Spy Shot: 5er I6 Turbo mule

[Kirby]

At first glance it appears the BMW 5 Series models seen here wearing a slightly different front bumper depict the upcoming facelift. But in actuality they're test mules for BMW's upcoming new engines particularly the inline six cylinder turbo. Set to debut in the 335i Coupe (E92) sometime this winter the modified front bumper is designed to accommodate the new engines with increased airflow. The 5 Series will receive a minor facelift much like its predecessor, the E39 5 series. But it's safe to say that these 5 Series models are not it.

 

[epj3]

Didn't someone post this a while ago? Or was that a turbo 3er?

 

[Kirby]

I posted a turbo 3er a couple of months ago....

 

[tool fan]

Coming to really look at it, I don't particuarly like the front bumper and air dam of the normal 5er, now that I have seen a ton of M kits on the new 5er's. Looks boring

 

[Chesty Bonds]

I don't like the idea of BMW turbos... I know the 2002 Turbo was great and BMW ate everyone for breakfast in the Turbo F1 championship of '84 but...I dunno, it just seems WRONG!

 

[MrElussive]

I don't like the idea of BMW turbos... I know the 2002 Turbo was great and BMW ate everyone for breakfast in the Turbo F1 championship of '84 but...I dunno, it just seems WRONG!

 

[tool fan]

It is just a temporary solution to the more permanent problem. That being the HP wars, seems to me that it is a hell of alot cheaper to strap a turbo on an engine instead of completely redesigning it. As usual I am probably wrong.

 

[foomonkey525i]

I thought (correct me if I'm wrong) the original idea for the turbo is to try to bridge the gap between the 330i and the M3 since the new M3 is going to have so much more horsepower.

Seems to me like tossing that turbo'd engine in a 5er would be logical, since you have it already. So I'm not sure that it's about horsepower wars more than it is about convenience.

 

[epj3]

BMW was the king of FI in the past, I dont understand why you guys are against a bmw turbo. Again, except for diesels across sea's, bmw's had turbo until the E32 745i production ended. M30 with a turbo - that was up until I believe 1993 or 94.

 

[MrElussive]

BMW was the king of FI in the past, I dont understand why you guys are against a bmw turbo. Again, except for diesels across sea's, bmw's had turbo until the E32 745i production ended. M30 with a turbo - that was up until I believe 1993 or 94.

Because with the horsepower war that car manufacturers are having today, it is really nice to see that BMW has not needed any kind of forced induction to stay in the game. The M3's I6 and the new M5's/M6's V10 are absolute masterpieces and from BMW, I'd rather have a high-revver than a supercharged or turbocharged whip. On the plus side of all this, it will be much easier to tune these FI cars.

 

[epj3]

Because with the horsepower war that car manufacturers are having today, it is really nice to see that BMW has not needed any kind of forced induction to stay in the game. The M3's I6 and the new M5's/M6's V10 are absolute masterpieces and from BMW, I'd rather have a high-revver than a supercharged or turbocharged whip. On the plus side of all this, it will be much easier to tune these FI cars.

Bmw has stayed in the game? Uhh as far as I knew bmw's 3 liter inline 6 has 25 hp less than one of honda's 2 cylinders with what, .8 liters less displacement? I'm the one who's always argued that its not the HP that makes the car necessarily fast, its more of the way the engine puts out the power, but people have always argued against that saying BMW needs more HP to stay in the game. Now i'm confused, make up yer minds!

 

[KawRider]

Turbo 3 series!

I don't like the idea of BMW turbos... I know the 2002 Turbo was great and BMW ate everyone for breakfast in the Turbo F1 championship of '84 but...I dunno, it just seems WRONG!

Care to elaborate? Why not a turbo 3 series? V8 power with I6 fuel economy.... I say bring it on! I see this as an in-between car for the performance car nut that wants more than the I6 but can't quite afford the upcoming M3 which will more than likely have a V8 and cost (around) 20K more than the current M3. They are crazy if they don't make it. A turbo done right is just as reliable as a normally aspirated vehicle.

Just my .02 cents.

 

[MrElussive]

Turbo is great, it gives the engine a lot of torque and strong power delivery but it can wear down over time.

I would rather just see a 335i that is a 3.5 liter NA I6 to directly compete with the new Lexus IS350.

 

[KawRider]

Turbo is great, it gives the engine a lot of torque and strong power delivery but it can wear down over time.

I would rather just see a 335i that is a 3.5 liter NA I6 to directly compete with the new Lexus IS350.

What's wrong with a 3.0 turbo that will kill a laxus 3.5? If a turbo is done riight, it will have zero reliability issues. As people with Mitsubishi turbos with 100-200K mile on them, still running strong.

 

[Chesty Bonds]

I would rather just see a 335i that is a 3.5 liter NA I6 to directly compete with the new Lexus IS350.

This is what I'm on about. To me it's always been really satisfying to see BMW match the horsepower figures of other manufacturers with its own NA engine designs. Sure, Mercedes and AMG have shown us how easy it is to strap a supercharger or turbo onto a big capacity engine and make big figures, but I don't reckon many would argue against the sheer brilliance of BMWs highly powerful V10. With five litres of bent ten swinging to 8250rpm...God can you imagine the internal forces? And yet they manage to do this with an engine that purrs like a *****cat, and has throttle response that could split hairs with its precision. That's what BMW engines are all about.

Of course, I'm sure BMW will make a great turbo I6, of that I have no doubt. It just concerns me that they have to resort to strapping on a turbo because of this stupid power-war that's erupted in Germany recently. After all, BMW have always been really outspoken against their 'competitors' (ie Mercedes) that have taken the easy route to forced induction in the quest for power. They rightly highlight the fact that a turbo engine will never have the same responsiveness or linearity of delivery inherent in a finely judged NA engine.

BTW, I have driven the Ford Falcon XR6 Turbo which is an Aussie beefcake. It has 260KW and around 450NM of twist. This thing gives an M3 a serious run for its money, believe me. I actually suspect it is quicker than an M3 in every way, except in the sheer brutality of throttle response. You notice the lag at virtually any engine speed/gear combination and this is one area where turbo engines will always lose out to their NA bretheren.

God I should be using this time to study for my exams dammit!

 

[MrElussive]

Chesty hit the nail on the head with that one. FI has its pros and cons, but BMW should just stick to what they've been good at for decades.

 

[PhatBimmer]

We should all wait and see how this turns out. Maybe if BMW only put Turbos on like the 5 series and make it exclusive for that series it would be fine. That way those who like to have turbo'd cars or whatever can have that option or make Turbo an option all together. I dunno I'm looking forward to seeing this but it is kind of awkward seeing BMW was N/A since I started liking them.

 

[epj3]

Chesty hit the nail on the head with that one. FI has its pros and cons, but BMW should just stick to what they've been good at for decades.

I'm confused, are you in support of bmw turbo's or not insupport? BMW was one of the prominent engine builders using turbo's at one point.

 

[KawRider]

I just don't get that comment. Stupid power-war? It not just in Europe, it's in the US too. This is the best damn thing since living in the 60s with the Muscle Car wars. In some ways it's actually better. Cars are being built to handle, go fast, and offer reasonable economy. The M6 would probably be a better car if they would have just twin turbo the 7 series V8 with lower compression and a beefier bottom end. This route would have definately made the car more affordable, and more than likely just as fast. God forbid BMW actually stay competitive in the mid size sedan market... like it or not, lots and lots of people buy cars based on stats like 0-60 and HP/TQE. My biggest issue is that BMW is trying to keep up with the competition in regards to gizmos and gadgets like radar cruise control and Idrive instead of focusing on the driving/motor/etc. aspect of THE ULTIMATE DRIVING MACHINE. I only see the gadgets and gizmos as detracting from BMWs fairly high reliability track record while driving potential customers to other more reliable brands. Just my .02 cents, I love my ZHP, and Im sure I will be getting a new BMW in a few years (hopefully a Turbo 3 series with minimum extras).

 

[Chesty Bonds]

The M6 would probably be a better car if they would have just twin turbo the 7 series V8 with lower compression and a beefier bottom end.

You have got to be joking. This is one of the more outlandish things I have read on this board recently. This assertion merely highlights your misconception of what BMW represents, especially cencerning their superiority in the field of engine design and manufacture. The M6's V10 is an absolute marvel of engineering, and to simply disregard it by favouring a tubocharged V8 as its substitue seriously misses the point of what the M6 stands for.

What I'm trying to say in relation to the power war is that it detracts from the subtleties of chassis and suspension dynamics on the car. When a Merc has 600BHP plus in what is essentially a sedan/road-car shell, that power dwarfs and dissolves the subtle, yet tangible behavioural characteristics of a car's handling (unless it is designed to cope with that sort of power from the outset). Thus, a motorcar's inherent subtelties are lost under a raft of gizmos used to keep the driver from killing himself by unwittingly releasing all that power onto a chassis that is never capable of handling it in the first place. Massive tyres that reduce the tactile delights of a chassis merely compound the losses suffered at the hands of computerised safety-nets.

I don't see why BMW should have to keep up with this nonsense. In any case, it proves that they have had to resort to turbocharging what is already a brilliant motor in order to satisfy the needs of a few faceless suits in the marketing depratment at BMW AG because of their perception that Mercedes has stolen a march by offering to the public barely responsible motorcars designed purely in the interests of going ridiculously fast in a straight line.