{"id":76204,"date":"2024-08-27T10:26:14","date_gmt":"2024-08-27T14:26:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=76204"},"modified":"2024-08-27T10:26:14","modified_gmt":"2024-08-27T14:26:14","slug":"bmws-best-and-worst","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=76204","title":{"rendered":"BMW’s Best and Worst: A Journey Through Hits, Misses, and Hidden Gems"},"content":{"rendered":"

BMW has over 100 years of history to draw upon. To say there have been a huge number of hits would be an understatement. But, there have also been some enormous misses. Drawing inspiration from a recent Reddit thread, we decide to remember some of the best \u2013 and worst \u2013 of the brand throughout its storied history.<\/p>\n

Most Underrated BMW<\/h2>\n

I still stand by my constant assertion that the BMW i3 is severely underrated<\/a>. It\u2019s quick, fun, unique, and does an excellent job of performing its intended purpose. That is, running around city streets and being overall sustainable. To date it\u2019s still one of the greenest cars ever produced.<\/p>\n

Most Overrated BMW<\/h2>\n

The E39 M5 is overrated. I\u2019m not the first to say it and I won\u2019t be the last, but it\u2019s true. It\u2019s not the most dynamic M5 ever made, and it isn\u2019t the most powerful. The S62 V8 is cool, yes. But its predecessors, the S65<\/a> (E9x M3) and S85<\/a> V10 do what it does with more personality. While the car is an admittedly good sports sedan, the heaps of praise it receives are almost impossible to live up to.<\/p>\n

Best BMW Engine<\/h2>\n

This will probably vary wildly depending on what you consider the best. But I seem to be in a strange position where I simply can\u2019t stop talking about the McLaren F1<\/a>. Blame Mercury retrograde or whatever, but today\u2019s no exception. Under the hood of every McLaren F1 \u2013 even race-winning chassis #17R<\/a> \u2013 is a BMW powerplant. The S70\/2 engine is the best ever created<\/a> and it\u2019s hard to imagine anyone arguing against that.<\/p>\n

Worst BMW Engine<\/h2>\n

The N63<\/a> engine is \u2013 so far \u2013 the only to ever land BMW in hot water via a class action lawsuit. So, it kind of needs to win the worst BMW engine category. While it isn\u2019t the worst when you\u2019re behind the wheel, ownership costs can quickly outstrip the actual cash value of the vehicle it powers. While the later TU engines improve, we recommend you carefully weigh the pros and cons<\/a> before jumping into one of these.<\/p>\n

Best BMW Design<\/h2>\n

The E46 M3<\/a> handily wins this one. It\u2019s beautifully proportioned, refined but racy, and should really be what everyone thinks of when they hear \u201cM3.\u201d Honorable mentions to the 507 and BMW i8, but ultimately, this is a hugely subjective category and the E46 M3 takes home the gold medal for me. Fun BTS fact: the E46 M3 was originally my pick for \u201cmost overrated,\u201d but I decided it fit here better.<\/p>\n

Worst BMW Design<\/h2>\n

Maybe we should\u2019ve added a \u201cso far\u201d to the end of this category. Hopefully it won\u2019t be a necessary addendum. The BMW XM takes away a win here and it isn\u2019t even close. Many of the newer vehicles feature a prominent grille and some angular, non-traditional design cues. But the XM stands above thanks to its silly narrow headlights, awkward c-pillar design, alien taillights, and unremarkable wheel designs. To quote an owner\u2019s review<\/a>: \u201cThe looks have grown on me. It\u2019s\u2026unique enough to make it\u2026and I guess by transition\u2026 you feel special.\u201d That barely cohesive half-thought is the nicest thing an actual owner<\/em> could say about how their vehicle looks. Notably, it\u2019s probably the nicest thing anyone\u2019s<\/em> ever said about the SUV\u2019s appearance. We would have stopped at \u201cghastly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Most Fun BMW<\/h2>\n

This it a tough category, because \u2018fun\u2019 encompasses a wide range of activities. The S55-powered M2 Competition<\/a> is my choice, but only because the E36 M3 is a winner in another category. Plus, the US E36 M3 isn\u2019t fast enough for some people to consider it \u2018fun,\u2019 which is understandable. The M2 Competition and CS models weigh a little more than their N55-powered predecessors but drive very differently \u2013 more like a shrunk-down version of the F80 M3 than the N55 M2. An extraordinarily responsive chassis with an extremely high performance ceiling makes these cars truly enjoyable behind the wheel. The E82 135i is a close second.<\/p>\n

Best Value BMW For Dollar<\/h2>\n

Value is a purely subjective thing. That said, if you want a quintessential \u201cBMW ownership and driving experience,\u201d I think an E36 M3 is the way to go. While you could contend that there\u2019s an entrant at every budget \u2013 from the $2,500 beater 318i to $20,000+ M3s \u2013 the E36 M3 is the \u201cmost E36\u201d of them and is a true delight. There\u2019s a reason autocrossers favor these cars so heavily \u2013 they\u2019re a delight to drive, easy to work on, and quintessentially retro.<\/p>\n

Most Reliable BMW<\/h2>\n

Newcomers to the brand will likely bandwagon the B58 engine<\/a> for the title of most reliable, but we think older is generally better in this regard. Specifically, I\u2019d suggest any vehicle powered by the M50. No emissions stuff to deal with, unlike the later (and in some respects, better) M52. All M50 are also iron blocks, as opposed to M52s which are mostly aluminum blocks. Either way, if I had to drive across the country in a BMW of unknown provenance, I\u2019d hope for an M50 \u2013 and probably make it. Oh, and make sure it\u2019s a manual transmission and not all-wheel drive. Let\u2019s call it an E34 5 Series.<\/p>\n

Least Reliable BMW<\/h2>\n

There are a variety of right answers here, and the most obvious is the N63 engine. In the spirit of not picking anything twice, I\u2019ll instead choose the first-ever car powered by an N54 engine, the 335i. The N54 is a delightful powerplant when it\u2019s working right, but common failure points include fuel pumps and entire turbochargers, which is\u2026kind of an anomaly restricted to only the N54. N54s are pretty leaky, too. It\u2019s glaringly obvious that the N54 is simply a less-reliable alternative when compared to the N55 engine<\/a>, or even the newer B58. Even if it does have a little bit more character.<\/p>\n

Best Generation of BMW<\/h2>\n

Someone\u2019s gonna be mad no matter what we choose. The E46 3 Series is our pick. While long-term reliability can be challenging, the E46 3 Series generation covered a little bit of everything. Whether you went for a touring model, the ZHP cars<\/a>, or of course the truly timeless M3, this generation didn\u2019t disappoint in-period and continues to provide excellent driving thrills \u2013 and decent luxury \u2013 even over 20 years later.<\/p>\n

Worst Generation of BMW<\/h2>\n

It was hard not to choose the BMW XM here, but we\u2019re trying desperately to avoid repetition. We\u2019re going to call the E65 7 Series<\/a> as the worst generation of BMW, even though I think there\u2019s room for others in the conversation. The entire G30 5 Series was a little unseasoned and overcooked overall, for example. And the first-gen X5 was far from the total package. But at least both looked the part; the E65 was unorthodox at best. First-gen iDrive wasn\u2019t good \u2013 in-period or decades later \u2013 and ergonomics were less than perfect. Hey, someone\u2019s gotta come in last.<\/p>\n

First BMW You\u2019d Buy \u2013 Money No Object<\/h2>\n

If money is truly no object, nothing would suffice but a concept from the BMW Museum vaults. We\u2019d go with something like the E46 M3 Touring<\/a> or the incredible E31 M8 Prototype<\/a>. Barring those, we\u2019d go with a G80 M3 Touring for the US. Because, let\u2019s be honest, enough money changing hands would have you road-legal, albeit likely in violation of many other laws.<\/p>\n

BMW You Couldn\u2019t Pay Us to Take<\/h2>\n

Normally we\u2019d give this to the BMW XM, too, but we don\u2019t want to repeat ourselves. So our choice is the 2010-2012 BMW ActiveHybrid 7<\/a> \u2013 specifically, a long wheelbase (LWB) model. This anachronistic hybrid prioritizes performance, mating a V8 to an electric motor and rocketing from zero to 60 mph in just 4.5 seconds. In 2011. Unfortunately, that engine was the infamous N63 V8, which is already a maintenance nightmare. And the starting MSRP was around $107,000. We don\u2019t want any <\/em>of those problems.<\/p>\n

Best Date BMW<\/h2>\n

Depends on your lifestyle \u2013 and what your idea of a good date is \u2013 but we think the E92 M3<\/a> does the trick. They\u2019re a bit more soft-sprung than the newer vehicles, so overall quite comfortable. Auto or manual, so no limitations if you or your partner doesn\u2019t drive stick. While not the quietest vehicle on the planet, as long as they\u2019re left stock they aren\u2019t too loud, either, so you can hold a conversation. On the other hand, the V8 can sound exotic and incredible with an exhaust system. So, if loud and proud is more your style, it\u2019s still a good choice.<\/p>\n

Best Cars and Coffee BMW<\/h2>\n

There\u2019s probably no wrong answers to this one. BMW vehicles are always a hit at Cars and Coffee events, and there\u2019s generally a pretty good crowd of like-branded enthusiasts to hang out with. But custom and one-off cars are always going to attract the most attention, and for that, we recommend the V10-powered 858 CSL<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

BMW has over 100 years of history to draw upon. To say there have been a huge number of hits would be an understatement. But, there have also been some enormous misses. Drawing inspiration from a recent Reddit thread, we decide to remember some of the best \u2013 and worst \u2013 of the brand throughout […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":76205,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-76204","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-industry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76204","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=76204"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76204\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/76205"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=76204"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=76204"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=76204"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}