Nearly one hundred years ago, in the southern part of Germany that borders the Czech Republic, and Austria, Bavarian Motor Works was founded. Headquartered in Munich, inside the state of Bavaria, BMW started their company creating powerful engines and motorcycles. It didn’t take very long for them to break into the vehicle game with the production of their first car in the late twenties. Over the past eight and a half decades BMW has grown in popularity to become one of the world’s most popular luxury car designers, with no evidence of stopping or slowing down.
While other teams of car manufacturers congregate around large wooden tables in the boardrooms of America to name their cars, while BMW sticks to the basics. BMW keeps it simple when it comes to naming their cars, keeping with numbers and letters. While the numbered series vehicles are cars, typically coupes and sedans, the letter series automobiles cover a wide expanse of types and models from SUVs to small convertible sport’s coupes. With their extensive lineup of vehicles, there is surely a letter series vehicle for everyone.
The X Models – From the compact X1 to the full-sized BMW X5, and everything in between the X series boasts a series of SUVs, or as BMW calls them, sports activity vehicles. With the line starting at $34,000, the price for luxury isn’t far off from the price tag on other small SUVs and delivers the quality that each BMW promises on a daily basis. The X6, a sports utility coupe, packages everything people love about cars and sports utility vehicles together and makes each of them better. Each X model has space to spare, and enough power to carry a carload of people, or your stuff, easily.
The Z4 Roadster – It’s not by chance that BMW uses the last letter of the alphabet for the model number for this little powerhouse, they surely want it to be remembered. The roadster is a classic sports car, packed with power and easily made into a convertible, with a hardtop that drops in under 19 seconds. The Z4 can be equipped with manual, dual clutch, or automatic transmission options, and a boost function to give the car extra power around corners. It can also be built with one of three engines, a 4-cylinder, or one of two 6 cylinder options.
The M Model – When it comes to options, the M series has them. Available in a coupe, convertible, Gran Coupe, Sedan, Sports Activity Vehicle, or Sports Activity Coupe. The vehicles in the series possess a range of 425-600 horsepower, dependent upon the model, and is built using carbon fiber materials. The use of carbon fiber allows for maximum speed and lightweight movement. Drivers could easily put any vehicle in the M series on a closed course track, and it will hold its own. The line starts at $63,000 and includes vehicles from M3 to M6 with the X5M and X6M thrown in for good measure.
The I Series – In an effort to show their eco-friendly attitude, BMW created the I series. First, there is the completely electric i3, which gets up to 81 miles on a single charge, with the option for a range extender that will pump out 150 miles. Then there is the i8, a plug-in hybrid with the unmitigated power of a traditional BMW engine, and the fuel friendliness of an electric model, combined into one impressive sports car. The purchase of an eDrive vehicle includes membership in the 360-degree Electric Lifestyle Program, which offers many free and discounted services for eDrive drivers.
Each BMW model is painstakingly constructed to achieve the utmost in powerful performance while maintaining their reputation for quality luxury models. Between the letter and number models, BMW has managed to create a vehicle for nearly every driver on the planet, spanning a huge range of specifications and performance models. The lettered models may sound like a virtual alphabet soup, but BMW uses their letter system to ensure that there is no confusion when it comes to picking a vehicle. Call it a vehicular game of Wheel of Fortune, and pick yourself a letter.
This post may contain affiliate links. Meaning a commission is given should you decide to make a purchase through these links, at no cost to you. All products shown are researched and tested to give an accurate review for you.