2014 BMW M5 facelift shows up online

Is it that time already? Like its predecessors, the current BMW M5 has been endangering US licenses since it first went on sale here in 2012, but its design became a known quantity back at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show. Apparently that also means that the F10 generation has already grown tired enough to the "Must Have Latest Set" who can afford these sorts of super saloons that a facelift is in order.

If these leaked images sourced from Autocar are anything to go by, BMW stylists have used a predictably light hand to rework their hottest 5 Series, with a revised grille that echoes the M6 along with modestly resculpted headlamps. The rear end appears wholly unaltered. Interior changes gleaned from a look at the cabin photos include an updated touchpad-equipped iDrive controller and a new steering wheel cribbed from the M6.

No new word on changes to the 4.4-liter, twin-turbo V8 powertrain, but in late April, we heard that BMW was readying new competition packages for the M5 and M6. The packages are said to include 15 more horsepower, revised suspension and steering, along with new wheels and blackened exhaust tips. Given that BMW is known for habitually underrating its cars' horsepower outputs (particularly its M models) we can't help but wonder if its engineers will need to do anything other than wave a magic wand to corral those extra ponies underhood...

600-hp G-Power 1 Series is excessively cool

by: Zach Bowman

 

Save some unforeseen circumstance we've yet to encounter, you'll never hear us turn down shoving extra horsepower at a vehicle. The minds at G-Power seem to understand that concept better than most and have just finished pumping a full 600 horsepower into the BMW 1 Series M Coupe. The team is calling their newest creation the G1 Hurricane RS, and the car makes use of a supercharged version of the same V8 that powers the BMW M3. Likewise, the tuner's engineers plucked the dual-clutch gearbox from the larger M for service in the G1 Hurricane.

With 427 pound feet of torque on hand, the smallest of the G-Power line can bolt to 125 miles per hour in around 12.7 seconds on its way to a top end of 205 mph. The company threw in a set of carbon ceramic brakes to help bring the wicked 1 Series down from speed, which also helped reduce unsprung weight by half. Further weight reductions come in the form of a carbon fiber hood and trunk lid. G-Power plans to build just 30 examples of its wild little 1 Series M Coupe, so if you want one, you better get on the phone now. Head over to the G-Power site fore more information.

Official pricing for BMW X5M and X6M leaks out

By: Chris Shunk

The BMW X5M and X6M are all about excess. Excess power (if that's possible), excess girth, and, as we already knew, excess cost. BimmerFile is reporting that the X5M will ding your budget to the tune of $85,400, while the X6M will set you back $88,900. And anyone that has ever priced out a Bimmer with options knows that those prodigious figures are only the baseline of what will no doubt be two even more expensive BMWs.

But for nearly $90,000, you get what, for now, are the two most powerful BMWs on the road. Both models will reap the benefits of a 555 hp, 500 lb-ft twin turbo 4.4L V8. That's 55 hp and 105 lb-ft more than the M5 or M6; two vehicles that cost more than their crossover counterparts. The M treatment will also add more aggressive aesthetics, torque-vectoring AWD, and massive 15.6 inch front rotors to help these flying bricks stop on a dime (or 900,000 dimes, really). Does that make the X5M and X6M a compelling value? If you're in the market for a 550 hp crossover, we guess so, because outside of the substantially more expensive Porsche Cayenne Turbo S ($124,000) these new Bimmers are the only other family-haulers with that kind of muscle.

Officially Official: 2010 BMW Z4

By: Alex Nunez

BMW will unveil the all-new Z4 roadster at the Detroit Auto Show next month, but there's no need to wait for the show in Motown to see the car in non-spyshot form, as all the Euro-spec details were officially released when the clock struck midnight in Munich. We're into the new bodywork, which is pretty voluptuous compared to the preceding model, with a hint of 507 lineage evident in the car's lines. Follow the jump for the rest of the skinny.

Up front, wide double-kidney grilles establish an aggressive face. Out back, the tail is cleaner and more elegant than the current car's, featuring simpler, wraparound taillamps with attractive lighting effects. The biggest change of all, of course, can be found in the roofline. As was the case in the 3 Series, the soft top has been retired in favor of a retractable metal roof. There's a subtle "double-bubble" effect evident when it's in place, and its use reportedly improves outward visibility with the top up. 20 seconds is how long you need to wait for it to raise or stow.


European models have three engine selections, and the Z4 employs BMW's ridiculous new naming scheme, as first seen on the X6. The Z4 sDrive23i is probably Euro-only, powered by a 2.5L inline-6 making 204 horses via a six-speed manual or automatic. Next up is the Z4 sDrive30i, which features the normally-aspirated 3.0L I6 we're all familiar with. Here, it makes 258 horsepower and 228 lb-ft of torque. That's enough to get it to 62 mph in 5.8 seconds (with the stick). Fun times. the sDrive30i also comes with either a 6-speed manual or automatic. Those of you looking for the ass-kicker Z4 want the sDrive35i, which gets the excellent twin-turbo 3.0L and 306 horsepower. 0-62 takes 5.2 seconds with the manual tranny, but you shave a tenth off that if you opt for the 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox.

Inside, the cabin is refreshingly simple with attractive wood accents, slick-looking new HVAC controls and a straightforward cockpit layout. iDrive has now made its way into the Z4, but it's the new, allegedly more intuitive version that was first introduced in the new 7 Series. The LCD display sinks into the instrument panel when not in use.

So, best Z3/Z4 yet? Probably. We'll crawl all over it next month in Detroit, after which we'll be impatiently awaiting some real seat time, which ought to be a kick.

Check out WheelHQ.com and their large inventory of BMW Wheels.