[mkoesel]

Originally Posted by cstavaru

I keep hearing how "unique" the current S65 V8 is.

Well, it is in pretty rare company for non-supercars. The only other V8 outside that class of car capable of 100hp/L and 8000+ RPM is from Audi. Whether those engine traits appeal to you is another matter, but they do make the engine unique. Sure you could paint the valve covers of an engine pink and call it unique, but these features of the S65 represent significant engineer efforts and make it feel and behave more like a racing engine. And that's something that presents a lot of value for people still looking for the motorsport connection from M Division.

My opinion is that this engine is a torque-less, heavy, old-technology (doesn't even have direct injection), inefficient engine

You are certainly entitled to that opinion.

The facts tell us that peak torque for this engine is nearly identical to BMW's own state-of-the art N55 (even with its latest and greatest direct injection and Valvetronic technology). It also has a flatter torque curve than that engine. Finally, the S65 weighs insignificantly more than an N55 - about 20 lbs.

As for power, which is what ultimately determines a car's performance (and which you did not address, but I will), the S65 makes much more power than an N55 and in fact even more than the N63 turbocharged V8. It was not until the arrival of the N63Tu late last year that the series turbocharged V8 eclipsed the S65 in power, and only by a few percent. Of course it weighs a lot more than an S65 as well. There is the S63 too, but it is available only in much more expensive and much larger, heavier vehicles unfortunately.

On the matter of efficiency, yes, the S65 definitely comes out on the bottom.

that sounds much worse and faint than any competitor's V8, take AMG for example.

I'm not sure which AMG V8 you mean. M156? AMG has many V8s. Anyway, sound quality is a subjective trait, so there's not a whole lot to be gained from debating it. Suffice it to say though, there are plenty who'd disagree with you. And if we compare against the N55, or most every other turbocharged engine for that matter, then you will find few who prefer the latter (probably not even you).

With a turbocharged engine you can have fun all the time, while the S65 V8 is gutless in daily traffic and is only good on the track where you spend 10% of your time.

This doesn't jibe with my experience. It is possible you are not making effective use of the gearbox, which helps get power from the engine when you need it. There has been a number of discussions about this topic in the past and the problem usually boils down not to torque (which is fairly constant across the RPM range) but power which is maximized by spinning the engine at a higher RPM. By the way, the DCT gearbox in particular is designed to match the V8s character since it allows you to shift very quickly and easily.

BMW used "unique" engines because the production ones did not satisfy their goals no matter how heavily modified. This isn't the case anymore, the BMW standard engines are becoming light, efficient and powerful and it would be stupid for M not to use them as a base.

Until the S65 and S85, BMW had always used series engines as the basis for those from M Division. Even the S65 could have used the N62 V8 as a starting point, for example.

As long as it handles exceptionally well, it feels well and it's substantially more powerful than a standard car, it can be an M.

Even with a gutless, inefficient, lousy sounding dinosaur of a V8, eh?