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Drive a BMW 335d, as I just did for a week, and you don't attract a second glance. Aside from one changed letter in the badge on the trunk, there is nothing to distinguish the BMW 3 Series diesel from the multitudes of 3 Series BMWs on the road. But while the 335d does not make a visual statement, it does say a lot about its driver. It says, "I want excellent fuel economy, and I don't want to sacrifice performance to get it." In the 335d, perhaps more so than any other car on the road, you get both.inline_mediumwraptextright31452492/green/reviews/0911_2010_bmw_335d0911_02_z+2010_bMW_335d+front_three_quarter_view.jpgTrue

On September 8, 1994, BMW built its first car in North America. The event, in a new BMW Manufacturing Company (BMWMC) plant located in a former peach orchard between Spartanburg and Greenville, South Carolina, marked an early milestone on its road to becoming the first European carmaker to establish a lasting manufacturing presence in America.inline_mediumwraptextright25690844/features/news/0912_bobby_hitt_bmw_manager_of_media_public_relations0912_01_z+bMWMC_plant+south_carolina.jpgTrue

The technology-laden sixth edition of the BMW 5 Series sedan is perhaps the finest distillation of all that makes enthusiasts love BMWs as driver's cars, incorporating as it does myriad features intended to improve both its environmental credentials and its sporting performance qualities. Indeed, model for model, every new 5 will surpass the ability of its immediate predecessor, whether powered by gasoline or diesel fuel. Even more important, it's a good-looking machine, with beautifully refined surfaces, elegant detailing and, above all, no "funny stuff." No flame surfaces, no sow-belly side treatments, no awkward bustle back, nothing to cause a paroxysm of apoplectic fury in potential clients.

The 2010 BMW X6 M is a wild ride, but who is going to buy it? The X6, which already doesn't sell very well, offers great performance with the 400-hp V-8 in the X6 50i model, which starts at $67,475. BMW demands $89,725 for the X6 M, making it an expensive track toy.inline_mediumwraptextright27047575/reviews/editors_notebook/0911_2010_bmw_x6_m0911_05_z+2010_bMW_x6_m+front_three_quarter_view.jpgTrue

Remember when enthusiasts all decried the imposition of regulations on emissions, saying that government regulation would make our cars pale shadows of what they had been? And they all believed that, never imagining that we would arrive at the present situation, with luxury limousines like BMW's Active Hybrid 7 - to use the official nomenclature - accelerating to 60 mph in less than five seconds, running to 155 mph (an artificially restrained Gentleman's agreement figure), while being both more economical and cleaner.inline_mediumwraptextright27094561/green/reviews/0911_2010_bmw_activehybrid_70911_06_z+2010_bMW_activeHybrid_7+front_three_quarter_view.jpgTrue

Nearly a year after its debut in Europe, the new Audi S4 has finally come to North America, and more so than ever, this new S4 should be cause for trepidation at BMW. That's because this generation of the S4 is more changed than ever before: Its reconfigured powertrain moves the engine rearward for better chassis balance. The all-wheel-drive system now sends a majority of the thrust to the rear wheels and also can actively apportion torque across the rear axle. The new, supercharged V-6 is lighter and more economical than the previous V-8. Oh, and it's had an almost three-grand price cut (plus shed its gas-guzzler tax).inline_mediumwraptextright25692629/features/great_drives/0912_2009_bmw_335i_vs_2010_audi_s40912_01_z+2009_bMW_335i+2010_audi_s4.jpgTrue