BMW To Bring 5-Series Diesel Over In Wagon Form?!

Just when it seemed like wagon aficionados were going to have to make an occupy-every-auto-manufacturer movement, BMW swoops in with some exciting news.

If Endras BMW is to be believed (who by the way seems to have taken over representing BMW in Canada from the ever dormant BMW Canada), the 5-series is going to be available on our shore in diesel form! The 550d in Europe gets a tri-turbo 3.0 litre six which makes 375 horsepower and a whopping 546 pound feet of torque all while returning on average 6.3 L/100 kms and producing 167 g/km of carbon dioxide.

But wait, it gets better.

The 550d will also come with BMW’s X-Drive all-wheel drive system optional as well as BMW’s M package being available to spruce things up look-wise.

But probably the best news of all? This can all be had in wagon for as well. BMW had decided to not sell the 5-series wagon on our shores with the 5-series GT stepping in to fill the gap. However, as good as the 5-series GT is, it’s not exactly a sales star.

The 550d with the M-pack and in wagon form was actually Jeremy Clarkson’s pick for car of the year this year and it’s not hard to see why.

All this seems too good to be true and when that happens, it usually is. However, Endras BMW claims an 550d Xdrive M wagon can be available to us Canucks as early as March.

Now, all BMW needs to do is add a manual transmission to that wagon and boy, do we ever have one drool-worthy family hauler.

[Endras BMW]

Test Drive: 2011 Volkswagen Golf Wagon TDI

By Kevin Harrison

Have you ever really liked something that was really popular, then all of a sudden people decided it wasn’t cool anymore? For instance, I like sweater vests. Believe me, I know they are terribly uncool, but the fact of the matter is, they really aren’t uncool. If you haven’t noticed, old men wear sweater vests and old men have completely fresh style. Think about it. Most old men are married and have been for a long time. How many single old men do you know? Exactly. I guarantee you their old man clothes had something to do with getting them a woman.

The same thing could be argued for wagons. I mean they used to be cool, but now, where are all the wagons? They’ve all turned into stupid useless SUV’s. As a result, wagons are seen as uncool and I really don’t understand that either. Going back to my old man analogy, how many old men to do you see in Hummers, Navigators, or even Explorers? Yet think of what old men typically drive. Cadillacs and Buick’s of course, but if they’re a bit more adventurous, they all get wagons. And on top of that, they always have a woman in the passenger seat. Wagons therefore = cool. On the flip side, How many douchebags do you see in SUV’s blasting questionable music with absolutely no girls in the car? See my point?

There are still a few automakers that are smart enough to get this. Volvo and Subaru are the ones that usually come to mind when you think of wagons, but Volkswagen should be considered as well. They’ve had the Passat wagon going for decades (and is still going strong) and they smartly introduced the Jetta wagon in the early 2000′s. It has since turned into the Golf wagon. It should also be noted that the Golf wagon name is just for Canadians. In the States, they still call in the Jetta wagon. That’s probably inaccurate now that it has a Golf front facia. Once again, Canada does it right.

But the bigger question is, does it actually do what a good wagon should?

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Test Drive: 2010 BMW 118d

By Kevin Harrison

For this new car review I’ll skip my usual pretentious introduction where I talk about something that seemingly has nothing to do with the car, but then I somehow tie it all together at the end . Because this review is definitely very unique – it’s about a car that isn’t even available for sale in Canada.

Why even bother writing a review that very few Canadians will get to drive? Well, for that very reason. It’s a unique experience. But on top of that, this is a car that BMW very well could bring over to Canada and it would fit in quite nicely. BMW currently sells its 1-series in two forms (coupe and cabriolet) in Canada, but there are some people that may not realize that there is actually a hatchback version available world wide everywhere but here. I think that’s a mistake. While the 1-series hatchback may not be palatable to American taste buds, Canadians tend to find hatchbacks more agreeable.

On top of that, this particular model would likely do quite well. It’s a diesel and diesels are well suited for long distance driving. And if you haven’t noticed, Canada has the second largest land mass in the world. As a result not only do we do lots of driving, but we are the 3rd largest emitters of carbon dioxide (CO2) per person in the world because of it.

So is the 118d a car that we’re missing out on, or is it best kept elsewhere?

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Test Drive: 2010 Audi A3 TDI

By Kevin Harrison

I was driving behind an old Mercedes-Benz diesel a while back and I have to say, it was about as desirable as playing strip poker with your parents. It was just awful.

I actually had to turn my radio up because that diesel clatter was making my ears bleed. Then, despite being 30 degrees outside, I had to roll up my windows because the exhaust coming out of the tailpipe had a rather black/purple-ish hue that would make even Stephen Harper concerned about its effect on the environment. On top of that, the smell was less agreeable than a hockey player locker room after the second period.

For the first time ever, I finally started to understand North American tendencies. Diesels of the past were terrible.

Since then, many automakers have refined diesel technology, most notably Volkswagen. Even though most automakers bailed on the idea of bringing diesels back, Volkswagen stuck with it, leaving them with virtually all the market share. Not a bad move. BMW and Mercedes-Benz have followed suit with each brand offering a small dosage of their diesel technology for open minded North Americans.

Volkswagen has expanded the technology into four of their models. But what if you want a little premium with that oil burner? Well, for the first time Volkswagen has made its famous TDI engine available in the Audi A3. Is it worth it?

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More BMW Diesel Goodness Cometh

Fact: BMW’s diesel’s are tremendous.

Fiction: North Americans love diesels.

Fact: BMW is trying to make North Americans love diesels.

That’s basically how the diesel story goes. BMW isn’t the only one trying to make us love diesels as VW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz have all thrown their hats into the fray. The truth is, we are immensely stupid for not warming up to diesels and should consider oursleves lucky that said manufacturers haven’t given up on us.

And, to prove they haven’t given up, BMW has just announced that the new 2011 5 series will have a diesel varient to choose for us North Americans. The 5-series diesel is currently offered in Europe (where they do things properly) and it has been pretty successful so far.

But on top of that, BMW recently confirmed that two more diesels will be making their way to our shores. They didn’t drop any hints as to what they would be, but the only logical models left that don’t have diesel variants are the X6 and the 1-series.

Oh Hi: 2011 BMW 5-Series Touring

And the wagon invasion continues!

BMW has officially released pics of the new 5-series wagon Touring which reaveals no surprises in terms of design. It is essentially the new sedan body style from the B pillar forward and a lot more room for your stuff in the back.

If it’s half as good as the 550i GT is, then consider us to be very excited. It will get the same twin turbo V8, but unlike the 550i GT, it will not be available at launch. A 535i variant is expected to hold down the fort until the 550i version arrives. The 535i will get 300 horsepower from BMW’s new 3.0 twin-scroll turbo inline six. We’re betting that Europe will get a diesel version, but we probably won’t get it here.

So the big question is: which would you rather? A 5 series GT or a 5-series Touring? We think the wagon design definitely looks cleaner.

Check out the new 5 wagon in action after the jump

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Mercedes-Benz to Produce First Ever Diesel Hybrid

A lot of people tend to wonder why no one has thought of combining a diesel with hybrid technology, as oppposed to a regular gasoline combustion engine, since diesels are inherantly efficient to begin with. Seemingly combining two forms of efficient technology would be the ultimate in both efficiency and power as diesels tend to have high torque ranges.

Well, someone has thought of it before. Mainly mostly every car manufacturer. The problem with a diesel hybrid set up is that diesels are bigger and heavier than traditional gas engine. Therefore, there generally isn’t enough room in the engine bay for both the diesel and electric motor. On top of that, the set up would be quite costly. Both hybrids and diesels tend to be more expensive than gas engine vehicles, so having a vehicle with both likely would likely produce some sticker shock.

But, that of course doesn’t stop manufacturers from trying. Kia has recently been flirting with the idea of a diesel-hybrid, and Mercedes-Benz has just announced a production diesel hybrid version of their E-Class sedan.

Details after the jump.

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Test Drive: 2010 Volkswagen Touareg TDI

By Kevin Harrison

A few days ago, I was on my way to Halifax from Dartmouth via Metro Transit’s superb bus services. It was around lunch time and I expected it to be quite busy. It was. However I was able to get myself a seat near the front of the bus which is typically reserved for the elderly, people who are disabled or have  young children. At one point a woman got on the bus and sat down next to me. This annoyed me because at no point during her time on the bus did she do anything remotely surprising. I had her ‘type’ pinned down as soon as the bus pulled up. She was clearly a crazy woman. Now, normally I don’t tend to judge books by their covers, but there seems to be a law in the universe that anyone that is remotely ‘loony tunes’ will interact with me, no matter what the circumstances.

I knew that this woman would choose to sit next to me rather than take the empty seats across from me. I knew that she would hit me in the face a few times with her bags as she attempted to sit down. I knew that she would ask me to hold her travel mug while she composed herself, then once settled in, act like the mug wasn’t hers. I knew that she would spend the majority of the trip talking to me about her dog “Jack” who may or may not exist. Seriously, the way she spoke about him made me question whether he was all in her head. It was at this point when I had started to pray that an elderly woman would get on the bus so I could give up my seat and get a break from hearing about how she once met a man with the same name as Tom Cruise, but wasn’t Tom Cruise, yet she still asked for his autograph anyway.

Sometimes you can nail down the personality of a car before driving it too, which is also irritating. For instance before you get into a Toyota Corolla (it does not matter what year) you know you will be in for a rather boring ride, but at least nothing will go wrong the gas pedal you’ll be able to save some gas. Before you get behind the wheel of a Ferrari 599 you know you’ll be in for one of the most thrilling adrenaline inducing rides of your life, but only if you can get it started first without jumper cables.

I thought I had the Touareg nailed down too. Turns out, I didn’t.

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BMW to Launch Two Efficient Compact Models by 2014

BMW is known for being the benchmark in many areas, specifically handing and performance, but not many people would consider the brand when it comes to efficiency or the environment.

Well it seems BMW wants even more accolades as it is trying to take the ‘Green Leader’ crown in the premium segment as they have confirmed production of a hybrid supercar. On top of that BMW finally has their awesome diesels for sale in both the 3 series and X5 in our market, they’re in pilot production stages of an all-electric Mini, they recently introduced an all-electric 1-series concept and now comes word that BMW will add two small cars beneath the 1-series. This new venture into the green territory is likely the result of new stringent efficiency standards, but if anyone can somehow match performance with efficiency, BMW is likely to do it.
Find out more about the new models after the jump
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Prayers = Answered. BMW Vision EfficientDynamics Going Into Production!

2013 is going to be a very good year.

Possibly the most innovative concept to come out in a while, BMW attempts the difficult task of combining power with efficiency. Also, BMW obviously couldn’t just stand by while their main rival Audi releases their all-electric E-tron.

The production version will obviously be a lot tamer than the concept you see, still, expect a shapely supercar like body.

What’s under the hood? Well, not what you’d might expect. It will reportedly feature a 3-cylinder diesel with a range extender and two electric motors. Sound underwhelming? Well the complicated hybrid set up will produce around 356 horsepower and a ridiculously insane 590 pound feet of torque!

There’s more good news. Vision EfficientDynamics will not be the name of the production version. BMW may be considering reviving the M1 moniker for it.  But really, they could call it pig-farter and we’d still buy it.
Check out more pics over at autoblog.