I have to disagree with you as far as fun goes. I have owned and driven multiple BMW's with NA. inline 6's and NA. V8's. But no way were they more fun to drive then my N54 twin turbo. The only 3 engines I found among all BMW's that were more entertaining to drive then my N54 were the M powered engines 5.0 liter V10, 4.0 liter V8, and 3.2 liter inline-6. Given these M powered engines are all NA. It is not just the engine that made the car more fun to drive but rather the whole package of engine/tranny/suspension. Also, I am pretty sure that the Porsche twin turbos or GT-R turbo engines would be equally fun engines to drive when compared with those M engines. Because it is not just about the engine it is about the whole package. You can mate an excellent engine with a sorry tranny and suspension combo and you can drain all the fun out of a car.
A good example of that would be the latest CTS-V coupe on recent track visit. The V8 engine is a monster but the automatic 6-speed tranny does not do justice to that engine and leaves you wanting more.
Also, one can take that same example in a different direction. My E39 525i inline-6 was smooth to rev. But compared to the E60 545i NA 4.4 liter V8 it felt lacking & anemic to deliver power/tq. This caused it not to be as much fun to drive. So any time you are down sizing the engine size of equally good reving engines you can also be making them less fun then their bigger version. Take an example of Ferrari V12 vs V8 or BMW V10 vs V8. In both cases the V12 and V10 are more fun due to their ability to deliver greater power in more smooth fashion and amazing sound. So the inline-6 in E46 might be good but the E92 V8 is better and the E60 M5 V10 is even better and more fun. However, if you mate that V10 from M5 to a tractor it will be as much fun as a donkey going up hill.
As of right now driving the NA 4.4 liter back to back almost every other day with N54 twin turbo. I can tell you that I would have a hard time picking which one is a more fun engine except for when I get to the gas pump. That is when I wish the NA. 4.4 liter did not eat so much gas and N54 twin turbo would be far more fun on my pocket book. Now if you compare the whole package of engine/tranny/suspension/steering. Then without a doubt the E92 is more fun car then the E60 any day.
Bottom line an engine is not the only thing that makes the car fun. There are a lot more other factors that can ruin the fun factor in car quickly then just the engine.
Quote:
Originally Posted by simianspeedster
I know there are a lot of people who are chuffed about having a turbo 4 that they can modify in place of the N52, but I think it's a shame on many levels.
History & Heritage -- As others have mentioned, one thing that sets BMW apart from many other brands is their willingness to celebrate their own history and stick to their roots to a larger degree than other brands. Sure, BMW makes the pointless X6 (sorry, I had to go there), but a bone stock 328i with an N52 and a manual transmission still has the soul of BMW's past. It would be a shame not to offer a naturally aspirated inline 6 for those of us who really, really care about such things.
Questionable Advantages -- For all of you saying this engine will be cheaper, lighter and get better fuel economy, I have two replies:
1) Are you sure? How much cheaper, if any, will it be? How much less, if any, will it weigh with all the extra turbo plumbing? Admittedly, it may get slightly better mileage ratings, but how much, really, in real world driving?
2) More importantly, will the gains be worth what we're losing? Which leads me to:
Inline 6 Advantages -- If raw speed was all we cared about, we probably wouldn't buy BMWs because you can certainly get a faster car for less money. I've driven and/or owned a lot of turbo 4s (TT 1.8T, Passat 1.8T and 2.0T, A4 1.8T and 2.0T, A5 2.0T, MazdaSpeed 6 2.3T, WRX 2.5T off the top of my head) and none of them was as fun or pleasurable to drive than the N52 inline 6. None, in fact, were even close.
Power ratings and other specs tell you nothing about how an engine sounds, feels or drives. The N52 is smooth, efficient, sounds great and has an even powerband free of peaks and other weirdness. The upgraded Audi 2.0T in the current A4 is powerful, but the power delivery is hit and miss and it just doesn't sound or feel good to rev -- it's an appliance engine built for efficiency, not enjoyment. That may be fine for a run of the mill car, but I expect more from BMW.
Having owned a last generation Z4 with the same 255HP N52 I6 in the current base Z4, I have to say it's one of my favorite engines ever. It won't blow the doors off everything else, but that's not the point. It's just such a sweet, smooth, well-balanced engine and it sounds excellent -- you have to drive one to understand. The less powerful 230HP N52 in the current 328i lacks torque (200 lb. ft. max) for heavier applications, but the 255HP variant has just enough torque (230 lb. ft.) to make everything even across the whole rev range.
Though less powerful, I prefer the 255HP N52 to the 300HP N54 or N55 -- it's just more fun to drive even if it's not quite as fast, and this is coming from someone who has an N55 now. In case I'm not being clear -- yes, I would swap my 300HP N55 for the 255HP N52 in my current car if I could. Call me crazy, but it's that much better to me.
Please, BMW -- feel free to *offer* a turbo 4, but if you take away the NA inline 6 option, you're probably going to lose two customers in my house.
|