BMW Land│Issue #9

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Spy Photos

BMW X8 Render From Auto Express Looks Like A Production Ready Model

Magazines from around the world are starting to paint a design picture of the new X8. AutoExpress is the latest one to join the bunch and they put out together a rendering of a production ready X8 - the images can be seen here.

BMW X8 and its X8 M variant won't just be the coupe model of the X7. If the X5 and X6 are quite similar in most aspects apart from the different roofline and silhouette, the forthcoming G99 X8 M is conceived to be the pinnacle of X models, a proper, high-riding premium vehicle.

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Tests

VIDEO: Joe Achilles Gets 900 Miles From One Tank In A BMW 730d

Diesel engines have the ability to travel vast distances on very little fuel, giving even the biggest, heaviest of cars enormous ranges, as Joe Achilles proves in his own BMW 730d. In his most recent video, Achilles decided to attempt to drive 890 miles on one tank of fuel. Achilles essentially drove around England, it's hard to get a straight-line reference for just how far 900 miles is.

VIDEO: Magnus Walker Drives The E39 BMW M5 On The Next Big Thing

In Walker's, he drives classics that are still affordable for many people to see if they're the next big collector's item, called The Next Big Thing. In the first episode, Walker drives the E39 BMW M5. The specific E39 BMW M5 in this video is owned by California-based gear head Paul Zuckerman, whose Alpine White M5 has been tuned by Dinan and has made its rounds on shows like The Smoking Tire. The E39 BMW M5 is regarded by many as the best driving M5 of all time, and it's not hard to see why; it seems to be the perfect blend of power, speed, agility and comfort.

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Drag Races

Tuned F80 BMW M3 Drag Races Cadillac CTS-V

The F80 is pretty old news for the BMW community, especially when it comes to exterior styling compared to the 2021 model year G80. BMW sets up the F80 for handling rather than neck-breaking launches and straight-line speed, but this M3 is a little different thanks to "a tune." The Cadillac CTS-V on the other side of the strip is a 2010 model, which means that we're dealing with 6.2 liters of displacement and a thumpin' great blower on top of a small-block V8. General Motors quotes 556 horsepower and 551 pound-feet of torque at the crank, which is more suck-squeeze-bang-blow than the twin-turbo sixer in the Bimmer with the E85 tune in tow.

820-HP Nissan GT-R vs. 790-HP BMW M5 Drag Race 

Nissan GT-R, Godzilla puts out 820 hp instead of the 562 hp the 3.8-liter twin-turbo V6 engine produces in its stock form. F90 BMW M5 in its stock form, the German sedan produces 600 hp out of a 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8. Through various mods - Stage 1 tune, aftermarket air filter, Akrapovic titanium exhaust - BMW is managed to get that up to 790 hp, which is 30 hp less than the Nissan. Who wins?

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News

BMW Shows What's Hiding Behind Its Mighty New Grille

By now you've likely made up your mind about the front grille on the new BMW M3 and M4. However, all of the components behind the new nose have taken a back seat, until now. Right away it's clear to see that the majority of the space behind the grille is taken up by radiators for cooling important components - yes, not that surprising.

BMW's ‘Digital Key Plus' With Ultra-Wideband Technology is Coming to the Electric iX SUV

BMW announced this week that its new Digital Key Plus which uses ultra-wideband technology will launch with the upcoming BMW iX for the Apple iPhone. BMW was one of the first automakers to allow customers to use a smartphone as a digital vehicle key in 2018.Both BMW and Apple are working closely with the Car Connectivity Consortium to establish the Digital Key specification 3.0 for UWB. The CCC is a cross-industry organization advancing global technologies for smartphone-to-car connectivity solutions.

BMW M Outsells Mercedes-AMG In 2020

BMW M GmbH extended its lead over Mercedes-AMG 2020 with another record year. The new X5 M and X6 M SUVs certainly contributed to the BMW M record sales, with a high demand seen in the United States. Of course, the sales report also counts the M Performance Automobiles where BMW has several high-selling products, like the M340i, M340d or the X3 M40i.

Twenty Years of BMW iDrive. 

BMW iDrive celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2021. iDrive has become a ubiquitous feature throughout the BMW model lineup since its introduction.

At CES, BMW will unveil the latest chapter in the history of its proprietary infotainment technology. BMW is utilizing the virtual forum the event provides to give a global audience an initial preview of its upcoming all-new BMW iDrive system, which will be officially unveiled later in 2021. 

James Bond actor Sean Connery's old BMW 635 is up for auction

A 1986 BMW 635 CSi, once owned by late James Bond actor Sean Connery, has been put for sale in the UK. The car was owned by Sean Connery from 1990-1998 when he lived in Marbella, Spain. Currently, the highest bid for the BMW is £17,250, as per Bond Lifestyle blog. The car is currently at The Market headquarters near Abingdon, UK. The car was sold by the actor to a BMW dealer in 1998 where it remained in dry storage in the UK till 2007.

BMW iX2 electric crossover could take on the Tesla Model Y

Rumors BMW iX2 electric crossover could take on the Tesla Model Y. published by Germany's AutoBild. The electrified variant of the second generation BMW X2 has been mentioned before, including in a name filling by BMW. The next BMW X2 is due out in 2023 and it's based on the third generation BMW X1 which will launch in 2022. The BMW iX2 will, of course, feature a slightly different design, just like any typical BMW electric car.

Original BMW X5 Designer Gives His Opinion on the iX

Frank Stephenson isn't at all convinced by the BEV's exterior design, both from an aesthetic point of view and for pushing the brand's identity forward. He argues that if you take away that large faux-grille and the badges, you'll struggle to tell it's a BMW, and he's not wrong.

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