::Barloworld ::New BMW cars – the sporty choice
BMWs have become synonymous with “Sheer Driving Pleasure”. The products from Bavaria have always had a sporting bent and this has earned them a loyal following. All new BMW cars come with this inheritance of putting their driver first.
The current BMW range has sprawled to cover a great many market segments. A relatively late arrival, the 1 Series is the only rear-wheel drive hatchback in its class. The 1 Series has spawned a 3-door hatch, a 2-door coupé and a convertible. Next up is BMW’s bread and butter model, the 3 Series, available in sedan, coupé, Touring (station wagon) and hard-top convertible. The 5-Series is a larger sedan, also available in Touring, and the 6-Series is 2-door only: a large GT coupé or convertible. The 7 Series is the traditional large saloon flagship. Some of the niche models include the Z4, which used to be available in coupé and convertible, but which now sports a folding hardtop, which obviates the need for two separate models. The new BMW cars also also includes the making of SUV's in three different formats: X3, X5 and X6.
BMWs are positioned as premium products in their respective classes and command a price premium over most Eastern or American products of similar size. New BMW cars have adhered to the longitudinal, front-engined layout with rear-wheel drive and they make six-cylinder engines only in the inline configuration. In fact, this has become their trademark. Inline six-cylinder engines are wasteful on space and for generations BMWs has lagged their competitors in usable space in the interior; however, they have overcome this through clever engineering in most of their models. The notable exception is the 1 Series that has been described as “the world’s only 4-door 2-seater”.
BMW was the target of much criticism during the last ten years while Chris Bangle was the styling chief and was responsible for designs such as the oft-derided E65 7 Series and the latest 6 Series. A measure of calm and elegant design has started to return under new BMW styling guru, Adrian von Hooydonk. However, not even an era of odd-looking cars could dampen the demand for new BMW cars.
