Yearly, the BMWBLOG crew spends hundreds of miles behind the wheel. Press vehicles, prototypes, long-term testers, monitor classes, highway journeys, mountain passes, and day by day commutes all mix collectively into one lengthy spotlight reel. By December, it turns into surprisingly tough to single out only one automotive.
And but, that’s precisely what we requested our crew to do.
Not the quickest BMW. Not the costliest. Not the one with one of the best spec sheet. Simply the BMW that left the strongest impression in 2025—the one which reminded us why we care about driving within the first place. The solutions this 12 months span many years, drivetrains, and philosophies. So let’s dive proper ine.
Sean Kealey: 2025 BMW M2 Six-Pace Guide
For Sean, the reply was fast: the 2025 BMW M2. This 12 months’s updates—extra energy, inside refinements, and expanded colour selections—didn’t change the M2’s core mission, and that’s exactly why it resonated so deeply. The G87 M2 represents one thing more and more uncommon: a rear-wheel-drive, inline-six-powered coupe that prioritizes engagement over abstraction.
On canyon roads round Los Angeles, the M2 felt each potent and playful. It delivered actual efficiency with out intimidation, inviting the motive force to push tougher reasonably than stepping in too early. For Sean, it recalled a formative reminiscence—using alongside as a passenger whereas his father drove a then-new E46 M3 Coupe. That sense of pleasure, stability, and mechanical honesty continues to be alive right here.
What stunned him most, although, was how full the bundle felt. In calmer drive modes, the M2 settled into daily-driver responsibility with ease. The cabin remained quiet, the journey compliant, and the suspension refined when not pushed into full assault mode. The rear seats are usable, the trunk sensible, and nothing concerning the expertise felt compromised.
In immediately’s market, Sean sees the M2 as one thing near a unicorn: a guide, rear-wheel-drive sports activities automotive with real on a regular basis usability and close to supercar efficiency at a worth that also feels attainable. For him, it wasn’t simply probably the most enjoyable BMW of the 12 months—it was a reminder of what BMW does finest.
You may watch the total evaluate beneath:
Nate Risch: BMW M2 CS and BMW M5 Touring
Nate’s picks sit at reverse ends of the BMW spectrum, but each left equally sturdy impressions. His first alternative, the BMW M2 CS, builds straight on an expertise he had two years in the past on the BMW Efficiency Middle. The usual M2 impressed him then for being virtually too straightforward to drive shortly. The CS takes that system and sharpens it.
Suspension upgrades, elevated energy, and the acquainted CS carbon-fiber therapy—bucket seats, weight discount, and a distinguished rear spoiler—remodel the M2 into one thing way more targeted. Nate describes it as a contemporary interpretation of the basic M3 ethos, infused with motorsport aggression. Each on-ramp feels just like the exit of Flip 1 at Circuit of the Americas. Each drive feels deliberate.
It’s not only a quick automotive. It’s a automotive that makes you wish to get up early simply to drive.
His second choose stunned even him.
Lengthy a fan of wagons and equally skeptical of huge, heavy autos, Nate didn’t anticipate to fall for the BMW M5 Touring. Nevertheless it utterly rewrote his definition of an awesome day by day driver.
On paper, the numbers are staggering: 717 horsepower, immense weight, and real utility. On the highway, the M5 Touring one way or the other defies physics. It carries gear like an X3, accelerates like an excellent sedan, and nonetheless feels keen and responsive when pushed. BMW’s engineering makes its mass really feel virtually irrelevant.
The duality sealed the deal. One second, it’s a refined long-distance cruiser returning as much as 54 MPGe. The following, it’s able to working 11-second quarter miles with out breaking a sweat. For Nate, it’s the last word Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde machine—and probably the most spectacular all-around autos BMW has ever constructed.
Chuck Vossler: BMW X5 xDrive50e
Chuck’s favourite BMW of 2025 is a reminder that greatness doesn’t at all times shout. His choose, the BMW X5 xDrive50e, is probably not the apparent alternative amongst M vehicles and efficiency icons, nevertheless it made sense the second he defined why. The X5 has lengthy been considered one of BMW’s best-selling fashions, and residing with the plug-in hybrid model revealed precisely why.
It’s an excellent long-distance companion. The cabin is snug and thoughtfully appointed, the elevated seating place conjures up confidence, and options like heated and ventilated seats and a heated steering wheel matter whenever you truly use a automotive year-round. For Chuck, who spends time in Colorado’s snowy mountain areas, the mix of all-wheel drive and floor clearance made the X5 really feel effortlessly succesful.
What really stunned him, nonetheless, was the way it drove.
Relatively than a indifferent hybrid expertise, the xDrive50e delivered real athleticism. With a 0–60 mph time of 4.6 seconds and seamless electric-assisted torque, it felt energetic and responsive. Absolutely charged and fueled, complete vary exceeded 500 miles—superb for highway journeys with out fixed planning.
With the M Sport bundle and a trailer hitch for a motorcycle rack, the X5 xDrive50e turned the proper match for Chuck’s life-style. Sensible, environment friendly, and quietly partaking, it proved {that a} BMW doesn’t must be loud to be particular.
Kanon: BMW iX xDrive50 (and a Motorrad Honorable Point out)
For Kanon, selecting a favourite BMW every year isn’t simple. With numerous drives—and rides—blurred collectively, narrowing it down requires reflection.
He briefly thought of being cheeky and naming a 1973 BMW 3.0 CS, probably the most stunning vehicles BMW has ever constructed. However his ultimate choose was way more surprising: the BMW iX xDrive50.
As BMW’s present EV reference level, the iX impressed Kanon by how cohesive it felt. Luxurious, efficiency, inside design, and know-how all labored collectively with out drawing consideration to themselves. Energy supply was easy, the cabin genuinely inviting, and the know-how intuitive reasonably than distracting.
What stood out most was the iX’s real-world effectivity relative to its measurement, mixed with a way of calm and refinement that made it straightforward to stay with. It didn’t attempt to replicate a combustion-era BMW—it merely labored by itself phrases. For Kanon, it was the quiet confidence of the bundle that made it his favourite BMW drive of the 12 months.
As BMWBLOG’s resident Motorrad professional, he couldn’t go away issues there.
His favourite two-wheeled BMW of 2025 was the 2025 BMW R 1300 RT. Utterly redesigned, the brand new RT brings real sport again into sport touring. Regardless of its measurement, it proved agile, partaking, and endlessly succesful.
Days spent using by way of the Southern Appalachian mountains of North Georgia and Alabama marked the spotlight of his using 12 months. The R 1300 RT entertained, stunned, and impressed at each flip—proof that touring bikes can nonetheless be deeply involving machines.
Horatiu Boeriu: BMW iX3 (Neue Klasse)
For me, the selection was clear. My favourite BMW of 2025 was the BMW iX3, a automotive I uniquely skilled twice—first as a prototype, and later in manufacturing kind. That uncommon alternative provided a transparent view into what BMW’s Neue Klasse philosophy really represents.
Each occasions, the takeaway was the identical: distinctive driving dynamics.
Regardless of being a totally electrical SUV, the iX3 proved succesful on monitor whereas remaining an excellent day by day driver. The stability between agility and luxury felt intentional, not compromised. A lot of that comes right down to Neue Klasse know-how and the brand new Coronary heart of Pleasure central laptop, which integrates energy supply, braking, regeneration, and chassis management right into a unified system.
With an EPA-estimated vary of round 400 miles and ultra-fast charging functionality of as much as 400 kW, the iX3 addresses real-world EV considerations with out turning them into advertising and marketing slogans. It merely delivers.
It was not solely my favourite BMW of the 12 months—it’s my subsequent automotive, and one I imagine will redefine expectations for BMW and the EV section as a complete.
Steven Paul: 1999 BMW M Coupe
Steven’s choose takes us again 26 years. His favourite BMW of 2025 wasn’t new, wasn’t electrified, and wasn’t chasing efficiency data. It was a 1999 BMW M Coupe, pushed for the primary time solely after he had already purchased it.
Due to its shut ties to the E30 and E36 3 Collection, the M Coupe felt instantly acquainted. The steering is splendidly communicative, the S52 inline-six delivers energy with character, and the automotive’s famously unconventional styling feels purposeful reasonably than quirky. The bounds are approachable, encouraging exploration reasonably than intimidation.
Driving it rekindled Steven’s love for BMW and reminded him why he turned an fanatic within the first place—and finally, why he ended up at BMWBLOG. In a 12 months dominated by cutting-edge tech and big efficiency figures, his favourite drive was a reminder that a few of BMW’s best achievements have already stood the check of time.
Respect your elders.
What These Picks Say About BMW in 2025
Taken collectively, these selections inform a compelling story.
BMW’s future is electrical, quick, and technologically bold—however its previous nonetheless issues. Whether or not it’s a Neue Klasse iX3, a 26-year-old M Coupe, a plug-in hybrid X5, or a fire-breathing M2, the widespread thread is connection. The perfect BMWs of 2025 weren’t simply spectacular—they have been those that made us wish to hold driving.
And that, greater than something, continues to be very a lot a BMW trait.
