View Single Post
      09-16-2012, 12:25 PM   #18
Diver
Brigadier General
Diver's Avatar
United_States
504
Rep
3,446
Posts

Drives: Black '12 135i - Sold
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Texas

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by mapezzul View Post

In peak form the I3 will be 220hp. Let's not forget that BMW is making the 116i now, and that is a four banger with less power than the base turbo 3 will have. The wonders of planning an underpowered 4 cylinder model on purpose to market a future 3 cylinder that has MORE!
Obviously the efficiency advantage of smaller engines with fewer cylinders derives from reduced internal friction. Turbochargers put the horsepower back. There is an AMG engine here or on the way that extracts 370 hp from a 2L four, so 220 should be easy to get to on 1.5L, and would be in the range of the outgoing NA I6. The real questions are about how it drives, starting torque and responsiveness. In the end, if it drives good, few will care about how many cylinders it has. Getting back to the electric side, this sort of pairing provides very good starting torque.

With the new US efficiency standards, it is going to be very interesting to see how the next 13 years play out. Hopefully, we will not have an automotive dark ages as the US experienced from 1967 until 1992 when computerized engine controls finally caught up with regulatory fiat. Cars drove so poorly in the 70's that removing pollution control parts was a national pastime.
__________________
Appreciate 0