Yeah, About That All-New BMW X5 ...

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By: Sergiu Tudose

The fifth-generation G65 BMW X5 is rocking the Neue Klasse design language inside and out, and it’s available with a wide range of powertrain options, from regular gasoline and diesel mild-hybrids, all the way to plug-in hybrids and of course you’ve got the fully electric iX5.

I saw this car live, in person, a few weeks back – but I was bound by an embargo, and I couldn’t tell you anything about it in an official capacity. That embargo has since been lifted.

Not only did I walk around the vehicle during the event, but they let every invited guest and press member fiddle around with the interior, the doors, trunk, frunk (it was an iX5)… feel the materials, the build quality, you name it. And yes, it was a pre-production car, so relax BMW, I haven’t forgotten that!

Visually, it’s just a bigger iX3. I don’t even know how else to describe it. I’m not the biggest fan of Neue Klasse design, so I’m not in love with it or anything, but it’s relatively ok-looking. Its size does make it more appealing than the iX3, and it does look futuristic, if anything. I wouldn’t blame you for wanting one.

As for the door handles, which look like something out of a Mustang Mach-E, they got the job done in the pre-production car I saw, but that’s about it. They also felt kind of flimsy, which is something to keep an eye out going forward – maybe they’ll do a better job on the production models.

Full disclosure, during the event BMW allowed us to explore all the previous generations for the X5, which were also in attendance. Yes, they brought an E53, E70, F15 and a G05, to this unofficial presentation, and it was quite eye-opening. How would you assume a 2027 X5 compares to a 1999 X5 from an interior quality standpoint? Basically, everything you touch with your hand, from the upper dash to the console, door panels and so on.

The answer is poorly. We live in the age of cost cutting and sustainability, and new premium cars now feel ridiculously cheap inside, especially plastics found low inside the cabin – door pockets, base of the center console, door-mounted tweeters. The door panels on every single X5 generation, even the first one, are clearly made from higher quality materials than those of this latest X5.

I think you’d be crazy to give up your G05 for the new G65 if you value luxury and expensive-feeling materials. That’s all I’m going to say. Otherwise, I’m sure the latter is the more accomplished product, from a technical and performance standpoint. And don’t get me wrong. It’s not like the new X5 feels cheap whereas its rivals feel more expensive. They all feel cheap, if you know where to look. It’s the reality we’re currently living in.

And I’m also not such a big fan of the Panoramic Vision display. It reminds me of old European minivans like the Renault Scenic, and not in a good way. This is no longer “interior design” we’re witnessing. It’s product design.

Pros? I did like the automatic doors, like you get in the 7 Series. And the ambient lighting was pretty cool. Enough said. Just looking forward to driving it now.

For the full article, please continue reading on our site.

By: Cristian Agatie

While legacy carmakers struggle with software-defined vehicles, others concoct AI-defined vehicles 

The automotive industry was regarded as one of the most conservative, with small, incremental improvements stretched for decades. Sure, modern cars are much safer and more economical than those produced 50 years ago. But they still function pretty much the same; the combustion engine hasn't changed much, and neither have most powertrain and chassis components. 

This is the sign of a stagnant industry where competition is virtually non-existent, and the odd disruptor has been integrated into the establishment instead of being fought out. This has essentially shielded car companies and prevented true innovation. Sure, Japanese carmakers posed a threat in the 1960s, and Korean carmakers have managed a similar feat in the 2000s. Neither brought a technological revolution, though. They just improved costs, making cars more affordable. 

Things changed dramatically with the launch of the Tesla Model S and the advent of the software-defined vehicle revolution. It was a brutal clash between two industries with wildly different development paces. This time, the stale automotive industry had to fight not cheaper products, but a fast-moving industry with no rival: the IT industry. 

Tesla was only the first company to pry open Pandora's box for the auto industry. It has since fallen behind more agile competitors from China. These are now doing to Tesla what Japanese carmakers were doing to the Detroit Three in the 1960s. Specifically, offering better EVs at a price point that it's difficult to match without cutting profits. 

Tesla is no longer the agile startup that it once was, and a recent strategic shift turned it away from the automotive innovation nirvana. Simply put, Tesla recognized the threat from the Chinese piranhas and decided to sit this one out. It's still among the dominant EV makers, mostly thanks to its software and the Supercharger network, but these are increasingly outcompeted by Chinese carmakers. 

If Tesla is feeling the heat, you can imagine how legacy-auto executives are hardly closing an eye at night. Many have already recognized the danger, but there's little most of them can do to change course. And to make things worse, there's already a new challenge in the auto industry. EV startups no longer talk about software-defined vehicles. They have already moved to AI-defined vehicles.

For the full article, please continue reading on our site.

By: Alex Oagana

By quite a long shot, it has been quietly established over the years that the best engineered premium cars come from or were developed in Germany. It’s not just me saying that, as sales have long proven it.

Sure, there are other countries with luxury or premium cars that are sometimes better-engineered, better-looking, more luxurious or simply cooler, but when it comes to the consistency of delivering such cars, Germany usually wins hands down. They are the ones who are universally known not just for inventing the modern automobile 140 years ago but also perfecting it along the way.

All of this is also helped by marketing, of course, which in turn has become more and more efficient by how good previous cars have been. But, apart from that, most German carmakers, especially premium ones, have also mastered something that is a lot more profitable in the long term than luxury or safety features. They’ve actually managed to engineer expectations.

The most obvious and positive expectations one usually has about a German car are usually fixed to each individual carmaker. I’m talking about how people used to expect a Mercedes-Benz to be comfortable and have a solid feel, a BMW to have great steering and feel more dynamic than your average family car, or a Porsche 911 to literally have no substitute.

Those expectations haven’t been always met, especially in recent years, but the point is they still do exist, and are, s mentioned, positive. I’m not here to talk about them but about another expectation that has been practically engineered in, particularly by German automakers.

Keep in mind they’re not the only ones doing it, but they are the best at and arguably the inventors of planting a thought so deep in our minds that we now collectively feel it is our own. Probably a few decades ago, we all accepted an idea in unison and without ever questioning it. The larger the dimensions of a car, let’s say a sedan, the larger the list of features it has, and the more entitled the carmaker becomes to charge exponentially more for equipment that often costs only marginally more to install.

Just think about it, if someone told you a compact luxury hatchback should offer the same seats, sound insulation, air suspension, massage functions, active safety systems or the interior craftmanship as a full-size luxury sedan like the S-Class, you’d probably say they are as dumb as a bag of rocks.

And you’d have a very good point, because if such a car existed, then who would buy the larger car? That is the very question we’ve all been conditioned to ask, so that asking for the best features available from a carmaker on its smallest cars would sound dumb.

For the full article, please continue reading on our site.

By: Vlad Radu

Few racing competitions have started out in such a successful manner as the Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft. DTM began in 1984 and quickly became one of Europe’s most popular touring car series. It saw fierce rivalries between Germany’s finest as well as Ford and Alfa Romeo, with some of the most talented drivers on the continent behind the wheels of legendary production-based race cars.

Among those race cars were the following five models which became motorsport legends. Even today, these impressive rides manage to inspire with their raw, yet sophisticated nature, so let’s take a few minutes to remember and celebrate them.

BMW M3 (E30)

For the 1987 season, BMW entered DTM with a completely new challenger, one that went on to become one of the most dominant race car ever built by the Bavarians.

Based on the E30 3 Series, the first-ever M3 was developed by the German manufacturer’s Motorsport division to replace the M635CSi. Not only was it a huge improvement over the M635CSi, but it also managed to bring BMW two DTM titles, the first during its debut season, followed by a second in 1989.

Powered by a masterpiece of an inline-four engine and important aerodynamic upgrades constantly improved throughout the model’s lifespan, the M3 was produced in three distinct evolutions.

Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth

In 1986, Ford Europe began production of the RS500, the ultimate evolution of the Group A-developed Ford Sierra Cosworth.

In the latter part of 1987 season, the iconic touring car entered the DTM and by the end of the 1988 season, it won a Teams’ and Drivers’ championships with Klaus Ludwig earning the latter.

Its dominant overall victory was one of the few by a non-German manufacturer, even if Ford Europe’s motorsport headquarters and a plant were located in Germany.

The RS500 managed to be so competitive because of its mix of aerodynamic efficiency, suspension tuning, and lightweight turbocharged inline-four produced by engineering wizards Cosworth, which produced close to 500 hp in full racing trim.

For the full article, please continue reading on our site.

By: Mircea Panait

After debuting the all-new X5 in both internal combustion and full-electric specifications, BMW is now refocusing its development efforts on the next X7. Our spy photographers have recently captured a heavily camouflaged iX7 whose front and rear lights are production-ready units, indicating that its much-anticipated launch is on track for the summer of 2027.

To be sold for the 2028 model year in the United States of America, the Spartanburg-built large sport utility vehicle steers away from the X5's design language for an evolutionary generational switchover. 7 Series-like split headlights may be featured, but due to its camouflage wrap, it's nigh on impossible to figure out whether a split liftgate will be offered.

The interior of the redesigned X7 will unfortunately mirror that of the X5, meaning no iDrive controller and no conventional instrument cluster. On the brighter side of things, prospective customers will be offered a choice between six cylinders, eight cylinders, or dual-motor electric muscle. Regarding the full-electric iX7, current estimates indicate over 800 horsepower from the most performance-oriented model in the iX7 line.

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Ford isn't chasing performance with its yet-unnamed electric pickup truck, which does not serve as a replacement for the F-150 Lightning. Similar in footprint to the North American-market Ranger from the 1990s and 2000s, the zero-emission model is coming as a crew cab with a highly compressed bed that wouldn't look out of place on the compact-sized Maverick

Sitting lower to the ground than a body-on-frame pickup, the first-ever Ford with UEV bones will yield more passenger space than a Toyota RAV4. Its maker also promises Mustang EcoBoost-rivaling acceleration, which is hugely impressive for an electric vehicle supposed to retail at $30,000 in the United States of America. The latest spy pics of the heavily anticipated truck confirm a clean-sheet approach to the digital cockpit, with Ford betting on a centralized digital ecosystem that would make Tesla blush in awe.

As you'd expect in the Model Y, a landscape-oriented touchscreen is there as the control center for pretty much everything. By eliminating so many buttons, dials, and switches, Ford has also cut back on wiring. Debuting a 48-volt electrical architecture, this fellow should also move from copper wiring to aluminum to save weight and a few dollars in the process.

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On the internal combustion front, Audi Sport is now putting the finishing touches on the RS Q5. Currently undergoing validation tests at high altitude, said crossover is expected to match the maximum output figures of the 630-horsepower RS 5 Sedan and the family-oriented RS 5 Avant.

From the standpoint of exterior styling, its front bumper and grille help the RS Q5 stand out from the already impressive SQ5. Gifted with a 2.9-liter V6 instead of a single-turbo sixer with 3.0 liters on deck, the punchiest Q5 to date boasts oval tailpipes and sportier brakes at both ends.

The RS treatment will further include deeply bolstered front seats, carbon-fiber trim pieces, and plenty of Alcantara upholstery, along with RS-exclusive layouts for the digital instrument cluster and centrally-mounted touchscreen infotainment system. With a bit of luck, American customers will get the RS Q5 for model year 2027 in the first half of 2027.

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Hitting dealer lots for model year 2028, the facelifted Santa Fe makes a bold visual statement by means of a thorough mid-cycle refresh. Instead of the previous H-pattern lighting signature and blocky corporate grille, Hyundai is applying the design language introduced by the second coming of the Nexo fuel-cell sport utility vehicle. Said makeover starts with split headlights, which position the low beams lower on the front bumper.

Elongated vertical daytime running lights are present as well, broadening the stance of the vehicle. A smoother profile minimizes the slab-sided look of the outgoing model, whereas the rear end fixes the heavily criticized low-mounted horizontal taillights by adopting vertical clusters. Of course, Hyundai also made a case for a full-width rear light bar for good measure.

The cabin will benefit from updated infotainment and telemetry, including the Pleos Connect operating system of the all-new Elantra. Similarly important, Hyundai is dropping the dual-clutch tranny of 2.5-liter turbocharged inline-four models for a torque-converter automatic with eight forward ratios. The self-charging hybrid and the plug-in hybrid Santa Fe will continue using a six-speed automatic and a 1.6-liter turbo inline-four.

By: Bogdan Popa

The AI revolution makes us feel like we live in the future, so good luck explaining to your grandma how her next GM will be able to fill out an accident report on its own. A new patent describes this tech, as The General wants V2V technology to swap essential details for on-the-spot collision reports.

Google wants to be part of this AI invasion, so it’s using Gemini to transform how we use Google Maps. The sat-nav application will one day be able to order our food automatically, so our only job will be to chew.

Gemini can do more things, including using the front-facing camera to scan your surroundings. The feature was demonstrated in the upcoming Volvo EX60 and is both scary and awesome at the same time.

Meanwhile, Google has just pressed the go-ahead button for a new Android Auto update. The good news is that it resolves a long-time confusion for Android Auto wired users. You’ll have to unlock your phone to use the app, depending on your configuration, but at least Android Auto will let you know about it and won’t make it all feel like a bug.

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