Comprehensive i3 Video Review By Nissan LEAF Owner in the UK

It seems that nearly every day now there are new short video clips of i3 reviews posted on YouTube. When I come across one that I feel is done very well, I'll post it here. Such is the case with the above video made by Grant Thomas from the UK. Grant maintains a blog called "The Grant Thomas Blog: Sustainability, Electric Cars & Technology News and Comment" where he posted this i3 video review.

Grant owns a Nissan LEAF so he is an experienced electric vehicle owner and in my opinion that gives his review a little more credibility than some others done by journalists with very little real life electric vehicle experience. The video is about a half hour long and he does manage to cover a lot so pour yourself a nice cup of coffee (or a glass of wine), and kick back and enjoy!

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XCAR Reviews The i3: The Ultimate Driving Machine?

There are dozens of video reviews of the i3 popping up now but this one seems pretty good so I thought it was worth putting up.

Later in the week I'll have another installment of the "I was Born Electric on..." series. This time we'll be traveling to Belgium to get some insight into how a new i3 owner there is feeling about living the electric life.

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2014 BMW 435i Coupe M-Sport Video Review.

As you know, Town+Country BMW just received it's first 2014 BMW 435i M-Sport and even though we won't have it in the showroom as of yet, lets enjoy a nice video review of the BMW 435i Coupe by XCAR.

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BMW i8 First Hand Review (Link and Gallery)

We thought it would be great to repost these excerpts from Autoblog's BMW i8 hands on review Read it here. "We tried all modes, of course, and while BMW still has six months to refine the few remaining issues on these validation test prototypes, the more we drove the i8, the more the huge financial investment required hit us as a brave yet valid move by BMW. Whether in its most timid coffee-fetching eMode+Eco Pro setup or in Sport with DSC off, you'll be happy with what you're feeling if our happiness is anything to go by. A full recharge from the (not included) wall box given the smaller capacities of the lithium-ion battery, takes just two hours." (Continue Reading Plus a full gallery after the jump)

"Electric range can vary widely based on how the i8 is driven, of course, and the topmost speed allowed for the e-motor/front-wheel-drive mode is 75 mph. With everything up and running, though, top speed is let out to 155 mph, and acceleration to 60 mph can happen in under 4.5 seconds. That's pretty great for a "boring old" hybrid, we'd say. And the feeling while doing all of this in the sport seat is almost-M-sensation terrific. The steering is ultra-electrified, yet at the same time, very precise. When switching to Sport, the dampers automatically switch to a more rigid setting, yet we enjoyed the ride over both smooth surfaces and imperfect pavement. Braking – quite the regenerative affair, of course – is immediate and sure, aided by the standard, very light and aero-friendly forged 20-inch wheels."

"We had just a few pieces of constructive criticism for BMW's assembled team in hopes that they'll improve the car even moreso. Firstly, the iDrive display is currently almost useless in any sort of sun due to its forward placement and cobalt blue typeface. Second, programming for the six-speed automatic attached to the 1.5-liter is fine in all aspects except at the extremes of its envelope, and it needs a 7,000-rpm redline to better suit the gearing and the exhaust's character. And finally, we wanted better summer tires – ours were the optional 215-width front and 245-rear Bridgestone Potenzas. Dynamics were really hot overall from this relatively lightweight, stiff, and extremely low-center-of-gravity BMW i, but it needed just a tick more help at the corners from the rubber."

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Chris Harris on the 2014 BMW 435i Coupe

I think this is the first ever video of the 2014 BMW 4 Series reviewed on a track. Chris Harris gives his opinion on the new BMW 4 Series from a British point of view. What a car!

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AutoExpress 2014 BMW 3 Series GT Review.

AutoExpress in the UK tests the BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo, and their verdict? As spacious as a BMW 5 Series but for less. Watch the full video below!

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2012 BMW M6 droptop colors, review and gallery.

Click Read more for the 2012 BMW M6 Convertible press drive review with a large gallery of pictures from 6post. Enjoy!



The Press Drive Review: The 2012 M6 convertible (F12) is big, it's heavy, and it's for showing off. But, courtesy of the usual magic from BMW M GmbH, it does not feel as big, heavy, or just for showing off. What it is is a super high performing GT convertible and a hell of a looker.

We spent two days this week in Santa Barbara, California to check out and test drive the all new 2012 BMW M6 and 6 Series Gran Coupe (see our previous review). After over 100 miles of highways, backroads, and mountain twisties, here were our impressions.

Leading with our biggest reaction is that the F12 M6 is a seriously fast car! Car and Driver just published their test numbers, which have the F12 M6 convertible clocked from 0-60 mph in 4.0 sec (BMW quotes 4.1 sec), 0-100 mph in 9.2, 0-130 mph in 15.5 sec and standing 1/4 mile in 12.4 sec @ 117mph. These are very impressive acceleration figures for a 4,255 pound car (U.S. curb weight).

Propelling the F12 M6 is the same 4.4L 560 horsepower / 500 lb-ft torque S63Tu engine from the F10 M5. This is the first time we've experienced it and it's as good as billed. The S63Tu pushes the M6 around easily and without fuss when you're just cruising, but switch into Sport Plus mode, drop the hammer somewhere above 2000 RPM, and it makes a ridiculous amount of fuss, instantly. If you're a Spaceball (the movie) fan, Ludicrous Speed appears to be achieved once you hit 4500 RPM. It's super car fast. Triple digits comes up on the HUD scary fast while you're compressed into your seat. Unfortunately, to get the most thrills in the F12 M6, it may mean a foray into very high (illegal) speeds. The car provides such a composed and refined ride that 80 MPH feels merely like 50 or 60 MPH; and just seconds after you've planted your right foot the car has already rocketed to triple digit speeds. But man, would this car be fun on the unrestricted Autobahn. If you're wondering about our gas mileage from all this fun, we averaged 17-18 MPG from 100+ miles mixing highway cruising, very spirited driving and several full out acceleration runs.

Engine (throttle) response, steering, and dampening are all 3 way adjustable in the M6 - from Comfort to Sport to Sport Plus. Having the throttle response in Sport Plus mode provides mad fun at speed, but it's sometimes overly sensitive at very low speeds. Around town, Comfort and Sport modes are the more suitable throttle settings. Being an M car, the M6 convertible is pretty stiffly sprung even in Comfort mode. You will feel road imperfections even in Comfort mode. But, in our opinion, you want to be able to feel the road in any M car, even in the most comfortable settings. During spirited driving, the higher the dampening setting was turned up, the less the M6's weight was felt. In the Sport Plus setting, the car handled excellent through the mountain canyons for a 4200+ pound GT convertible, albeit a bit jarring on very uneven roads. The car inspired confidence in the corners like all late model Ms.

And if you want to feel more of the road through the steering wheel as well, switching the steering into Sport Plus tightens up the M6's hydraulic steering for a pretty communicative and never too heavy steering experience. As comparison, the weight of the M6 convertible's steering in Sport Plus mode feels lighter still than that of the current M3's 'normal' servotronic (steering) mode, but it's entirely appropriate for this segment of car.

Our M6 convertible was stopped by the standard M compound brakes - 6 piston front calipers and single piston rear calipers, with cross-drilled rotors. It proved to be adequate and sharp, but we weren't able to evaluate fade as there was no track evaluation performed. Optional M Carbon Ceramic Brakes will be available beginning with July production vehicles.

The M6 sounds terrific. You may have seen videos of the M5/M6 exhaust, but it would be premature to make your final judgment until hearing it in person. Bass of the type coming from the M6 exhaust does not make the same impression over computer speakers. My hotel room looked out onto the hotel's long entrance road. I was always able to hear when an M6 was coming or going from its distinctive and bassy sound punctuated by a nice exhaust pop on throttle lift. In the two days of driving, I purposely lifted throttle countless times just to hear and feel that popping. Unlike the predecessor E63/E64 M6, the F12 M6's overall sound definitely consists more of exhaust than engine noise, however.

Now about that showing off part. Convertibles get noticed. The M6 convertible gets ogled. Perhaps it was because the car is not yet known or seen by most of the population, or perhaps college students are just excitable about anything shiny, expensive, powerful, or loud, but a top-down drive through UC Santa Barbara's campus elicited an almost uncomfortable amount of staring, double and triple-looks, thumbs ups, and compliments lobbed in my direction. It broke my heart to tell them it was not mine.

At the end of my time with the F12 M6, I still understood that it was big, heavy, and showy, but I also learned that like the X5M/X6M, M engineers have managed to bend and work with physics in a way which provides for a proper M driving experience, while BMW designers were able to create a beautifully styled car for showing off in… should an owner actually be able to drive the M6 slow enough for it to be admired. - Credit to our friends at www.6post.com

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MotorTrend Reviews the F10 BMW M5

Here is another fantastic video review of the new BMW M5 by Ignition.

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Motor Trend: 2012 BMW 335i Sedan Review

Needs no explanation, just enjoy the video.

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