Driving a BMW or Lexus: Performance Specs
A powerful performance is one of the main draws of driving a luxury vehicle, like a BMW or a Lexus. Both these brands are known for delivering plenty of power, quick acceleration, and a smooth drive as their transmission harnesses all that powertrain energy.
They also both feature all-wheel drive (AWD) on many of their vehicles, including their sedans. This gives you confidence to know you've got a firm grip on rainy streets and dirt roads as well as when taking a tight corner.
| | BMW | Lexus |
| Front-Wheel Drive | Standard on most models | Standard on most models |
| AWD | Available on most models | Available on most models |
| Performance Line | Available for most models | Not available |
However, if you want a truly race-ready vehicle, you may like the M Series from BMW. This performance line delivers the power you crave by placing a BMW M TwinPower turbocharged engine under the hood. For example, the BMW X5 M comes equipped with a 4.4L BMW M TwinPower Turbo V8 engine that generates 600 horsepower.
The Lexus RX, on the other hand, a comparable vehicle to the BMW X5, has a 3.5L V6 engine that generates 295 horsepower. That's still impressive, but not quite the 600 horsepower you'll get from the BMW.
The BMW vs Lexus Lineup
While only BMW offers a performance line of high-energy vehicles, both BMW and Lexus offer a variety of automotive body styles for drivers to choose from. These include sleek sedans, convertibles, and coupes for drives to the office as well as hybrid and electrified vehicles that help cut down on your pit stops at the pump.
When it comes to SUVs, though, the BMW appears to offer more variety:
| | BMW | Lexus |
| # of SUVs in Lineup | 7 SUVs | 5 SUVs |
While the Lexus lineup only includes five SUVs, the BMW lineup offers seven, including popular models like the BMW X2, the BMW X3, and the BMW X7. So, if you have a growing family and need a lot of passenger space or you're simply looking for that elevated seat position and large cargo area, you may be more likely to find what you want in the BMW lineup.
A History of BMW and Lexus
Now that we know what BMW and Lexus offer today, let's take a moment to learn about where these popular brands got their start.
BMW began in Germany in the early 20th century. Over the century, BMW built expertise as a manufacturer of military-grade engines for planes as well as brakes for trains. When the personal automobile came into fashion, these skills were easily translatable into the manufacture of high-quality vehicles that are still well-known and loved today!
For Lexus, its luxury vehicle line launched in the late 20th century, so it was a bit behind BMW in that way. Still, Lexus was built on the pursuit of the highest quality and performance standards with every vehicle. That's still the case today, as anyone who's ever driven a Lexus can likely tell you.
Will You Drive a BMW or Lexus?
Now that you know a little bit more about BMW and Lexus, which one will you be driving around Tuscaloosa, Starkville, or Northport, AL? If you see yourself behind the wheel of a BMW, contact the team at BMW of Tuscaloosa and we'll get you out for a test drive. Contact us today!
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