BMW M550i XDrive

The BMW M550i is one heck of a set of wheels. If that new M5 weren鈥檛 such a bonkers performance machine, we鈥檇 scarcely think it鈥檇 be necessary. In fact, looking at this particular machine, we can鈥檛 help but wonder if this wouldn鈥檛 be the one we鈥檇 want. On display at the world鈥檚 largest BMW dealership, located in the Persian Gulf emirate of Abu Dhabi, is a brand-new M550i xDrive, all decked out in white with a deep brown leather interior. Making it even more tempting is the optional M Performance body kit it wears and those oversized 20-inch alloys in a dark grey finish. Even more compelling is the price gap from this model to the full-on M5. 75k. That鈥檚 a heck of a difference - about enough to buy a base Ford Mustang with the EcoBoost turbo four. If we didn鈥檛 have the six figures to spend, we get the feeling we鈥檇 be plenty satisfied with the next best thing. Shame that, with new emissions regulations coming into effect, the Bavarian automaker has reportedly had to shut down production of the M550i - albeit only temporarily. Here鈥檚 hoping that when it reemerges with new restrictions in place, it won鈥檛 prove any less tempting.

And then there鈥檚 the suspension. Carbon-ceramic brakes are still available, but a new decelerating system (optional on the Cayenne and Cayenne S, standard on the Turbo) has enormous 415-millimetre front and 365-millimetre rear discs coated with tungsten carbide. Rear-axle steering is an option for the first time, which turns the back wheels up to three degrees in opposition to the fronts until speeds reach 80 kilometres per hour, and in the same direction above that mark. The difference this makes in real-world driving dynamics is especially noteworthy. This is perhaps more technical than some might care to be when shopping for a premium SUV that will most often shuttle around a family of four. But the true appeal of the new Cayenne, which could very well end up on more Canadian driveways than any other vehicle in the Porsche lineup, is its remarkable diversity. It transitions from smooth on-road manners to off-road competence and yes, even to outright performance that genuinely fits in on a racetrack. It鈥檚 unquestionably the most all-around capable vehicle that Porsche has ever produced. Indeed, beauty can run far deeper than skin.

The 2019 Porsche Macan is a compact luxury crossover that competes with the Alfa Romeo Stelvio and Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class. The Macan is newer, smaller and less expensive than Porsche鈥檚 original SUV, the Cayenne. Available with up to 348 horsepower from a twin-turbocharged V6 engine, the Macan is capable of a 5.1-second 0-60 mph time and a top speed of 157 miles per hour. The Macan has received a midcycle update for 2019 that includes a restyled front fascia, new colors, new wheel designs, an upgraded 10.9-inch infotainment screen and stiffer aluminum suspension components to improve handling. A new wheel design and new colors are part of the 2019 Porsche Macan. The Macan has a wheelbase of 110.5 inches, an overall length of 184.9 inches and a width including mirrors of 82.6 inches. The Macan comes standard with a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that has 248 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque. The Macan S comes with a 3.0-liter V6 engine that has 348 horsepower and 352 pound-feet of torque. Both models come with a seven-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive.

The Macan is rated to tow up to 4,409 pounds. Fuel economy estimates for the 2019 Macan have not been released. The Macan comes standard with lane-departure warnings, a hill-control system, rollover detection and an alarm system with ultrasonic interior surveillance. Available options include lane-keep assist, lane-change assist, adaptive cruise control and a parking-assist system with a surround-view camera. The 2019 Macan includes a 10.9-inch display with SiriusXM Radio, internet access and more. The Macan comes standard with a 10.9-inch display that has SiriusXM Radio, wireless internet access, navigation, a 150-watt sound system, four USB ports and voice controls. Apple CarPlay and Bose Surround Sound are available in the Premium Options Package. The Macan comes standard with cruise control, tri-zone automatic climate controls, high-gloss black interior trim with silver accents, leather and Alcantara upholstery, a leather-wrapped sport steering wheel, folding rear seats, clothing hooks and a cargo cover. The Macan S comes with special model badges and 19-inch wheels. Options include heated seats, ventilated seats, a panoramic sunroof and 14-way memory power seats. Available performance options include a torque-vectoring system, adaptive air suspension, a sport exhaust system and ceramic composite brakes.

2019 BMW ALPINA B6 XDrive Gran Coupe

The new 2016 model year BMW ALPINA B6 xDrive Gran Coupe gains subtle BMW enhancements and benefits in particular from the results of continuous development by ALPINA. The four-door Gran Coupe, already widely recognized for aesthetic beauty and impressive driving performance, raises the benchmark with exciting new details. The new BMW ALPINA B6 xDrive Gran Coupe will become available to order starting in March 2015, with US deliveries slated to begin at BMW Centers in June. Pricing will be announced closer to the on-sale date. The BMW ALPINA B6 xDrive Gran Coupe is available as a special-order vehicle with capacity-limited production underscoring its exclusivity. The B6鈥檚 body is manufactured in the BMW 6 Series factory (Plant Dingolfing) and hand-finished with the remaining ALPINA components at the ALPINA factory in Buchloe, Germany. The hand-finishing sequence at ALPINA increases the production lead-time by approximately two weeks. European Delivery at the BMW Welt delivery center is available for the BMW ALPINA B6, as is BMW Performance Center Delivery in Greer, SC, USA.

The powerful brake system now features blue calipers with ALPINA lettering on the front axle with brake discs measuring 374 x 36 mm on the front and 370 x 24 on the rear (increased from 345 x 24 mm). The standard equipment level has been extended to include attractive features such as Full LED Adaptive Headlights with High Beam Assistant, and a discrete new B6 model designation in the B-pillar in high-gloss Shadow Line. Refined performance with powerful delivery. Continuous development of the 4.4 liter V8 Bi-Turbo V-8 engine has resulted in a number of upgrades leading to a significant increase in power output in the new B6 xDrive Gran Coupe. The engine now develops 600 hp at 6,000 rpm and a maximum torque of 590 lb-ft between 3,500 and 4,500 rpm (preliminary figures). Two specifically-constructed, large-diameter turbochargers, operating in parallel, are primarily responsible for achieving a high power and torque output over a very broad engine speed range, without sacrificing spontaneous throttle response at low rpm.

The high-performance water-air intercooler system with a short intake distances consists of a large-volume low-temperature heat exchanger, and two near-engine intercoolers. Additional oil and water coolers are located just behind the front spoiler to ensure overall thermodynamic efficiency of the engine. Extensive optimization of the air intake ducting and air filter housing leads to a substantial reduction of losses, which together with an upgraded fuel supply system results in the hike in output of 60 hp over the previous model year. Inside the cylinders, specific MAHLE pistons are designed to deal with temperatures and pressures associated with up to 1.2 bar (17.4 psi) boost pressure and the engine鈥檚 10.0:1 nominal compression ratio. ALPINA-tuned 8-speed Sport Automatic transmission. Adapted and tested in co-operation with ZF, the advanced ALPINA SWITCH-TRONIC 8-Speed Sport Automatic transmission is perfectly tailored to the power and torque of the V-8 Bi-Turbo engine. It excels equally in the disciplines sport and comfort, playing a central role in infusing the B6 xDrive Gran Coupe with ALPINA typical characteristics. In Automatic (D) Shift Mode, the flexible blend of eight speeds and high torque makes for smooth gear changes only a torque converter can provide.

Explicitly programmed for comfort, the B6 Bi-Turbo Gran Coupe glides effortlessly and efficiently at low engine speed and tall gears, offering unmatched cruising ability. In Sport (S) Shift Mode, the transmission becomes significantly more dynamic, gear changes are executed faster and feedback becomes more direct. The system allows for multi-simultaneous downshifts in only milliseconds, wherein the transmission will skip several gears depending on engine loads and speeds to select the most favorable gear for optimum acceleration. The Manual (M) Shift Mode allows full driver control over the transmission. The ALPINA SWITCH-TRONIC buttons are ergonomically mounted on the rear of the steering wheel, their actuation allowing the driver to shift up or down as required. DSC OFF Mode using the Driving Dynamics Control button is the cancellation of automatic upshift function. In this mode of operation, the transmission will maintain the selected gear up to maximum engine speed and will not automatically upshift to the next gear. This is desirable in certain driving situations, for example during especially dynamic driving on roads with multiple tight hair-pin corners, or on race track segments featuring pronounced elevation change.

Hardware modifications to the transmission, output and driveshafts enable unrestrained power delivery. In combination with the single-cylinder fade-out and ALPINA specific software modifications, this eliminates the common reduction of torque required by the transmission in order to up-shift. This allows super-quick upshifts under full loads which, together with xDrive intelligent all-wheel drive, means the B6 xDrive Gran Coupe requires only 3.6 seconds for the sprint from 0 - 60 mph (preliminary). BMW xDrive intelligent all-wheel drive. The B6 xDrive Gran Coupe features a full stainless steel exhaust system with ALPINA trademark elliptical twin tailpipes. The character of the deep exhaust note is prominent but not intrusive. Active exhaust valves allow balance between enthusiasm and comfort on long journeys. The driver can influence the sound experience using the Driving Dynamics Control button. In Comfort Mode, the exhaust valve is closed up to 2,500 rpm, and in Sport Mode the valve is permanently open.

New BMW M135i XDrive Prototype Review

No family hatchback line-up would be complete without a hot range topper, and this new M135i xDrive is just that car for the new BMW 1 Series. For a start, it鈥檚 not front-wheel drive. The M135i is only available with BMW鈥檚 four-wheel drive xDrive system, which can send as much as 50 per cent of the power to the rear axle. On the subject of power, there鈥檚 302bhp and 450Nm of torque from a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol motor that鈥檚 an evolution of the motor first seen in BMW鈥檚 X2 M35i xDrive hot SUV. But compared with that engine it boasts new pistons for higher compression, stronger con rods, a new, larger twin scroll turbo and new fuel injectors. In this prototype it felt very measured and linear. That maximum torque output is delivered from 1,750rpm and sustained to 4,500rpm, so there鈥檚 strong performance low down and not much lag, while it revs out with a decent level of aggression too. However, it鈥檚 not the most characterful unit, so much so that BMW has enhanced the engine鈥檚 note with a contrived sound under load.

There鈥檚 a rorty noise and some pops on upshifts from the sports exhaust, we just wish we could hear more of this. The gearbox itself is good. An eight-speed automatic that shifts swiftly and smoothly no matter whether you鈥檙e going up or down, but it doesn鈥檛 feel as rapid as the best dual-clutch systems. It doesn鈥檛 enhance nor does it hinder the driving experience, but what about that new platform? There鈥檚 a good level of grip and the balance is benign, so you can jump in and drive it to its limit very quickly - something BMW鈥檚 engineers explicitly wanted to achieve. Even once you approach or exceed that limit the M135i feels friendly, but not all that thrilling. That鈥檚 because it pushes into understeer whereas its rear-driven ancestor wanted to indulge you in small slides. Our early drive was limited to a tight and twisty handling circuit, so we couldn鈥檛 tell much about the ride on the standard 18-inch wheels. There is a subtle degree of adjustability, but even with the clever new integrated traction control and stability system that鈥檚 design to inject more of a fun feel, we鈥檇 have liked a little more. After all, this is BMW鈥檚 calling card.

Downsized diesel engines like this can sometimes be coarse on the move, but as long as you don鈥檛 extend the 1.5 unit too far beyond 3,000rpm, it鈥檚 smooth, delivers a sustained surge of performance and isn鈥檛 too grumbly. The rest of the time it鈥檚 refined, and the motor鈥檚 diesel drone melts into the background. It鈥檚 matched by a chassis that smooths out the road relatively well, with a long wheelbase that gives a nice, lazy and languid feel to the way it deals with most bumps. But as with most cars on the EMP2 platform, harsher inputs clatter through the chassis. The small steering wheel makes it feel too keen to turn if anything, but the chassis has just enough agility to keep up. Kia has updated its Optima with a fresh look and a more efficient 1.6-litre turbodiesel, plus extra safety tech. These are all important points in this sector, so can this 拢24,260 Optima 1.6 CRDi 鈥?鈥?(our pictures show a 鈥?鈥?trim car) take victory?

Although the Kia boasts 5bhp and 20Nm more torque than the Peugeot, it鈥檚 also 175kg heavier, which is a substantial amount and enough to dull the Optima鈥檚 on-paper performance advantage. The gearbox is also more pleasant in the Optima, because the Kia鈥檚 shift action is slicker and more consistent, so with steering that feels precise enough for the size and weight of the car the Kia handles acceptably. The steering is also better judged compared with the very alert feeling you get from the small wheel in Peugeot. It doesn鈥檛 have the soft, fluid damping of the 508 on the motorway because body control is a little tauter, but then over bumps and potholes the back axle in particular doesn鈥檛 rebound as aggressively. The Optima feels better balanced front to back than the 508; it鈥檚 just bland to drive. The Insignia Grand Sport is currently our favourite car in this class.

It offers practicality and plenty of technology at an affordable price, and is surprisingly good to drive. We鈥檙e testing it here in 拢23,450 1.6 Turbo D 136 SRi Nav guise to see if it can fend of the challenge from the Peugeot. Vauxhall鈥檚 1.6-litre turbodiesel unit in 134bhp tune is a known quantity, and it鈥檚 just as strong here. The torque available combined with the car鈥檚 shorter gearing means there鈥檚 great flexibility. The Insignia showed just how much at our test track, where it accelerated from 50 to 70mph in top in 8.8 seconds - 2.4 seconds quicker than both rivals. It was also the fastest from 0-60mph with a time of 9.3 seconds, while going from 30 to 70mph through the gears the Grand Sport was the swiftest, too. On that subject, the gearshift is acceptable, but nothing more than that, really. However, the chassis is surprisingly sweet. The car rides with supple composure, tracking over bumps and rifts in the road with a relatively gentle touch. You feel the Vauxhall being jostled by larger imperfections in the road, but the wheels only thump occasionally and the body is controlled well, so it鈥檚 actually composed.