Tag Archives: bmw upgrades

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BMW Confirms Next M3 Will Have Manual Transmission and All-Wheel Drive

Manual transmissions might be on the endangered species list, but they’re not dead yet and in some circles, they’re starting to make a comeback. You can still get a manual transmission in the BMW M6 Gran Coupe, as well as the M4 and M2 series, but in March industry experts apparently confirmed that the new M3 series wouldn’t have a manual gearbox.

That seems to have changed, as BMW recently confirmed that the newest M3 will have a manual transmission and all-wheel drive — but not in the same car.

A Manual M3

M3 30th Anniversary Interior

Until now, we’ve been operating under the assumption that the new M3 wouldn’t have a manual transmission, but BMW answered our prayers and is offering an option for the 3-Series that gives us back our stick shift. The M3 Sedan and M4 Coupe will probably premiere at the Frankfurt Motor Show this September.

The M3’s manual transmission will only be available on the “Pure” version of the car — a slimmed-down M3 that won’t have a lot of bells and whistles. It will come with rear-wheel drive and manual transmission as a standard equipment.

It may also have a detuned engine with slightly less power than other models in the family. The Pure M3 is designed to be an entry-level BMW and may be the most affordable sedan in its class when it debuts.

All-Wheel Drive

If you prefer an M3 sedan that offers all-wheel drive for optimum handling, you won’t be able to take advantage of the manual transmission that BMW is finally offering for this particular model. If you’re okay with an automatic transmission, the new M3 will have an all-wheel-drive system that is very similar to what’s currently available in the M5 series.

We don’t have specs yet for the M3’s AWD system, but it may have an RWD system by default with the option to turn on AWD if you need it. We wouldn’t recommend taking this sedan off-road but if you’re on an icy road or stuck in the snow, that AWD could come in handy.

More Power, More Ponies

M3 30th Anniversary Front

Whether you choose the Pure M3 with a manual transmission or the traditional sedan with an automatic, you’re in for a treat with some serious power under the hood.

The base M3 models will generate 473 horsepower. The Competition models will have 503 ponies. The latter comes from a 3.0L twin-turbo inline-six-cylinder engine. We’ll see the same engine in the X3 M and X4M crossover later on this year.

There’s plenty of power under the hood, even if you choose the Pure M3, so don’t let the comment about the engine being detuned deter you from choosing that manual transmission.

When Can We Get Our Hands On One?

When can we expect to see these new M3’s showing up at our local BMW dealerships? Not for a while, unfortunately. We’ll learn more about the new M3 when it gets its official debut at the International Motor Show Germany in Frankfurt which starts on September 12 and runs through the 22nd. If everything goes according to plan, the M3 is scheduled to be available for the 2020 model year.

That’s all we know at this point about the new M3. BMW is offering a manual transmission and all-wheel drive, but not in the same model. If you want an entry-level BMW, the Pure M3 with a stick shift won’t have all the bells and whistles but it will be more affordable than the stock and Competition M3s.

If you feel like you need all-wheel-drive in your M3, opt for the automatic transmission and you’ll have the same AWD system that is currently used in the M5.

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BMW Just Unveiled Its 2020 X1

Making cars in 2020 is a little bit like Goldilocks when you’re one of the German Big Three. Nothing can be too hot or too cold, so you end up with 32 flavors of car.

That’s actually an understatement if you can believe it, Mercedes and BMW each offer 14 distinct model lines with a bevy of trim levels under each.

Making cars in 2020 is a little bit like Goldilocks when you’re one of the German Big Three. Nothing can be too hot or too cold, so you end up with 32 flavors of car.

That’s actually an understatement if you can believe it, Mercedes and BMW each offer 14 distinct model lines with a bevy of trim levels under each.

The X1 is the inevitable product of this niche obsession, but it’s not the most awkward stepchild of the BMW line. As a compact crossover, the X1 is becoming part of the “new normal.”

It offers car buyers who need a little more provenance than a Toyota C-HR or Subaru Crosstrek an upmarket solution. For 2020, it gets a tidy facelift, new features and alternative power.

Smiles for Miles

In keeping with the design language BMW has used across it’s X brand, the smallish crossover gets a bold and broad new kidney grill design.

The taller grille is not so overwhelming as in the larger X5 and X7 SUVs, and is complimented by a redesigned set of LED headlamps and more defined front fascia with chrome trim and new integrated driving lamps nestled into the front airdam.

The plastic surgery continues out back, where new L-shaped taillights differentiate your new X1 from older models. There are slightly larger exhaust outlets and a revised aero package for the M Sport trim package, which includes side skirts, wheel arch trim and some modest ground effects back on the car’s chin.

For 2020 you’re able to specify your X1 in three new hues, Storm Bay metallic, which is like a fancy grey, Misano Blue metallic and Jucaro Beige. So they haven’t exactly gone bonkers with the MOPAR Plum Crazy Purple paint gun. Wheel selection for the X1 expands to include a new Y-spoke design available in 18 or 19 inch sizes.

On the inside, a larger display helps you keep up with the Jones’s and there’s a now a rich Dakota leather interior that comes matched to dash and door handle trim. Perhaps the most meaningful if not the most exciting change is an updated version of the time-tested ZF eight speed automatic transmission that now ships with the X1.

X1 Goes Earthy

BMW has been no slowpoke when it comes to getting on board the transition to hybrid and electric cars. The Bavarian company plans to offer electric or hybrid options across the model range in the near future and for the X1, that future is 2020.

The X1 xDrive 25Le will hit the world market next year, adding a hybrid to the diesel option that has been available since the crossover’s introduction in international markets.

BMW claims that with electrification, the X1’s hybrid system achieves 141.2 mpg, which is more than you could ever hope to achieve with an oil-burner or traditional gasoline engine, even with the latest and greatest technologies.

An all-electric mode allows the X1 about 30 miles of range on battery alone, which might be helpful for jaunts around town and will be required to make the care salable in parts of Europe where such a mode is required.

It’s not clear yet whether we’ll see the hybrid 25Le come to the US, however with the X1 confidently earning the top selling spot in BMW’s SUV (SAV, XUV, what is this thing?) line, it would be no surprise to see some variant of this powertrain arrive on US shores within a few years time.

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Exciting New Features Coming in BMW’s 2019 Summer Refresh

Even with a brand-new 3 series just released and the plastic wrapping just coming off of the new X5 and halo-car 8 series, there’s no rest for the wicked.

When your top competition is one of the world’s oldest automakers and you’re playing catch-up against a lineup with 14 distinct classes to fill every little market niche, you have to be a little obsessive.

Queue the mid-season refresh. For 2019, the refresh is a thing in a big way. We’re getting new engine options, enhanced technologies and additional colors, just to name a few of the seasonal updates. So if you just bought a BMW, pat yourself on the back because pining for a new one can start today!

The 3er Gets new Powertrains

BMW 340i GT M Sport Estorilblau

Even with the hot new 8 series turning heads in the media, BMW’s reputation is fully invested in the 3-series.

The new G20 car has only been out for half a year, but it’s getting expanded powertrain options such as the coupling of the new 374hp turbo six-cylinder and BMW’s xDrive all-wheel drive system.

This model will wear the name M340i xDrive, and will be the must feature-laden 3er short of the full-on M car, which is currently without AWD.

For bimmerphile environmental enthusiasts, the lineup expansion also includes the 320i xDrive, the 330e hybrid model, which combines the 320’s four-cylinder powertrain with an electric motor for extra grunt and efficiency, and a version of the 330d diesel-powered car that includes the xDrive system.

Topping things off are new M Sport suspension upgrades available through BMW dealers and a gaggle of new paint and interior options. Not bad.

A Baby M5 for Your Driving Pleasure

The last few iterations of the 550i have held sleeper super-sedan status thanks to impressive power and none of the harshness that comes with the M car’s sporting intentions.

A newly developed V8 makes its way into the current 550 and narrows the gap with it’s M sibling to just 77 horsepower, producing 523hp and 553lbs-ft. of torque. This might cause a lot of potential M buyers to consider whether at nearly $400 per pony and with no difference in torque output, 523 is enough Bavarian horses.

Other BMW Things

There’s also a minor refresh in M land with the M4 coupe and convertible now offering the competition package as standard. That means increased output from the S55 six-cylinder of 450hp, a sports exhaust, upgraded seats to hold you in while you hoon your M car as one does using the Active M differential included in the package and breathed-on Adaptive M suspension with specially tuned dynamic stability control.

You also get BMW drive recorder on all models, so you can show your hoonage off on social media after downloading it from your car, or even submit evidence in the case of an accident using the feature that auto-saves 20 seconds before and after a collision.

If you’re the type that’s more excited about batteries than rip-snorting German horsepower, you should be happy to know that electrified BMWs will now make a sound to alert pedestrians that you’re approaching. So you can no longer sneak up on unwitting Mercedes drivers, for that you’ll need to join the Prius Illuminati. But now then, who would lower themselves to the ranks of driving a Toyota?