BMW to start offering M-Sport packs in the U.S., look faster without the go-fast bits!

Frankly, its never been all that difficult to turn a run of the mill BMW into a reasonable facsimile of an M model like an M3, M5 or M6. All you had to do was order the appropriate body kit from your friendly neighborhood BMW dealer and slap it on your car. In spite of this, Europeans have generally had an even easier time thanks to M-Sport packages on virtually every model in the lineup including those that didn't offer M equivalents. The M-Sport packages generally consist of assorted aero bits, wheels, upgraded seats and interior bits emblazoned with the "M" badge. BMW is reportedly getting ready to offer M-Sport packages in the U.S. for the first time beginning in early 2009. The 1 and 5 series will apparently be the first models to get blessed. Given the slow down in sales and BMW's recent profit warnings, this should come as no surprise as the packages will surely be priced with a generous profit margin built in. Thanks to Gabe and Michael for the tips! Gallery: In the Autoblog Garage: 2008 BMW M5   Gallery: Autoblog Garage: 2008 BMW M3 [Source: Bimmerfile]

 

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Head to Head: 2009 Porsche 911 Carrera and 2009 BMW M3

The fellows at Car and Driver put together a fun but interesting comparison between the beautiful 2009 BMW M3 and the gorgeous 09 Porsche 911 Carrera. Here is an excerpt from the article:   "We put our bony butts in two examples of the future of push-button, high-performance driving. Summoning the Force to safely pick a champion, we headed for the coiled back roads of California and the corkscrewing ribbon of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The new BMW M3 is well-known to us and to you, now that you're digesting our fourth—fourth! When will your letters pleading for more ever end?—comparison test of the M3 in 15 months. Like a solid Hollywood franchise, BMW's ranking joy toy and its 414-hp V-8 fusillade have us churning out endless popcorn sequels. The M3's lineup includes a sedan and a convertible, plus a coupe. Our coupe, base price $59,625, has silver-blue paint over rust-colored leather, with $13,895 in options. Almost all the boxes were checked, including the Premium, Technology, and Cold-Weather packs, plus the new $2900 "M double-clutch transmission with Drivelogic," a $10 way of saying paddle-shifted seven-speed with programmable shift maps.   — To make the 911 and M3 prices better match up, we begged Porsche for a stripper Carrera (the Carrera S has 40 more horses and starts $10,600 higher). Porsche complied—perhaps for the last time—lending us one with a $750 XM radio and $140 floor mats and painted, fittingly, in New York–taxi yellow. You talkin' to me? "

 

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BMW X5 M out in the open?

The folks at GlobalMotors got their hands on some spy photos of what it seems to be the BMW X5 M version. I intentionally said "what it seems" since I am not 100% convinced that we're looking at the real M version of the X5 SAV, so therefore I was reluctant on running this story. After a close inspection of these "spy shots" I am convinced that we are just looking at a regular X5 production model equipped with the M Sport Package and an aftermarket exhaust system. But the reason why I am writing this article is to show how hard it will be to differentiate between the real X5 M and a pimped out production model.  Of course, keeping the ///M badge on the car will help tremendously, but as far as "looks", many people will be confused, including die hard bimmer fans. The car in these photos is sporting the aggressive bumper from the M Sport Package, so that was the first design element that threw me off at first.  Here is how the M Sport Package front-end looks like: Now let's see the spy photos: Identical right? So, X5 M vs. X5 with M-Sport Package 0-1 so far. Now let's see the rear end, probably the part that really threw me off. X5 M-Sport Package: Now, the allegedly spied X5 M: And the "real" X5 M spotted by our friend Palbay recently: So, the two spy photos show a similar twin exhaust pipes that are integrated into the rear bumper.  The score so far: BMW X5 M vs. X5 M-Sport Package 1-1. Moving on, let's examine now the side of the cars, even though the GlobalMotor's photos are not that great. We can clearly see in these photos that the famous ///M side vents are missing, while all the recent X5 M spy photos show that area covered with camo, a clear indication of the M side vents existence. Their spy photo: Our spy photo: So another point for X5 with the M-Sport Package, in conclusion the "spy shots" from GlobalMotors are showing us a production model X5 with aftermarket parts and M-Package. And if this wasn't enough to convince you, do you recall reading on here that the BMW X5 M will get the X6 headlights? The car in the GlobalMotor's photos has the regular X5 headlights.  I hope this article answers your questions, especially those of you that emailed us to ask if this is the "real deal".

 

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BMW releases M Sport Packages for U.S models

As a holiday present, BMW North America decided to release the highly awaited M Sport Packages for U.S models. The M-Sport Package has been available in Europe for a while now and back in June, we saw the new M Package featured on the 2008 BMW 3 Series. The package has been available for the 1 Series Coupe since late 2007 and now finally, the U.S customers will get the same privilege. The M Sport Package is available on the 135i and 5 Series beginning with January production, but all the other models will receive the same package in 2009. If you're wondering what the differences are between the regular Sport Package and the M Package then the following list should give you a better idea: M door sills M footrest M gearshift lever M steering wheel M wheels Available with an M exterior color Anthracite Headliner (not available for convertibles) Aerodynamic package Additional options for the BMW 135i Coupe and Convertible: Anthracite Headliner Shadowline Trim Sport Seats 18″ M Wheels Style 261 M For those of you that love the Le Mans Blue color, then BMW has more good news. Le Mans Blue can be ordered now together with the M Sport Package. Continued The M Sport Package on the 1 Series Coupe will set you back $1,300 while the package for the Convertible is priced at $1,200. Additional options for the BMW 5 Series (excluding 550i and M5): Anthracite Headliner Multi-contour seats Shadowline Trim M Sport Suspension (RWD  only) Active Roll Stabilization (RWD only) 18″ M wheels Style 135 M Carbon Black Metallic color can be ordered with the M Sport Package The M Sport Package for the 528i and 535i has a price tag of $4,500 while the package for the 528xi, 535xi and 535xi Sport Wagon is valued at $3,000. I hope these new changes will satisfy the BMW fans and I honestly see a lot of the 1 Series fans ordering the M Sport Package.

 

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G-Power BMW M5 Hurricane RS hits 228.4 mph, breaks fastest sedan record

After holding the record for the fastest street-legal BMW, G-Power has broken the long-standing record of the BRABUS Rocket for the fastest sedan in the world. Last time we heard, the G-Power M5 Hurricane had a whopping 730 horsepower under the hood that helped it reach a top speed of 224 mph. G-Power now claims that with an additional 20-hp, the G-Power M5 Hurricane RS can reach a top speed of 228.4 mph. The speed has been clocked and certified at the ATP High-Seed test track in Papenburg where G-Power usually tests all its cars. The extra power for the G-Power M5 Hurricane RS comes from a two modified superchargers. According to the company's CEO and engineer Christian Stöber, the G-Power Bi-Kompressor system has yet to reach its limit. G-Power says that "we can still improve, if we see the need for it." G-Power BMW M5 Hurricane RS:         G-Power BMW M5 Hurricane:

 

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