BMW models

BMW was founded in 1916 in Munich, where it remains headquartered, and it started out building aircraft engines. The roundel badge is often said to echo a spinning propeller, and that aviation root, an obsession with the engine itself, still shapes the brand more than a century later.

BMW's whole identity rests on how its cars drive. It leaned on inline-six engines, rear-wheel drive, and near-50/50 weight balance to earn the 'ultimate driving machine' line, and for a long stretch the 3 Series was the default answer for anyone who wanted a compact car that was genuinely fun to steer. The M division turned that into proper performance cars.

The modern BMW is broader and more divisive, with big SUVs, plug-in hybrids, and electric i models alongside the saloons, plus styling that splits opinion. But the core promise holds. For a buyer choosing between premium German rivals, BMW is still the one that sells itself on the drive rather than on comfort or gadgetry alone.