Future M Cars to have Turbo 4 and 6's...

[CorvallisBMW]

Corvallis, you are referring to the federalized E30 M3, the added weight is something like 3500 lbs. So, technically, the unfederalized E30 M3 weighed -800 lbs. Err, wait...

I seez what u did thar

[TDE30]

Yeah but the NA engines are maxed out and that compromises reliability. Just look at the early S54s.

True, it does seem like the only frontier left is forced-induction, although BMW has stunned everyone with the S65 and S85, I think they could produce similar motors down the road without involving forced induction.

It will be interesting, and I'm not completely against the idea, it just goes against what the ///M division has stood for for so long ('02 Turbo and E23 745i excluded.)

[dsobering47]

I love how everyone gets all crazy when news like this happens. Actually, my favorite instance is when someone is referring to how "heavy" and "horrible" handling the newer BMWs are.

Ever driven an E60 550i? An E60 M5? How about an E66 760iL? Or even just a plain 'ole E92 328i? The newer cars handle amazing and have power just as well. I had two back-to-back E92s in my stall last week, one stock and one chipped. The difference was crazy. I cant say going to FI will be awesome for the M-cars, but it will certainly be interesting.

Dont be so quick to judge a car that youve never driven.

[dsobering47]

Ah, and theres more to a car than just its' weight and power. But I'm sure your magazine subscriptions told you that.

[Collin]

So I have to wait till 2014 for the 1 series to not look like a retarded bulldog?

Gives me plenty of time to save up then.

[Charlie]

I love how everyone gets all crazy when news like this happens. Actually, my favorite instance is when someone is referring to how "heavy" and "horrible" handling the newer BMWs are.

Ever driven an E60 550i? An E60 M5? How about an E66 760iL? Or even just a plain 'ole E92 328i? The newer cars handle amazing and have power just as well. I had two back-to-back E92s in my stall last week, one stock and one chipped. The difference was crazy. I cant say going to FI will be awesome for the M-cars, but it will certainly be interesting.

Dont be so quick to judge a car that youve never driven.

There's a big difference between "handling" and "feel". The new cars handle great, especially for their heavy amount of weight, but "feelwise", it's meh. There's no tossability to the cars.

-Charlie

[smonkbmw]

"As for the 1 series, there won't be an M version per se, but BMW's in-house tuning division wants to recapture the magic of the original E30 M3 by developing a smaller, lighter coupe to slot in below the next M3. As reported previously, a twin-turbocharged four-cylinder will likely power the new coupe, and according to Willisch, the automaker is aiming for something that puts out around 300 hp and weighs around 2,860 pounds (think RWD VW GTI)."

ive been waiting for years for this to be said. id like to see a big 4cyl, with some sort of radical VANOs, wide body, no sunroof, manual window, no i drive, no TC, no electronic anything 1 series. it would own ALL.

[BeirBrennerE30]

no sunroof, manual window, no i drive.

WHAT?? if I had to crank my windows in a $50k car i'd go nuts!!!

[CorvallisBMW]

WHAT?? if I had to crank my windows in a $50k car i'd go nuts!!!

+1. Even an $11k PT Cruiser has power windows. besides, the 2-3 pounds you'd save would be impossible to measure, quantify or feel.

[rThor432]

Music to my ears.

But I still have a feeling that despite the lower weight of a modern BMW 4 or 6 cylinder the car will still be heavier than the last generation.

[z31maniac]

Guess I'm saving up for a 2014 1 series.

[Raxe]

Did we forget the current 135i already has a 300hp twin-turbo inline 6 and a nice M Package available? What's all the fuss over a silly 4 cylinder?

Seems like a move in the wrong direction. If I wanted a 4 cylinder I'd buy a Honda, not a $70,000 BMW flagship sports car. I expect that to have a high performance V8.

[wolfgangstbd]

twin turbo four sounds like a pretty badass idea to me.. wonder what it would sound like

[Reap3r]

This would be awesum if it happened, it would give me another car to look at when buying a daily in the future.

[Jon325i]

As great as these future boosted motors sound, they aren't going to be "all that" if the cars they are going in are still the portly mo-fo's that they are now. Not too long ago there was an article on AutoBlog about how Audi has plans to get some serious weight out of their cars in about 5 years' time. By serious weight reduction, they are aiming as high as 800 lbs. Extensive use of aluminum is how they plan to accomplish this. An example they sited was their new B8 platform A4 sedan with the 2.0 TFSI motor. That thing is tipping the scales around the realm of E46 M3 territory. If they could manage to get 400-500 lbs. out of the A4, it would be flirting with the 3000 lbs. range....and that will make a big improvement in both performance and economy while meeting ever-stricter emission standards. BMW needs to take note of what the boys at Ingolstadt have in mind if they want to stay competitive.

And as much as I like NA power, to stay competitive in the power wars with other brands while cleaning up emissions and improving economy, boosted engines are going to be the key. BMWs legendary NA I-6s are about as evolved as they are going to get. The S54B32 was the swan song for that designs' successful production run.


Jon