Review of the year. BMW 2012

Don't forget fans!

Tomorrow is our last day of our Mittens Drive! Our tree is quickly filling up but we still have room for more! Stop in and purchase mittens for $5 from our Boutiques store. We will also be a drop site for any item that is listed on the People Serving People Wish list here: http://bit.ly/10HQVw

BMW xDrive vs. snowcat

The Moment - BMW 6 Series

Stop into BMW of Minnetonka and help us in a great cause!

All mittens and other donated items will be given to People Serving People. Stop in and purchase them from our Parts Boutique for only $5!

Thanks for the great review!

My fiance and I purchased our 2010 528xi from Tom Rusch two Saturdays ago. We had come in several times to test drive and he was extremely helpful - showing us several different make and models. Never once was he pushy or "used car-sales-man like" as some of the other posts below would state.

I am mainly taking the time to write this because of the poor treatment I have recieved at other (unmentionable) luxury dealerships in the area -- who size you up based on age,clothing, gender etc. And I am young so usually do not get this treatment at dealerships (sizing up by weekend wear and young appearance is seeming to be the status quou every where else).

This was just the best experience I have ever had at a dealership. We literally were treated like kings - from having coffee served to us, to having Tom go through every little bell and whistle on the car as if it were a fine piece of art - it was hands down the best experience. Aside from the class A treatment, we also recieved a really great deal on the car. Also, their $1500 cash financing deal was something I would really recommend taking advantage of while its available.

i just think everyone should experience car shopping like this instead of feeling like you are being led to the guillotine when signing loan papers.-Amanda

The Road Home - BMW

Kudos Kathy D and Dave P!

Another 5-star review! Keep it up, team. "Received first class service here on a car purchase recently. Kathy D (Sales) and Dave P (Finance) were both fun to work with and made the process easy. Other members of the BMW Mtka team that I encountered were very friendly and accommodating. The owners/GM clearly take pride in keeping the place tiptop, as it was spotless inside and horsepower is on display in perfect form. I look forward to doing business with this dealership in the future. Most importantly, felt like I received a fair deal and walked away with the car I was looking for." For more great reviews, check out our Yelp page. http://bit.ly/tPH1gz

 

Snow might make for a beautiful holiday season, but it also means harsh driving conditions. Let BMW help you drive through confidently.

Ugly Holiday Sweater Contest is here again!

Join our staff, this Saturday December 15th, as we show off our best Ugly Holiday Sweaters! Wear yours and you'll be entered to win an Ultimate Detail for your favorite 4 wheeled friend!

BMW Wish Again

Tire Rack Tire Test - Winter/Snow vs. All-Season vs. Summer Tires on Ice

BMW 1 Series M Coupé. Owner`s polo shirt.

Have you stopped in and donated mittens yet?

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It’s for a good cause! All mittens and other donated items will be given to People Serving People! Stop in and purchase them from our Parts Boutique for only $5!

 

How The BMW All-Electric i3 Is The Future

While the show is often stolen from the all-electric i3 by the stunning and elegant i8, the all-electric i3 has not only a lot going for it but paints a new face for BMW’s future. The i3 is a shot forward, in fact so forward most won’t really catch it. This is BMW’s take on the future and how it will be part of it. After all, BMW is more known for its gasoline car and technology than electric cars... so far. If it continues playing its cards as well, it should be one of the top electricdrive leaders.

Styling The i3. Most of what we know about the i3 is its manufacturing marrying expensive carbon fiber with reinforced plastic. What this means is a light car that won’t be as penalized by its battery weight than say a normally constructed car, or a car otherwise engineered for a gasoline engine turned electric. The i3 and i8 both share this technology but it will come at a price. Although both haven’t had a definite price tag yet, we can bet on around $50,000 for the i3 and over $100,000 for the i8. Ah, that BMW performance comes at a price.

As I mentioned before, some of the styling cues get a little lost on the i3, especially as its lays so close to its other more sculptural sister, the sensual i8. The i3 makes good use of aerodynamics and as Benoit Jacob, head of Group Design at BMW i’s, the team behind both vehicles told me, the vehicle has been engineered with aerodynamic efficiency.

Airflowing BMW i3. The i3 sits slightly higher than the i8 and looks a little more on the plump side, but overall looks great. The interior is roomy enough to accommodate four easily, five on a pinch, American bodies. I feel the rest of the world could easily fit five in almost all circumstances.

For all intents and purposes, there is very little difference between the four-door i3 and the two-door. The car manages to keep its lines smooth and well proportioned. A nice visual trick helps us see how streamlined the car is as you see it from from the side of the windshield to the back where it tightens up making it look like a tear drop. Very aerodynamic indeed. But the real work is around the front fascia and back where the amount of designing spent to lower the aerodynamic drag comes together intelligently combining its low weight to the performance it promises.

The front facia has discreetly carved out air tunnels on either side of the bumpers that force the air around and above the car. Even below and above the headlights, niches have been carved out to direct the air away from the front surfaces and chased away.

The wheels are another obvious cue that show how they are designed to suck the air from below the car when in motion. In both cases, the BMW i8 and i3 make plenty use of what Benoit called active aerodynamics. I pressed him on that point he made very clear, and asked why he didn’t go the way others do, such as Porsche with its Boxster and automatic raised back wing. His point was to design a car that was aerodynamically correct from the beginning and not have to revert to automatic wing gadgets, something he said can always stop working.

In essence, all these aerodynamic “tricks” are well integrated into the original design making both cars a pleasure to see. With an active and static efficient aerodynamic system built around the car, both i3 and i8 make full use of airflow to facilitate its penetration through the air, thus lowering resistance. Add on top of that a very light body and now you can start to see where BMW is going with this, into the future. BMW i3 electric car may not have as many stylistic cues and catchas as as its i8 sister, but it will be one fun electric BMW car to drive around town and take off on small windy roads.