As much as we love the German brand and as much as we respect the new BMW X6, we really can’t pinpoint where this so called “Sports Activity Coupe” fits. There is no doubt that the X6 is an impressive piece of work design and technical specs wise, but no matter how much BMW says that this is the new ’sedan/crossover/coupe’ it still looks like an SUV and will still attract SUV buyers that most probably won’t buy it.

After reading MotorTrend’s recent post ‘2009 BMW X6: Perfectly Pointless,’ we started wondering if the X6 was a waste of BMW’s time and talent. As Angus MacKenzie says, “a Ferrari 599GTB has a point. A Toyota Prius has a point. A Ford F-150 has a point. But what, exactly, is the point of a BMW X6?”

Click through to read more and vote.

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The BMW 335i has won many Edmunds’ comparison battles including tests against competitors from Audi, Lexus and Mercedes-Benz. So what would it take the brilliant 335i stumble? Another BMW of course. In its latest comparison test Edmunds pins the 335i up against the new - smaller BMW 135i.

Both are powered by BMW’s 3.0 liter twin-turbo 6-cylinder engine that produces 300-hp with the same 6-speed transmission. However, the 135i offers all that power in a smaller, much lighter and less expensive package. The 335i coupe starts at $40,800 while the 135i coupe carries a price tag of $34,900. For almost $6,000 less, the 135i offers the comfort, speed and handling of the 143 pound heavier 335i.

In Edmunds’ test, the 335i sprints from 0-60 in 5.2 seconds while the 135i hit 60mph in 5 seconds flat. Others have reported 0-60 times of 4.7 seconds.

Now we’re wondering which one you would buy. Our Editor in Chief is trading in his 3-Series sedan but can’t decide between the two. So help him out. Follow the jump to cast your vote and drop a comment for your reasoning if you so wish.

Click through to vote for your choice.

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Now that the 2009 Audi Q5 and the 2010 Mercedes-Benz GLK have made their debut at the Beijing Motor Show, we were wondering (assuming that you’re in the market for a compact SUV) which small off-roader you would consider buying given other choices including the Volvo XC60 and the BMW X3. Obviously you’ll be disregarding pricing in your decision as of right now since pricing for the first three will be announced closer to launch date.

Refresher:

2009 Audi Q5: U.S. will get a 3.2L V6 FSI direct-injection unit that will produces 265-hp and 243 lb-ft of torque. 0-60 will come in at 6.8 seconds.
2010 Mercedes-Benz GLK: Arriving in U.S. in January 2009 power will come from a 3.5L V6 engine that produces 268-hp, giving it the ability to do 0-60 in 6.5 seconds.
2009 Volvo XC60: North American market will get a 6-cylinder turbocharged T6 engine that produces 285-hp.
2008 BMW X3: Next-generation isn’t expected until late 2009/early 2010. Currently offered in a 3.2L 6-cylinder engine producing 260-hp. 0-60 comes in 6.9 seconds.

Click through to make your vote.

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So now that the pricing for the Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG has finally been released, we’re wondering which high-performance sedan you’d pick from the 2008 lineup.

Coming in at $54,625, The 2008 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG falls in between the $54,725 BMW M3 Sedan and the $56,000 Lexus IS-F. Very close to the M3 though.

Check out the performance figures for each:

2008 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG: 6.3 liter V8 engine producing 451 horsepower. 0-60 in 4.3 seconds
2008 BMW M3 Sedan: 4.0 liter V8 engine producing 414 horsepower. 0-60 in 4.9 seconds.
2008 Lexus IS-F: 5.0L direct-injection V8 engine producing 416 horsepower. 0-60 comes in 4.9 seconds

Click through to make your vote.

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Alfa Romeo was never a huge commercial name. Ford tried to change that in 1986, but was overpowered by Fiat at the last-minute. Then in 1995, Alfa Romeo ceased exporting cars to the U.S. with the last model to be sold being the 164. Now the Italian automaker is headed back to the U.S. and while many enthusiasts are excited to see what Alfa has in store, we (after reading an article over at AutoObserver) are wondering if the majority of Americans really care.

Granted the 8C Competizione is one sexy looking beast, but with a production run of just 500 units (each for the coupe and convertible) and only about 100 making their way to the U.S., how much can the 8C actually do for Alfa image wise. Being sold via Maserati dealerships, Alfa will initially launch in the U.S. with the 159, Brera and the Brera Spider.

As AutoObserver says, the ‘grand old marquee is well past its prime.’ However, the cars still look wonderful and with the name being a legend, Alfa may have some hope in the U.S. One thing is for sure - you guys better bring the Mi.To to the U.S. or you can just Fugettaboutit.

Anyway, let us know how you feel about Alfa’s return to the U.S. by voting after the jump.

Click through to vote and let us know if you care or not.

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Originally FoMoCo said that they had no plans on bringing the hatchback variants of the Fiesta to the U.S. and would only offer the sedan Fiesta based on the Verve sedan concept. But after showing the three-door and five-door production version at the Geneva Motor Show, new marketing boss Jim Farley is rethinking the hatchbacks for the U.S. market.

“We have an opportunity, and we’re studying it very carefully,” Farley said. He said a decision could come within 12 months after Ford’s research shows that young buyers don’t have the same hate for hatchbacks as they used to in the past.

So let’s help Ford out and have a little poll right here. Would you rather buy a Fiesta, three-door, five-door or a sedan?

Click through to make your vote.

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We were really excited to see the Audi R8 Super Bowl ad but were left completely unsatisfied when it was over. Other car commercials, however, made us laugh while others made us scratch our heads and wonder: why? Now it’s your turn to let us know which was your favorite. Based on your votes, we’ll announce a winner on Friday.

Click through to check out all the automotive related Super Bowl commercials and then vote for your favorite in the comments section below.

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Finally, the 2008 BMW M3’s rival has broken cover. Shown earlier last week, the Mercedes C63 AMG was unveiled ahead of its Frankfurt debut, mostly to distract the attention of the auto enthusiast world that is focused on the launch of the new 2008 BMW M3 in Europe.

Mercedes has always offered more power than the M3. The previous-generation C-Class AMG produced a total of 376 horsepower. The previous-generation BMW M3, on the other hand, developed 333 horsepower. Still the Mercedes C-Class AMG never received much attention due to its boring and dead design. Well now things are about to heat up.

Mercedes is back with its all new and beautifully designed 2008 Mercedes C63 AMG powered by a 6.3 liter V8 engine that produces 451 horsepower with a torque of 443 lb-ft. The car has the ability to do 0-62mph in 4.5 seconds with a top speed of 155mph. The design is just brilliant.

BMW, yet again, offers less power with its 2008 BMW M3’s 4.0 liter V8 engine producing 420 horsepower. The car has a 0-60mph time of 4.8 seconds and a top speed of 155 mph. However, we doubt Mercedes will be able to offer the same agile handling as the BMW M3. It is, after all, the ultimate driving machine.

We’re just wondering what you think is hotter? The 2008 BMW M3 or the Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG.

Vote below and check out the galleries.

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After watching the Fifth Gear review of the new Ford Mondeo two days ago, we were even more infuriated with FoMoCo for not giving us the car hear in the US. The anger started when Ford dropped the Aston Martin line to make up for slow sales and a $12.7 billion loss in 2006, the worst financial results in its 103-year history. Now with Volvo, Land Rover and Jaguar on the table as well, we are definitely thinking that CEO Mulally is not fit to lead Ford.

Seriously, why is Ford so oblivious to bringing their successful European models to the US? If not oblivious, what the hell is taking them so long? Now we’re not some big time analysts that know how much it will cost Ford to import European models to the US, but it seems like a wise move seeing as the new Ford Mondeo is blowing up headlines worldwide.

So here is your chance to Flick off Ford for not giving us the amazing new Ford Mondeo and instead disappointing us with a new Ford Taurus that is simply a rebadged Ford Five Hundred. Cast your vote below.

 

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Japanese auto makers seem to have taken over the sub-compact market in the US. Toyota has the Yaris; Honda has the Fit; and Nissan has the Versa. So why aren’t German auto makers answering the call? We’re going to ask the largest German auto maker, Volkswagen, to step up to the challenge.

While we don’t have any Volkswagen models (we’d never give up the Golf) in the US that we would trade with the European market, we would definitely love the idea of seeing the Volkswagen Polo in US dealerships. We think the Volkswagen Polo would kick some serious Japanese ass in the US. Why?

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Okay so we’re starting a new feature on eGMCarTech called “Deport it - Import it.” Basically, here you get to dream of trading any lousy car you see on American highways for a foreign one. And to kick it off, we’re asking you if you’d like to trade the 2007 Honda Civic Si Coupe for the 2007 Honda Civic Type R.

Earlier this week, Australia became the first non-European market to get the Honda Civic Type R, so why not us? Our 2007 Honda Civic Si Coupe has a 2.0L 4-cylinder DOHC i-VTEC engine that produces 197 horsepower. The European 2007 Honda Civic Type R 2.0L 4-cylinder DOHC i-VTEC engine that produces 201 horsepower. Okay, so it’s not that big of a difference, but just look at the two. The Civic Type R is SO much more sexier than our Civic Si Coupe.

Let your voice be heard. Vote below.

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When BMW unveiled their new CS Concept at the Shanghai Auto Show we were super-excited to see it. But the more we looked at it, the more we had second thoughts. If the BMW CS Concept is going resurrect the 8-Series as a four-door-coupe to compete with the Mercedes-CLS and Audi’s upcoming A7, it has to be more impressive than this.

Don’t get us wrong, we love the back of the car with the two tailpipe rings are integrated in the rear air along with the long horizontal tail lights. It’s just the front of the car that turns us off. It looks like BMW tried to integrate the front headlamps of 5-Series and 6-Series together but failed to make it attractive.

Anyway, that’s just our opinion, vote below and let us know what you think.

 

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Even though the launch of the Hyundai Genesis concept at the 2007 New York Auto Show was very successful, we still feel the Korean company should take a step back and think twice before taking stabs at brands like BMW and Mercedes-Benz. We don’t even think Hyundai has reached the caliber of Honda, Toyota or Nissan, so targeting the luxury car market and hoping to compete against BMW or Mercedes-Benz seems a bit ridiculous.

While we’re very impressed with the Hyundai Genesis concept, we think Hyundai should focus more on blowing cars like the Honda Accord, Toyota Camry or Nissan Maxima out of the water, rather than taking on the BMW 7-Series or the Land Rover LR3 (which it compares its Azera and Santa Fe to in recent commercials).

Hyundai would be more successful offering the production version of the Hyundai Genesis, which is packed with luxury and numerous technology options under $30,000, as a competitor of the Accord, Camry or Maxima.

Let us know what you think and take the poll below.

 

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