Car Throttle

When a new 5-Series model comes around it is a big event. For BMW, that happened just last year in November. The new car aims to move away from some of the controversy surrounding the Bangle-designed "E60" previous generation car. Normally, manufacturers wait a bit to introduce other model variants to continue the hype going, but BMW is doing it differently, introducing the wagon model just as the sedan is going on sale in Europe. Wagon/hatchback variants in Europe are big sellers and crucial to overall sales of a model lineup. It is an interesting choice of Touring name instead of  drab wagon moniker. One thing is pretty well certain - we'll never get this thing here. We're getting the American version instead, and that would

The new 5-Series was just introduced today, preceded by the amazing kinetic scupture "teaser" video that came out a bit ago. Given the importance of the 5-Series, BMW is going all-out to make sure everyone knows about its arrival - expect a large marketing campaign around its launch. Accompanying the debut and press materials drop yesterday is three official videos (including much-desired driving footage) that demonstrate some of the new technology features available. Seeing is believing, right? Thanks for not making us wait to see them, BMW - the videos show what the new 5-Series has to offer better than I could ever explain. Check them out for yourself below. httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gY_u8luC_o httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6AboGnfeq4 httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihUv5GdiOc4

The new BMW 5-Series is officially here! Yesterday we got a glimpse through some leaked images, and before that the utterly unrevealing (but still entirely cool anyway) kinetic sculpture video from BMW. The full information drop on the car has arrived, and we're here to cover it. Say hello to generation six of the critically-acclaimed 5-Series lineage, codenamed "F10". Stylistically, BMW has taken a step back from the Bangle-look, but perhaps not as much as the new 7-Series and 5-Series GT do. It follows the same template as those cars mentioned, but with a few detail differences in the headlights and rear-end that set it apart. There are also some hints of the BMW CS Concept in the design. The front is closer in overall

The BMW 5-Series has always been an important model for the brand - behind the 3-Series, it is a high-volume model that is sure to provide a good profit margin. We've been hearing about the car for quite sometime; BMW recently released a promotional video and a few images came out months ago. It has long been expected that the 5-Series would follow a similar tack to the 5-Series Gran Turismo, itself adhering closer to the new, more conservative BMW styling language that debuted on the 7-Series. There are three new (and grainy) images posted on 5Post that show the 5-Series with the cover still on, revealing the design of the front end. It does look like a smaller 7-Series overall, but I

For many, safety is a top concern. As the automakers have progressed, overall safety has increased the point where the majority of new vehicles are achieving good results. Federal standards are remaining the same for now, but the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has made a change to its testing for vehicles to get the "Top Safety Pick" award. The new ones focus on roof strength in the event of a rollover, requiring roof strength to withstand 4 times the vehicles weight before reaching 5 inches of crush. The results are quite surprising! Only 19 cars made the grade this year. To put things into perspective, the following automakers have no entries on the list for model year 2010: BMW, Cadillac, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Toyota, Lexus, Saab and

As is true with a lot of BMW's products lately (and the brand's entire styling language until recently), the new BMW 5-Series Gran Turismo has been quite controversial. It could get a bit more controversial with this new announcement about pricing. BMW has always said that the GT sits "between the 5-Series and the 7-Series." It has a wheelbase length similar to the 7, and in reviews many have pegged the GT as being closer in feel (while not looks) to the 7. I'll have to test it myself to know for sure. BMW's pricing information covers only V-8 model, not the entry-level V-6 variant.   A leak of what seemed to be an official BMW document came out earlier today regarding the GT, and that prompted

BMW has been busy lately, introducing the M5 CSL and my favorite of the two, the M3 GTS. The release of the new BMW 5-Series is getting closer, and you know what that means? BMW's promotional campaign is just starting to crank up. The 5-Series is a highly important new model for BMW. We may already have a good idea what it looks like from the BMW 5-Series Gran Turismo and other leaks, but in typical fashion, they are still teasing us anyway with this unique teaser video. I've never seen anything quite like it - a kinetic sculpture of metal spheres attatched to computer-controlled strings. They come together to form a basic outline of the new 5-Series, showing the beltline and giving away......absolutely nothing. Still,

The latest-generation of the BMW M5 is the most high-performance iteration of the car yet. Perhaps the most unique thing about it though is the engine - it has a V10 engine in place of a traditional V-6 or V-8. That's something most people (aside from us car enthusiasts, of course) probably don't know about it. Does it matter that the M5 has two more cylinders than everyone else? Apparently not. A new report out by Edmunds' Inside Line says that the M5 could be shedding that engine for a V-8 powerplant. The report flies in the face of a previous one we heard about the M5 in June. That one said that the M5 would be getting more outrageous than ever, utilizing not just the same

Nearly everyone is working to squeeze more from less, but in the midst of all that there are some exceptions. If this latest report is anything to go by, BMW looks to be one of those exceptions. More for less? Nah. How about more from more? The next-generation M5 promises to do just that, looking a whole lot better too. The current 5-Series has gotten a lot of criticism for it's Chris Bangle-designed styling. Oddly enough, both it and the 7-Series (which got the criticism even worse, rightly so) continued to sell better then ever though. This new report speculates a lot about the new BMW M5, saying it could get a twin-turbocharged V-10 this time around, instead of the naturally-aspirated V10 in the current car. Other reports in