Yearly, the BMWBLOG staff spends 1000’s of miles behind the wheel. Press automobiles, prototypes, long-term testers, monitor periods, street journeys, mountain passes, and every day commutes all mix collectively into one lengthy spotlight reel. By December, it turns into surprisingly tough to single out only one automobile.
And but, that’s precisely what we requested our staff 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 yr span a long time, drivetrains, and philosophies. So let’s dive proper ine.
Sean Kealey: 2025 BMW M2 Six-Velocity Handbook
For Sean, the reply was fast: the 2025 BMW M2. This yr’s updates—extra energy, inside refinements, and expanded colour decisions—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, steadiness, and mechanical honesty remains to be alive right here.
What shocked him most, although, was how full the package deal felt. In calmer drive modes, the M2 settled into daily-driver responsibility with ease. The cabin remained quiet, the experience compliant, and the suspension refined when not pushed into full assault mode. The rear seats are usable, the trunk sensible, and nothing in regards to the expertise felt compromised.
In at the moment’s market, Sean sees the M2 as one thing near a unicorn: a handbook, rear-wheel-drive sports activities automobile with real on a regular basis usability and close to supercar efficiency at a value that also feels attainable. For him, it wasn’t simply probably the most enjoyable BMW of the yr—it was a reminder of what BMW does finest.
You’ll be able to watch the complete evaluation under:
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 selection, the BMW M2 CS, builds instantly 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 simple to drive rapidly. The CS takes that components 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 much more centered. 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 automobile. It’s a automobile that makes you wish to get up early simply to drive.
His second decide shocked even him.
Lengthy a fan of wagons and equally skeptical of massive, heavy automobiles, Nate didn’t anticipate to fall for the BMW M5 Touring. However it fully rewrote his definition of an incredible every day driver.
On paper, the numbers are staggering: 717 horsepower, immense weight, and real utility. On the street, the M5 Touring in some way defies physics. It carries gear like an X3, accelerates like a brilliant 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 operating 11-second quarter miles with out breaking a sweat. For Nate, it’s the last word Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde machine—and one of the vital spectacular all-around automobiles BMW has ever constructed.
Chuck Vossler: BMW X5 xDrive50e
Chuck’s favourite BMW of 2025 is a reminder that greatness doesn’t all the time shout. His decide, the BMW X5 xDrive50e, is probably not the apparent selection amongst M automobiles and efficiency icons, however it made sense the second he defined why. The X5 has lengthy been one among 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 comfy and thoughtfully appointed, the elevated seating place conjures up confidence, and options like heated and ventilated seats and a heated steering wheel matter while you really use a automobile year-round. For Chuck, who spends time in Colorado’s snowy mountain areas, the mixture of all-wheel drive and floor clearance made the X5 really feel effortlessly succesful.
What really shocked him, nevertheless, was the way it drove.
Fairly 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—best for street journeys with out fixed planning.
With the M Sport package deal and a trailer hitch for a motorcycle rack, the X5 xDrive50e grew to become the proper match for Chuck’s life-style. Sensible, environment friendly, and quietly participating, 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 annually isn’t simple. With numerous drives—and rides—blurred collectively, narrowing it down requires reflection.
He briefly thought-about being cheeky and naming a 1973 BMW 3.0 CS, one of the vital stunning automobiles BMW has ever constructed. However his ultimate decide was much more sudden: 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 dimension, mixed with a way of calm and refinement that made it simple 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 package deal that made it his favourite BMW drive of the yr.
As BMWBLOG’s resident Motorrad professional, he couldn’t depart issues there.
His favourite two-wheeled BMW of 2025 was the 2025 BMW R 1300 RT. Fully redesigned, the brand new RT brings real sport again into sport touring. Regardless of its dimension, it proved agile, participating, and endlessly succesful.
Days spent using via the Southern Appalachian mountains of North Georgia and Alabama marked the spotlight of his using yr. The R 1300 RT entertained, shocked, 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 automobile 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 instances, the takeaway was the identical: distinctive driving dynamics.
Regardless of being a totally electrical SUV, the iX3 proved succesful on monitor whereas remaining an impressive every day driver. The steadiness 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 pc, 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 slogans. It merely delivers.
It was not solely my favourite BMW of the yr—it’s my subsequent automobile, and one I consider will redefine expectations for BMW and the EV phase as a complete.
Steven Paul: 1999 BMW M Coupe
Steven’s decide 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.
Because of 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 automobile’s famously unconventional styling feels purposeful reasonably than quirky. The boundaries are approachable, encouraging exploration reasonably than intimidation.
Driving it rekindled Steven’s love for BMW and reminded him why he grew to become an fanatic within the first place—and in the end, why he ended up at BMWBLOG. In a yr dominated by cutting-edge tech and large efficiency figures, his favourite drive was a reminder that a few of BMW’s best achievements have already stood the take a look at of time.
Respect your elders.
What These Picks Say About BMW in 2025
Taken collectively, these decisions inform a compelling story.
BMW’s future is electrical, quick, and technologically formidable—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 had been those that made us wish to maintain driving.
And that, greater than something, remains to be very a lot a BMW trait.
