The 2011 MINI Cooper John Cooper Works

BMW has announced the recall of some 89,000 Cooper S and John Cooper Works models built for the 2007 – 2011 model year. The recall includes the turbocharged Clubman, Convertible and Countryman models as well, specifically:

- MINI Cooper S, model years 2007-11
- MINI Cooper S Clubman, model years 2008-11
- MINI Cooper S Convertible, model years 2009-11
- MINI Cooper S Countryman, model year 2011
- MINI Cooper John Cooper Works, model years 2009-11
- MINI Cooper John Cooper Works Clubman, model year 2009
- MINI Cooper John Cooper Works Convertible, model years 2010-11

At issue is a circuit board that runs an auxiliary water pump to cool the turbocharger. Under certain conditions, the circuit board can malfunction, leading to failure of the auxiliary water pump and potential overheating of the board and pump assembly. In a limited number of cases, this overheating resulted in an engine compartment fire. To date, BMW in unaware of any accidents or injuries relating to this condition.

MINI dealers will replace the auxiliary water pump assembly (which contains the potentially defective circuit board) when the recall begins next month. Owners of affected MINI vehicles with questions or concerns can reach BMW’s customer service at (866) 275-6464; alternatively, updates are also available from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Vehicle Safety Hotline, reached at (888) 327-4236.

BMW has gotten a fair amount of exposure over its i-Series electric cars since originally debuting the Concept Vision Efficient Dynamics prototype in 2009. Unlike brands that show a concept and then abandon the idea as too complex or too expensive, BMW will put both the i3 and the i8 into production, with expected availability in late 2013. The i3 is designed to be an urban commuter car, with a limited range and modest performance. The i8 exists at the opposite end of the spectrum, as a no-holes-barred performance coupe that happens to be be fuel-efficient and green, too.

As appealing as the concepts may be, there are still some ugly truths to face about electric cars. First up is their limited range: in the case of the i3, the battery-only version of the car is expected to have a maximum range of 100 miles, similar to a Nissan Leaf. In the real world, this translates to as few as 35 miles, depending upon environmental conditions and driving style. Also, there’s the issue of recharging in an urban environment to overcome, since most city-dwellers won’t have the ability to plug their cars in overnight.

Opt for BMW’s REX range-extender in the i3, and most of the problems go away. Range is doubled, which should give the i3 driver a maximum range of between 160 and 200 miles (again, condition dependent). BMW isn’t clear if the i3 can be driven like the Chevy Volt, which can go from coast-to-coast if the owner tanks up every 300 miles or so.

The other ugly truth about electric, range-extended electric and plug-in hybrid cars is their cost. Batteries are expensive, and so are lightweight materials. BMW has made significant advancements in material science (namely with carbon composites), but they’re not saying what the i3 or i8 will ultimately cost. This much is certain: don’t expect to snap up an i3 for the same price as a $35,200 Nissan Leaf.

What’s you take on BMW’s i-Series? Is the world ready for a premium electric car brand, and would you be willing to pay the difference to buy a BMW EV over one from Nissan, Chevy or Mitsubishi?

The 2012 Chevy Silverado Hybrid, result of GM's first collaboration with BMW. Image: © GM Corp.

While GM and BMW are both automakers, you’d hardly consider them rivals. GM builds, among other things, cars and trucks for the masses. BMW builds cars for the masses in Europe, but in the United States the Bavarian automaker is seen as a luxury brand and is priced accordingly. In regards to fuel efficiency, BMW builds more advanced gas and diesel engines than GM. When it comes to extended range EVs, General Motors has the superior technology.

These are difficult times for automakers, since regulations here and in Europe are requiring cars to be ever cleaner and more fuel efficient. Partnerships between automakers seem to crop up on a regular basis, and now GM has let slip that it’s working with BMW to design more fuel efficient vehicles. GM will get the benefit of BMW’s advanced engine designs, while BMW will benefit from GM’s battery, extended range EV and fuel cell research. Typically German, BMW’s response is simply, “we don’t comment on speculation.”

As Forbes points out, the partnership will also allow both companies to realize a savings in research and development, critical at a time when all automakers are looking to contain costs. This isn’t the first collaboration between BMW and GM; in 2005, GM, Daimler-Chrysler and BMW worked together on a project called Global Hybrid Cooperation. Ultimately, this led to the development of the two-mode hybrid system still used by GM on its hybrid pickups and SUVs.

BMW's i8 Concept, with laser headlights. Image: BMW AG

Automotive lighting has evolved rapidly over the past few decades, making quantum leaps in progress from sealed beam to halogen to high-intensity discharge to LED headlights. Each generation brings improvements in vision, reductions in glare and increased driver safety, but that doesn’t mean automakers are content to leave things status quo or rely solely on third party manufacturers for the next big advancement.

BMW has always tried to innovate vehicle lighting, and they’ve developed features such as their “Anti-Dazzle High Beam Assistant,” which automatically dims high beams for oncoming traffic, their “Adaptive Lighting,” which steers the lights through a corner based on steering angle, and their “Dynamic Light Spot,” which helps illuminate pedestrians to avoid vehicle-pedestrian impacts. BMW has also pioneered the use of full LED headlights, which require far less energy (and therefore less fuel) to operate than conventional headlights.

As efficient as LED’s are, they’re not nearly as bright or efficient as laser diodes. Lasers produce monochromatic (same wavelength) light, and are a “coherent” light source, meaning that all laser light waves have a constant phase difference. Because of their efficiency, laser diodes are significantly smaller than LEDs, and use less than half the energy.

Lasers can pose a vision risk if aimed directly at the eye, but BMW has engineered a solution to this potential problem. Lasers won’t shine directly onto the road, but instead will be projected onto a phosphor-rich material that converts the blue lasers to a white light source, harmless to humans and animals.

Don’t expect laser headlights in the showroom just yet. The technology is still undergoing development, but is showing great promise in both illumination and energy savings. Your next car may not have laser headlights, but there’s a good chance that the technology will be mainstream in the next decade.

Source: BMW

Wouldn’t it be cool if there was an app to tell you about great driving roads near you? One that rated them and gave details on why the road was so good? Better yet, what if the app allowed you to share routes on Facebook or via e-mail, and even upload them to a GPS device? Thanks to BMW Financial Services, there is, and the best part is that the app is free.

Available for both iPhone and Android platforms, The Ultimate Drive shows you scenic and entertaining roads all over the Untied States, and in 49 other countries. If you live in Colorado or Southern California, epic roads are a dime a dozen; living here in Florida, they’re a bit harder to come by. Sure enough, though, The Ultimate Drive gave me a few nearby roads that I didn’t even know about.

It’s an interactive app, so drivers can upload and save their favorite stretches of asphalt. In the future, the app will award you points based on the number of routes you’ve driven, and will rank drivers by their scores. If you’re awarded the “Mayor of Deal’s Gap” honor, I’m guessing you know your way through the Dragon well enough.

I haven’t had much time to play around with it, so I can’t give you an official review just yet. It’s a great concept, and it’s a whole lot easier than staring at Google Maps for hours on end. I’d say it’s worth a download.

Source: Left Lane News

BMW 335i Performance Edition. Image: BMW AG

If you’re just about to order a new BMW 335i, let us help you out. When you’re checking the boxes next to the options you need, don’t forget to check the one marked “ZMZ Performance Edition.” It’ll only set you back $550, but it gives you 20 more horsepower and up to 32 more foot-pounds of torque, depending on your choice of gearbox. You also get a black grille and a BMW Performance Edition badge to let your friends and neighbors know you’re not driving “just another” 335i.

The package is available for both the 335i and the 335i xDrive, and it gives the previously referenced 32 ft-lb jump in torque when added to cars with a six-speed automatic transmission (sadly, the DCT gearbox isn’t available on the 335i or ix). Manual transmission cars must make do with 17 more ft-lbs of torque, but horsepower is unaffected. That gives the 335i Performance Edition the same horsepower output as a 335is, which stickers for $7,000 more than the base 335i.

BMW says the package will take two-tenths of a second off the car’s 0 to 60 time, and it shaves half a second from the 50 to 75 time. Fuel consumption and emissions output remain unchanged, so more power doesn’t translate into more money at the pump or more greenhouse gas into the atmosphere.

There’s more good news, too: the package can be retrofit to existing 335i and 135i cars, with pricing to be announced in August. The bad news? The package is only available for the remainder of 2011, which doesn’t give you much time to save your lunch money.

Source: BMW

In my driving instructor days, we usually ran an exercise teaching clients the basics of threshold braking (this was, after all, in the days before anti-lock brakes). I’d set up a braking chute, marked by cones spaced seven feet apart; that’s narrower than a standard traffic lane, but still significantly wider than most cars. What did I learn? At sixty miles per hour, even experienced drivers had a hard time judging the width of the braking chute, resulting in cones launch deep into the rattlesnake-infested infield. Good times, good times.

That makes the video below all the more impressive, if it’s real. You can’t judge the driver’s speed well, since there’s really no reference points, but trust me – he’s hauling ass. If he’s really got the talent to thread the needle through concrete walls in a crossed-up 1 Series M at warp speed, my hat is indeed off to him. Is it real or is it CGI? Watch the video below and tell me what you think.

Source: BMW Canada YouTube Channel

BMW's 1 Series M. Image: BMW AG

When then-head of BMW’s M Division, Dr. Kay Segler, showed the 2011 BMW 1 Series M at this year’s North American International Auto Show, he referred to it as their “offer(ing) for the young enthusiast, which we need to cater for, because they would love to have something for which they can afford.” That’s a great sentiment, but the starting price for the 1 Series M was $47,010, before you began adding accessories. I haven’t seen many BMW’s on dealer lots that aren’t optioned to the hilt, and a well equipped 1 Series M can easily sticker over $52,000.I don’t know many “young enthusiasts” who would find a $50,000 car “affordable”, or even within reach once you factor the realities of rent (or mortgage) payments, student loan payments and the cost of food other than ramen and peanut butter.

Now comes word that BMW will cease production of the 1 Series M after the 2011 model year, and that less than 1,000 copies will be brought into the United States. In other words, BMW has given the car instant-collector-car status, the young enthusiast be damned. If you thought dealers were price-gouging before, or that the cars were hard to find, expect a whole new level of madness now. If you’re lucky enough to own one, then don’t even think about driving it: in 20 years, the car is likely to be worth more than your 401k.

Source: The Detroit Bureau, via Autoblog