Bmw Plays Catch Up With Ford

[aiboart]

http://www.drive.com.au/editorial/article....vf=2&bg=32&pp=0

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The Age

Thursday February 23 2006

With V8-like performance, BMW’s new turbocharged six-cylinder is a change in thinking for a company known for its high-revving, naturally-aspirated engines.

BMW six-cylinder goes turbo

The advent of a turbocharged BMW six has been a long time coming. The car maker has a long history with turbocharging in motor sport but its only road car to feature a turbo petrol engine was the 2002 Turbo, in 1973.

The new turbo six, however, looks like being worth the wait. BMW claims it has rewritten the rules of forced induction with the new engine, saying turbo lag has been "vaporised", fuel consumption "slashed" and torque "ramped to the max".

Based on the N52 magnesium-aluminium 3.0-litre six, the new engine (above) is all aluminium and adds a pair of low-inertia turbochargers and direct fuel-injection to the mix, boosting power to 225 kW and peak torque to a prodigious 400 Nm between 1500 rpm and 4500 rpm.

That's more power and torque than the company's 4.0-litre V8 produces - all from an engine weighing about 70 kg less.

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In addition to its low weight and class-leading performance and fuel economy, the new turbo six is claimed to have the smoothness and refinement for which BMW sixes are renowned.

It's likely to debut in the 3-Series as the 335i, and cars with this engine could be in Australian showrooms within a year.

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[ktford]

*beep* stuff that

[sixfan]

one wonders why?

the six in the M3 is good for 250 Kw, albeit at 360 something NM torque, but it's an NA..

[aiboart]

Torque curve, NVH, tractability, efficiency, throttle response, weight, engine wear, internal friction, cost and gyroscopic effects will be completely different between the two engines. The turbo is also far easier and less expensive to tune up for sports focused hi end applications, as some of you well know.

Coupling the two approaches, hi revving reciprocating core + lo lag turbo, can also provide super car performance and everyday low rev NVH and go. Standby for that one.

Ford Australia created a new genera by using an large capacity inline state of the art reciprocating core coupled to a low lag turbo and an automatic driveline for everyday RWD road car applications, and people have obviously been watching. It was only a matter of time before that other company, also with an inline engine/RWD tradition, followed. Most of their product line has after all been following the XRT fleet in design, and in fact, for some time now whilst revving very hard in the process and incurring the NVH associated with that mode of operation; not that there is anything wrong with that.

Edited 23/02/06 08:19 PM by aiboart

[drcook]

with this new engine, you'd wonder why BMW would put a v8 in the next m3

[seventytwo]

It will make the BMW v8 the same as the ford V8, pointless.

[Lumpen]

Now Imagine this in the new M1...

Sounds like some very good engineering going on. Damn krauts, they know what they're on about. Bet it wouldn't be hard to wring some more out of it either

Lumpy :biglaugh:

[ZAP]

They are after the same efficiency as the Ovlov and BAAS with their low pressure turbo motors.

Biggest problem with this direction is the insurance on these cars as they are all seen as "turbo", which adds 30% to insurance and prevents young drivers from being able to drive them.

[Mildman]

  aiboart said:

Torque curve, NVH, tractability, efficiency, throttle response, weight, engine wear, internal friction, cost and gyroscopic effects will be completely different between the two engines. The turbo is also far easier and less expensive to tune up for sports focused hi end applications, as some of you well know.

Coupling the two approaches, hi revving reciprocating core + lo lag turbo, can also provide super car performance and everyday low rev NVH and go. Standby for that one.

Ford Australia created a new genera by using an large capacity inline state of the art reciprocating core coupled to a low lag turbo and an automatic driveline for everyday RWD road car applications, and people have obviously been watching. It was only a matter of time before that other company, also with an inline engine/RWD tradition, followed. Most of their product line has after all been following the XRT fleet in design, and in fact, for some time now whilst revving very hard in the process and incurring the NVH associated with that mode of operation; not that there is anything wrong with that. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

So does this mean we and the rest of the world are finally catching on to what Japan has been doing since the 70's?

At least we have caught on, pity it took more the 30years to do so!

I wonder if Expensive Daewoo will ever catch on? Still running McPherson Struts...maybe not.

[drcook]

  Lumpen Proletariat said:

Now Imagine this in the new M1...

Sounds like some very good engineering going on. Damn krauts, they know what they're on about. Bet it wouldn't be hard to wring some more out of it either

Lumpy

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

M1 ?