The Complete 2015 BMW Lineup: Every Model, Spec & Used Pick

The 2015 model year is where a lot of used BMW shopping ends up, and for good reason. It’s old enough to be affordable, new enough to have modern infotainment and safety tech, and it sits right at the tail end of the naturally-aspirated-to-turbo transition that defines this era of the brand. It was also a busy year for Munich: the M4 arrived to replace the M3 coupe, the X4 carved out a new niche, and Alpina slipped a B6 Gran Coupe into US showrooms.

The problem is that nobody publishes the whole 2015 lineup in one place. Wikipedia organizes BMWs by chassis code, BMW’s own site only shows what’s for sale today, and the marketplace listings give you a price and a thumbnail with no context. So here’s the full year, model by model, plus what changed and which ones are worth chasing on the used market now.

Table of Contents

• TLDR: The Quick Verdict
• What Changed for 2015
• The Cars: 1 Through 7 Series
• The SUVs: X1 Through X6
• Roadster, EVs, and i Cars
• The M Cars and Alpina
• 2015 BMW Lineup at a Glance
• Reliability: What Breaks
• Best 2015 BMW to Buy Used

TLDR: The Quick Verdict

If you want the most reliable, lowest-drama 2015 BMW, get an N20-powered 328i or X3 xDrive28i and budget for the timing chain check (more on that below). If you want the one enthusiasts will still want in ten years, it’s the F82 M4. The smartest value play is the 535i, a big, fast, comfortable sedan that depreciated hard and now costs Camry money. Avoid the early N20 cars without service records and walk away from any X5/X6 with the twin-turbo V8 unless you have a repair fund and a good independent shop.

What Changed for 2015

A few things made 2015 a genuine inflection year rather than a carryover.

The M3 coupe died and the M4 was born. BMW split the badge: M3 stayed on the sedan, M4 went on the two-door. Both got the new S55 twin-turbo straight-six making 425 horsepower, replacing the screaming naturally-aspirated V8 from the previous generation. Purists argued about it then and still do.

The X4 launched, basically an X3 with a fastback roofline, following the X6’s “coupe SUV” formula one size down. The X6 itself was fully redesigned onto its second generation (F16). And Alpina brought the B6 Gran Coupe to the US, a 540-horsepower hand-built grand tourer for people who found the M6 too obvious.

Smaller but real: Bluetooth and a USB audio interface became standard across the 3, 4, and 5 Series, which matters when you’re shopping used and don’t want to deal with adapter dongles. BMW also expanded its diesel offerings, with the 328d and X5 xDrive35d available for buyers chasing highway economy.

The Cars: 1 Through 7 Series

1 Series. In the US this was down to the 228i and M235i coupes and convertibles by 2015 (the 1 Series name was transitioning to the 2 Series here). The M235i is the sleeper of the bunch: 320 horsepower from the N55 turbo six in a small, light body. It’s the car BMW fans point to when they say the brand lost its way and then quietly built the antidote — one of the high points in BMW’s wider 2010s lineup.

3 Series. The volume seller and the one you’ll see most on used lots. The 328i used the 2.0-liter N20 turbo four (240 hp), the 335i used the 3.0-liter N55 turbo six (300 hp), and the 328d ran a 2.0-liter diesel. Gran Turismo and Sports Wagon body styles were available alongside the sedan. ActiveHybrid 3 rounded out the range for the few who wanted it.

4 Series. The 3 Series coupe and convertible spun off into their own line for 2014, so 2015 was its second year. 428i and 435i, plus the four-door 4 Series Gran Coupe, which is a hatchback pretending to be a coupe and is honestly the best-looking of the three.

5 Series. The 528i, 535i, 535d diesel, 550i V8, and ActiveHybrid 5. The 535i is the value sweet spot here: the same 300-horsepower N55 six as the 335i in a roomier, more refined package. The 550i adds a 445-horsepower twin-turbo V8 if you want the muscle.

6 Series. Coupe, convertible, and Gran Coupe, in 640i (six-cylinder) and 650i (V8) flavors. Big, heavy, gorgeous grand tourers that lost most of their value the moment they left the lot, which is exactly why a used one is such a lot of car for the money.

7 Series. The flagship sedan in its final year before a 2016 redesign, offered as 740i/Li, 750i/Li, 760Li (the V12), and ActiveHybrid 7. A 760Li had a 535-horsepower 6.0-liter twin-turbo V12 and a sticker that started around $140,000. Today it’s a high-risk, high-reward used purchase for the brave.

The SUVs: X1 Through X6

X1. The entry SUV, built on the older 3 Series platform, offered as sDrive28i and xDrive28i. Compact, efficient, and the cheapest way into a 2015 BMW SUV.

X3. The Goldilocks crossover. xDrive28i (N20 turbo four), xDrive35i (N55 turbo six), and xDrive28d diesel. The X3 is consistently the 2015 BMW SUV used buyers recommend, because it’s the right size and the four-cylinder version is genuinely economical.

X4. New for 2015. Mechanically an X3 with a chopped, sloping roofline, in xDrive28i and xDrive35i. You trade some cargo height and rear headroom for the styling. Whether that’s a good trade is between you and your eyes.

X5. The big one, redesigned the year before onto the F15 platform. sDrive35i and xDrive35i (turbo six), xDrive50i (445-hp twin-turbo V8), and the xDrive35d diesel. A third row was optional. The diesel is the long-haul champion; the V8 is the one to watch on maintenance.

X6. Fully redesigned for 2015 (F16). The coupe-roofed version of the X5, in xDrive35i and xDrive50i. You give up practicality for a look that BMW basically invented and everyone else copied.

Roadster, EVs, and i Cars

Z4. The folding-hardtop roadster, in sDrive28i, sDrive35i, and the 335-horsepower sDrive35is. It was getting old by 2015 and would be discontinued after 2016, but it’s a clean, simple two-seat convertible that’s aged well.

i3. BMW’s carbon-fiber electric city car, available as a pure EV or with the gas range-extender (REx) two-cylinder generator. Early EV range was modest by today’s standards (around 81 miles on the battery), so factor that into any used purchase. The carbon tub and rear-hinged doors still feel like nothing else.

i8. The plug-in hybrid halo car: a 1.5-liter turbo three-cylinder plus an electric motor for 357 combined horsepower, scissor doors, and supercar looks. It accelerated like a sports car and sipped fuel like a hatchback, which was the whole point. According to the EPA’s fueleconomy.gov ratings, the i8 posted figures no conventional supercar could touch.

The M Cars and Alpina

This is the headline group for enthusiasts.

M3 (F80) and M4 (F82/F83). The newly split twins, both running the 3.0-liter S55 twin-turbo straight-six at 425 horsepower, with a six-speed manual or seven-speed dual-clutch. The M3 is the four-door, the M4 the coupe and convertible. They’re quicker than the old V8 cars and more usable day to day, even if they trade some of that high-rev drama for turbo torque.

M5 and M6. The S63 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 making 560 horsepower (or 575 in Competition trim). The M5 is the sedan; the M6 comes as coupe, convertible, and Gran Coupe. Brutally fast, surprisingly comfortable, and cheap to buy but never cheap to own.

X5 M and X6 M. The performance SUVs, with a 567-horsepower version of that same twin-turbo V8. Two-and-a-half tons that hit 60 in around four seconds, which never stops feeling slightly absurd.

Alpina B6 Gran Coupe. The connoisseur’s pick. Alpina takes the 6 Series Gran Coupe, fits a 540-horsepower tuned twin-turbo V8, and finishes it for grand touring rather than track work. Rarer than an M6 and, to a certain kind of buyer, more desirable for exactly that reason — the kind of understated flagship that defined the decade’s luxury-car landscape.

2015 BMW Lineup at a Glance

Model	Body styles	Key engines	Horsepower	Original MSRP (from)
2 Series	Coupe, Convertible	2.0T I4 / 3.0T I6	240–320 hp	~$32,000
3 Series	Sedan, Wagon, GT	2.0T I4 / 2.0 diesel / 3.0T I6	180–300 hp	~$33,000
4 Series	Coupe, Convertible, Gran Coupe	2.0T I4 / 3.0T I6	240–300 hp	~$41,000
5 Series	Sedan	2.0T I4 / 3.0T I6 / 4.4T V8	240–445 hp	~$50,000
6 Series	Coupe, Convertible, Gran Coupe	3.0T I6 / 4.4T V8	315–445 hp	~$77,000
7 Series	Sedan	3.0T I6 / 4.4T V8 / 6.0T V12	315–535 hp	~$74,000
X1	SUV	2.0T I4	240 hp	~$31,000
X3	SUV	2.0T I4 / 2.0 diesel / 3.0T I6	180–300 hp	~$39,000
X4	SUV (coupe)	2.0T I4 / 3.0T I6	240–300 hp	~$45,000
X5	SUV	3.0T I6 / 3.0 diesel / 4.4T V8	255–445 hp	~$54,000
X6	SUV (coupe)	3.0T I6 / 4.4T V8	300–445 hp	~$61,000
Z4	Roadster	2.0T I4 / 3.0T I6	240–335 hp	~$49,000
i3	Hatch (EV/REx)	Electric (+ range extender)	170 hp	~$42,000
i8	Coupe (PHEV)	1.5T I3 + electric	357 hp	~$136,000
M3 / M4	Sedan / Coupe, Convertible	3.0T I6 (S55)	425 hp	~$62,000
M5 / M6	Sedan / Coupe, Conv, Gran Coupe	4.4T V8 (S63)	560–575 hp	~$94,000
X5 M / X6 M	SUV	4.4T V8 (S63)	567 hp	~$99,000
Alpina B6	Gran Coupe	4.4T V8	540 hp	~$118,000

Prices are approximate starting MSRPs and varied widely by trim and options. To see how the whole range slotted in against its rivals, it helps to read it alongside the full roster of 2015 cars sold in the US.

Reliability: What Breaks

No 2015 BMW is a Toyota, and pretending otherwise is how people end up surprised by a $4,000 repair. Buy on condition and service history, not on mileage alone.

The N20 four-cylinder (in the 328i, X1, X3, X4, Z4 28i cars) earned a reputation for timing chain wear on earlier examples. BMW updated the chain components, and many 2015 cars are fine, but it’s the first thing to check: ask for records, listen for a rattle on cold start, and price in a preventive job if the history is murky. These engines also like to use a bit of oil and can weep from the oil filter housing gasket and valve cover.

The N55 six (335i, 535i, X5 35i, etc.) is the more robust choice. It still has the usual modern-BMW maintenance items: water pump, valve cover gasket, and the occasional charge pipe, but it doesn’t carry the chain anxiety. Many owners consider it one of the better engines of the era.

The twin-turbo V8s (550i, X5/X6 50i, M cars) are where ownership costs spike. Turbos, the valley-mounted components, and cooling systems all live in a hot, cramped engine bay. They’re spectacular and they’re expensive, so go in with eyes open and a relationship with a good independent specialist. Resources like Consumer Reports consistently flag luxury European turbo engines for higher long-term repair costs, and BMW’s V8s of this period fit that pattern.

Across the board, budget for suspension bushings, electronics gremlins, and cooling-system parts as these cars cross 80,000 miles. A pre-purchase inspection from a BMW specialist is the single best $150–250 you’ll spend.

Best 2015 BMW to Buy Used

It depends on what you actually want, so here are the honest picks.

Best all-rounder: 328i or X3 xDrive28i. Efficient, comfortable, cheap to insure, and everywhere on the used market so you can be picky. Just verify the timing chain history.

Best value: 535i. A near-luxury sedan with the strong N55 six that originally stickered around $55,000 and now trades for a fraction of that. Few cars deliver this much refinement per dollar.

Best enthusiast buy: M235i, then M4. The M235i is the affordable, lighter, deeply satisfying choice. The M4 is the future classic. Both reward you every time you take the long way home.

Best long-distance cruiser: X5 xDrive35d. The diesel six returns real highway economy and torque for towing, and it’s the X5 powertrain that ages best.

Skip unless you know what you’re doing: the 760Li V12, the V8 X5 M/X6 M, and any neglected N20 car with no paperwork. The repair bills can outrun the purchase price fast.

Buy the best-maintained example you can find, pay for the inspection, and the 2015 lineup still holds up as one of the most rounded model years BMW has put out. There’s a right 2015 BMW for almost everyone, and now you know which one is yours.