BMW has always been synonymous with driving pleasure in all vehicle classes. The fact that customers and fans also agree with this summation is once again confirmed by the readers’ poll conducted by German motoring magazine “sport auto”. Cars from the BMW Group received the top scores in four classes. The BMW 335i was voted the best sedan car up to € 50,000 for the third time in three years. The BMW M3 Sedan was the favorite among readers for the second year in a row in the sedans/estates up to € 100,000 class.

Also for the second time in a row, the BMW M235i took pole position in the category for coupés up to € 50,000. In the compact cars class, the BMW M135i easily succeeded in fighting off the competition. As in the previous year, the BMW M550d xDrive took second place in the diesel class, once again underlining the leading role of the BMW Group as a supplier of vehicles that combine sporty performance with maximum efficiency.

Double victory for M Performance automobiles.
In the compact class and in the coupés up to € 50,000, the BMW M135i (26.7 percent of the votes cast) and the BMW M235i Coupé (38.3 percent of the votes cast) once again beat off the competition. Both vehicles have a six-cylinder engine with M TwinPower turbo technology, ensuring spontaneous responsiveness, an exceptional thirst for revs and outstanding refinement (fuel consumption combined BMW M235i: 8.1 l/100 km; CO2 emissions combined: 189 g/km; BMW M135i: 8.0 l/100 km; CO2 emissions combined: 188 g/km*).

Triple win for the BMW 335i Sedan.
For the third time in a row, the readers of “sport auto” put the BMW 335i in top place in the sedans up to € 50,000 category. The key factor for the continuing success of the sports sedan is its in-line six-cylinder engine with BMW TwinPower turbo technology. The 225 kW/306 hp in-line six-cylinder engine makes particularly impressive play with the typical BMW virtues of instantaneous responses, an exceptional thirst for revs and outstanding refinement. The combination of a turbocharger that operates according to the twin scroll principle with direct high precision injection and VALVETRONIC guarantees an unbeatably efficient balance between driving pleasure and fuel consumption (fuel consumption combined BMW 335i: 7.9 l/100 km; CO2 emissions combined: 186 g/km*).

The defending title-holder BMW M3.

Garnering 39.4% of reader votes, the BMW M3 had no difficulty defending its title as best sedan up to € 100,000, actually managing to increase its share of the vote in its second year on the market. The fifth generation of the BMW M3 (fuel consumption combined: 8.8 l/100 km; CO2 emissions combined: 204 g/km*) is powered by a newly developed six-cylinder in-line engine. The high-revving unit with M TwinPower Turbo technology offers maximum output of 317 kW/431 hp. Peak torque of 550 Nm (406 lb-ft) is available across a broad rev band and exceeds the maximum offered by the previous BMW M3 by almost 40 percent. A rigorously applied lightweight design concept has brought about a weight reduction of around 80 kilograms. Fuel consumption and emissions are down by 25 percent. The BMW M3 Sedan takes just 4.1 seconds to sprint from 0 – 100 km/h (62 mph) – when fitted with the optional seven-speed M Double Clutch Transmission – and also catches the eye as a strong performer out on the track as well as in everyday use.

The “sport auto Award” has been presented by German motoring magazine “sport auto” since 1980. It is one of the leading German awards for sporting cars and is highly coveted by manufacturers. In 2015 a total of 230 models were nominated in 30 series-production categories and a further 10 tuning classes. In this, the 23rd year of the awards, 13,601 readers took part in the poll via survey postcard, online survey or one of the “sport auto” digital channels.

Placings at a glance:

Winner – Compact Cars: BMW M135i.

Winner – Coupés up to € 50,000: BMW M235i Coupé.

Winner – Sedans/Estates up to € 50,000: BMW 335i.

Winner – Sedans/Estates up to € 100,000: BMW M3.

Second place – Diesel Cars: BMW M550d xDrive.

Second place – Convertibles up to € 50,000: BMW M235i Convertible

Second place – Convertibles up to € 100,000: BMW M4 Convertible

Second place – Coupés up to € 100,000: BMW M3 Coupé

Third place – Sedans up to € 100,000: BMW M5 30 Years

Further information on official fuel consumption figures, specific CO2 emission values and the electric power consumption of new passenger cars is included in the following guideline: “Leitfaden über Kraftstoffverbrauch, die CO2 emissions und den Stromverbrauch neuer Personenkraftwagen” (Guideline for fuel consumption, CO2 emissions and electric power consumption of new passenger cars), which can be obtained from all dealerships, from Deutsche Automobil Treuhand GmbH (DAT), Hellmuth-Hirth-Str. 1, 73760 Ostfildern-Scharnhausen and at http://www.dat.de/en/offers/publications/guideline-for-fuel-consumption.html. LeitfadenCO2 (GuidelineCO2) (PDF ‒ 2.7 MB).

* Fuel consumption figures were calculated based on the ECE test cycle, dependent on tire format.

Munich. Six wins thanks to Efficient Dynamics: with its current range of models and engines, BMW has achieved outstanding success in the 2014 "Green Mobility Trophy" awards presented by the automobile magazine "Auto Zeitung". Based on a reader survey, the awards were won by the Munich premium automobile manufacturer in six out of a total of seven categories. Three of these class victories were achieved by automobiles of the new BMW i brand, while two others went to the BMW 320d EfficientDynamics Edition and the 4-cylinder petrol engines with BMW TwinPower Turbo Technology. The triumph was rounded off with BMW being voted the "Most environment-friendly brand" of the year. The vote recognises both consistent development work and the courage to pursue innovative concepts aimed at reducing fuel consumption and exhaust emission levels on an ongoing basis by means of Efficient Dynamics.

13 733 "Auto Zeitung" readers took part in this year's vote. The BMW i3 achieved an especially impressive result. The purely electrically powered 5-seater won in two categories and attracted the highest share of the vote in the entire competition. It was named "Best electric car" with a clear 30 per cent share of the vote. And it won the "Best lightweight construction car" with a remarkable 31.1 per cent. These two results show that both BMW eDrive technology and the lightweight construction concept featuring a passenger cell made of carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) and an aluminium chassis are regarded as sound solutions for sustainable mobility.

The plug-in hybrid sports car BMW i8 - developed according to the same engineering principle - likewise finished first. Having achieved third place in its class last year, this time round the BMW i8 was named "Best hybrid car" with 20.9 per cent of the vote - just a few weeks after its market launch.

BMW achieved two more class victories with conventional drive technology. The BMW 320d EfficientDynamics Edition prevailed against 20 competitors to win the title of "Best economical diesel". The mid-range sedan is powered by a 120 kW/163 hp 4-cylinder diesel engine with BMW TwinPower Turbo Technology, accelerates in 8.0 seconds from zero to 100 km/h and has an average fuel consumption of 4.1 litres per 100 kilometres and a CO2 figure of 109 grams per kilometre on the EU test cycle. The BMW 320d EfficientDynamics Edition impressed survey participants with this combination of driving pleasure and efficiency to gain 19.3 per cent of the vote, defending its title from last year. The current 4-cylinder petrol engines in the BMW engine portfolio secured an award with similarly unambiguous results. In the vote for the "Best downsizing engines", 18.7 per cent of readers chose the 2.0-litre engines with BMW TwinPower Turbo Technology and an output of up to 180 kW/245 hp.

Finally the diverse range of successful concepts and technologies for sustainable mobility is reflected in the result of the vote for the "Most environment-friendly brand". BMW clearly led the way in this category, too, with a share of 22.6 per cent of the vote. The combination of sporty flair and efficiency that is characteristic of the entire model program produced by the Munich-based premium automobile manufacturer thus gained BMW its sixth title of the 2014 "Green Mobility Trophy".

For further details on official fuel consumption figures, official specific CO2 emissions and power consumption of new cars, please refer to the "Manual on fuel consumption, CO2 emissions and power consumption of new cars", available at all sales outlets, from Deutsche Automobil Treuhand GmbH (DAT), Hellmuth-Hirth-Str. 1, 73760 Ostfildern-Scharnhausen and at http://www.dat.de/angebote/verlagsprodukte/leitfaden-kraftstoffverbrauch.html. ManualCO2 (PDF - 2.7 MB)