BMW has just realized that using a big high-revving V8 in the E92 M3 was a bad mistake! And now they’ve admitted that next version of the car will get a turbocharged 6. Back to basics…
You see the E46 series used to have a compact straight six engine and that was brilliant. It was matched with the agile character of the car and while delivering the performance, it was efficient as well. V8 engines work if they are low-revving and rumbling, they are naturally a bit lazy. But BMW, following the fact that more is better, was determined to give the E92 M3 a bigger engine than its predecessor, and then to make it nimbler to cope with M3’s reputation, they gave it a very high-revving setup. That means to really make it go you have to rev the nuts of it, to get what another car, say Audi RS4, has already gained in much less rpm. That ruins the economy, the pleasure, the performance, that ruins everything. Worst of all, the M3 which always has been the ultimate sporty coupe, is now confused between being a lazy muscle or a noisy family saloon.
The engine downsizing will extend to other M division engines as well, reportedly the V10 in the M5 and M6 will be replaced with a twin-turbo V8. This engine delivers the same power while it’s lighter on fuel.
One more thing I forgot to mention, It has 4 valves per cylinder. Which won’t make much horsepower until the top end. 5 valved engines peak even higher. 3 valves are great for mid-rpm functionality, and 2 valved engines are great for off road applications because they produce a LOT of torque at the bottom end.
I don’t think that who ever wrote this article understands the purpose of a high revving engine. It’s to optimize the range of power, just like a close-ratio transmission, it has a purpose. This is exactly why low revving motorcycle engines with a larger displacement have nowhere near what lower displacement high revving engines have. (BTW an engine is an engine; i.e. 1800cc cruiser will have less than 90 hp, where a 600cc sport bike engine will have 120+ hp and 1000cc 180+ hp; Not to mention that those engines revving up to 12k-16k will go through gears faster than any cruiser. Not enough proof? My engine gets me up to 75 mph in first gear in less than 5 seconds.) There is absolutely nothing wrong with getting any engine up high in the RPM’s to have fun, and it doesn’t ruin any pleasure because of it. Of course unless you still think carburetors make more horsepower than fuel-injection. Good luck getting enough fuel into an engine above 12k rpm with a carburetor. If you took the M3 out on a track, you could hit an apple on any apex. Where the comparison from Audi couldn’t. It has even been proven. So why are you whining about this being confused for a muscle car? For an example of an extremely fun V8 engine that is high revving, watch Formula 1 sometime instead of nascar (not capitalized for a reason) They have naturally aspirated V8 2.4L 800+ hp engines that are regulated by rules to 18k rpm’s. Yeah, that’s right! 300+ hp per liter. Still not convinced? Check out the Lexus IS-F, or the new Acura/Honda NSX (when it finally comes out)