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Cars & Coffee at Prestige

Whether you’re a muscle car, supercar or JDM fan, yesterday’s Cars and Coffee at Prestige BMW of Ramsey showed that car guys (and girls), no matter what they drive, can come together and enjoy other people’s rides. Personally, I’m a sucker for older JDM cars (one of my favorites is the R33 Skyline) and late 80s-early 90s American Muscle, but what really got me excited were the pre-2005 BMW’s that were there, especially the 850CSi and the collection of M Coupes. What was your favorite car at the show?

#PrestigeWarehouse

The New York International Auto Show is back!

The New York International Auto Show strikes again! With approximately 1,000 vehicles on display contained under 950,000 sq. ft., the show is one of the world’s biggest and greatest automotive shows for over one million car enthusiasts to check out the newest cars, trucks and SUV’s.

A few dozen, new for 2016, cars made their big debuts at the show. Some of these were the all-new Audi A4 with a power boost up to 252hp, the sixth generation BMW 7 series, the 365hp BMW M2, an all-wheel-drive Ford Fusion V6 Sport and Hyundai’s new flagship brand, Genesis, showed us the new G90. Other debuts include the Alfa Romeo Giulia, Fiat 124 Spider, Cadillac CT6, the 5.0-liter V8 Lexus LX500, Lincoln Continental, Mercedes E-Class with a new 2.0-liter, 241hp four cylinder and the Volvo S90 luxury sedan.

New concept vehicles were also revealed at the show, including the Buick Avista coupe grand tourer, Volkswagen BUDD-e, the Kia A1A Optima and the Kia Telluride.

Stay tuned for more coverage of the New York International Auto Show over the next few days.

Dubai’s Fastest Police Force

At some point or another in our lives, we’ve all wanted to drive a Ford Crown Victoria or Dodge Charger police car, just to see what it’s like to be behind the wheel of a police cruiser. Things are a little different in the United Arab Emirates, more specifically, in Dubai – where they get to patrol tourist areas in their choice of several 600+ horsepower police cars.

Supercars in Dubai’s police fleet include a Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4, a Ferrari FF, a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, a Bentley Continental GT, a limited-edition Aston Martin One-77, a BMW M6 Gran Coupe, a Brabus G63 AMG, a Bugatti Veyron, an Audi R8, a McLaren MP4-12C, a Lexus RC-F, a BMW i8 and the list goes on. Enjoy our photo gallery of just a few select vehicles of the Dubai Police.

Check out the below video from the Dubai Police and listen to the grunts, growls and grumbles of their fleet.

Your Weekend Car Show Roundup: May 2-3

Every week, we’ll bring you a roundup of the best shows around New Jersey (and other locations to be announced shortly). Know of car shows near you? Let us know!

Corvette & GM Car Show 2014

May 2:

Whiskey Cafe Car Show (every Saturday from May-September from 5-10pm)

4th Annual Park Ridge Recreation Committee Car Show (12-4pm)

Cars and Coffee High Octane South Jersey (every Saturday, 8:30am-until the last car leaves)

May 3:

41st Annual Corvette & GM Show & Swap Meet (9-3pm)

Prestige BMW Cars & Coffee (8:30-11am)

64th Annual NJ Antique Automobile Club of America Car Show (9-3pm)

REVIEW: 2013 BMW X1 xDrive 2.8i

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(Gallery at bottom)

The Ultimate Driving Machine. If you hear someone say that, you’ll know right away that they’re talking about a BMW, and the X1 is no exception. With it’s smooth ride, agile handling, peppy acceleration and comfortable interior, we were very impressed with the X1.

Our X1 had a Glacier Silver Metallic exterior with a Black Nevada leather interior, along with the Cold Weather package, Premium package and Technology package, as well as BMW’s xDrive all-wheel-drive system. The Cold Weather package includes a heated steering wheel, heated front seats and retractable headlight washers, while the Technology package includes voice-command, real time traffic information, navigation system, BMW Assist with Bluetooth and iPod and USB adapter. Finally, the Premium package includes a universal garage-door opener, Comfort Access keyless entry (where you can just touch the door handle and the car will lock/unlock) as well as panoramic moonroof, auto-dimming mirrors and lumbar support in the front seats. Our X1 also had Aluminum Satin roofrails, an elegant light Fineline wood trim and satellite radio.

For the price point you’re at, the X1 comes very well-equipped. With a 240 horsepower turbocharged four-cylinder engine, you’re getting both a fun and sporty vehicle while still achieving excellent gas mileage (27 combined mpg). With flat-folding seats, there is a generous amount of space in the trunk. One of the only things we didn’t like was the cupholder — a detachable one that you place into a little slot on the edge of the center console — and there’s only one in the front. Another problem we had was navigating the sometimes complicated iDrive system, but when you learn where everything is in the system, we were able to operate it seamlessly. With a base price of just over $30,000 and coming well-equipped for a bit more, we think the X1 is an excellent vehicle for someone who doesn’t want a larger SUV but also wants something a little larger than a sedan.

Pros: Very fast for what you’re getting — a small sport activity vehicle. Great amount of space in back seat and trunk, ample leg room, affordable price.

Cons: Seems as if the cupholder was an afterthought, iDrive system is very complicated.

QUICK FACTS:

Base Price: $30,800 || Price as Tested: $42,045

Vehicle Layout: Front engine, AWD, 5-passenger, 5-door sport activity vehicle

Engine: 2.0-liter, turbocharged inline 4-cylinder, 240hp, 255lb-ft. tq. || Transmission: 8-speed automatic

Curb Weight: 3,726 Lbs || Length/Width/Height: 176.5/70.8/60.8 inches

0-60: 6.3 seconds || EPA City/Highway Fuel Economy: 22/33 MPG

RATING: 8.4/10

Exterior: 8

Interior: 8

Acceleration: 9

Braking: 9

Ride: 9

Handling: 8

Gearbox: 8

Audio: 8

Tech: 9

Value: 8

The BMW 850CSi: Pure Beauty!

Everyone has their own list of dream cars right? A Ferrari, a Lamborghini, a Maserati usually has a spot on their list. My top three dream cars are all BMWs — a 2006 M6 convertible, a 2001-2002 BMW M-Coupe with the S54 engine, and a 1992-1996 BMW 850CSi — which I think is one of the best looking cars of all-time.

Photo from GM-Classics.com

The BMW 850Csi was produced from 1992 to 1996 and was BMW’s top-of-the-line touring car. It had the same engine as the 850i, but was tuned to be 5.6 liters and produce 375 hp. Modifications from the 850i to the CSi included stiffer suspension, lower ride height and wider wheels (with forged alloy rims optional). The only transmission was a 6-speed manual and European 850CSi’s had four-wheel steering. I mean, who would want it any other way?! Unfortunately, production ceased in late 1996 because the engine was unable to be modified to meet new emission regulations.

Photo from bmwblog.com

Noted BMW tuner Alpina also produced a version of the 850, which was called the B12. The B12 5.0 Coupe was based on the 850i (5.0L M70 engine, 350hp, 4-speed automatic transmission). The B12 5.7 Coupe was based on the 850CSi and had a 5.7L S70 engine producing 416 hp and was mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox.

Ever see the BMW Films?

Did you even know films “starring” BMW’s existed? Featuring the likes of the 740i, 540i, Z4, M5 and others and starring the likes of Forest Whitaker, Mickey Rourke, Madonna, James Brown, Danny Trejo and others, the BMW Films (“The Hire“) are videos that need to be added to your bucket list!

The BMW Films are a series of eight short films (about 10 minutes each) starring Clive Owen as “The Driver”. He is hired by various clients to provide transportation that meets their needs. Each film has a separate director ranging from John Frankenheimer, Ang Lee, Guy Ritchie, Tony Scott and others — but the adrenaline is non-stop and the videos are action packed!

My personal favorite is “Ambush”–directed by John Frankenheimer and “starring” the 740i–where he is tasked with driving a man with diamonds to an undisclosed location. To see the end result and some high-stakes driving, be sure to watch the video (and the rest of the films) below!

Ambush: