The future direction of BMW

Gaygle

Gaygle

Gaygle

Soldato
Joined
7 Nov 2004
Posts
15,741
Location
East of England
The future direction of BMW?

I've just been reading about BMW's new turbocharged 4 cylinder engine, with the most powerful being 241bhp. I find this hugely disappointing and saddening as i've felt BMW have always been defined by their rear wheel drive, balance and silky smooth 6 cylinder engines. At first, i thought that these 4-pot engines might only appear in the 1/3/520i's but if it's kicking out 241bhp, this is more x25/x28 territory which has been a 6 cylinder engine for as long as i can remember.

BMW have also made a "sub brand" called the "i" division - will it only be "i" cars that come with these crappy 4 pot engines, or will it be across the whole line? I think it's safe to say, that in the next 10 years, 6/8 cylinder engines will be MUCH rarer than they are now (and let's face it, they're not exactly 10 a penny at the moment are they?)

What a load of NO SWEARING. :(

http://www.autocar.co.uk/News/NewsArticle/AllCars/255502/
 
Last edited:
I agree about the 4 pots, it's not all about power anyway, refinment and smoothness is a big, big factor with premium cars.

The i stuff is going to be electric and diesel-electric though.
 
Moeks said:
I don't think anyone is placing blame, so that's pretty much a none factor.
Click to expand...

He said BMWs new direction. It's not by their own choice that they are having to do this. It is something that all brands are having to consider.
 
Moeks said:
The i stuff is going to be electric and diesel-electric though.
Click to expand...

Great, so that looks as though the stupid 4-pot's are going to be in the regular cars :mad:

Morba said:
not BMW's fault though is it.
Click to expand...

Not at all, it's this stupid obsession with everything emissions. Even though it makes **** all difference what we do here, because China, India, Russia and USA aren't doing anything!

But i think this is going to hit BMW/Merc hardest, because large 6 cylinder cars have always been a massive seller for them, whereas Audi/Ford have been making little 4-pot turbo's for yonks.

I just don't think a 2 litre 4-pot belongs in a premium car, because it's not a premium engine.
 
Well they put them in their cars now to be fair, only with a lot less power. The sixes will still endure, but I fear for the 8s and 12s are rare as rocking horse poo already. I think l6s with turbos will more or less replace the V8 in many applications, sadly.
 
Moeks said:
Well they put them in their cars now to be fair, only with a lot less power.
Click to expand...

But they put them in the bottom of the range 318/320's etc, There are still 3 trim levels where you can get a 6 cylinder engine at the moment in the E90/92. In the E46 there were 5 trim levels (although the 330i did replace the 328i so there was only 4 at any one time) in which you could get a 6 cyl engine.

Based on the information we have about the 2litre 4-pot turbo engine kicking out 241bhp - this sounds like it will be a 325i engine. Which means that there will be only 2 6cyl engines (the 330i and 335i if they even bother to make a new one) in the F30. By the time the F30's successor comes about, i suspect that the only 6 cyl engine in the 3-series range will be the M3 which will be twin turbo'd.

Moeks said:
The sixes will still endure, but I fear for the 8s and 12s are rare as rocking horse poo already. I think l6s with turbos will more or less replace the V8 in many applications, sadly.
Click to expand...

Definitely. I think the days of V8/V12's in everyday cars is long gone. 6 cylinder engines will endure in a couple of applications for now, but like i said, by the time the F30 is due for replacement, i think it will be an all 4-pot line up for EU cars.
 
its not just emissions, the rising fuel costs across europe must be having an effect

private buyers must be a very small part of BMW's overall sales, and it must only be private buyers buying the thirstier engines as no fleet manager is going to
 
It will hurt BMW a lot. The Americas won't buy these cars, but then they probably won't be made available to them anyway, where a 550i on every corner is virtually commonplace.

Perhaps if we weren't raped on fuel prices things would be a lot different like they are in the states / australia / middle east, where again, 550is and 535i are commonplace (not so much in Australia, but big engined monsters are).

The only way to have a decent car here soon will be to import it. :(
 
I doubt it will "hurt BMW a lot", as all manufacturers will be forced to go down the same route to meet EU emissions targets and improve fuel economy.

It is sad though, a 4-pot just doesn't have the same character or prestige. It's a bummer if you enjoy lag free engines, too.
 
Gaygle said:
I've just been reading about BMW's new turbocharged 4 cylinder engine, with the most powerful being 241bhp. I find this hugely disappointing and saddening as i've felt BMW have always been defined by their rear wheel drive, balance and silky smooth 6 cylinder engines. At first, i thought that these 4-pot engines might only appear in the 1/3/520i's but if it's kicking out 241bhp, this is more x25/x28 territory which has been a 6 cylinder engine for as long as i can remember.

BMW have also made a "sub brand" called the "i" division - will it only be "i" cars that come with these crappy 4 pot engines, or will it be across the whole line? I think it's safe to say, that in the next 10 years, 6/8 cylinder engines will be MUCH rarer than they are now (and let's face it, they're not exactly 10 a penny at the moment are they?)

What a load of ********. :(

http://www.autocar.co.uk/News/NewsArticle/AllCars/255502/
Click to expand...

When did you last buy a brand new BMW then?
 
Wait to try the new 4 pots before getting concerned that they'll be awful. I'm sure BMW are clever enough to make their new 4 pots damn near as smooth as an engine with more cylinders. I know my 1.4 4 pot feels just like a Mercedes V8 anyway.
 
Lucero said:
It will hurt BMW a lot. The Americas won't buy these cars, but then they probably won't be made available to them anyway, where a 550i on every corner is virtually commonplace.
Click to expand...

Of course they won't, but they don't need to worry, because, from an article i was reading, it is likely that BMW won't kill off the 6 cylinder engines for a long time... in the US, China and Russia. Only in the EU will these 4-pot POS be commonplace.

[TW]Fox;18529115 said:
Some of the Americans are getting worryingly obsessed with diesels lately on the US forums :(
Click to expand...

Just yesterday i was on an American BMW forum and someone mentioned wanting a diesel and how they love the torque that diesels give. They literally kept on banging on about torque (are American's obsessed with torque or something?) but what i found more astonishing is that they actually knew what a diesel car was!
 
Gaygle said:
Just yesterday i was on an American BMW forum and someone mentioned wanting a diesel and how they love the torque that diesels give. They literally kept on banging on about torque (are American's obsessed with torque or something?) but what i found more astonishing is that they actually knew what a diesel car was!
Click to expand...

Surely torque is good for smooth wafty driving, because you don't have to rev as much to get the same power as the equivalent petrol.
 
[TW]Fox;18529156 said:
I have absolutely no idea what relevence that question has to his opinion :confused:
Click to expand...

Ermm... if he doent buy a BMW so doesnt really make much difference to their business plan and targetting buyers when he isnt a customer?

Come on Fox. Or is he too far in the clique to receive such logic? Boring rants are boring.
 
Jonnycoupe said:
Ermm... if he doent buy a BMW so doesnt really make much difference to their business plan and targetting buyers when he isnt a customer?
Click to expand...

I don't particularly think he is expecting BMW to shape its business plan around his personal desires. That said, as a BMW driver and presumably enthusiast of the brand he is more than entitled to his opinion on the future direction - especially as the cars they make today are likely the cars he will buy tommorrow?

Come on Fox. Or is he too far in the clique to receive such logic? Boring rants are boring
Click to expand...

The irony of that sentance from the post in this thread most devoid of any logic is quite overwhelming.

You have effectively stated that none of us are allowed any opinion on the product range of any manufacturer unless we buy brand new cars from that manufacturer. What a worthless, pathetic and useless thing to say. I'm shocked its come from you.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom