[Moo]

This is the real proper situation to make good use of that fancy Active Sound Design from the M5

[ORIGIN M.]

LOL yeah then and you can make it sound like a V8...

Originally Posted by Moo

This is the real proper situation to make good use of that fancy Active Sound Design from the M5

[Prince_of_Persia]

V8 FTW! Are you kidding me with V4? lol

[ORIGIN M.]

Yeah the N20 w/the M///Sport V8 Sound package...

Originally Posted by Prince_of_Persia

V8 FTW! Are you kidding me with V4? lol

[powertech83]

Originally Posted by Questforpower

Don't worry I won't! If you believe that 4 cyliner 2.0L engine belongs in a close to 4000lb sedan that costs up to 60K in full trim for a 528i...I suggest you re evaluate your head. Let's remember this is still marketed as a mid size luxury vehicle compared to the likes of an E-class and a Lexus GS/Infiniti M - none of which have a 4 cylinder engine.

Maybe not in North America, but in Europe and Asia, Mercedes has been using 4-cyl on their E-class line up. Here they have E 200 CGI and E 250 CGI which is all based on 1.8L 4-cyl engine.

[EdM5]

Originally Posted by bmwdinamo

Then take the old 6 cylinder with less hp and less mpg and keep your 6 cylinder sound (whichever sound it may be because I don't hear anything).

There are more criteria for a great engine than hp and mpg.

The Germans have a word for it that sums it all up nicely: Laufkultur.

I'm not saying the 4 cylinder is a bad engine. And to buy that car is probably a very rational decision. But there is no substitute for the refinement of the classic BMW R6.

[mit]

Originally Posted by powertech83

Maybe not in North America, but in Europe and Asia, Mercedes has been using 4-cyl on their E-class line up. Here they have E 200 CGI and E 250 CGI which is all based on 1.8L 4-cyl engine.

Completely different markets.... relatively inexpensive fuel and no tax punishment for car with large displacement engine in NA make the small engine pretty much irrelevant over there( at least for the premium sedan)

[jjgixxer]

I can understand if BMW would make this an optional engine for those who special order. But keep the 6 standard on the 528i.
In this economy and gas prices rising they have to find a way to lead in the high end car market. I personally would keep the 6 for me.

[Dackelone]

For me the straight six is iconic for being BMW. Just as the rear engine flat six is for Porsche. Frankly, it is a dumb idea for BMW to break from tradition. They should "offer" the N20 as an option... but for the US market... this is one dumb bone head move for BMW. What is next no more kidney grills or rwd? Ohh wait... yea... they are making a FWD car soon!

[W///]

Originally Posted by TonyMeister

I don't see why some of you are moaning about the demise of the straight six in favour of this new four cylinder turbo. The new engine is just as powerful as the old 3 litre and returns better fuel mileage. So, it doesn't sound as good as the six cylinder... big deal! Nothing that an after market exhaust won't solve it and besides, the engine is quiet and smooth; that's what really matters.

I agree. The new 4 pot makes 240 hp and 260 ft-lbs of torque (from 1250 rpm at that) while the old six made 272 hp and 236 ft-lbs (from 2750 rpm). What you lost in horsepower, you gain in torque at a lower rpm range, and better fuel economy. At least try it out before dismissing it for being a 4 cyl. This is coming from a guy with 2 I6's

Originally Posted by mit

Completely different markets.... relatively inexpensive fuel and no tax punishment for car with large displacement engine in NA make the small engine pretty much irrelevant over there( at least for the premium sedan)

That won't be true when the new regulations kick in. And frankly, some people that do not care about performance as much (face it, they are out there) might pick the new N20. Let's face it, no offense to anyone, but the F10 with the N53 wasn't exactly going to set Nurburgring lap records. I think they are both great choices to have on top of the 535i and 550i.

[s2kman]

I would agree that 4-banger doesn't sound right in 5 series here in US, but as people said europe has plenty of examples from the same segment. I remember I saw Audi A8 2.5TDI which I thought was a pretty bad combination for such a luxury car, but people still buy those. I definitely would try to drive this N20 if I need a daily driver and stay with BMW. Choice is a good thing.

[ORIGIN M.]

I agree, and I'm just glad I have one of these last I6 wonders. I do think this new motor has it's place as a new option, just not a straight-up replacement.

Originally Posted by Dackelone

For me the straight six is iconic for being BMW. Just as the rear engine flat six is for Porsche. Frankly, it is a dumb idea for BMW to break from tradition. They should "offer" the N20 as an option... but for the US market... this is one dumb bone head move for BMW. What is next no more kidney grills or rwd? Ohh wait... yea... they are making a FWD car soon!

[kave]

Here in Europe we will have both the new 528i that will accelerate faster than the "new" 530i with the straight 6 pumped up to 272HP.
Are you saying they are going inly 4 cyl in USA? Sounds like a very strange market decision.

[TonyMeister]

[palpatine_us]

Audi priced their 4-banger in the A6 at $42K, in the US. The 5 has to start about there too to be competitive.

[raleedy]

Bad marketing choice for the US. BMW at least was not dumb enough to kill the NA I-6 elsewhere. Engine choices in the US, now all turbo, suck. And blow.

[elias]

Originally Posted by palpatine_us

Audi priced their 4-banger in the A6 at $42K, in the US. The 5 has to start about there too to be competitive.

The 2012 528i base price starts at $46,700 for a 4 banger, can't see how thats competetive with Audi A6!

[jadnashuanh]

There are lots of people that look at the economy and the comfort features of a car that never need or can easily discount larger engines. Too many of the manufacturers try to make the 'family' of vehicles look the same, which means that a smaller car gets correspondingly smaller passenger compartment rather than limiting the number of passengers. Over half of the cars I've owned were 4-cylinder powered. And, if they were in a larger vehicle with good NVH characteristics, especially with the torque rich engines available today, I'd certainly consider one.

If most of your driving is in a congested area, comfort and economy of operation for the time spent just idling is a big deal - a smaller engine is ideal, and if sized properly, would comfortably take you on the occasional long-distance jaunt. While in the US, maintenance cost differences may not be an issue, at least for the majority who don't keep their cars longer than the warranty, fewer cylinders are cheaper to maintain as well. In most of the world, that 'free' maintenance is a pretty substantial option.

[vladberca]

It s more pleasant to drive a turbo car than an aspirated one if it's your DD

[e92door3]

ive always loved bmw i6's.... it may have more torque or power but there's something about bmw i6s that just hits you in that sweet spot

[raleedy]

Originally Posted by vladberca

It s more pleasant to drive a turbo car than an aspirated one if it's your DD

I don't agree. Turbo-charged cars necessarily are affected by lag and non-linear power development. Especially with a manual transmission, those "features" of a turbo-charged engine are annoying and, at times, dangerous. The reviews invariably tell us that turbo lag is almost gone. The key word in that is "almost".

[coda72]

I'm not in the market for a 5 series, nor will I be ever, or at least not for a while, but I agree with everyone who said it just doesn't seem right to have a luxury car with a 4 cylinder engine. Most of the reason I made the move to buy a 128i convertible this year instead of waiting for the new 1 series is because I wanted a 6 cylinder. I saw BMW was making the move to 4 cylinder cars, and this isn't what I wanted. I have nothing against 4 cylinder cars, my daily driver is one. But for my weekend fun car, I want a bigger engine.