2018 BMW 5 Series Test Drive Review: The Best Just Got Better

Remains the benchmark midsize luxury sedan.

BMW introduced the all-new G30 BMW 5 Series at the end of 2016. Since then sales of the executive sedan, an ever-present model in the brand’s lineup for over 40 years, have taken a sharp upward trajectory. After a lackluster 2016, just over 40,000 units found homes in 2017, and 2018 promises to be an even stellar sales year. So what is it about the new model that makes it such an enticing proposition? Our initial impressions after a day behind the wheel was that BMW had done a fine job evolving the model with cutting-edge tech and lashings of luxury.

Earlier this month, we jetted off to the UK for a special Goodwood event, so made the most of our few days across the pond by getting better acquainted with a 2018 BMW 5 Series 540i xDrive. Wearing a classy shade of Sophisto Grey Xirallic paint (the closest I could find in the US is Bluestone Metallic), the first thing that grabs you about the new 5 Series is just how big it is. Yes, it’s sleeker and tauter than its predecessor, with a lower coupe roofline and higher shoulders, but it’s larger in every direction. The genius behind the G30 is that despite its bloated proportions, once behind the wheel, the car feels palpably more agile thanks in part to a new aluminum body that helps shave 137 pounds from its curb weight.

Optional Adaptive Drive as part of the Dynamic Handling Package, the first of many must-have options, enhances agility even further. The drive down from London to Goodwood consists of an even blend of highway roads and country lanes, so we were able to utilize the selection of distinct driving modes. Body roll and cornering balance is superb, with adaptive dampers that offer sharper responses in its sportiest setting, and a sumptuous soft ride in Comfort. Sharp turns and sudden changes of direction define the final 20 miles of the drive down to The Duke of Richmond and Gordon’s Goodwood estate, yet the 5 Series remained a study in driving serenity.

A short caveat: this was only the case after the lane-keeping-assist system that applies steering torque with surprising vigor whenever it deemed the car had wandered out of bounds was switched firmly off. One of the very few complaints with the car is that some involvement has been lost from the steering. But there is so much to like about the 5er, you can almost forgive BMW for catering to the general public. Driving enthusiasts be damned. BMW’s slightly misleading nomenclature means 530i badges equate to 2.0-liter engines (not 3-liter lumps), 540i to 3.0-liter units (not 4.0-liters), while the daddy of the bunch, the M550i comes packing a 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8.

In the UK, the majority of 5 Series sales will be the base 520d that utilizes a 187-hp 2.0-liter four-cylinder diesel unit. In the US, the 530i represents our base model, with a 248-hp 2.0-liter turbo-four doing the motivation. The sole oil-burner offered is the 540d xDrive powered by a 3.0-liter twin-turbo diesel unit delivering 261 hp. The equivalent six-cylinder gasoline unit boasts 335 hp and 332 lb-ft of torque in the 540i. All powertrains comes mated to an eight-speed automatic gearbox that’s perfectly calibrated, sending power to the road just as it should. With BMW’s xDrive AWD system, 0-62 mph comes in at super-sedan besting 4.8 seconds.

Buyers will have to decide whether they need the extra performance at the expense of fewer miles per gallon and around $6,000 more on the sticker price. It’s certainly nice to have, injecting moments of fun into what is an exceptional compliant ride. But the more you inject, and during my few days with the car I tended to lead with a heavy foot, the more trips to the pump will be needed. BMW claims 32 mpg combined, but we didn’t manage even close to 20 mpg. The meaty M550i is probably a step too far. At that point, and once you’ve loaded up on options, you might as well go all out for the M5. The 530i will be fine for most, but the 540i is the sweet spot of the lineup.

The new 5 Series is expensive in other ways too. The tester we drove came loaded with options totaling over 20,000 GBP. The problem is, we appreciated having almost all of them, so just be aware that the ideal 5 Series comes at a not so ideal price. Jump on the BMW configurator and you’ll see how easy it is to move the $60,000 base price to well over $80,000. The UK packages the options differently, but the elements remain the same. The head-up display, for example, worked beautifully. Sharp, colorful but not distracting, it comes part of a $1,700 Driving Assistance package in the US you'll want to order. You’ll also want to consider going all out on the front seats.

As part of a Premium package in the UK and dubbed Luxury Seating in the US, 20-way power multi-contour seats offer support everywhere, ventilation keeps you warm or cool, and eight massage programs helps muscles from going stiff on long drives. It’s a level of driving comfort you really don’t need, but once sampled, is way too easy to get used to. In fact, thanks to a memory function, getting the driver’s chair primed was my first course of action after hitting the start button. Other options to consider include the phenomenal sounding Bowers & Wilkins Diamond surround sound system ($4,200) a ceramic finish for the controls ($650), and soft-close doors that form part of an Executive Tier that includes seven features.

You could easily live without the Display Key, which is almost the size of a small mobile phone. Remotely starting and driving the car makes for a great party piece, and may come in useful if you need to regularly park the car in very tight spaces. Otherwise, you can leave that option unticked. If you like the color and wheel combo, then in the US you’ll have to start with the M Sport Design that enables you to choose the 19-inch 664M double-spoke alloys, and that also includes an M rear spoiler and other aerodynamic styling elements. Lifelong 5 Series fans, and those thinking of ditching their Audi A6 or Mercedes E-Class for a taste of Bavaria, will find the new G30 to be a simply brilliant car.

Whether taking a macro view – responsive, high-revving inline-six engines, aggressive yet handsome design, cutting-edge driver aid technology, and sumptuous interior – or from a granular level, the ambient lighting, BMW’s new gesture control (upping the sound with a twirl of your finger), the piano black trim, there’s just so much to like about this car. Yes, you’re going to have to spend big, but the G30 5 Series will be a car you could happily live with for many years to come.

Is The New BMW 8 Series Better Looking Than The Concept?

Or vice versa?

I need to clarify one thing clear before going any further: the reborn BMW 8 Series is a very pretty car. Is it stunning? I personally won’t be able to answer that until I see it in the flesh, hopefully next month at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. But is the production version of BMW’s new grand tourer flagship better looking than last year’s concept? Debatable. I must admit, first off, I’m not the biggest fan of modern BMW design. Great cars. Brilliantly engineered. But I’ve often found them to have a “chunky” look, for lack of a better word.

But I didn’t think “chunky” when staring at the 8 Series Concept late last year at Frankfurt. “Sleek” immediately came to mind. The concept was stunning, a perfect blend of sport and elegance. A BMW PR guy proudly explained to me the concept was the beginning of a new styling direction. Although he couldn’t comment about the production version’s specifics, we all knew it was coming. The concept, at least in my eyes, looked about 80 to 85 percent production ready, save for the usual mandated safety alterations. I was pumped. This design, with its deep concaves molded into the doors, in your-face-face large twin kidney grille, and smooth sheetmetal throughout, went above and beyond what I could have imagined.

Aside from the expected wider front and taillights, less aggressive vents at both ends, and smaller wheels and bigger side mirrors, I figured BMW really could use most of the concept’s body. Almost, but not quite is the apparent reality. Sure, my opinion may change less than a month from now, but at this moment the production-spec 8 Series looks like it’s more of an evolutionary, rather than revolutionary design, especially if you were to compare it to the outgoing 6 Series coupe. Ideally, I wanted the 8 Series to feature the concept’s smoother and better integrated side sill, a more pronounced hump over the rear wheels and that front grille. It looked absolutely killer. The production 8 Series is more of what I’m accustomed to with BMW.

It has more “chunk”, if you will, than the concept. The design works no question, but I was hoping for something that more closely resembled the concept. Just swap out the concept’s side mirrors for a useful pair and slightly tone down the front and rear vents. That’s it. That’s what I wanted. But maybe I’m entirely wrong. Maybe I’ll be eating my words. I’ll need to see the new 8 Series in person to make a final judgement. But at this time I see a missed opportunity to really push BMW design into new territory.

10 Cars That Deserved Better Engines Than They Got

Potentially legendary machines, let down by what lay under the hood.

The engineering that goes into our favorite cars is a wonderful thing; finely tuned suspension, gloriously sonorous exhausts, pinpoint accurate steering, and sometimes, glorious engines that complete a model by adding that cherry on top of an already almost perfect package. But just as the Honda S2000s high revving F20C engine was a perfect match for the balanced convertible chassis in which it was equipped, there have been vehicles let down by the engines under their hoods. We’ve selected 10 cars that we feel were let down by their engines when everything else was going so well for them.

Mazda RX-8

The Mazda RX-8 was the latest and at this stage final Mazda to feature a rotary engine. It was a 2+2 seat sports car that was well ahead of its time in many aspects, making use of a carbon fiber driveshaft – much the same as we now see in the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio – to reduce weight and inertia to improve throttle response, as well as centering weight between the axles for ultimate handling balance. It looked great, and it handled exceptionally. The 13b-REW Renesis Wankel engine sounded great too, and in true rotary nature, it revved to high heavens. But, the 13b Renesis was notoriously unreliable, and let’s face it, without turbos the 13b engine was weak on the torque front. The lack of torque paired with poor reliability – not exactly a strong suit of the rotary engine in any case – will go down as a massive travesty, with the RX-8 really deserving better.

Toyota 86

When Toyota repeatedly teased a concept for the 86 sports car, it seemed too good to be true. A spiritual successor to the AE86 Corolla of pop-culture infamy, front-engined, and rear-wheel drive, it sounded like a bedtime story. But it came to fruition, and alas, it proved to be incredible to drive, with a balanced chassis, low center of gravity, a slick manual gearbox, and skinny rear tires that meant the 86 was easily driftable. The low weight and equally low price made the 86 an affordable enthusiasts’ car. But the chassis is so good that many say it deserves more than the 200-odd horsepower the standard engine delivers. While many may argue its lack of power is what makes it exploitable, there are even more who believe the Subaru-sourced 2.0-liter Boxer motor deserves a turbocharger to really give the 86 proper sports car credentials.

Subaru WRX STI

The Subaru Impreza WRX STI was once an absolute giant slayer; back in its heyday of WRC the pairing of boost and all-wheel drive made it formidable on any surface, and the affordable price point made it an absolute performance bargain. The latest generation may have dropped the Impreza name, but the recipe is still the same – a boosted Boxer 4-cylinder engine, manual gearbox, and all-wheel drive with the trick DCCD differential, though for added effect there’s now brake-based torque vectoring that makes the new chassis better than it’s ever been before. Why then, does Subaru insist on using the same EJ257 motor used in WRX STIs since the 2004 model? In 14 years the EJ257’s reliability sure hasn’t improved – prone to ringland failure – and it hasn’t received a power increase either aside from the 5hp extra it gets in current Type RA trim. That means the once giant-slaying 300 hp EJ motor is now barely able to keep up with a Golf R, and the STI nameplate deserves better than that.

Foxbody Mustang

Mustangs with V8 engines are as American as apple pie, and the V8 models generally tend to be the best offering in the ‘Stang line-up; with one exception being the 1980 and 1981 Foxbody Mustang. Due to the oil crisis in 1979, Ford dropped the 4.9-liter V8 previous used in the Foxbody in favor of a 4.2-liter one for better fuel economy. But the 4.2 was the least powerful Mustang V8 ever, producing just 120hp, and mated only with a 3-speed automatic transmission. That left the ‘performance’ model of the range to the 2.3-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder Mustang, which itself was fraught with problems of its own – mainly on the reliability front.

Honda CR-Z

Honda’s little hybrid hatch oozes cool, and as a throwback to the CRX – a hatch that itself could’ve done with a more potent engine – it lives up to the requirements of a modernized CRX. But it’ll forever be just a little hybrid hatch because it never got a proper engine to turn it into the hot hatch it was always dying to become. While it’s taken Honda some time to switch over to turbocharging, can you imagine what a 2.0-liter, 200 hp, rev-to-9000 engine would’ve been like in the CR-Z’s small body? Instead, all we got was 121 combined horsepower of disappointment.

Nissan 240SX (S14)

The Nissan S-chassis is famous amongst enthusiasts, particularly those who like to drift, and while in the drift arena engine swaps may be the common practice, that might not happen as much if Nissan had given us the engine we actually we wanted, the engine the S14 240SX actually deserved. What’s particularly sore about this is that elsewhere in the world, the S14 lived up to expectations. With a chassis the equivalent of automotive gold, it could’ve done so in the US too, but instead of equipping the 240SX with the 2.0-liter turbocharged SR20DET developing around 220 horsepower and with massive tuning ability, they gave the US the KA24DE, a naturally aspirated 2.4-liter developing 155 hp. It was such a dog it was even used in the Frontier. What kind of engine is that to equip in a sports car?

BMW 320i (E90)

The E90 generation BMW 3 Series had a lot going for it. It looked good – still does today – drove pretty well, and had some solid engines in the line-up. Who can forget the fire-breathing 4.0-liter V8 in the M3, and the 335i’s turbo-6? But the 320i was the runt of the family, downsizing to a 4-cylinder engine, but forgetting to add the turbo needed to drag what was a relatively heavy body for the motor. Though the claimed outputs were good – 168 hp in later model years – it never drove that well. I suppose you could’ve bought a 325i, but it would’ve been cool if even the lower end of the spectrum had a good engine behind it.

Lexus RC F

I think I’m one of the few who genuinely loved the RC-F from the moment I saw it. Sure, the engineering may have been a little flawed, utilizing heavy bits and pieces from multiple other models, but I thought it looked daring, and the concept of a naturally aspirated V8 in an era of turbocharging sounded great! But, the 5.0-liter V8 was essentially the same one Lexus used in the IS-F super-sedan from 7 years earlier. Though power was increased from 417hp to 470 hp, the V8 still struggled with a lack of torque, and the heavy RC F needed torque if nothing else.

Mercedes-AMG SLC43

Mercedes-AMG is synonymous with thunderous V8 engines. In all but their front-drive based vehicles, we expect snorting V8 engines up front and smoking tires behind. In the case of the SLK, the brand’s smallest convertible, that was always the case. But when the German brand renamed the SLK to SLC, it made one crucial change, and it dropped the V8 from the line-up, with the range-topper being the SLC43. In place of the 415 hp, 5.5-liter V8, Mercedes-AMG saw fit to drop a twin-turbo V6, not only down on displacement and cylinders but down on power too with just 385 hp. It’s slower than the SLK55 was, and though it might be sharper in the handling department, the SLC deserves a V8 range-topper.

BMW i8

Yes, we know the BMW i8 has been built to start the ball rolling on the future of electric propulsion – it’s a stepping stone to future all-electric sports cars from BMW – but a 3-cylinder engine, really BMW? Though the i8’s combined output of 369 hp might be fairly impressive, and the performance figures equally so, when the battery runs out of juice you’re left with a 228 hp carbon fiber sports car that sounds like a sewing machine. Imagine if BMW had equipped it with something more powerful, more sonorous, or even something with a little bit of heritage. The only other mid-engined BMW ever built was the inline-6 powered M1, so how cool would the lightweight i8 have been with the M3’s turbo-6 dropped into the engine bay? Maybe then we’d have the performance to back up the incredible looks.

BMW Makes M2 Competition Even Better With M Performance Parts

As if the stock car was awesome enough.

We waited, waited, and waited some more, and BMW finally delivered by revealing the highly anticipated M2 Competition. We knew the M2 Competition would be special, but we didn't know just how special it would be. Gone is the 365 hp 3.0-liter twin-scroll turbo N55, replaced by a 405 hp 3.0-liter twin-turbo S55 from the M3 and M4. Of course, even BMW's M cars can be improved, which is why the company offers further upgrades through the M Performance parts catalog - now available for the M2 Competition.

The M Performance catalogue includes parts for cars ranging from the M5 down to the company's small SUVs. Now, owners can make their M2 Competition even cooler with some new performance parts. Those who want their M2 Competition to sit a little lower can purchase the M Performance suspension retrofit kit, which lowers the car by up to 20 millimeters. The suspensions also includes 12 compression settings and 16 rebounds stages. Other upgrades include lightweight forged wheels and larger brakes. The BMW M Sports Brake System Red includes larger, internally ventilated and perforated discs, which improve thermal resilience.

The six-piston calipers in front and four-piston calipers in the back help stop the car even under high thermal load. Adding to the look of the car is a new wheel design available in Black matte and Frozen Gold. The five-spoke design allows the red brakes to stand out and Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires provide maximum grip. Carbon fiber lovers will especially love the available options in the catalogue. Owners can save weight on their car with a carbon fiber hood, side panels, front splitter, mirror caps, door sills, side skirts, rear diffuser, rear spoiler, engine cover, as well as several interior pieces.

One of our biggest criticisms of the S55 is the way it sounds. Fortunately, BMW will offer a lightweight performance exhaust with rear silencers, allowing the car to be both quiet and loud on demand. Finally, BMW will take a page out of GM's book with the M Performance Drive Analyzer. This part plugs into the ODB port of the car and lets the driver analyze the data of their driving performance. All of these parts add up to make the M2 Competition even cooler than it already was.

10 Cars That Deserved Better Engines Than They Got

Potentially legendary machines, let down by what lay under the hood.

The engineering that goes into our favorite cars is a wonderful thing; finely tuned suspension, gloriously sonorous exhausts, pinpoint accurate steering, and sometimes, glorious engines that complete a model by adding that cherry on top of an already almost perfect package. But just as the Honda S2000s high revving F20C engine was a perfect match for the balanced convertible chassis in which it was equipped, there have been vehicles let down by the engines under their hoods. We’ve selected 10 cars that we feel were let down by their engines when everything else was going so well for them.

Mazda RX-8

The Mazda RX-8 was the latest and at this stage final Mazda to feature a rotary engine. It was a 2+2 seat sports car that was well ahead of its time in many aspects, making use of a carbon fiber driveshaft – much the same as we now see in the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio – to reduce weight and inertia to improve throttle response, as well as centering weight between the axles for ultimate handling balance. It looked great, and it handled exceptionally. The 13b-REW Renesis Wankel engine sounded great too, and in true rotary nature, it revved to high heavens. But, the 13b Renesis was notoriously unreliable, and let’s face it, without turbos the 13b engine was weak on the torque front. The lack of torque paired with poor reliability – not exactly a strong suit of the rotary engine in any case – will go down as a massive travesty, with the RX-8 really deserving better.

Toyota 86

When Toyota repeatedly teased a concept for the 86 sports car, it seemed too good to be true. A spiritual successor to the AE86 Corolla of pop-culture infamy, front-engined, and rear-wheel drive, it sounded like a bedtime story. But it came to fruition, and alas, it proved to be incredible to drive, with a balanced chassis, low center of gravity, a slick manual gearbox, and skinny rear tires that meant the 86 was easily driftable. The low weight and equally low price made the 86 an affordable enthusiasts’ car. But the chassis is so good that many say it deserves more than the 200-odd horsepower the standard engine delivers. While many may argue its lack of power is what makes it exploitable, there are even more who believe the Subaru-sourced 2.0-liter Boxer motor deserves a turbocharger to really give the 86 proper sports car credentials.

Subaru WRX STI

The Subaru Impreza WRX STI was once an absolute giant slayer; back in its heyday of WRC the pairing of boost and all-wheel drive made it formidable on any surface, and the affordable price point made it an absolute performance bargain. The latest generation may have dropped the Impreza name, but the recipe is still the same – a boosted Boxer 4-cylinder engine, manual gearbox, and all-wheel drive with the trick DCCD differential, though for added effect there’s now brake-based torque vectoring that makes the new chassis better than it’s ever been before. Why then, does Subaru insist on using the same EJ257 motor used in WRX STIs since the 2004 model? In 14 years the EJ257’s reliability sure hasn’t improved – prone to ringland failure – and it hasn’t received a power increase either aside from the 5hp extra it gets in current Type RA trim. That means the once giant-slaying 300 hp EJ motor is now barely able to keep up with a Golf R, and the STI nameplate deserves better than that.

Foxbody Mustang

Mustangs with V8 engines are as American as apple pie, and the V8 models generally tend to be the best offering in the ‘Stang line-up; with one exception being the 1980 and 1981 Foxbody Mustang. Due to the oil crisis in 1979, Ford dropped the 4.9-liter V8 previous used in the Foxbody in favor of a 4.2-liter one for better fuel economy. But the 4.2 was the least powerful Mustang V8 ever, producing just 120hp, and mated only with a 3-speed automatic transmission. That left the ‘performance’ model of the range to the 2.3-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder Mustang, which itself was fraught with problems of its own – mainly on the reliability front.

Honda CR-Z

Honda’s little hybrid hatch oozes cool, and as a throwback to the CRX – a hatch that itself could’ve done with a more potent engine – it lives up to the requirements of a modernized CRX. But it’ll forever be just a little hybrid hatch because it never got a proper engine to turn it into the hot hatch it was always dying to become. While it’s taken Honda some time to switch over to turbocharging, can you imagine what a 2.0-liter, 200 hp, rev-to-9000 engine would’ve been like in the CR-Z’s small body? Instead, all we got was 121 combined horsepower of disappointment.

Nissan 240SX (S14)

The Nissan S-chassis is famous amongst enthusiasts, particularly those who like to drift, and while in the drift arena engine swaps may be the common practice, that might not happen as much if Nissan had given us the engine we actually we wanted, the engine the S14 240SX actually deserved. What’s particularly sore about this is that elsewhere in the world, the S14 lived up to expectations. With a chassis the equivalent of automotive gold, it could’ve done so in the US too, but instead of equipping the 240SX with the 2.0-liter turbocharged SR20DET developing around 220 horsepower and with massive tuning ability, they gave the US the KA24DE, a naturally aspirated 2.4-liter developing 155 hp. It was such a dog it was even used in the Frontier. What kind of engine is that to equip in a sports car?

BMW 320i (E90)

The E90 generation BMW 3 Series had a lot going for it. It looked good – still does today – drove pretty well, and had some solid engines in the line-up. Who can forget the fire-breathing 4.0-liter V8 in the M3, and the 335i’s turbo-6? But the 320i was the runt of the family, downsizing to a 4-cylinder engine, but forgetting to add the turbo needed to drag what was a relatively heavy body for the motor. Though the claimed outputs were good – 168 hp in later model years – it never drove that well. I suppose you could’ve bought a 325i, but it would’ve been cool if even the lower end of the spectrum had a good engine behind it.

Lexus RC F

I think I’m one of the few who genuinely loved the RC-F from the moment I saw it. Sure, the engineering may have been a little flawed, utilizing heavy bits and pieces from multiple other models, but I thought it looked daring, and the concept of a naturally aspirated V8 in an era of turbocharging sounded great! But, the 5.0-liter V8 was essentially the same one Lexus used in the IS-F super-sedan from 7 years earlier. Though power was increased from 417hp to 470 hp, the V8 still struggled with a lack of torque, and the heavy RC F needed torque if nothing else.

Mercedes-AMG SLC43

Mercedes-AMG is synonymous with thunderous V8 engines. In all but their front-drive based vehicles, we expect snorting V8 engines up front and smoking tires behind. In the case of the SLK, the brand’s smallest convertible, that was always the case. But when the German brand renamed the SLK to SLC, it made one crucial change, and it dropped the V8 from the line-up, with the range-topper being the SLC43. In place of the 415 hp, 5.5-liter V8, Mercedes-AMG saw fit to drop a twin-turbo V6, not only down on displacement and cylinders but down on power too with just 385 hp. It’s slower than the SLK55 was, and though it might be sharper in the handling department, the SLC deserves a V8 range-topper.

BMW i8

Yes, we know the BMW i8 has been built to start the ball rolling on the future of electric propulsion – it’s a stepping stone to future all-electric sports cars from BMW – but a 3-cylinder engine, really BMW? Though the i8’s combined output of 369 hp might be fairly impressive, and the performance figures equally so, when the battery runs out of juice you’re left with a 228 hp carbon fiber sports car that sounds like a sewing machine. Imagine if BMW had equipped it with something more powerful, more sonorous, or even something with a little bit of heritage. The only other mid-engined BMW ever built was the inline-6 powered M1, so how cool would the lightweight i8 have been with the M3’s turbo-6 dropped into the engine bay? Maybe then we’d have the performance to back up the incredible looks.

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New BMW 4 Series Unveiled: Sharper Looking And Better In The Corners

Staying ahead is the best way to avoid falling behind.

It’s a waste of time to fix something that isn’t broken. "Not broken” is a term we would use to describe the BMW 4 Series, which, as the automaker points out, has sold more than 400,000 units worldwide since its inception in 2013 through the end of 2016. That being said, in the auto industry it’s not always a bad idea to freshen up while ahead. For BMW this is an especially good idea given that Mercedes turned the C-Class Coupe into a budget version of the S-Class Coupe. In an effort to stay ahead of the pack BMW has just unveiled the new 4 Series.

To keep things consistent throughout the model lineup (coupe, convertible and Gran Coupe, aka the 3 Series you have always wanted) the changes are subtle. Yet they have the cumulative effect of keeping the 4 Series from slipping behind in its hotly contested segment. Restyled LED lights take center stage up front and at the rear, replacing the xenon headlights on the outgoing model. Along with the now-standard LED fog lamps, restyled air intakes as well as a rear apron help the 4 Series look competitive. Inside the changes are just as understated. Chrome accents can be found in new locations and are paired with electroplated detailing and stitching on the instrument panel, which can be combined with three new upholstery colors and trim choices.

Finishing off the eye-pleasers are two new paint finishes, Snapper Rocks Blue and Sunset Orange, as well as model-specific wheel designs for the Advantage, Sport Line, Luxury Line, and M Sport packages. Hardware doesn’t go untouched either with the 4 Series gaining a reworked suspension for the Coupe and Gran Coupe models that rides more firmly and transmits road information to the driver more effectively. For those wanting to carve the canyons sport tires can be added in the factory if optioned. In the never-ending quest to make infotainment systems less annoying, BMW fitted its newest iteration of its optional user inference with new tile-style control pads that can be rearranged.

The picture under the hood doesn't change significantly, with the 4 Series gaining BMW's range of EfficientDynamics engines. Included in this family are three turbocharged gasoline engines (a 181-horsepower unit for the four-cylinder 420i, a 248-horsepower mil for the 430i four-banger, and a 3.0-liter power plant making 321 horsepower in the six-cylinder 440i). There are three turbo diesels ranging from 148 horsepower to 309 horsepower, but there's next to no chance we'll see those in the US. These engines can be mated to either a six-speed manual or an eight-speed automatic gearbox which sends power to either the rear wheels or all four wheels if xDrive is spec'd.

Prospective M4 buyers can expect to see the same LED light treatment and cabin upgrades make it to the coupe and convertible Ms, although power output on the M model remains the same despite the fact that the Mercedes-AMG C63 S makes a substantial amount of extra power. Don’t expect the upgrades to come for free as Autocar claims that UK buyers are being asked to pony up an extra ￡680 ($818) for the upgraded 4 Series.

The Best BMW Has Been Made Even Better

The best? For brand purists, of course.

For us and for many of you, the definitive BMW is a small, fairly lightweight coupe with impeccable driving manners thanks to outstanding German engineering. The 2 Series lineup is that BMW, and it traces its ancestry back to the iconic 2002. BMW has just unveiled the facelifted 2018 2 Series and, bottom line, it’s made a great car even better. Here’s what’s new: The exterior for the entire lineup, including the M240i and M2, features new Bi-LED headlights and optional full-LEDs that come standard on the M2.

Those full LEDs feature a hexagonal interpretation of the automaker’s signature twin-circle design. Out back, the entire lineup receives single-piece full LED taillights with BMW’s familiar "L" shape. Also notice the larger kidney grilles and larger outer air intakes on the three-section front end. This new look definitely gives the 2 Series a wider, somewhat more aggressive look. There’s also new 17- and 18-inch wheel design options. The interior is where the most significant updates take place, with a revised dashboard that gives everything a more premium look and feel. There’s also an updated instrument cluster with more driver-friendly information displays.

And, of course, the 2018 2 Series comes with the latest iDrive infotainment system, with its updated design and touchscreen display. Apple CarPlay is optional, as are inductive phone charging and a WiFi hotspot. Official pricing has yet to be announced, but we figure it won’t be a significant difference over the current lineup. Sales are likely to begin either later this summer or in the fall.