Archive for BMW

Imagine, you’re just moseying along driving your trailer carrying 9 imported BMWs trying to earn a living, when suddenly a rain of rocks fall from the sky and 4 of the BMWs you’re carrying get damaged, causing massive damage including broken windscreens and damaged body panels.

This is exactly what happened in China, where a group of kids decided to throw rocks at a passing trailer because, according to them, “it was fun.” When confronted, the parents of the kids were only wiling to fork out a maximum of 5000 yuan or US$729 for the damage.

Interestingly the news article seemed to indicate that the driver is in extreme distress trying to figure out how to cover the damage. No insurance policy?

source via

The BMW E32 was the first 7-Series with a V12 engine. The BMW 750i featured the M70, a 5.0 liter V12 that was also installed in the E31 8-Series. It had a 4,988cc displacement, 2 valves per cylinder, one camshaft per cylinder bank, a bore and stroke of 75 x 84 and a compression ratio of 8.8:1. Peak horsepower was 300 PS at 5,200rpm while peak torque was 450Nm at 4,100rpm. 0 to 100km/h took 7.4 seconds.

The latest F01 7-Series was introduced with only three engines, with the largest being a twin turbocharged V8. As impressive as those sedans may be, I am still waiting for a 760i V12 to be unveiled, perhaps with that 8-speed ZF automatic that was rumoured to be installed to the entire F01 range.

Watch a video by BMW Web TV on the E32 V12 after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of E32 BMW 750i: the first V12 powered 7-Series

The MINI John Cooper Works is now in Malaysia and available at Auto Bavaria and Sapura Auto showrooms for RM279,000. The MINI JCW’s 1.6 liter turbocharged engine gets boosted up to 211hp, with peak torque now at 260Nm (280Nm overboost) from as low as 1,850rpm. The MINI JCW is only available with a 6-speed manual, reflecting its more hardcore nature as compared to the Cooper S.

Other equipment that differentiates the JCW from the Cooper S is a sports suspension, JCW aerodynamic kit and a carbon fiber rear spoiler. BMW says all bodykit items serve aerodynamic functions instead of being just for aesthetics, improving handling and road-holding especially at higher speeds. THere are also exclusive 17 inch light alloys which weigh less than 10kg wrapped with 205/45R18W high speed run flat tyres.

DSC with DTC is offered as standard, an improvement over the DSC-only of the “baseline” MINIs. DTC is a less naggy version of DSC that only kicks in when you’re about to get into serious trouble, allowing you to have abit more fun with the car. When DSC (and DTC) is turned completely off, there is still Electronic Differential Lock Control.

The interior is done in Piano Black with Anthracite roof lining. The exterior comes in either Lightning Blue, Laser Blue, British Racing Green, Astro Black, Pure Silver, Dark Silver, and Sparkling Silver metallic, or Chili Red and Pepper White non-metallic.

Look at the linked related post for a hi-res photo gallery and videos.

Related Posts:
MINI John Cooper Works Details and Hi-Res Photos

Okay, so we’ve seen the Japanese market Honda Fit and Fit RS with the 1.3 liter and 1.5 liter engines, and the UK market Honda Jazz with the 1.2 liter and 1.4 liter engines and i-SHIFT gearbox. Before we see the Malaysian/ASEAN spec Jazz introduced here sometime this month, Honda has also unveiled the US version of the Honda Fit.

If you notice they are all basically the same car but with different engine and transmission options as well as minor styling changes here and there. The Japanese, UK and American models all have different front bumper designs. If you exclude the Japanese Fit RS, the American 2009 Honda Fit definitely has one of the more sportier styling elements out of the whole international range.

While the Japanese and UK cars have similiar tail lamps, the tail lamps of the US version have the same shape but a different lense design. The Thai version also has a different tail lamp design with more red than crystal as compared to its twins from the other regions, which is likely the version we will get.

Only one engine options is available in the US - a 1.5 liter i-VTEC inline-4 engine with either a 5-speed manual or a 5-speed auto, although it’s expected that a next generation 1.3 liter IMA gasoline-electric hybrid will be dumped into the Fit at a later date. Paddle shifters are available, and Honda also offers a sat nav system with the car.

More images after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of 2009 Honda Fit for US market unveiled!

I have some preliminary details on the Proton MPV due to be launched in the first half of 2009. According to a source in Proton, the Proton MPV is on schedule and one of the first chassis prototypes was shown at the Proton Technology Week.

14th October 2008 UPDATE: Proton MPV Spyshots - photos of the actual Proton MPV being tested on public roads!

The chassis reveals quite a bit about the car. There is also a model of the interior hidden in a box with holes cut into it, much like the peekaboo promo that Proton did for its previous two models. The following are what I gathered on the MPV:

Exterior

• Overall shape is like the Toyota Wish but the rear section of the roof does not slope down slightly like the Wish to improve headroom for the third row.
• Tail lamps use LEDs and have a vertical design extending from the top to down, unlike the Wish’s which do not extend into the D pillar. The tail lamps are slimmer at the top but curve out a little at the bottom, similiar to the Volvo XC90’s design. The signal lamps in the light cluster are positioned towards the top for better visibility. You can actually see this in the previously revealed sketch and the teaser video above.
• There is a swage line on the side profile of the MPV.
• Regular swing doors instead of sliding doors.
• The spare tyre is installed outside under the chassis instead of kept in the car so that you can get access to it easily when the luggage space is occupied.

Interior

• The peekaboo box revealed a two-tone beige interior, but sources in Proton say the colour of the interior has not been finalised. It may be either beige or grey.
• Luggage space is not that great with the third row of seats in place, but can fit one large golf bag. This means balik kampung with 7 people loaded and luggage for 7 will be a challenge.
• Second row splits 60:40 while the third row is a 50:50 split. The seats fold flat.
• Interior roof height is designed to be quite decent to accomodate people who want to ride with songkoks and turbans.
• The shifter uses a gated shift and is dashboard-mounted rather than mounted between the front two seats, a common modern trend with MPV-like vehicles.
• The in-car entertainment is a 2-DIN unit. There are options for a DVD player with an LCD display for the movie mounted at the second row roof area. There is also an option in the future for GPS navigation.
• The 2-DIN head unit is at the top of the center dash area below the aircond vents, and below it comes the air conditioning controls which are three knobs arranged in a triangle shape. Below that is the shifter.
• There are aircond blowers for the second and third row situation at the top left and right of the cabin roof (near the grip handles). Proton source says after testing this produced the best airflow.
• There is no armrest between the front two seats but the armrest is instead a fold-down type integrated into the seat itself.

Chassis

• The wheelbase of the chassis is estimated to be more than 2,700mm but less than 2,800mm. In comparison, the Honda Stream has a wheelbase of 2740mm, the Wish is 2,750mm, the Innova 2,750mm, the Livina 2600mm, and the Mazda5 2750mm.
• The front suspension design uses MacPherson struts and the rear design uses a torsion beam to minimize suspension system intrusion into cabin.
• The front end is designed, supplied and assembled as a single module for weight reduction and ease of installation to minimize QC problems.
• The MPV is said to have very good crash safety design from Proton internal crash tests. A few MPVs will be sent for official crash testing and rating soon.

So there you have it. If you want to look at the interior and chassis for yourself you can head to the Proton Technology Week event tomorrow. The event is happening at the Proton plant in Shah Alam. On the KESAS highway heading towards Klang, turn left after the Center of Excellence and then turn left into the Proton plant.

An initial concept sketch of the Proton MPV interior, but the production version will be tamed down.

Proton MPV teaser video gets attention…

Day 1 visitors having a peek at the new MPV’s interior.

Click here to read the rest of Proton MPV exclusive initial details revealed!

BMW has applied the latest E90 sedan facelift to its M3 sedan less than a year after it was first unveiled in October last year. Only the rear gets the facelift treatment, featuring the new taillamps that are now back to the classic L-shape and accompanying reshaped bootlid. The front is from the M3 Coupe which remains largely unchanged.

Continue reading to check out a hi-res photo gallery of the facelifted M3 Sedan.

Click here to read the rest of BMW M3 Sedan gets facelift in record time

The BMW M6 has been updated for the 2009 model year with new side mirrors, and an updated latest generation iDrive system. Under the hood, the auxiliary systems like air conditioning have been switched to ones that are powered by electricity, something you’d typically only find in a hybrid car or a car with start-stop go functions.

There is also a new option for the M6 Coupe called the Competitive Package which gives the car a new hood with a slightly different design, new aluminium wheels with double spoke design, and an active suspension which can adjust its travel and firmness on the fly. The new suspension also reduces ride height over the “basic” M6 by 10mm at the rear and 12mm at the front.

BMW has recently launched the Sports series to complement the 3 Series lineup with the introduction of the 320i Sport and the 325i Sports models. According to BMW Malaysia, these Sports versions offer buyers a sportier version of the standard 320i SE and 325i models. BMW invited us to test drive the 320i Sports model, so let’s see how it stands up to expectations after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of BMW 320i Sports Test Drive Review

BMW has released more info, photos and videos of the new MINI John Cooper Works. Since BMW bought the rights to the JCW brand in December 2006, the MINI JCW is now developed in-house and rolls off the MINI production line at Plant Oxford. It will go on sale on the 22nd of July 2008 for £20,995 OTR for the Cooper version, with the JCW Clubman pricing to be confirmed later.

Enhancements over the standard Cooper S and Clubman S are found in the areas of engine, transmission and styling. The engine now has a larger twin-scroll turbocharger, resulting in an upgrade from 175hp to 211hp, with torque now at a peak of 260Nm between 1,850-5,600rpm with a 280Nm overboost. 0 to 100km/h takes 6.5 seconds (6.8 for JCW Clubman). The transmission and 22mm larger Brembo brakes are adapted from the MINI CHALLENGE race car.

For reliability and strengthening due to the higher boost pressure (up from 0.9 bar to 1.3 bar), the intake valves, valve seat rings, pistons, and cylinder head have been strengthened. Compression ratio has been reduced to 10.0:1 to compensate for higher boost, although this is still high for a turbocharged engine thanks to direct injection. The crankcase remains the same pressure die-cast block made of aluminium.

The DSC system in the MINI now has the DTC mode found in BMW cars. DTC is sort of a mid-way point between stability control being turned on or off. In DTC mode, stability control only activates in extreme cases, allowing you to slide the car around a little and do a little wheel spinning.

WIth DSC totally off, there is still the Electronic Differential Lock Control which will slow down the inner rear wheel when you power out of a corner to ensure power is transferred to the wheel with more traction. ELDC does not do this via retarding engine power. Three suspension settings are available - standard, sports (firmer with stiffened anti-roll bar) and JCW (firmer, stiffer anti-roll bar, and 10mm lowered ride height).

You can view videos and high-res photos of the MINI JCW after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of MINI John Cooper Works Details and Photos

We had a look at the race-specced version of the E92 BMW M3 Coupe back in March this year, but had to make do with only three photos of the car and a specs sheet which revealed a 1,150kg kerb weight, 485 horsepower and 500Nm of torque. Now BMW Motorsport has released this video of the racing specification M3, so we get to watch the car in motion and hear its engine as well! It will be raced in the American Le Mans Series. Watch the high resolution video after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of VIDEO: BMW M3 Race Edition on the track