BMW has over 100 years of history to draw upon. To say there have been a huge number of hits would be an understatement. But, there have also been some enormous misses. Drawing inspiration from a recent Reddit thread, we decide to remember some of the best – and worst – of the brand throughout its storied history.
Most Underrated BMW
I still stand by my constant assertion that the BMW i3 is severely underrated. It’s quick, fun, unique, and does an excellent job of performing its intended purpose. That is, running around city streets and being overall sustainable. To date it’s still one of the greenest cars ever produced.
Most Overrated BMW
The E39 M5 is overrated. I’m not the first to say it and I won’t be the last, but it’s true. It’s not the most dynamic M5 ever made, and it isn’t the most powerful. The S62 V8 is cool, yes. But engines like the S65 (E9x M3) and S85 V10 do what it does with more personality. While the car is an admittedly good sports sedan, the heaps of praise it receives are almost impossible to live up to.
Best BMW Engine
This will probably vary wildly depending on what you consider the best. But I seem to be in a strange position where I simply can’t stop talking about the McLaren F1. Blame Mercury retrograde or whatever, but today’s no exception. Under the hood of every McLaren F1 – even race-winning chassis #17R – is a BMW powerplant. The S70/2 engine is the best ever created and it’s hard to imagine anyone arguing against that.
Worst BMW Engine
The N63 engine is – so far – one of the only to ever land BMW in hot water via a class action lawsuit. So, it kind of needs to win the worst BMW engine category. While it isn’t the worst when you’re behind the wheel, ownership costs can quickly outstrip the actual cash value of the vehicle it powers. While the later TU engines improve, we recommend you carefully weigh the pros and cons before jumping into one of these.
Best BMW Design
The E46 M3 handily wins this one. It’s beautifully proportioned, refined but racy, and should really be what everyone thinks of when they hear “M3.” Honorable mentions to the 507 and BMW i8, but ultimately, this is a hugely subjective category and the E46 M3 takes home the gold medal for me. Fun BTS fact: the E46 M3 was originally my pick for “most overrated,” but I decided it fit here better.
Worst BMW Design
Maybe we should’ve added a “so far” to the end of this category. Hopefully it won’t be a necessary addendum. The BMW XM takes away a win here and it isn’t even close. Many of the newer vehicles feature a prominent grille and some angular, non-traditional design cues. But the XM stands above thanks to its silly narrow headlights, awkward c-pillar design, alien taillights, and unremarkable wheel designs. To quote an owner’s review: “The looks have grown on me. It’s…unique enough to make it…and I guess by transition… you feel special.” That barely cohesive half-thought is the nicest thing an actual owner could say about how their vehicle looks. Notably, it’s probably the nicest thing anyone’s ever said about the SUV’s appearance. We would have stopped at “ghastly.”
Most Fun BMW
This it a tough category, because ‘fun’ encompasses a wide range of activities. The S55-powered M2 Competition is my choice, but only because the E36 M3 is a winner in another category. Plus, the US E36 M3 isn’t fast enough for some people to consider it ‘fun,’ which is understandable. The M2 Competition and CS models weigh a little more than their N55-powered predecessors but drive very differently – more like a shrunk-down version of the F80 M3 than the N55 M2. An extraordinarily responsive chassis with an extremely high performance ceiling makes these cars truly enjoyable behind the wheel. The E82 135i is a close second.
Best Value BMW For Dollar
Value is a purely subjective thing. That said, if you want a quintessential “BMW ownership and driving experience,” I think an E36 M3 is the way to go. While you could contend that there’s an entrant at every budget – from the $2,500 beater 318i to $20,000+ M3s – the E36 M3 is the “most E36” of them and is a true delight. There’s a reason autocrossers favor these cars so heavily – they’re a delight to drive, easy to work on, and quintessentially retro.
Most Reliable BMW
Newcomers to the brand will likely bandwagon the B58 engine for the title of most reliable, but we think older is generally better in this regard. Specifically, I’d suggest any vehicle powered by the M50. No emissions stuff to deal with, unlike the later (and in some respects, better) M52. All M50 are also iron blocks, as opposed to M52s which are mostly aluminum blocks. Either way, if I had to drive across the country in a BMW of unknown provenance, I’d hope for an M50 – and probably make it. Oh, and make sure it’s a manual transmission and not all-wheel drive. Let’s call it an E34 5 Series.
Least Reliable BMW
There are a variety of right answers here, and the most obvious is the N63 engine. In the spirit of not picking anything twice, I’ll instead choose the first-ever car powered by an N54 engine, the 335i. The N54 is a delightful powerplant when it’s working right, but common failure points include fuel pumps and entire turbochargers, which is…kind of an anomaly restricted to only the N54. N54s are pretty leaky, too. It’s glaringly obvious that the N54 is simply a less-reliable alternative when compared to the N55 engine, or even the newer B58. Even if it does have a little bit more character.
Best Generation of BMW
Someone’s gonna be mad no matter what we choose. The E46 3 Series is our pick. While long-term reliability can be challenging, the E46 3 Series generation covered a little bit of everything. Whether you went for a touring model, the ZHP cars, or of course the truly timeless M3, this generation didn’t disappoint in-period and continues to provide excellent driving thrills – and decent luxury – even over 20 years later.
Worst Generation of BMW
It was hard not to choose the BMW XM here, but we’re trying desperately to avoid repetition. We’re going to call the E65 7 Series as the worst generation of BMW, even though I think there’s room for others in the conversation. The entire G30 5 Series was a little unseasoned and overcooked overall, for example. And the first-gen X5 was far from the total package. But at least both looked the part; the E65 was unorthodox at best. First-gen iDrive wasn’t good – in-period or decades later – and ergonomics were less than perfect. Hey, someone’s gotta come in last.
First BMW You’d Buy – Money No Object
If money is truly no object, nothing would suffice but a concept from the BMW Museum vaults. We’d go with something like the E46 M3 Touring or the incredible E31 M8 Prototype. Barring those, we’d go with a G80 M3 Touring for the US. Because, let’s be honest, enough money changing hands would have you road-legal, albeit likely in violation of many other laws.
BMW You Couldn’t Pay Us to Take
Normally we’d give this to the BMW XM, too, but we don’t want to repeat ourselves. So our choice is the 2010-2012 BMW ActiveHybrid 7 – specifically, a long wheelbase (LWB) model. This anachronistic hybrid prioritizes performance, mating a V8 to an electric motor and rocketing from zero to 60 mph in just 4.5 seconds. In 2011. Unfortunately, that engine was the infamous N63 V8, which is already a maintenance nightmare. And the starting MSRP was around $107,000. We don’t want any of those problems.
Best Date BMW
Depends on your lifestyle – and what your idea of a good date is – but we think the E92 M3 does the trick. They’re a bit more soft-sprung than the newer vehicles, so overall quite comfortable. Auto or manual, so no limitations if you or your partner doesn’t drive stick. While not the quietest vehicle on the planet, as long as they’re left stock they aren’t too loud, either, so you can hold a conversation. On the other hand, the V8 can sound exotic and incredible with an exhaust system. So, if loud and proud is more your style, it’s still a good choice.
Best Cars and Coffee BMW
There’s probably no wrong answers to this one. BMW vehicles are always a hit at Cars and Coffee events, and there’s generally a pretty good crowd of like-branded enthusiasts to hang out with. But custom and one-off cars are always going to attract the most attention, and for that, we recommend the V10-powered 858 CSL.
