe and just thought to yourself, “I wish it were a series up.”? Nor have I. But BMW hasn’t been a terribly big fan of logical lineups lately, so they’ve replaced the 3 Series Coupe with this 4 Series Coupe.
Fast wagons may be a dying trend for some manufacturers, but at Audi they’re tradition. Audi’s first two high-performance RS-cars, the RS2 and RS4 Avant, were only offered as wagons. And although they veered away from tradition thereafter, they’re back in the game with the all-new RS6 Avant. The best part? On paper, this car absolutely obliterates the competition.
Although there’s a myriad of good reasons to avoid a V12 engine when buying a luxury barge, let’s face it — you want all twelve cylinders. Thanks to the way internal combustion works, they have a silky-smoothness that just can’t be matched by smaller power plants. However, because of the price premium they command, combined with the recent importance of fuel efficiency, the V12’s popularity has been dwindling. As a result, BMW says they’re not certain the next-generation 7-Series will have a 12-cylinder option.
Fuel-efficient hoonage is a future I can agree with!
From the few Europeans that I’ve met, it seems that everyone and their mother has at some point owned a diesel automobile on the other side of the pond. Here in North America, however, we appear to have some sort of dieselphobia, with very little diesel cars on offer at all up until recently. But there are some very good reasons for us to shake that fear and demand more diesels from the manufacturers.
Earlier today, I was having a look at the BMW 3-Series on BMW Canada’s website, and the Infotainment section caught my eye. I figure I’m a pretty modern guy, so I have a look at it. But if I’m honest, I wasn’t thrilled by my findings.
Most of the time, commercials are the annoying break between parts of our favourite TV shows, which we use to run to the bathroom. But BMW has created a genuinely beautiful commercial dubbed “Bullet” for the M5. You can see it after the jump.
Front-wheel-drive. The work of Satan, according to many enthusiasts. Even BMW has expressed displeasure against the drivetrain layout in the past, going as far as mocking the competition for using it. But now, if reports are to be believed, BMW is giving into the pressures of the modern automotive industry with a FWD version of the 1 Series.