[M3 Montreal]

The M3 has start stop but besides that I didnt know it had brake energy regeneration and other efficient dynamics??

I still don't have my new M till July but I am not aware of anything but the start/stop in the 2012's and up.

[carl_d]

Originally Posted by E60orBust

I asked a friend about that who owns a Prius. From an engineering perspective, driving the Prius at full throttle never let the electric motor engage so there was no savings in fuel economy.

So M3 owners can say their gas engine is more efficient than the gas engine in the Prius

Its true, according to Top Gear, watch this

[positiveions]

awesome blossom

[ozinaldo]

Originally Posted by jprooney

Im almost sure the car was imported directly by WBM (not 100% sure), on the other side im 100% sure we do have 335is in Chile. And i agree with your last line they chose the highest output version of the N54, and that's the reason the award returned to N54 hands (previous years it was won by N55, before that it was won by N54)

Sorry, I don't remember N55 winning this award at all, last year was also N54. I made a quick check now for the full list since 1999 from Wikipedia which states N54 for the 2.5 to 3.0 liter category six times in a row between 2007 to 2012. N54 also was the overall winner in all categories, engine of the year for 2007 and 2008 and in its inaugaration year 2007 it was also the best new engine. So, 6 class wins, 2 overall wins and 1 best new engine award makes a total of 9 awards for N54 which makes it by far the most awarded engine in this particular Award's history as well as the most awarded BMW engine during this period. Don't get me wrong, I am not comparing it to N55 or S65, it is just a simple fact. Edit: See additional info below:

Here a link, at the bottom you will see all winners in all years before 2012:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interna...ne_of_the_Year

By the way, I now see from other internet sources that they did not forget or bypassed 335is at all, it is mentioned in the list together with 1M and Z4 so the OP skipped that part while posting.

Interesting detail, in the 3.0 liter category the runner up was the new 3.0 liter Mdiesel engine in the M performance cars for 5 series and X5/X6. It came close but N54 still got more votes from the judges with 257 against 234 points collected. The others in this category was standart 3.0 liter BMW diesel (191 points), Porsche 2.7 liter from Boxster (186 points), now interesting again: the N55 (163 points) and sixth and last nominated engine is VW/Audi's V6 TDI (158 points)

[ATX78703]

Just to clarify the term "TwinPower Turbo" means direct injection + turbo; that's it. It has nothing to do with the number of turbochargers or whether the turbo is single vs. twin-scroll.

It is important b/c it allows a higher compression ratio, improved efficiency, more effective intake cycle....

[jpdb]

In wikipedia anyone can write whatever he wants, the award was won by the N55 since it was introduce, most common people don't even understand the difference between N54 and N55 maybe that's why in wikipedia it's listed as a won for the N54. The S65 is one year newer than the N54, and sorry if we disagree but the S65 is clearly a better engine than the N54 (it's been said in almost every magazine article that the S65 is one of the best, if not the best engine ever made by BMW) here im not taking about M3 vs 1M or N54 cars, im just talking about the engines.

[ATX78703]

I believe that BMW engineers the best engines, but think about this for a second...

1) 1991, Nissan introduces the VG30DETT in the 300zx: 300 hp/283 lb-ft, twin turbo, variable valve timing, 0-60 in 5 flat. The engine is lauded by the press and many consider this iteration the climax of the Nissan Z line.

Fast fwd to 2006..
2) 2007 335i coupe, BMW introduces the N54: 300 hp/300 lb-ft, twin turbo, NO valvetronic, 0-60 under 5. This engine is lauded by the press and many consider this the top 335i ever (b/c the engine is underrated).

so clearly, technology has changed so much between 1991 and 2007, but what gives? Are we really any better off or is everything just ridiculously expensive now?

[bradleyland]

Originally Posted by E60orBust

I asked a friend about that who owns a Prius. From an engineering perspective, driving the Prius at full throttle never let the electric motor engage so there was no savings in fuel economy.

So M3 owners can say their gas engine is more efficient than the gas engine in the Prius

Originally Posted by carl_d

Its true, according to Top Gear, watch this

There's a bit of fuzzy logic going on here. Yes, the Prius gets worse gas mileage than an M3 when driven under track conditions, but it's not because the Prius petrol engine is less efficient, it's because the Prius must pay a weight penalty for all the batteries and electric drive components that are going unused.

These are not light weight items. I'm actually a little surprised that the Prius did as well as it did (17 MPG) when you consider that it was hauling the equivalent of a trailer full of batteries and electric motors. If you wanted to test the efficiency of both engines (not the cars), you'd need to pull the engines out and test them on a bench.

[Blubaron79]

I'm proud of my 3 year old engine. Love that BMW offered a performance upgrade for it too. Makes it purr...

[bradleyland]

Originally Posted by ATX78703

I believe that BMW engineers the best engines, but think about this for a second...

1) 1991, Nissan introduces the VG30DETT in the 300zx: 300 hp/283 lb-ft, twin turbo, variable valve timing, 0-60 in 5 flat. The engine is lauded by the press and many consider this iteration the climax of the Nissan Z line.

Fast fwd to 2006..
2) 2007 335i coupe, BMW introduces the N54: 300 hp/300 lb-ft, twin turbo, NO valvetronic, 0-60 under 5. This engine is lauded by the press and many consider this the top 335i ever (b/c the engine is underrated).

so clearly, technology has changed so much between 1991 and 2007, but what gives? Are we really any better off or is everything just ridiculously expensive now?

I'm not sure I understand your premise. Are you saying the 335i should cost as much as a 1991 Nissan 300ZX?

[Nandrega]

awesome. Maybe I'm missing it, but is there a source link?

[///Machine]

There's a bit of fuzzy logic going on here. Yes, the Prius gets worse gas mileage than an M3 when driven under track conditions, but it's not because the Prius petrol engine is less efficient, it's because the Prius must pay a weight penalty for all the batteries and electric drive components that are going unused.

These are not light weight items. I'm actually a little surprised that the Prius did as well as it did (17 MPG) when you consider that it was hauling the equivalent of a trailer full of batteries and electric motors. If you wanted to test the efficiency of both engines (not the cars), you'd need to pull the engines out and test them on a bench.

I didn't mean to jack the thread with the M3/Prius efficiency comparo. It doesn't make sense to compare these two...
Back on topic, an award is as great as the quality of its nominees. The S65 was crowned #1 with the following competition:
#1: BMW 4L V8 (BMW M3)
#2: McLaren 3.8L V8 (MP4-12C)
#3: Porsche 3.8L Boxer DI (911 Carrera S)
#4: Audi 4L TFSI (S6, S7, S8, Bentley Continental)
#5: Nissan 3.8L Bi-turbo (GT-R)
#6: Porsche 3.8L Boxer Turbo (911 Turbo)

This is a huge win!

[ozinaldo]

Originally Posted by jprooney

In wikipedia anyone can write whatever he wants, the award was won by the N55 since it was introduce, most common people don't even understand the difference between N54 and N55 maybe that's why in wikipedia it's listed as a won for the N54. The S65 is one year newer than the N54, and sorry if we disagree but the S65 is clearly a better engine than the N54 (it's been said in almost every magazine article that the S65 is one of the best, if not the best engine ever made by BMW) here im not taking about M3 vs 1M or N54 cars, im just talking about the engines.

I don't follow what you want to say with all this.

Can you show me a better source so that we can all see when N55 engine won this Award? It is obviously number 5 among 6 candidates in this year and it was the N54 last year too but if I remember wrong and all these sources are misleading then where is the true source?

In the meantime this is what was awarded and what was told last year (2011), quoted from the car advice web site which itself quotes the Panel member which awarded in 2011:

Taking the 2.5- to 3.0-litre award was BMW’s 3.0-litre direct-injection twin-turbo petrol straight-six engine. The engine will power the upcoming BMW 1 Series M Coupe. It’s also a derivative of the current BMW 135i, BMW 335i, BMW 535i, and xDrive35i model engines. This will be the fifth year running for the engine, although it has been revised over the years. It produces 225kW and 400Nm in standard trim. Panelist Padraic Deane said,

“Amazing torque levels with super flat distribution. Add to that the masterful use of turbos and high precision injection and you’ve got a superb engineering product.”

[///Machine]

This is the link I found on the award.
M5/M6 did awesome too! Beat their direct competition.

http://www.ukipme.com/engineoftheyear/index.php

[e92_m3]

Originally Posted by Rated ///M

It's incredible how the S65 is STILL the standard, 5 years later.

^^^Was thinking the same thing!^^^

Go S65!

[bryce]

Originally Posted by tibra1

BMW has pretty much dominated the 2.5 - 4.0L classes...but the M3 has yet to win the coveted overall "International Engine of the Year" award...which the n54 won in 2007..

Interestingly the 1.0L - 3 cylinder Ford turbo won this for 2012...turbo is the wave of the future I thinks

[Nandrega]

Originally Posted by NJA///M3

This is the link I found on the award.
M5/M6 did awesome too! Beat their direct competition.

http://www.ukipme.com/engineoftheyear/index.php

sweet, thanks! This is some stiff competition, crazy that an engine that came out in 08 can not only compete with but best some of the newer models.

[ozinaldo]

Originally Posted by tibra1

BMW has pretty much dominated the 2.5 - 4.0L classes...but the M3 has yet to win the coveted overall "International Engine of the Year" award...which the n54 won in 2007..

Interestingly the 1.0L - 3 cylinder Ford turbo won this for 2012...turbo is the wave of the future I thinks

the N54 also won the 2008 overall award. I agree about the turbo comment. As long as it feels like the one in 1M which feels very natural but strong low down as well, I don't have a problem with that.

[tibra1]

Originally Posted by ozinaldo

the N54 also won the 2008 overall award. I agree about the turbo comment. As long as it feels like the one in 1M which feels very natural but strong low down as well, I don't have a problem with that.

Right..forgot the n54 won it back to back..for better or worst..turbos are here to stay..I love it..tuner's paradise

[PhillyNate]

That is some truly incredible competition in the 3 to 4 liter category... and this engine is 5 years old. Bravo

[M3 Montreal]

I know the M3 has start/stop but did they make a mistake saying it also has the rest of the stuff like brake energy regeneration and other features?

[Wolf]

This generation M5/M6's engine will be overshadowed by Ferrari's 458 engine for good.. Great result though