Markel BMW

It was only a few weeks ago when readers of the magazine Off  Road named the BMW X3 "Off-Road Vehicle of the Year 2011". Already, the BMW X3 is claiming yet another success, taking a solid lead in a reader survey conducted by Europe's best-selling specialist journal for four-wheel drive cars, Auto Bild Allrad.

This is the eleventh time, readers of Auto Bild Allrad have been asked to name their favorite four-wheel drive models…

The two gasoline-electric hybrids BMW is introducing to their 7-Series lineup are not your average hybrids. Called the 750i ActiveHybrid and 750Li ActiveHybrid (with a longer wheelbase), they're a breed all their own.

Not only do they come with the federal government's lowest fuel economy rating of all regular-production hybrids. In sports-car-like fashion, they're also the fastest hybrid luxury sedans in showrooms, jumping from 0-62 mpg in a mere 4.7 seconds…