BMW has stayed away from four banger engines for some years now. The 318i an the Z3 were the last four cylinder cars we’ve seen on this side of the atlantic. Of course in Europe BMW sells them because of the market differences. I remember the old 318i catching a lot of heat as “the poor man’s Bimmer.” The Z3 had a pretty mixed reputation, but many enthusiasts regarded it as a “chick car” despite it’s debut in James Bond: Golden Eye. Did either of these have anything to do with the fact that they were 4 bangers? Probably not. Years later, with a global recession and high oil prices in full swing, perhaps its time for BMW to join the ranks of Audi and VW with smaller turbo charged engines. BMW recently announced that they are bringing a 4 cylinder engine back into its production line. Not many details are available just yet, but you can bet that it will be accompanied by a turbo or two. The 335i showed us what BMW can do when they get hold of a turbo, so expect to be impressed. BMW’s new Efficient Dynamics campaign announces the companies pledge to build forward looking cars that are environment friendly. Marketing is marketing, but my bet is on BMW delivering some really innovative engines. Looks like VW’s wildly successful and award-winning 2.0T could have a worthy adversary in the coming years.
While BMW is obviously trying to be more environmentally focused on one front, they’ve recently introduced the meanest and perhaps most environmentally unfriendly M3 ever, the E92. After hearing the growl of the V8, it comes at no surprise that this 4 Liter power plant was inspired by the V10 powering the E60 series M5 (another gas guzzling powerhouse). Fortunately for BMW, enthusiasts tend to be pretty forgiving in the fuel efficiency department. After dropping 70k+, a couple bucks more at the pump are not likely to make an M3 owner feel buyer’s remorse. Still, this does beg the question “Will the new M3 and M5 ditch their gas guzzling power plants?” Will the E92 be the last M3 with a V8 in the years to come? If so, we can expect future M3 owners to hear the whine of a turbo charger when they hit the gas.
