[N & M]

I have said it a dozen times in this site: BMW have shifted thier attention and talent to the development of environmental and lifestyle tech in the cars rather than all out engineering for driving pleasure and dynamics. This is great in a way to make the cars relevant to our times and give them an added value but is it BMW?

Likewise, thier persuit of more volumes and bringing products to market rapidly has had a negative effect on thier quality standards. Mercedes and Toyota went through this and have learned from that experience to improve thier standards and product substance.

There is a young engineer at the head of BMW, I am hoping he puts things back into perspective and finds a way to bring back what has been lost.

[fecurtis]

Originally Posted by N & M

I have said it a dozen times in this site: BMW have shifted thier attention and talent to development environmental and lifestyle tech in the cars rather than all out engineering for driving pleasure. This is great in a way but is BMW?

Likewise, thier persuit of more volumes and bringing products to market quickly has negative affected thier quality standards. Mercedes and Toyota went through it and have learned from that experience to improve thier standards and product substance.

There is a young engineer at the head of BMW, I am hoping he puts things back into perspective and finds a way to bring back what has been lost.

Meh I wouldn't say that. They haven't "shifted" focus really, just expanded the brand.

The reason the more well known engines from BMW aren't on the list is because none of them are new. I'm sure once the B48 and B58 engines are available, they'll be on the list.

Whenever BMW has a new engine it tends to make it onto the list. In 2012 both the N20 and N55 engine made the cut.

[Diver]

I wonder if there is anything special about the electric motor in the i3 that would distinguish it from other battery powered cars? As for the 3 pot, that might make more sense than a 4 pot of the same displacement, and certainly more sense than a 2L 4 pot.

[e92ben]

Why's everyone so shocked. New technology new engines. Of course they are going to make lists. What does everyone expect. S54 and n54 on there

[ron_jeremy]

Originally Posted by aajami

The electric motor from the i3 and the 3-cylinder 1.5L from the Mini are the engines? Oh, how times have changed...

The B38 is an excellent performer, and have a great sound as well.
A tad classic Porsche sound with a mix of BMW I6.
It's also very flexible and smooth.
Tried it over a 48 hours period in a 2AT (218i).
I'd take this over a 4 banger any day!

[Law]

Many of you are getting "Ward's 10 Best Engines" and "International Engine of the Year Awards" mixed up. They are not the same awards.

The former (Ward's):
-Published in the US,
-Has one list of 10 engines
-Base price capped at $60,000
-Limited to engines available to the US market.

The Ward’s 10 Best Engines competition pits the latest engines available in the U.S. market against the returning winners from the previous year. Four engines that won last year return for 2015: the Chevrolet V-8, Ford 3-cyl., Ram diesel and VW 4-cyl. All entries fall under a base vehicle price cap of $60,000.

The latter (International Engine of the Year Awards):
-Published in the UK
-Does not have a price cap
-Includes engines across different markets
-Decided by an international panel of judges
-Has multiple awards for various categories (Best New Engine, Best Fuel Economy/Green Engine of the Year, Best Performance Engine, Sub 1-litre, 1-litre to 1.4-litre, 1.4-litre to 1.8-litre, 1.8-litre to 2-litre, 2-litre to 2.5-litre, 2.5-litre to 3-litre, 3-litre to 4-litre, Above 4-litre, and International Engine of the Year).

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2015 Ward's 10 Best Engines winners:
http://wardsauto.com/diesel-resource...images-1175431

The S54 from the E46 M3 made the list from 2002-2004. No M-cars since then have made the list. Various iterations of the N54/55 have made the list since then.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------


2015 International Engine of the Year Awards recipients:
http://www.ukipme.com/engineoftheyear/index.php


The S54 won the "Best New Engine" category, and "International Engine of the Year" category in 2001 and also took 1st place in the 3-4L category from 2001-2006.

The S85 won "Best New Engine", "International Engine of the Year", and "Best Performance Engine" in 2005, while also taking 1st place in the above 4 liter category from 2005-2008.

The S65 took first place in the 3-4L category from 2008-2012.

[DieGrüneHölle]

Originally Posted by Eddien123

Wow the s55 didn't win.. That's odd. Also wheres N55?

Originally Posted by fecurtis

Again, the engine has to be in cars that have a base price of no higher than $60k which knocks out the S55. The N55 has been in it in the past but is no longer. That's because in order to be eligible, the engine also has to be brand new or significantly revised.

Both the N54 and N55 have won the award in their first year in production.

This.

S55 will be up for International Engine of the Year. It will fall into the 2.5L - 3.0L category. It will most likely dominate that category for years.

I have a little conspiracy theory that is one of reasons why BMW didn't go with a larger displacement inline 6. They didn't want to fall into the next category up (3.0L - 4.0L), that is now dominated by the McLaren 3.8L V8.

[Law]

Originally Posted by Blipit_

This.

S55 will be up for International Engine of the Year. It will fall into the 2.5L - 3.0L category. It will most likely dominate that category for years.

I have a little conspiracy theory that is one of reasons why BMW didn't go with a larger displacement inline 6. They didn't want to fall into the next category up (3.0L - 4.0L), that is now dominated by the McLaren 3.8L V8.

There is no conspiracy & the S55 didn't win any awards (in the International Engine of the Year Awards).
On the contrary, the S55 (3rd place) placed lower than its own next of kin, the N55 (1st place).

[jadnashuanh]

Originally Posted by N & M

I have said it a dozen times in this site: BMW have shifted thier attention and talent to the development of environmental and lifestyle tech in the cars rather than all out engineering for driving pleasure and dynamics. This is great in a way to make the cars relevant to our times and give them an added value but is it BMW?

Have you driven an i3? It's a total blast. Fastest car BMW makes for the stop light race. Certainly, other cars they make keep going with ultimate 0-60 or higher, but 0-30 in the city where you can't legally go much faster, it can beat ANY currently sold BMW (except maybe the i8). And, where I live, at 1/4 the price of gasoline. Certainly not for everyone, and not for every drive, but for what it is, it's fun and practical.

Whether you like it or not, the Feds have upped the ante, and unless you are willing to spend a very significant premium for your non-turbo, natural draft, high-power engine, this is where things are moving - hybrids and turbo-charging.

[fecurtis]

Originally Posted by jadnashuanh

Have you driven an i3? It's a total blast. Fastest car BMW makes for the stop light race. Certainly, other cars they make keep going with ultimate 0-60 or higher, but 0-30 in the city where you can't legally go much faster, it can beat ANY currently sold BMW (except maybe the i8). And, where I live, at 1/4 the price of gasoline. Certainly not for everyone, and not for every drive, but for what it is, it's fun and practical.

Whether you like it or not, the Feds have upped the ante, and unless you are willing to spend a very significant premium for your non-turbo, natural draft, high-power engine, this is where things are moving - hybrids and turbo-charging.

Yeah I had read that in the city it's a great car to have and that it was surprisingly quick off the line.

If you're one of those folks who lives in a major metropolitan area and want a car for driving around town, it's better than driving around in those Smart Cars.

[M3 Adjuster]

Originally Posted by Law

Many of you are getting "Ward's 10 Best Engines" and "International Engine of the Year Awards" mixed up. They are not the same awards.

The former (Ward's):
-Published in the US,
-Has one list of 10 engines
-Base price capped at $60,000
-Limited to engines available to the US market.

The latter (International Engine of the Year Awards):
-Published in the UK
-Does not have a price cap
-Includes engines across different markets
-Decided by an international panel of judges
-Has multiple awards for various categories (Best New Engine, Best Fuel Economy/Green Engine of the Year, Best Performance Engine, Sub 1-litre, 1-litre to 1.4-litre, 1.4-litre to 1.8-litre, 1.8-litre to 2-litre, 2-litre to 2.5-litre, 2.5-litre to 3-litre, 3-litre to 4-litre, Above 4-litre, and International Engine of the Year).

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2015 Ward's 10 Best Engines winners:
http://wardsauto.com/diesel-resource...images-1175431

The S54 from the E46 M3 made the list from 2002-2004. No M-cars since then have made the list. Various iterations of the N54/55 have made the list since then.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------


2015 International Engine of the Year Awards recipients:
http://www.ukipme.com/engineoftheyear/index.php


The S54 won the "Best New Engine" category, and "International Engine of the Year" category in 2001 and also took 1st place in the 3-4L category from 2001-2006.

The S85 won "Best New Engine", "International Engine of the Year", and "Best Performance Engine" in 2005, while also taking 1st place in the above 4 liter category from 2005-2008.

The S65 took first place in the 3-4L category from 2008-2012.

It's always nice when someone makes an intelligent post !

[VMRWheels]

WOW, really surprised to see that. Nonetheless, good stuff BMW!

[Advevo]

I quess the last Bmw i Will buy is an M2. I am totally not interested in electric cars!

[mPlasticDesign]

Hellcat!!!!

[BrokenVert]

Originally Posted by jadnashuanh

Have you driven an i3? It's a total blast. Fastest car BMW makes for the stop light race. Certainly, other cars they make keep going with ultimate 0-60 or higher, but 0-30 in the city where you can't legally go much faster, it can beat ANY currently sold BMW (except maybe the i8). And, where I live, at 1/4 the price of gasoline. Certainly not for everyone, and not for every drive, but for what it is, it's fun and practical.

Whether you like it or not, the Feds have upped the ante, and unless you are willing to spend a very significant premium for your non-turbo, natural draft, high-power engine, this is where things are moving - hybrids and turbo-charging.

Thank you for saying this. I don't understand how people can say that BMW isn't doing good engineering work when they just came out with a car made predeminatly of carbon fiber for 41k.

Also the i3 is a hoot to drive, it weighs 2700 pounds and its cg is below the wheel hubs. It makes my commute fun!

[snaimpally]

The 1.5l turbo engine used in the Mini is the same one used to power the rear wheels in the i8. Basically, its half of an N55. :-)

Forced induction provides more hp and better gas mileage so everyone is going forced induction these days. I know many miss NA, but look at some of the prodigious power outputs that are available, e.g., M3/4, Hellcat, etc. This type of power (e.g., north of 500hp), once reserved for supercars, is now available at much lower prices.

So, yes its sad there are few N/A engines, but the performance provided by a turbo (or S/C) has made it a great time to own a car because of the power output available.

[fecurtis]

Originally Posted by snaimpally

The 1.5l turbo engine used in the Mini is the same one used to power the rear wheels in the i8. Basically, its half of an N55. :-)

Forced induction provides more hp and better gas mileage so everyone is going forced induction these days. I know many miss NA, but look at some of the prodigious power outputs that are available, e.g., M3/4, Hellcat, etc. This type of power (e.g., north of 500hp), once reserved for supercars, is now available at much lower prices.

So, yes its sad there are few N/A engines, but the performance provided by a turbo (or S/C) has made it a great time to own a car because of the power output available.

FI, specifically turbocharging offers more usable power for daily use due to its more useful torque curve. One of the most fun cars I've ever driven was a Honda S2000 back in my college days. I loved driving that car but I know if I had one for daily use I'd be tempted to rev it to 9000 RPM after every stop. In the 335i, I can barely hit the gas to get more power than the S2000 could ever bring, but just hearing that engine and exhaust note as well as the night and day difference between the cam profiles courtesy of its aggressive VTEC configuration offered an experience that was something special.

It's why people with the E9x M3 love that engine so much. It offers similar driving excitement but makes less torque than an N55 or N54.

[surewin]

Originally Posted by aajami

Not too long ago it was the likes of BMW's S85, S65, S54, and N54 that were dominating Ward's and International Engine of the Year awards.

Yeah. So sad that times have changed. The S65 won every year it was in production for its class except for its last year, where it was slightly bested by the 12c.

[aajami]

Originally Posted by fecurtis

FI, specifically turbocharging offers more usable power for daily use due to its more useful torque curve. One of the most fun cars I've ever driven was a Honda S2000 back in my college days. I loved driving that car but I know if I had one for daily use I'd be tempted to rev it to 9000 RPM after every stop. In the 335i, I can barely hit the gas to get more power than the S2000 could ever bring, but just hearing that engine and exhaust note as well as the night and day difference between the cam profiles courtesy of its aggressive VTEC configuration offered an experience that was something special.

It's why people with the E9x M3 love that engine so much. It offers similar driving excitement but makes less torque than an N55 or N54.

My previous car was an S2000, and I drove it daily for 8 years.

There's nothing like a high-revving, free-breathing naturally aspirated engine. It's sad that they're a dying breed. The GT350 has really piqued my interest, but I can't deal with that Mustang interior though...

[N & M]

Originally Posted by fecurtis

Meh I wouldn't say that. They haven't "shifted" focus really, just expanded the brand.

The reason the more well known engines from BMW aren't on the list is because none of them are new. I'm sure once the B48 and B58 engines are available, they'll be on the list.

Whenever BMW has a new engine it tends to make it onto the list. In 2012 both the N20 and N55 engine made the cut.

Both the engines that made the list are special as are the cars that first received them. With the pressure to expand the product and feature line up, and with the pressure to squeeze cost and maximise profits, BMW shifted some resources from making bespoke exceptionally engineered engines to making scalable units that can be adapted to multi uses and performance grades.

10 years ago standard, M and diesel engines were different and exceptional. Today, economies of scale pressures force BMW to use the same architecture and adapt it to different uses. This is sound and good financial thinking and may in fact achieve performance results but everybody has noticed the loss of some "magic" in chrisma and dynamic pleasure (not performance!).

Mercedes' and AMG by comparison have remained true to creating distrtinct engine architectures and have developed a new generation of engines that cater to the Eco requireement as well a performance ones while economical retain the "magic" and brilliance that so much of us miss.

Before the BMW police come charging, I declare my absolute loyalty to the properler and all that bears its blue and white colors.

[N & M]

Originally Posted by jadnashuanh

Have you driven an i3? It's a total blast. Fastest car BMW makes for the stop light race. Certainly, other cars they make keep going with ultimate 0-60 or higher, but 0-30 in the city where you can't legally go much faster, it can beat ANY currently sold BMW (except maybe the i8). And, where I live, at 1/4 the price of gasoline. Certainly not for everyone, and not for every drive, but for what it is, it's fun and practical.

Whether you like it or not, the Feds have upped the ante, and unless you are willing to spend a very significant premium for your non-turbo, natural draft, high-power engine, this is where things are moving - hybrids and turbo-charging.

I have not driven the i-3, but throughly enjoyed driving the i8 which has both engines and I totally agree. By the way I think electric motors are very much engines of the future.

My point was an observation of what you have stated in your comment about the realities of the current era and its priorities. Where BMW has taken the lead in developing great cars with Eco/performnace credentials they have eaqually lost thier leadership and brilinace in engines that create drama and enthusim.

Please read my comment earlier about what has gone missing as result of chasing the new realities. I wonder if we will ever see brilliant engines like the V12 that made it into the McLaren F1, the V8 the went into the M3 or V10 that went into M5? Before you raise the issue of real world engineering; I miss the brilliance of the classic straight six that seems so heavy and muffled in the lastest generation of cars.

Again, BMW cheerleaders be aware, I am with you not against so take from a constructive point of view.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by Anodite10

That ford 1L ecoboost engine is winning all the awards

Probably just until the rubber drive belt that drives the oil pump breaks because it inside the oil sump...