Top 7 greatest BMWs of all time
As it turns out, the world can never have too many impeccably put together cars that are also fun to drive and it’s the Germans, more than anyone else, who seem to have figured what most of us want. Take BMW, for instance. Celebrating its 100th year as a carmaker in 2016, the Bavarian motor giant is responsible for making some truly legendary driving machines, so narrowing them down to a list of just seven was always going to be a heart-wrenching task.
Nonetheless, here’s a look back at seven of the greatest BMWs ever that seared the brand into the minds of enthusiasts across the globe.
E39 M5 (1998)
Replacing the sublime E34 generation M5 was no easy task, but BMW’s M division managed to outdo itself and cook up a sweet sports sedan in the E39 M5. This generation of the M5 is among the nicest-looking four-door sedans ever and what’s even more impressive is that it earns this label by being inconspicuous yet fairly imposing out on the road.
This particular M5 also made a lot more power compared to what it replaced, all thanks to the 4.9-litre V8 dishing out nearly 400bhp. Coupled with a 6-speed manual as the only gearbox option, the V8 powerhouse sped this unassuming sedan to 100kmph from standstill in as little as 5 seconds. Of course, the M5 wasn’t just fast; it was also a proper daily driver, featuring four-doors, a big boot and all of the latest luxury equipment from the time.
E31 8 Series (1989)
Rare and seemingly elegant in a very 90s sort of way, the 8 Series deserves to be on this page for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it’s got pop-up headlights – once sub-zero cool, now passed out of existence. Secondly (and more importantly), the 8 Series is partially responsible to power the holy grail of analogue supercars i.e. the McLaren F1. The F1’s 6.1-litre V12 engine, in fact, shared some of its internals with that of the humble 850CSi from the 8 Series range. Well, when I say humble I mean BMW’s 380bhp flagship grand tourer from the 90s with a fancy four-wheel steer technology.
E46 M3 CSL (2004)
BMW had a rather simple formula to make the CSL: Take a standard E46 M3, stiffen up the suspension, improve the brakes, add more power to the engine, get rid of a large chunk of the sound insulation, electric seats, air conditioning and audio system and inevitably put up an exorbitant sticker price for the collectors. Predictably, the lightened, more hard-core and yet expensive M3 CSL went on to become one of the most sought-after BMWs of all time. And this is despite the fact that it never came with a manual gearbox and instead was offered with a semi-automatic unit. With only 1,400 examples ever made in either silver or black, the CSL is already a future classic and is bound to attract otherworldly premium in the years to come.
E53 X5 (1999)
Words such as ‘sporty’ and ‘practical’ come to mind when discussing the X5 which to this day remains the benchmark among SUVs with sporting aspirations. It all began with the original E53-gen X5 which arrived back in 1999. With a unibody architecture and an independent suspension setup, the X5 was a far cry from all the traditional truck-based, body-on-frame SUVs at the time.
Since the original X5 was developed at a time when BMW had Land Rover in its kitty, the SUV was aided with some of the latter brand’s off-road goodness such as the hill descent system and the off-road engine management system. Featuring an engine range spanning from a 3-litre, in-line six turbo diesel to a sweet sounding 4.8-litre V8 petrol was another indication that the X5 meant business.
2002 tii (1968)
BMW, in the late 1960s, was in deep financial crisis as Germany was still reeling from a prolonged recession. Not wanting to be at the brink of bankruptcy, the carmaker came up with a range of affordable sports sedans to bring in big volumes and it was the 2002 that caught enthusiasts’ attention and put BMW on radar as a maker of drive-focused sedans.
While the 2002 is certainly the most memorable car from BMW’s cash strapped era, it got even more special back in the day with the fuel-injected tii version which used a 2-litre, in-line 4 engine. And with nearly 130 horses under the hood, the 2002 tii had the grunt to match its elegant appearance.
i3 (2013)
As the most technically advanced vehicle on this list, the zero-emission i3 comes at a time when engine downsizing is rampant and environment-friendly motoring is the new trend. It’s not surprising then to know that the i3 has been designed to be as efficient as possible, however, that doesn’t stop it from appearing on this list.
The i3’s greatness can be measured by the virtue of its abilities as a zero-emission vehicle. Firstly, it’s the magnitude of the driving range that it offers. Unlike a few other electric cars which offer a rather dismal driving range and take an absolute age to charge up their batteries, the i3 can cover up to 160km on a single charge and its 22kWh battery can be fully charged in around three hours using fast charging. Secondly, it’s the way the i3 has been conceived; in their quest to keep the weight as low as possible, BMW has used carbon fiber reinforced plastic for the passenger cell and an aluminium chassis. All in all, the i3 may never be as influential as some of the cars that you see here, but as an efficient and responsible form of motoring, it’s bound to go a long way in the future.
1M Coupe (2010)
This list would not be complete without the 1M Coupe. No, do not let the 1 Series nose or the dreary interior fool you; the 1M Coupe is a result of BMW harking back to its traditional roots of unhinged, driver-focussed compact cars. This car, then, in many ways is the spiritual successor to the original E30 M3.
From its wildly flared wheel arches and wider track to the twin-turbocharged 340bhp in-line six engine and a 6-speed manual gearbox, the 1M Coupe was quite bespoke even for a limited-run model. Speaking of which, BMW launched the 1M with a proposed limited production run of just 2,700 cars, however, it was so good and such was the market demand that they ended up making over 6,000 examples.
