X1 - the Junior BMW Sports Activity Vehicle

There were some folks who were surprised or even upset when BMW went into the SUV business years ago with the X5. Purists, they were as upset about this development as Porschephiles were to see the Cayenne SUV. But that's what people want to buy, and it makes sense to move 3 and 5 Series lovers into larger accommodations when they need them. (The Porsche Cayenne has been a huge success, by the way).

I had the opportunity to pilot a new BMW X1 recently, and if you love the 1 or 3 Series sedans, you'll feel right at home. That's because this is truly a smaller vehicle than the X5, or even the tweener X3. All three X models are called sports ACTIVITY vehicles by BMW, perhaps to distinguish them from ordinary crossovers.

You can tell when you approach the X1 that it is more compact than its brethren, especially in height. It's nearly nine inches shorter than the X5--halfway between a typical SUV and a car. You can see that it is significantly smaller and lighter than it's X siblings, too. The table below gives some specifics.



                                                         X1               X3              X5
Length (in.)                                      176.5          183.0           191.1                         
Width (in.)                                         70.8            74.1             76.1
Wheelbase (in.)                               108.7           110.6           115.5
Weight (lb.)                                     3,726           4,068           4,960
Height (in.)                                        60.8             65.4             69.9
EPA Fuel Economy (City, Hwy)      22/33           21/27          16/33

The fuel economy numbers are for the smaller of the available engines. All three X models share a 3.5-liter inline six-cylinder engine that puts out an even 300 horsepower. For the X1 and X3, it's the bigger choice. They come with the excellent 2.0-liter turbo that is also in the 328 and 128 sedans. With 240 horsepower on tap, it moves the X1 along quite nicely, as it did in the 328 I tested recently. The X5 comes with a 400-horsepower 5.0-liter V8 as well.

The 2.0-liter gets an EPA rating of 5 for Smog and 7 for Greenhouse Gas--decent for a car of this size and type. 

The most notable thing about the X1 is how much it feels just like a BMW. When the X3 debuted years ago, it felt a little cheaper and the design, especially of the interior, felt a little budget, but in the X1 you get all the post-Bangle but still evocative curves and twists, the black and tan plastics, and nice brushed metal trim. I thought that the inside door grip felt a little non-luxury, with a slightly rough seam, but that was my only complaint. The dash itself  feels miniature--almost cute, but it has all the important data there.

The slightly higher position from a car (or BMW's iconic 3 Series wagon) gives that "in control" feeling that Americans claim is a reason to buy an SUV (or, more often today, an crossover vehicle). It feels better to not be looking up at someone's bumper. The X1's firm, compliant suspension and crisp steering deliver the sport sedan feeling, regardless of height.

The automatic transmission lever, now ubiquitous in BMWs, is a slim silver fish poking up from the center console. The X1 may have a manual available in Europe, but in the States it's not in the cards. Sorry about that.

The 2.0-liter turbo engine is rated at 22 City, 33 Highway, and I achieved 21.7 overall. I didn't drive especially quickly, but I did get stuck in some commute traffic. That was where the Auto Stop feature came in handy. It shuts off the engine when you stop, to save gas. This is a familiar experience, in, say, a Prius or other hybrid, but in a "performance" vehicle it's new. My monster BMW M6 (1,000th test car from a few months ago) also had this. I'm not sure how much gas it saves, but it has to be something. You can shut off Auto Stop with a button on the dash if it bothers you.

Americans love drinking (non-alcoholic beverages) while they drive, and the X1 comes with one built-in cupholder. But to get in that second one, there's a lovely detachable one mounted in the right edge of the center console. Like a silvery flower, it grows up and grips your drink effectively and quite aesthetically. I used it all the time. It pulls out and stows in the glovebox if you don't need it.

My tester had the M Sport Line, Lighting, and Ultimate packages, which added many fine features and many dollars to the total. From a base price of $32,350 for my tester, the bottom line came to $45,245. Some of the goodies in the packages include park distance control, a rear-view camera, high-tech Xenon lighting, automatic high beams, and more. The Ultimate Package actually included the Premium and Technology Packages, meaning you get a huge two-panel panoramic sunroof, power front seats, keyless entry, voice command for the navigation and other systems, and much more. Makes me wonder what a plain model would be like without all those goodies. They certainly made the "little" X1 feel like a real BMW.

The X5 starts at $47,500, and surely can be optioned up much further, so the X1 is a comparative bargain. To me, the compact, friendly nature of living with it for a week was a plus, especially if you don't need the bulk of the X5--or even the no-longer-small X3. And the X1 with the 2.0-liter four goes from 0-60 in 6.3 seconds, versus the X5's 6.4 seconds with its inline six, so you'll have plenty of fun out there on the road.

BMW M6 Convertible - a Supercar for a Special Occasion

Photo: Victor Llana, Boundless Captures Photography

After more than 21 years of testing cars, I knew I was approaching a milestone -- the 1,000th car! With this in mind, I approached one of my two fleets to try to get something special to commemorate the occasion. They came through big time, with the BMW M6 Convertible. My week with it was everything I hoped for.

Cars, at their essence, are about mobility -- transporting yourself, your family, your friends and your stuff around. Of course you want some comfort, some entertainment, and some functionality, but beyond that, it's all gravy. Depending on what you can afford and your personal tastes, you can pilot a humble Kia Rio hatchback or a Rolls-Royce Phantom.

The M6 is somewhere in the middle. No BMW is an inexpensive economy car, but the M6 sits high in the lineup. Based on the midsize 5 series chassis, its a low-slung coupe with a set of rear seats that are mostly for show and grocery bags. The driver and front seat passenger, once they lower themselves in, are treated royally.

The M designation comes from BMW's Motorsports program. Various M cars have delivered high-performance racecars and upgraded road cars since 1972. The first M6 goes back to 2005, but there have been and still are a range of M vehicles in different sizes and shapes for sale today, including the esteemed M3 compact sedan. All are highly prized.

If power is a differentiator, the M6 has gobs of it. Its 4.4-liter V8, with twin scroll turbochargers, puts out a whopping 560 horsepower and 502 lb.-ft. of torque. This vortex of power applies itself to the road through a seven-speed automatic and standard 19-inch alloy wheels. You can order 20-inchers if that's not enough for you. The automatic provides paddles on the steering column for manual gear selection.

It's easy to find yourself moving much too fast, so the head-up display shows your speed as two (or three) digits floating somewhere ahead of you on the road. The gauges themselves are classic circles on a flat panel -- a no-nonsense approach appropriate to a sports car. The speedometer goes up to 200 mph. I didn't even get halfway there during my test, although you could certainly make it well into the second hundred given enough closed road or racetrack opportunities.

The car sounds great as you roll along and push that handsome right pedal, but it's not overwhelming or distracting. I found that I used the accelerator carefully so as not to jump ahead in the typical in-town and freeway commute traffic I got stuck in much of the time.

As a special car, the M6 got my top-line treatment. I took Victor Llana, my ace photographer, to the Pacific Ocean beach for a photo session. We got a field of yellow mustard on the landward side and crashing surf on the other. With the top down, the sleek body looks just right against sea and sky -- and contrasts well with the bright yellow of the floral backdrop.

My tester wore a special, limited edition paint called Frozen Silver Metallic. It's one of a special category of flat, matte-finish coatings that you normally see on show cars. Certain Mercedes-Benz and Audi models are now available in this surface. It is mighty impressive, but my research turned up a caveat: you can't apply normal wax or rub out imperfections, so you have to baby-sit the paint diligently. At the first bird dropping, get out that soft, damp cloth and remove it. I'd think a garage and car cover would be a necessity.

The M6 provides awesome power and performance. The official 0-60 time from BMW is 4.3 seconds. A test in the May 2013 issue of Car and Driver recorded 3.8 seconds. That's mighty quick.

Besides this stunning acceleration, you can also alter the way your car performs using little buttons along the wide center console, next to the panel below the shifter. Adjust the steering feel and the suspension to Comfort, Sport or Sport Plus. The acceleration you can set in Sport, Sport Plus or Efficient.

I played with combinations of these settings and found that for freeway travel and around town, Sport, the default setting, was just fine. When I traversed the gorgeous Highway 84 snaking trail across the San Francisco Peninsula after our photo shoot, I dialed in Sport Plus and it tightened up the steering to make a small effort move the car more quickly, with more feedback and a firmer effort needed.

My 9th test car, March 1992. It's a Chevy Lumina LTZ.

Twenty-one years of driving a different car every week has made me acutely sensitive to the feeling you get from sitting behind a wheel, looking out the windshield and sensing the cabin around you. As a BMW, the M6 is not frilly or fussy, but the materials are fine and well crafted, and the design shows a strong hand. You can feel the value and worth in the car, but unlike some other brands, particularly the Japanese upscale brands, the design is not swirly or overdone. It says, "I know I'm a BMW" -- no bones about it.

High-priced cars often feature wood trim, and BMW has that in some of its models. My tester, however, featured genuine carbon fiber, a silvery fabric weave, presented behind an apparently thick coat of protective plastic. It toned in perfectly with the black and gray interior scheme.

Fuel economy is a big point for many buyers, and you wouldn't expect a 4,500-pound car with a huge engine to be economical. In fact, the M6 is hit with a $1,300 Gas Guzzler tax on top of its jaw-dropping price. However, in my test week, over several hundred miles, I averaged 19.3 miles per gallon. The EPA says 14 City, 20 Highway, 16 Combined. I beat the numbers this time. The EPA Green Vehicle ratings show a Smog number of 5 and a Greenhouse Gas figure of just 3. No real surprise there. If you order up the manual transmission, you'll improve the Greenhouse Gas number to a 4 and add 1 mpg to the fuel economy numbers.

As a convertible, the M6 gives you the sky and the stars in just about 20 seconds. Like any upscale drop-top, all it takes is holding down a tiny switch on the console. The windows drop, the rear tonneau cover opens up, the top unlatches from the windshield header and gently folds into the space below the rear seats, the cover settles down over it, and the system beeps to tell you it's done.

BMW used a soft top for this car. One of my friends questioned this, but it makes for a lighter, more compact top and leaves some (but not a lot) of trunk space for a soft suitcase or two.

I enjoyed the car immensely and felt like I had a special week driving it. However, I would never be able to afford one. The base price of the M6 Convertible, with delivery and Gas Guzzler penalty, comes to $116,845. Despite being loaded with top-level equipment, including a 20-way adjustable driver's seat and a 12-speaker, 500-watt  audio system that uses a wide 10.2-inch screen, the M6 can be further enhanced with options. See your banker before you visit the dealer.

I'm already finishing up test car number 1,001, but I'll never forget this BMW M6.

See my video review for the Castro Valley Auto Show on Castro Valley TV.

BMW 3 Series - The Original Sports Sedan

The BMW 3 Series has become so identified with its role as "the" sports sedan (or coupe or wagon) that it defines the segment. Automotive buff magazines routinely rate the car in their "top ten" favorite lists, year after year. So what do you do when you redesign it for the sixth time?

In the case of the sixth generation car, which came out as a 2012 model, you make it slightly larger and a bit more fuel efficient. For size, the sedan now sits 3.66 inches longer and has a wider track (1.46 inches front, 1.85 inches rear). And the car looks larger now, too, thanks to horizontal lines and tricks like having the flattened twin-kidney grille link up with a chrome bridge to the headlamp pods. Despite casting a larger shadow, the new car is almost 100 pounds lighter, thanks to some thoughtful touches in design and materials.

The body still reads 3 Series, with the Hofmeister kink in the rear side window, quad headlamps, and the familiar proportions of the well-loved classic. The styling excesses of the Chris Bangle design era never completely altered the 3 Series--BMW's biggest seller--and the latest car, while sharper edged and  more energetic, is not as tied to flame surfacing and odd juxtopositions.

To make the 3 Series more fuel efficient, BMW gave it a four-cylinder engine option, after many years of selling only the inline six. This latest model uses Twin-Power Turbo technology to get 240 horsepower and 260 lb.-ft. of torque out of just 2.0 liters of displacement in the 328i. The 320i model offers 180 horsepower from the same displacement. In the old nomenclature, a 328i model name would indicate a 2.8-liter engine, probably a six, but today it's just a number. The 335i gets the inline six today.  With a 5.7-second zero-to-sixty time, the four is absolutely no slouch. It just sounds less like a BMW.

With either engine, you can have a standard six-speed manual or a remarkable eight-speed automatic. The manual, in my personal opinion, is the fun and sportier way to go, but here in the United States, the automatic is king. Eight gears allows some precise and efficient gear selection. For an extra $500, the Sport version of the eights-speed automatic provides handsome steering wheel paddles for racecar style quick shifts.

The manual transmission is upgraded with carbon friction linings in the sychromesh, one of  many ways of making sure the shifts are smooth and fast.

The xDrive models give you a shot at a 3 Series with all-wheel-drive traction. Choose it in any model. Or, opt for a convertible, for a refreshing open-air experience.

The EPA awards the four-cylinder 328i with automatic an average of 26 miles per gallon (23 City, 33 Highway). In my Alpine White test car, I achieved 25.7 mpg--essentially matching the EPA for a change. The car with the manual shifter gives up one mile per gallon in the city but gains it back on the highway--earning the same 26 mpg. The Green numbers are pretty good, at 7 for Greenhouse Gas and a 6 or an 8 (depending) for Smog.

Driving a 3 is always fun, even on the freeway, but hours of commute traffic make it feel like it's all cooped up. You really want to move along in this car. I got onto a favorite back road and it stretched out and ran. The carefully tuned independent suspension provides quick reflexes and sufficient comfort, while the floating-caliper disc brakes on all four wheels stop the car in a hurry. As a BMW, it flaunts an ideal 50/50 front/rear balance, and it uses rear-wheel drive--a fairly rare but highly touted way of building a sports sedan.

You can customize your experience on the fly by using Driving Dynamics Control to select one of four settings. You can leave the car in the fine "normal" setting or set it more like a real sports car with the Sport or Sport + setting. Or, choose ECO PRO and the car will tailor the throttle mapping to burn less fuel. My tester actually shut down at lights to save gas--an unexpected sensation--especially in a BMW.

BMWs have often seemed a little plan inside, for their price. The newest 3 Series cars have more curves, trim pieces and richness than their predecessors. My tester featured leather buckets in Dakota Coral red and black. You can actually select from four trim levels in the 3 Sedan: Sport, Luxury, Modern and M Sport. Think rich black trim for the Sport, chrome for the Luxury, and satin aluminum trim for the Modern. The M Sport gives even more, including especially nice 19-inch wheels.

I was amused at the car's hidden cup holders. There's a tray that fits over them, so if you want to be a German and say "nicht" to drinking and driving, leave the shelf in. If not, pop it out and store it in the glovebox. Another interesting act of hiding is the control for playing the satellite radio. You have to push the main controller to the left to expose the selection. You'd never see it on the dash.

Will the faithful go for this new and powerful four-cylinder engine? The sixth car I ever tested (and first BMW) was a 3 series with 1.8-liter four of its day, and it had a lighter touch than the more common six. 

Pricing for 3 Series cars starts at $33,445 for the 320i with automatic transmission and a 180-horse power of the inline four. My 2013 328i test car, with the 240-horsepower engine, top M Sport package, a dynamic handling package with the Cold Weather package, variable sport steering, came to $47,295.

I drove my first BMW 3 Series in 1992. It was a 318i, and put out just 113 horsepower. It still felt wonderful, and the 3 Series continues to please its constituency--it's just a little bigger now--in every way.

BMW X3 - Compact Luxury SUV--Built in the U.S.

BMW has cachet--and its 3 Series cars have been the brand's most popular offerings for decades. With the rise in compact SUVs (and crossovers) it was inevitable that the German brand would expand into that segment, and in 2004, they did, offering the original X3 alongside the larger X5.

I drove one of these first-gen cars and and it didn't feel as "BMW-like" as I expected. I read elsewhere of complaints about the overly firm ride and a kind of plainness to the design.

Well, folks, don't worry, because the new X3 is completely BMW--even though it is now built in Spartanburg, South Carolina. BMW started building the Z3 sports car there a long time ago and it's now the source for all the X vehicles--X5 and X6 included. Americans are the largest consumers of tall wagons, and it only makes sense to build them here--for worldwide distribution.

BMWs are some of the most distinctive cars on the road, so you'll immediately recognize the twin-kidney grille, and all of the brand's X-series "Sports Activity Vehicles" have recognizable shapes to clue you in. The new model still has lots of lines on the surface, including six on the hood alone, but it's a little smoother and prettier than before. The headlight assemblies are large and prominent while the taillamps wear the T shape that was established in the first generation. The sides have three sets of lines to take your eye along the surface.

My Space Gray Metallic test car arrived with the inline 3.0-liter 6-cylinder engine, as the X3 xDrive35i. It has an even 300 horsepower--which felt like lots. It's reputed to go from zero to 60 mph in just 5.5 seconds. I didn't time it myself, but it felt like it was up to the job.

The eight-speed automatic has two extra gears, so there's a taller one for more efficiency while still giving you a quick shot off the line in the lower gears. You can shift manually (no clutch), too.

The xDrive28i model sits below the xDrive35i, and now comes with a turbocharged 240-horsepower four-cylinder for increased efficiency and a little lower initial cost.

The EPA gives the X3 with the straight-six ratings of 19 City, 26 Highway and 21 Average. I got just 17.4 mpg. Green Vehicle scores are a mid-pack 6 for Air Pollution and 4 for Greenhouse Gas.

Thanks to the electronic control of pretty much everything in the car, you can configure the driving characteristics with the Driving Dynamics Control lever. This optional feature lets you adjust the shock absorber firmness, engine throttle response, transmission shift characteristics, level of power steering assist, and stability control mode. That means that by setting it at Normal, Sport, or Sport +, you can have three quite different driving experiences.

Normal felt fine on the freeway and around town, but I tried the sportier settings intermittently, and it really made a big difference. Especially with a tall vehicle, having the tauter handling on the windier roads was a treat. Of course, it being a BMW, even Normal was more satisfying than the average car.

The first generation may have seemed a little basic and plain, but this new X3 has all the feeling of a BMW, including the straightforward, flat instrument panel and the typical matte surface textures that convey understated luxury. There was plenty of Fineline Sienna wood trim in my tester, too. The always-excellent BMW seats are firm and hold you in place while you're testing to see if that 5.5-second time is accurate.

The X3 isn't a cheap car to begin with. The xDrive35i starts at $43,595, but there are lots of extras you can pack on, and my tester was a rolling example of how to do this. The Sport Activity Package upgraded the wheels to 19-inch double-spoked alloys and enhanced the transmission and seats, while turning the headliner black and installing Aluminum Satin roof rails. Two Cold Weather Packages (neither of which I'd need here in California) heated the steering wheel and front and rear seats, among other things.

The Dynamic Handling Package gave me that adjustable ride and driving configuration I mentioned earlier. The Premium Package further loaded the boat with a power tailgate, keyless entry, ambiance lighting and much more. Premium Sound upgraded the audio system and added Satellite Radio. The Technology Package added lots of cool things you'd want to have, such as the rear view camera with a special "Top View" feature, Park Distance Control, and a navigation system with realtime traffic information. Whew.

What happened is that a $43,000 car became a $56,295 one. Compact, but loaded. What's not to like (other than making the payments?).

That Old Car Owning Dream

I saw a late 1960's BMW Tilux 2000 in the parking lot near work (again) yesterday. Its paint was shot and with its windows open, you could smell the deteriorating upholstery. But I wanted it anyway.

What is it about old cars? They pollute like crazy, can fall victim to any number of mechanical problems and, if collectible, can cost a ton of money to buy and to restore. They aren't safe on the road (no airbags, crush zones, or likely, anti-lock brakes). But they stand out.

I read various collectible car magazines, such as Hemmings Classic Car, appreciating the 12 years some guy spent restoring his 1954 MG or 1967 Chevy, and the "driveable dreams" that seem to keep on going without anything but a tune up and oil change. But I actually have a cute little old collector's car in my garage and won't go near it.

Maybe it's all about the delta between your dreams and reality, or what you'd LIKE to like and what you actually enjoy doing. I appreciate it when those big guys run up and down the basketball court and put the basketball in the hoop but I'd never want to do that myself. When my friend hiked the Pacific Coast Trail last year I was very impressed--but I find it hard to get to my local park on the weekend.

But I still admire those old beasts as they cruise through the sea of Honda Civics, Toyota Camrys and Chevy Malibus. Give me a 1973 Volvo 1800es!

How Small? Isetta Did the Job

Having recently sampled the diminutive Scion iQ (coming soon to your Toyota dealer), I thought about how small a car could be. The smart car (they prefer the initial lowercase "s") is smaller than the iQ--but going back a bit, how about the Isetta? Made by BMW (originally by ISO Spa) in the lean years after WWII, the tiny bubble car is about a cute as it gets and served the needs of the times for extremely economical transportation.

The miniscule Isetta has only one door--and it opens in the front. The steering column comes with it! You can park it nose-in to the curb and step right out onto the sidewalk. Its 13-horsepower engine is adequate for moving it down the road at up to 53 mph.

I actually rode in one back in the late 1950's and it was fun--what I can remember of it.

More than 161,000 were made, and you can still see one today--especially if you visit a microcar event.