BLOG: Understanding the BMW naming system

BMW's are one of the world's most popular car models, excelling in almost every vehicle category, renowned for their luxury saloon cars and premium SUV's. With BMW having such a wide variety of car models available on the market, customers can often get confused with the detailed nomenclature on their car model naming system. Therefore, in this guide, we've decoded the BMW language to make it easier for your browsing and purchasing – simplified German hieroglyphics.

BMW general number system breakdown: 

·         2 Series – Smaller two-door model available as either a coupe or convertible

·         3 Series – Compact four-door model available as a sedan, sports wagon or Gran Turismo

·         4 Series – Compact coupe-style model available as either a two-door coupe or convertible or a four-door Gran Coupe

·         5 Series – Mid-size four-door model available as a sedan or Gran Turismo

·         6 Series – Mid-size two-door model available as a two-door coupe or convertible, or a four-door Gran Coupe or ALPINA Gran Coupe

·         7 Series – Full-size four-door model available as a sedan or ALPINA sedan

Numbering within Series

In the past, the BMW numbering system has also indicated the displacement size of the engine, however, now the numbering system is less representative of this. For example, the 328i Sedan had a 2.8-liter engine but now has a 240-hp 2.0-liter Twin Power Turbo inline 4-cylinder engine. So, the numbers roughly show the performance of the engine with a higher number reflecting more power.

Lines

·         Luxury Line – The Luxury Line upgrades include the wheels, steering wheel and interior trim.

·         xLine – The xLine, which is available on select X Models, upgrades include wheels, roof rails and steering wheel.

·         Sport Line – The Sport Line adds features upgraded wheels and a sports steering wheel and seats.

·         M Sport Line – In addition to the M Models discussed above, BMW also offers an M Sport Line on select vehicles. This adds features such as M wheels, an M steering wheel, a sports instrument cluster and an M aerodynamic kit. The M Sport Line also adds unique color choices to certain models.

BMW additional letter system breakdown:

·         X Models – Line of SUVs and crossovers

·         Z4 Model – Two door roadster

·         M Models – High-performance version of many BMW models is grouped into the M Models (the M3 is a high-performance version of the 3 Series sedan)

·         BMW i – Line of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles

Gas, Diesel and Hybrid Designations

Traditionally, the first letter after the number of each vehicle was an "i" on gas models (the "i" stands for fuel-injected) or a "d" for diesel vehicles. This changed with the addition of a hybrid engine to the 3 Series, 5 Series and 7 Series sedans. BMW refers to these as the ActiveHybrid 3, ActiveHybrid 5 and ActiveHybrid 7. 

sDrive vs. xDrive

·         The assignment of these tags refers to whether a vehicle is 2-wheel drive (sDrive) or 4-wheel drive (xDrive).

Gran Turismo, Gran Coupe, and ALPINA

·         Gran Turismo – The Gran Turismo is available in the 3 and 5 series and is a four-door sedan with a higher driving position and a wagon-like trunk.

·         Gran Coupe – The Gran Coupe is available in the 4 Series and 6 Series and is a four-door version of a coupe. It retains the curves and styling of a smaller two-door vehicle with the added roominess of a four-door.

·         ALPINA Sedan/ Gran Coupe – ALPINA Automobiles is a separate company from BMW. The BMW ALPINA lines are a higher performance variant of the 6 Series and 7 Series.