Filed under: Coupes, Green, Tech, Hatchbacks, BMW, MINI

Car magazine has test driven the new MINI Cooper 1.6 with BMW’s start/stop technology and likes it a lot. The system on the manual transmission car requires you to put the car in neutral when you come to a stop in order for it to work, which does seem a bit funky to us — we don’t know anyone who puts their car in neutral every time they stop at a light. However, once you learn to do that, you’ll get all the benefits of having left your engine running, and you’ll increase your fuel economy by about 9%.

The system also only kicks in once the car is up to full operating temperature. If you wish to turn it off (and keep the engine running at all times) there’s a button near the gear lever. The MINI also benefits from having an alternator that only charges the battery when necessary, and a light indicator telling the driver when to shift up.

Performance-wise, driven with ultimate economy, the MINI matched Prius CO2 emissions and got — count ‘em — 74 mpg. Assuming Car uses the Imperial MPG metric, that converts to a still impressive 61 mpg in our U.S. cycle. The zippier Cooper S turned in 46 mpg, or 38 mpg in using the U.S. metric. Even accounting for a drop in real-world mileage, those are still impressive numbers. This is the system that BMW is going to introduce across its entire range, and so far, it’s an auspicious beginning.

[Source: Car]

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Filed under: Economy, Euro, BMW, DaimlerChrysler, Mercedes Benz, MINI

It’s been rumored for some time and the newest comments from BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer is further proof that the propeller people are looking to get in bed with other automakers to cut the high costs of engine development and production.

This isn’t a first for BMW, which partnered with PSA/Peugeot-Citroen on the engine for the current crop of MINI models, but this newest endeavor could involve one of Bimmer’s biggest rivals, Daimler. Mercedes is in need of small, four-cylinder gasoline and diesel engines for its next line of A- and B-class vehicles, and the MINI’s mill could be a good fit. The talks aren’t exclusive with BMW, however, as Daimler is also sitting down with unnamed Japanese manufacturers to provide petrol and diesel powerplants.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req’d]

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Filed under: Garage, Sedans/Saloons, BMW, Driving

Click the photo for a high-res gallery

What do you get when you blend two turbos, some compression ignition, six cylinders in-line, and a wonderfully tuned Bavarian chassis? Why, it’s the BMW 535d! You can’t buy one in the US…yet. It’s got 428 lb-ft of tire shredding fun that gets better mileage than a Scion xB or Saturn Aura Hybrid. BMW will be bringing its diesel engines to the our shores sometime later in 2008, but AutoblogGreen got to spend a week trying out the latest in high-performance, clean diesel technology thanks to fuel system supplier Bosch. Head over to ABG for the full rundown on this dieselicious German sedan.

[Source: AutoblogGreen]

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Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Sedans/Saloons, SUVs, Green, BMW

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Remember when we told you that “Blue” might become the new “Green” in automotive environmentalism? Here’s more proof. BMW will be debuting two new diesel-powered models for the U.S. market at the 2008 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, and the name of the technology behind the new-for-U.S. diesel powerplant is BMW Advanced Diesel with BluePerformance. The two vehicles in question are the X5 xDrive35d and the 335d, both of which will be powered by BMW’s award-winning twin-turbocharged 3.0L inline-six cylinder diesel that’s also sold in Europe and elsewhere. Don’t worry Californians, both vehicles will be 50-state compliant thanks to their engine that manages to satisfy the stricter requirements set by the California Air Resource Board through the use of a urea injection system called AdBlue (”Blue” again!). You can check out what additional tweaks the engine has received in BMW’s detailed press release after the jump.

In the U.S., the 3.0L twin-turbo diesel is expected to produce 265 hp and 425 ft-lbs of torque, which is plenty for us. At the same time, it will return 23 city/33 highway mpg and take the 335d sedan to 62 mph in 6.2 seconds. Talk about having your cake and eating it, too. We just have to say how giddy we are that European diesels are on their way en masse and welcome the BMW Advanced Diesel with BluePerformance with open arms. You can bet we’ll be first in line to test one, though as a matter of fact, we already have.

[Source: BMW]

Continue reading Detroit ‘08 Preview: BMW does diesel, will show US-spec X5 xDrive35d and 335d

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Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Podcasts, Sedans/Saloons, Trucks/Pickups, Crossovers/CUVs, Supercars, Audi, BMW, Dodge, Ford, GM, Hyundai, Lincoln

Episode 85 of the Autoblog Podcast finds us reminiscing about the North American International Auto Show that recently invaded Detroit. It was perhaps not as thrilling as past shows, but the new F-150 and Ram hauled and herded some excitement into Cobo. Both pickups are newly spiffed and bristling with new features and engineering. While the trucks are no doubt big news, the CTS Coupe stokes our fires far more. We hope to see it visited by the V-series gnomes, too.

There were a passel of diesels at the show, too. Audi’s V12 TDI R8 concept was filled with design gumdrops for us to chew on, besides the 12-pot 500-hp diesel that returns mileage in the 20s. BMW had its 335d and some X5 alphabet soup thing, and Honda showed its clean diesel. Beyond oil burners, we took an IRL look at the Hyundais Genesis and found it surprising beyond what pictures convey. The Lancer Ralliart turned out to be a charmer, while we question the very existence of VW’s Passat CC, and Fisker’s bestickered Karma was certainly software-worthy vaporware. Mazda had the best car in the show with its racy Furai, and the Lincoln MKT threatens Cadillac not one whit. Ford’s Verve is a bright spot, though, and it can’t get here fast enough. We had a lot more to say, but ran out of time to say it this time around. Watch this space for more, but for now, enjoy all 33 minutes of #85.

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