We just recently took a look back on 2017 and all of the great cars we drove this past year. And we drove a lot of great ones. My personal favorite was the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio but we also drove the brand-new BMW M5, the X3 M40i and many other great cars. So it was an exciting year. What’s even more exciting, though, is the promise of next year. There are many new BMW products, as well as other great cars, set to debut in 2018 and we’re looking forward to testing all of them. But which car are you most excited for in 2018?
For BMW, the big news is likely the official launch of the BMW M5. While journalists and members of the media have driven it, customers have not and it will hit dealerships next year. So BMW fans will actually get a chance to drive the first ever all-wheel drive M5, which is exciting. It’s also the fastest accelerating BMW of all times, sprinting from 0-60 mph in as low as 3.2 seconds, thanks to its 600 hp 4.4 liter twin-turbo V8 and all-wheel drive.
There’s another Bavarian product that fans will be excited about and that’s the BMW X7. The brand’s first ever true three-row SUV will launch next year as well and be built in BMW’s Spartanburg, South Carolina plant. It’s a huge deal for BMW as it will add a new luxury flagship to its lineup as well as giving it an SUV to compete with the very successful Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class. It should debut 7 Series-levels of luxury and technology but actually probably even more, as the X7 is far newer. It will also feature Kidney Grilles large enough to inhale any sort of rodent to cross its path.
The upcoming third-gen BMW Z4 is also going to make its debut in 2018, which is due to excite fans. While the previous-generation Z4 didn’t light anyone’s hair on fire, this new one should. Based on a new rear-wheel drive chassis co-developed with Toyota, the next-gen Z4 should be a huge improvement over the previous car. It will also sport new tech and new powertrains, including an M Performance variant, dubbed Z4 M40i. That car will use BMW’s brilliant B58 3.0 liter turbocharged I6 engine, which should be exciting. The best part though is that it should look similar to the stunning Z4 Concept car BMW showed off this past summer.
But the car I think we’re all looking forward to this coming year is the upcoming BMW 8 Series. Judging from the gorgeous concept the summer, as well as the numerous spy photos we’ve seen, the second-generation 8 Series will be BMW’s best looking car in a very long time. The 8 Series will also bring about the first ever BMW M8, a car that fans have been begging for since 1989. Being that fans have been clamoring for a second-gen 8 Series since the first died off, this has to be the most hotly anticipated car of 2018.