BimmerLife: We’re used to seeing the previous generation M2 in SRO, but how did the IMSA program in the VP Racing SportsCar Challenge series come about with the new car?
Adam McGregor: The M2 has historically been in the SRO TC America series and we’re going to continue there, but this year we’re also expanding to bring it to IMSA, which was initiated from the IMSA side. They had an idea to expand the M2 into IMSA competition. It was outside the traditional IMSA weekend for us so at first it was sort of different, but we looked into it more and we thought it would be a good outlet to get more cars into the hands of customer teams. It’s good having the car in SRO, but there’s a lot of customers that like IMSA too, so having the car in both series helps us. We’re trying to keep the spec of the car as close as possible in both series so that customer teams can easily move from series to series. Not having to change the spec of the car to go from one series to the next opens it up for customers to use the cars more.

BL: Can you comment at all on how much interest there has been in the car from U.S. teams?
McGregor: At the end of the day, the interest has been high and it’s mostly been from race teams, which is really where we want these cars to go. The M2 gives teams a great opportunity to race a car that has lower running costs, a lot less than GT4. There’s also interest from track day guys, but the priority for car deliveries is for race teams first. Right now (the interview was on December 22nd), we have nine cars being delivered after Christmas. We think three of those cars will end up in IMSA and the rest in SRO. That’s based on what people are telling me, but what people tell me and what actually happens could be different.

BL: Will BMW of North America have support at IMSA events for the car?
McGregor: For IMSA the level of support will depend on how many cars there are, but there will be an engineer at every race to support teams, which is what we’ve always done.

BL: Has there been any pushback on the car since it’s a four-cylinder and the M2 street car is a six-cylinder?
McGregor: There are some people that look at the car and say ‘oh, it’s a four-cylinder and doesn’t have as much horsepower,’ but once you drive it, that can change the narrative. I always go back to the E30 M3, which was a four-cylinder homologation special. The new M2 Racing is also a four-cylinder, so is really going back to our roots almost, with the E30. In terms of speed, the lap times at the Nürburgring last summer were by and large similar to the previous six-cylinder M2, but the big thing is really the running costs. With the previous generation M2, the running costs were almost at the GT4 level. The new car is definitely bringing the running costs down and is attractive to teams that want to control costs more. There’s a lot of the race car that is taken from the M2 street car, and I really think that’s a reflection of how robust the M2 street car is. The race car has a different motor of course, but overall, a lot of what’s in the race car comes from the M2 street car. Another cool thing about this car is that it’s the first race car that we’re producing on the production line.

BL: Does having a four-cylinder in the M2 Racing create any marketing challenges with the six-cylinder M2 street car?
McGregor: There’s some perception that it’s a lesser car, but that’s coming from the more casual street car people, who always want more car and more horsepower. For those guys, it’s been hard to sort of get the message across of what this car is for. We could certainly build a GT4-level M2 but then it would be competing with the M4 GT4, so there’s no point to that (a six-cylinder would also make the M2 Racing ineligible for SRO TC America). The whole point of this car is to fit in the window of another class.

—David Haueter
[Photos courtesy BMW, Gruppe C Photography]

The post The M2 Racing Is the First BMW Race Car to be Built on the Production Line appeared first on BimmerLife.

Krohn first joined BMW M Motorsport in 2014 in the Junior Program. Over the years, he has raced in many different series and in many different cars, including the Z4 GT3, the M6 GT3, the M8 GTE, the M4 GT3 and the M Hybrid V8. Here in the U.S., Krohn drove for BMW M Team RLL in a handful of IMSA seasons, most recently in 2024 in the M Hybrid V8, where he won at Indianapolis with Philipp Eng. In 2020, he won the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup Championship in the GTLM class with John Edwards in an M8 GTE.

In 2025, Krohn was behind the wheel of M4 GT3 EVOs, competing in the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup as well as the Italian GT Championship. Krohn also won the Nürburgring 24 Hour race in 2025. “It has been a long, successful time at BMW M Motorsport and I am very grateful for all the opportunities it has given me,” said Krohn. “I have competed in over 200 races around the world with great teams and team-mates and have had many successes along the way. All good things come to an end, but new and exciting challenges await me. I would like to thank all the teams; team-mates and all the BMW M Motorsport staff I have had the pleasure of working with over the past twelve years. I will miss you, but we will meet again on the race track in the future.”

Krohn (left) won at Indianapolis in 2024 with Philipp Eng in the M Hybrid V8.

We wish the best of luck to Jesse with whatever the future holds for him.

—David Haueter
[Photos courtesy Gruppe C Photography, BMW]

The post Jesse Krohn Is No Longer a BMW Factory Driver appeared first on BimmerLife.

Well, it’s now 2026, and that means that Alpina is fully part of BMW. What does that mean, you ask? Well, a few things. The Bovensiepen family—the ones behind Alpina—and the team in Buchloe are still active, but are now working under the family name to create bespoke, modified BMWs. The first one was shown at Villa d’Este, and it’s the Bovensiepen Zagato (pictured below), an M4 convertible-based pillarless coupe with more power and a body from legendary Italian designer Zagato.

This also means BMW has now taken full control of the Alpina name, and some excerpts from its press release give a hint as to what it plans to do with it:

Key elements of the BMW ALPINA brand are its unique balance of maximum performance and superior ride comfort, combined with hallmark driving characteristics. This is complemented by an exclusive portfolio of bespoke options and custom materials along with unmistakeable details.

The new wordmark provides a first indication. It radiates clarity, calm and confidence. Positioned at the centre of the rear, it underlines the standalone character of the new exclusive brand and its independent personality within the BMW Group.

BMW ALPINA vehicles are manufactured according to rigorous standards for materials selection and craftsmanship. They fulfill the most demanding expectations in terms of visuals, acoustics and feel. Moreover, buyers can choose from a remarkable portfolio of bespoke options. These ensure that every BMW ALPINA has its own, unmistakeable character. Each vehicle will be an exclusive object for connoisseurs in pursuit of the extraordinary, without compromises on performance, comfort and individuality.

The new BMW Alpina wordmark.

It’s no longer a trim level, but a brand within the group, one that will seemingly continue to provide the balance of luxury and power Alpina has been known for. However, BMW will also integrate Alpina more deeply into the development process, there is an in-house designer, and it’s likely that models that receive the Alpina treatment will feature deeper changes to powertrain, options, interior, and even styling, than before. The goal appears to be to create a luxury brand above BMW but below Rolls-Royce, sort of like how Mercedes now uses the Maybach brand.

The next X7/iX7 and refreshed 7 Series are most likely the first candidates to get this BMW Alpina treatment. Let’s see what they come up with.

The post Alpina Is Officially Part of BMW appeared first on BimmerLife.

Works driver Auberlen and BMW Brand Ambassador Samantha Tan will pair up in the #38 M4 GT4 EVO in a partnership between ST Racing and Random Vandals Racing, under the name ST Racing by Random Vandals Racing. Auberlen is the winningest driver in BMW history and Tan has proven to be very competitive in both GT4 and GT3 cars. “I’m incredibly excited to step into the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge GS class for the 2026 season,” said Tan. “It’s one of the most competitive GT4 championships in North America, and it feels like the right challenge at this point in my career. Being able to share the car with Bill Auberlen makes this opportunity even more special—he’s a true BMW legend and having the chance to learn from his experience while pushing together at the front is something I’m really looking forward to.”

Auberlen and Tan will be joined in the GS class by the #92 Random Vandals Racing M4 GT4 EVO of Robert Megennis and Nicky Hays. Megennis has prior experience in the series in a BMW with Turner Motorsport, and Hays is the recipient of the 2026-27 IMSA Diverse Driver Development Scholarship. “I have known Rob for a while, so I am really pleased to finally get him in a Vandals car,” said Team Principal Paul Sparta. “We are chuffed to have Nicky as Rob’s teammate. Nicky put in some great drives last year in Lamborghini Super Trofeo, so I can’t wait to see how Rob and Nicky will go in our M4. Fast is my expectation.”

The Random Vandals Racing entries bring more BMW representation into the Michelin Pilot Challenge series in 2026, with the season opener at Daytona on January 23rd. We also expect that Random Vandals Racing will be competing in the SRO GT4 America championship with the M4 GT4 EVO in 2026 as well, in addition to the IMSA program.

—David Haueter
[Photos courtesy Random Vandals Racing]

The post Random Vandals Racing Will Have Two M4 GT4 EVOs in Michelin Pilot Challenge appeared first on BimmerLife.

However, I don’t know how to figure that out. In California, you just have to be here through one noticeable earthquake and you’ll be accepted. There’s probably a rite of passage here, too, maybe a secret handshake, but no one talks about it. I get by using “Dude!”, “Righteous!”, and “People on ’ludes should not drive” with reckless abandon. I also wear my slip-on Vans with flames, age-appropriate or not.

Am I going to miss California? Some of it, sure; I’ll miss the sunny days, beach walks, and easy access to high-quality Mexican food. I’m not exactly sure how I’m going to deal with the loss of grilled fish tacos, crispy carnitas, and Cadillac margaritas strong enough to be considered disinfectant, but I will survive… probably. Worst case, I’m perfectly capable of making the margaritas myself.

I’ll miss a lot of the car culture, too. I have a feeling that as good as the local Cars & Coffee may be on the East Coast, it is unlikely to draw from the same universe of vehicles. In the last 90 days or so, there were seven original GT-40s, some from each of three generations, at one show, four Paganis and three Koenigseggs at another, and so many McLarens at a third that no one even stopped to look at them; everybody, including me, went directly to the white-over-green 21-window VW bus instead.

Will I miss the traffic? No, not at all. Having a 45-minute drive take an hour and a half is just stupid, as is the fact that you can’t really predict how long your drive will actually be. As far as I can tell, the local chapter of the Anti-Destination League has a secret daily e-mail list wherein they announce where all of the impaired should meet to drive. Because of this dichotomy, we leave early and know every decent coffee roaster near our friends’ houses so that we can duck in and waste some time before we were actually supposed to show up. (It’s rude to show up early, but even worse to get drafted to help when you do. If I wanted to help make dinner, I would have brought a sharp knife, a decent pan or two, and an apron with neither ruffles nor floral print.⁴)

How bad is it? When I moved to south Orange County in the mid-Nineties, I could make it to downtown San Diego in a little over an hour; now I plan on two. One day, the Friday before a holiday weekend, it took over six hours.

There are a bunch of tracks there, too: Thermal Club, Chuckwalla, Buttonwillow, Willow Springs, Auto Club Speedway, Irwindale, the Porsche Experience Center, plus Laguna Seca, Sonoma, or Spring Mountain if you want to drive a little farther. But every one of them is a proctological nuisance to access in heavy traffic.

In contrast, where I live now, it’s about an hour and a half of easy driving to get to Summit Point.

Even California’s back roads aren’t really back roads anymore; they’ve been taken over by urban sprawl and fulfillment centers. A buddy put together a tour of fun SoCal driving roads last year—basically, he turned a Butler Motorcycle Map into a loop—but most of the fun parts lasted 10 minutes or less, linked by clogged freeways, lines of trucks, uncoordinated traffic lights, and bumper-to-bumper buffoonery.

It’s not that there’s no traffic where I am now; there is, but it’s easy to circumvent. The immediate area is walkable. Our homeowner’s association runs a shuttle bus to the Metro, which gets us either into the fun parts of DC or to Reagan Airport, and the city itself has a shuttle bus that loops to most of the places we actually like to go. Or we go the other direction and the traffic is next to nothing.

So this was a good move, in more ways than one. Our townhouse has a garage, which is weird enough for the area, but it’s also a two-car garage. Weirder still is that it has ten-foot ceilings, which means a lift easily fits. Which means all three cars have indoor parking. Which means that Moby, the Mercedes; TWUBBL, the Dinan 3; and Hopper, the 911 are all semi-officially Forever Cars.

Given the potential garage issue, they almost weren’t. I was considering a Hyundai Ioniq 5N, in part because Hyundai poached Albert Bierman, former chief engineer at BMW M, to run their motorsports program. But while the N is electric, comfortable, stupid quick, and quieter than a nun’s fart, it just isn’t very engaging. Oddly enough, our Hyundai sales guy tacitly agreed. Just to be clear, he didn’t talk us out of the 5N, but his engagement with his own cars–a modded Mustang GT and a wildly modded Audi S5 that isn’t even vaguely street-legal—made our decision clear.

We have new back roads to explore, and fun, fast, familiar cars to do it in. I’ll let you know how my new Virginia license holds up

1. At least I don’t think so. Unless of course I cheesed Satch off with one too many grievously obscure references or antiquated vocabulary choices.
2. Why, yes, I am a cockalorum of some magnitude. Thank you for noticing.
3. Uh-oh: two potential problems and three footnotes in a single sentence. What have I done?!
4. Sure, I can spatchcock the turkey, but do you really want me to use your garden shears to do it? And can I borrow them for the drive home? I may need to spatchcock some of those Anti-Destination Leaguers as well.

The post Anyone? Anyone? | Hello, Virginia; Spicoli, I’m Gonna Miss You appeared first on BimmerLife.

When the 2022 episode happened, it was dusk and rush hour was approaching. Although I’ve written that you may have just 45 minutes or less of battery capacity in a car like an E39 before it wigs out, in truth, I didn’t really know. I pulled into a rest area, thought about the situation, and elected to play it safe and have the car towed home.

2022. Oh the indignity!

Once the car was in my garage, I elected to look at the brushes on the voltage regulator, as that’s what I was used to doing on E24/E28/E30-era cars where the regulator is held onto the back of the alternator with just two little screws and you can get it out in five minutes. In the E39, it’s quite a bit more involved to remove the regulator in situ, but I did, and found that the brushes were badly and unevenly worn, as were the slip rings. I replaced the regulator, and have been driving the car for the past 3.5 years.

2022, new and old regulators and brushes.

2022, grooved slip rings

Fast-forward to last week. Maire Anne and I drove up to Nashua NH to drop off her sewing machines for service. We took the E39, which was unusual because it’s kind of incumbent on me to provide “stories-free” transport when we’re both together, so we usually take either her Honda Fit or a very well-sorted vintage car, but for some reason I was feeling like the E39. The 40-minute drive up to Nashua was flawless, but as soon as we began heading back, the battery warning light came on. Maire Anne has been around me long enough to know exactly what that means and what the options are.

“What are you going to do?” she asked. “Call for a tow?”

(To state the obvious, an E39 isn’t a vintage car like a 2002 where, if you have a spare alternator (which I didn’t), you can probably swap it, even in winter, in like 10 minutes. It’s located lower in the engine compartment, there’s more stuff in the way, and you have to deal with releasing the tension on the serpentine belt. )

I thought about how my 45-minute battery life estimate stacked up against the 40-minute zero-traffic drive on the way up.

“We’re going for it,” I said.

We burned down Rt. 3 and I-95, watching the voltage on the cig lighter like a hawk. Down and down it went, falling below 12, 11, 10, into the unimaginable single numbers. I was amazed that the car was still running. When we got off I-95 at the exit for our home town of Newton, I felt home-free, as if the car died, our son Ethan could’ve grabbed the battery jump pack from the garage, driven it the two miles to us, and I could clip it onto the battery for an ounce of reserve capacity. But we made it. Incredibly, as I turned left to pull onto our street, the directional dash light stopped flashing and the audible clicking stopped, indicating that things were beginning to be affected by the low voltage. A few seconds later, most of the dashboard warning lights came on—things like brake and airbag warning lights that have nothing directly to do with voltage.

As I pulled in the driveway, the cigarette lighter voltmeter read an astonishingly low 6.5 volts.

And it had been 42 minutes since the battery light came on. I guess that 45-minute number I pulled out of my butt a decade ago is pretty accurate.

Totally not kidding about the 6.5 volts.

Interestingly, when I shut the car off and put a voltmeter directly across the battery terminals, it read 11.5 volts. I’m not sure exactly what mechanism was causing it to read so much lower at the cigarette lighter.

I pulled Bertha and the Lotus Elan +2 out of the garage, restarted the E39 with the jump pack, backed it into the garage, pulled the Lotus back in, and left Bertha to fend for herself in the driveway.

This is against the natural order of things.

I yanked out the alternator to do a proper post-mortem. This is what I found—one of the brushes had broken clean off from the voltage regulator, and there was visible damage to the slip ring.

Way not good #1.

Way not good #2.

Whether the slip ring caused the brush to break, or the broken brush damaged the slip ring, it was clear that this time I needed to replace not just the regulator but the alternator as well.

But what to buy?

I and others often complain bitterly about the poor quality of replacement parts for older cars. The mechanism behind this is that when cars are still under warranty, the manufacturer is on the hook to replace broken parts for free, but as the cars age out of warranty, there is zero incentive for the manufacturer to actively police the quality control/assurance process of whoever they’re buying “genuine/OE” parts from. And it’s even worse with aftermarket parts, as the oft-touted phrase “OEM quality” means absolutely nothing. With alternators, you have the additional choice of buying not just new or used, but rebuilt. The OE alternators on E39s were Bosch and Valeo. The Bosch rebuilds have a reputation that’s, shall we say, spotty, and brand-X web-based click-and-buy rebuilds can be nothing more than a coat of paint. The preferred path is using a local rebuilder you have experience with, but I no longer have one. The cost of a new Bosch or Valeo ($389 and $317 respectively on FCPEuro) gave me pause, as those numbers represent 20 percent of what I could probably sell the E39 for, but I was very hesitant to buy something either used or rebuilt. Of course there are the new brand-X eBay and Amazon alternators in the $100 to $150 range, but looking at the Amazon ratings, I always see a tail of one-star reviews with comments like “worked for a month, then died.”

Then I saw that FCP had another new brand—SEG, who reportedly bought Bosch’s alternator and starter business in 2018. FCP listed a new SEG alternator with an overstock price of $240. That sounded good, and I dragged it into my FCP cart, but I was put off by the fact that I could find virtually no online reviews or ratings of SEG alternators. I decided to sleep on it.

In the morning (last Monday, three days before Christmas), I decided that I needed to get something on order and on the way to me. I called up my FCP cart on my laptop prepared to click and buy, and was stunned to see the “overstock” label gone and the price risen to $334.

No no no no no no no!

Desperate to get something in motion but not wanting to spend over three hundred bucks, I looked on eBay for used alternators within a small radius of me. I found a Valeo alternator reportedly from an 81,000-mile Z3 out in central Massachusetts at a salvage yard I’ve done business with before. I looked directly on their website, and saw that their no-eBay no-fees pick-it-up price was a shade under a hundred bucks. I called to make sure they had it, then shot out there (in the no-stories Honda Fit :^). In addition to the Valeo having low miles on it, the fact that it had been removed from a likely-not-driven-in-winter Z3 gave it a nice corrosion-free appearance.

When I got home, I was about to install the Valeo in the E39 when I thought that there would never be a better time than now to pull the back cover off it and check the regulator. It was a little different than the Bosch, but still easy to do. Unfortunately, the brushes on the regulator looked like this:

THAT’s concerning.

I slid the dust cover off the brushes so I could see them better. It made them look even worse.

Do those look like they have 81,000 miles on them to you?

The slip rings didn’t exactly look 81k-fresh either.

I thought that clearly the thing to do was—as I did with the original alternator—just buy a new regulator / brush pack, install it, and be done with it. I went upstairs to the laptop, searched, and was stunned to find that while you can buy a new Bosch regulator for an E39 alternator for as low as $35, the going price for one for the Valeo (part number 12317551153) was closer to a hundred bucks.

Damn!

I thought about what to do, and decided that, in the short term, I just needed the car running again. I returned the regulator and brush pack to the Valeo (and when I did, carefully verified that the short brush was still being pushed backward into its housing, indicating that it wasn’t so worn that it was in imminent danger of not making contact), mounted the alternator in the car, buttoned everything back up, and tested that it worked (it did).

On the one hand, getting the car back up and running in an afternoon for a hundred bucks wasn’t a bad outcome. But having had the alternator die on me twice due to regulator problems, the Valeo’s worn brushes didn’t exactly instill confidence. I did a deeper search on the Valeo regulator, and found that RM European and AutohausAZ had them for under three figures. With a discount code, the AutohausAZ price came in at $79. I swallowed what was slightly bitter in the cup and clicked and bought. When it arrives, I’ll install it.

Out of curiosity, I looked again at the online trail of the alternator I bought. The VIN of the car it was from was listed, so I googled it. I found the bids.cars site where the salvage yard likely bought it. It was listed as having 81,000 miles there. So I don’t think that the salvage yard did anything deceptive in selling it to me.

But it goes to show: Whether new, rebuilt, or used, you pays your money, and you takes your chances.

—Rob Siegel

Rob’s new book, The Best of The Hack Mechanic, is available here on Amazon, as are his seven other books. Signed copies can be ordered directly from Rob here.

The post The E39 Alternator Surprise appeared first on BimmerLife.

My wife, Carol, is fond of telling friends, “As a cook, Mike’s a pretty good mechanic.” It’s not that I can’t cook; recipes are like shop-manual procedures: Just follow ’em to success. But cooking is just not something I really like to do. I have, however, been known to bake—cakes, cookies, brownies etc, following those cookbook or mix-box instructions.

Early in our marriage, the first thing I baked for Carol was her birthday cake. We lived in a trailer—not a “mobile home,” a trailer, one with a five-degree list to starboard.

Thus the layers came out of the oven lopsided, and had to be carefully aligned to prevent the Leaning Tower syndrome. I finished icing the cake just before Carol arrived home from work.

“Mike, the frosting is beautiful,” she said. “Did Margie [our next-door neighbor] do it?”

“No, I did.”

“Where did you learn to ice a cake like that—your mom?” (She was a great cook, by the way.)

“Nope. You really don’t want to know.”

This conversation continued for a few more exchanges; then I finally revealed where I had learned my transferable skill: applying auto-body filler. As I explained to Carol, frosting is about the same consistency as filler, and sets up at about the same rate. “You’re right,” she mused. “I didn’t want to know.”

Going back even further, like most junior-high boys of my generation, I took wood shop, making the requisite foot stool and turning a gavel on the wood lathe. While not planning a woodworking career, I enjoyed the class. Those skills came in handy when I acquired a 1949 Fiat woody station wagon: structural wood, not trim. I was able to reconstruct the doors, whose mortised horizontal ribs had rotted ends where they joined the doors’ perimeter frame, plus other wood problems. Although I hadn’t learned cabinetry skills in my ninth-grade wood shop, I wasn’t afraid to tackle the wagon’s woodwork. And the time spent on the wood lathe taught me how to turn some attractive shift knobs for my cars.

After many years of teaching myself auto-body work, I enrolled in an evening auto-body class at our local vocational school. But having recently acquired an acetylene torch set, I registered for a welding class first, wanting to learn how to use that torch without hurting myself. I learned torch and arc welding, and later MIG welding, becoming reasonably competent; my welds weren’t always pretty, but they stuck. (Besides, that’s what a grinder’s for.) That skill stood me in good stead when repairing the ravages of 30 salty Ohio winters on my 2002—and I didn’t even burn out my grinder smoothing the welds.

When the Ocracoke Preservation Society asked members to make small paintings of Ocracoke-themed scenes for a fund-raising art auction, I wanted to participate, but my painting abilities run more to cars and houses. However, I unlimbered my torch and brazed sheet metal together to picture Ocracoke’s iconic 1822 lighthouse, framed by two L-shaped steel rods. Not only did it sell, it garnered one of the highest auction bids!

From another direction, I learned how electrical circuits function by sorting out problems—and installing new accessories—on my cars long before I ever had to do any household wiring. When we built a detached garage, I decided to wire it myself. I borrowed a household wiring book from the library, bought the requisite materials, and proceeded to wire six circuits, plus 220 volts for my compressor.

An actual electrician came out to run the drop from the house to the garage and check my work. He passed my wiring with flying colors. It’s still functioning properly after 48 years, so I must have learned something.

My primary responsibility as an Air Force civilian involved planning logistical support for Air Force units, especially when deploying from their home base to support a contingency. That involves determining what spare parts must accompany the deploying unit, allowing them to continue functioning for up to a month without resupply.

Choosing which parts to send is a detailed process, and begins with determining those parts that either need regular replacement (think oil filters on cars) and those parts that have a history of failure—based on maintenance records—for a particular aircraft. The completed deployment kit must be as compact as possible, but still contain—with a high probability of success—the parts necessary to “keep ’em flying” for that critical first month.

Those skills transferred neatly to my automotive fleet. I keep a small notebook in each car’s glovebox, noting any repairs made or replacement parts installed. Based on that information, over time I can predict when an individual part’s likelihood of failure starts to increase. If I have a long trip coming up, I can either make the repair/replacement in advance, or at least carry the part along, just in case.

It’s always the one you didn’t bring that you need.

The post Self Propelled | Some Skills Transfer in Both Directions appeared first on BimmerLife.

Now in its fourth generation, the 2025 X3 is all-new, with updated engines and a more modern interior than its predecessor. The biggest for the 2025 X3 is the exterior design, which takes a lot of design cues from the all-electric iX. BMW describes the design as “almost monolithic.” The front-end is the most obvious change, but thankfully the X3 grille is a lot less awkward looking than the one on the iX. As expected, the new model is longer (by 1.3 inches) and wider (by 1.1 inches) than the previous X3, but it’s also lower (by one inch). At 4,535 lbs, it also weighs more.

The new X3 M50 xDrive looks great in Vegas Red Metallic. Photo: David Haueter

The updated twin-turbocharged inline-six-cylinder engine under the hood of the new X3 M50 xDrive is fantastic. It now features the 48V hybrid system, which consists of a crankshaft-mounted starter generator that delivers more responsiveness and quells turbo lag. Power output on the X3 M50 xDrive is up to 393hp and 428 lb-ft of torque, and 60mph comes in 4.4 seconds if you use all of it. That’s only around a half-second behind the 503 hp X4 M Competition Package., which brings up another change in direction with this model.

You’ll notice that the X3 M50 xDrive has dual exhaust pipes that are very reminiscent of the shape of full-on M models, like the previous X3 M. This is intentional, as BMW says in the press release that it’s “a nod to the position of the new X3 M50 xDrive.” That makes it sound like there will be no X3 M model coming with this generation, which makes sense considering the performance level that the X3 M50 xDrive has reached. That said, we can’t rule out a full M version in the future.

Quad exhaust with round tips is a nod to M models. Photo: David Haueter

Adding to the M-ness of the X3 M50 xDrive are the Adaptive M Sport suspension, M Sport brakes, an M Sport differential on the rear axle and 20-inch wheels, all of which come standard on this model. If you look closely, you’ll also notice the kidney grill has horizontal bars, which is traditionally a design element of the full M versions. You can also get the X3 M50 xDrive with either all-season or performance tires, and our test model was equipped with Goodyear Eagle F1 rubber.

Other notable updates to the X3 M50 xDrive that enhance performance are increased body rigidity, a wider rear track, and modifications to the double-joint spring strut front axle and five-link rear axle that BMW says increases precision when turning into corners. A 19 percent increase in the caster offset of the steering axles is also said to improve straight-line stability.

The new X3 cockpit is minimalistic and modern but is easy to adapt to and has a lot of practical touches. Photo: David Haueter

Settling into the driver’s seat, the minimalistic interior of the new X3 becomes obvious; there are few buttons and the big screen across the dash dominates everything and houses nearly every function. The good thing is that everything is very intuitive and easy to adapt to, though it may take time and practice to remember where everything is in the iDrive menu. Once you do figure it out, you can customize the main screen to make the features you use most often easier to access.

There’s a lot of practicality built into the interior, and some thoughful touches. I really like the panoramic moonroof and there’s a lot of storage options in the doors and center console. There’s also a decent amount of storage in the rear with the back seats down. I was able to fit my mountain bike without taking the front wheel off, which was definitely a surprise, and with the back seats up there’s good leg and head room for passengers. And the front seats are supportive and comfortable. It’s a nice place to spend some time.

The twin-turbocharged 3-liter inline-six makes 393hp in the X3 M50 and is one of the best engines in the world right now. Photo: David Haueter

The X3 M50 xDrive is quiet, fast and comfortable on the highway, and the ride quality in Comfort mode seems to be more compliant than in previous models. Being comfortable on the highway is expected in an SUV, but the new X3 really impresses on a back road. Over the generations, the X3 has always been competent, but the new M50 xDrive raises that ability to another level.

Perhaps it’s the wider track or the improved suspension kinematics, but this new X3 is nimble and fun to drive. It feels very precise and planted with a lot of grip when you turn into corners and body control is fantastic for being as heavy as it is. It really drives more like a sports sedan than an SUV. The engine and transmission work in perfect harmony and the brakes felt strong. That said, like most BMWs the brakes are a bit overboosted, but you quickly get used to how much pressure you should apply in different situations.

My week with the X3 M50 xDrive was cut short by a non-repairable flat tire, but to fill the week out BMW loaned me an X3 30 xDrive. That made for an interesting comparison.

The new X3 30 xDrive has a lot less horsepower than the M50 model but is still fun to drive and more economical. Dune Grey Metallic is a new paint color. Photo: David Haueter

The X3 30 xDrive is powered by the two-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that’s in other models like the 330i and 530i and makes 255hp compared to the M50’s 393hp. It’s not as exciting to have a four-cylinder under the hood, but the X3 30 is plenty quick for a daily driver SUV and pulls strongly after some initial turbo lag, getting to 60mph in a very respectable six seconds. It’s also more efficient with fuel economy (33mpg on the highway) and is still fun to drive on back roads, though you can’t power out of corner exits like you can with the M50. In terms of design, I’m not a fan of the grille of the X3 30 xDrive with its mix of diagonal and vertical bars, but if you order it with the M Sport package ($2,200), the grill is blacked out. You can also order the X3 30 xDrive with Dynamic Damper Control ($550) and get it with performance tires. The base price is $50,900, a pretty substantial savings compared to the X3 M50 xDrive’s $65,900 cost of entry.

Still, I would pick the X3 M50 xDrive as the best all-around SUV in the BMW lineup. It has a great blend of performance and practicality and blurs the lines between sports sedan and SUV. It’s the model to get if you really want an M3 but need something more practical with usable space, and it has what is probably the best six-cylinder engine in the world under its hood. But if you’re just looking for a fun to drive SUV that’s not necessarily going to be driven like a sports car, the X3 30 xDrive is also a great choice. BMW did a really nice job with both of these new SUVs.

The post The 2025 BMW X3 M50 Is the Pick of the Litter appeared first on BimmerLife.

The M Chapter secured 50 spots for the Cars & Caffeine showcase as part of the BMW Classic display. Whether you have a vintage, classic, or modern car, we all live and bleed BMW. This opportunity will allow BMW CCA members to showcase their car at the historic Amelia Island Cars & Community event, which takes place on Sunday, March 8th, 2026. Please note that we are asking all participants to spend the weekend at this prestigious event, preferably Friday thru Sunday.

With 2026 being a huge anniversary year for several historic cars, we are looking for the following show-worthy BMWs: M3, 6 Series, and 1602-2002, as stated below:

• 40th Anniversary : BMW M3 (E30, E36, E46, E9X, F80, G80)
• 50th Anniversary: BMW 6 Series (any variant)
• 60th Anniversary: BMW 1602-2002 (any variant)

Please note that this registration doesn’t guarantee you one of the 50 allocated spots.

All submissions will be vetted and accepted members will be notified shortly after registration closes. There will also be a waitlist in case of any cancelations.

Your final date to sign up is Friday. January 10th. Click the flyer below to register.

The post Enter Now To Showcase Your Car In the BMW Classic Cars and Caffeine at the 2026 Amelia Island Concours appeared first on BimmerLife.

In the FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK), factory rider Toprak Ratzgatlioglu won the World Championship for a second consecutive year with a BMW M 1000 RR and the RoKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK team.

“Toprak’s successful title defense in WorldSBK will remain unforgettable, with no fewer than 21 wins in 36 races,” said Head of BMW Motorrad Motorsport Sven Blusch. “In the FIM Endurance World Championship, we were also on course for the title in a dramatic finale until just minutes before the finish, before a technical issue prevented this potentially historic success for the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team. But next year we will have another chance to become world champions in endurance racing as well.”

Toprak Ratzgatlioglu won his second consecutive FIM Superbike World Championship.

BMW Motorrad customer teams had great success around the world with the M 1000 RR, winning 12 titles, including two here in the U.S. Cameron Beaubier won the MotoAmerica Superbike championship with Tytlers Cycle Racing, and Andrew Lee won the MotoAmerica Superstock championship with the Orange Cat Racing team. “The BMW M 1000 RR is one of the best bikes in international racing—and this season once again showed that our customers can rely on it in championships around the globe,” said Uwe Geyer, Head of BMW Motorrad Customer Racing. “We are proud to be able to provide private teams and riders with such a strong package.”

Davey Todd on his way to a win on the streets of Macau.

BMW Motorrad Motorsport was also victorious in some of the most prestigious standalone road races in 2025. Davey Todd and Michael Dunlop finished one-two in the Isle of Mann Tourist Trophy, and Todd also won three of the five races that make up the North West 200, while Dunlop won the other two. Todd also won the Macau Motorcyle Grand Prix, with BMW riders Peter Hickman and Erno Kostamo finishing second and third to make it a BMW podium sweep. “All these successes fill us with great pride,” said Sven Blusch. “They prove that the BMW M 1000 RR is a true winning motorcycle and that our global BMW Motorrad Motorsport family is stronger than ever.”

—David Haueter
[Photos courtesy BMW]

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