Quote:
Originally Posted by Rockrol
Scott26,
I an avid reader of the website/the forum notably your posts for many years.
I have decided to step in now since I plan on making a down-payment for the F80 next week (I live in continental Europe).
What strikes the deal for me is the 21.9 seconds 1000m dash same as 991 S (a car my young kids know well, always complaining about the back seats). Since I need 5 real seats (good bye M6 GC), performance and exclusivity, F80 is the place to go.
I have one regret though: M3/335 engines identical displacements.
At first sight, what the M Division has done for the F80 appears similar to the Alpina B3 warmed-up 335i to the point that the torque is identical (550 Nm) and the power quite similar (410 Hp).
So my question is this, why didn't the M Division choose to offer a 3.2l (E36!) or 3.3l I6 to preserve the exclusivity of a M engine? If it was only a matter of costs, it was a mistake since, as illustrated in the forum, probably all your customers would have gladly pay a little more for that.
Admittedly, it is not a deal breaker.
Source: http://www.alpina-automobiles.com/en...owertrain.html |
The Alpina B3 has 600Nm, not 550Nm...
http://www.alpina-automobiles.com/en...ta/saloon.html
The power delivery also seems to be quite different as the B3 has a lower redline and shorter band. The S55 seemingly has a "peakier" curve. The Alpina cars are more luxurious sporting whereas the M cars are more performance/race oriented. That is probably also reflected in the character of the engine.
With turbo engines, it's easier to achieve the power level of the S55. Even the 428i can theoretically be tuned to over 400hp (and I'm sure someone will eventually). There are numerous 400+hp N55 tunes in Germany from the likes of Manhart etc.
But, one thing is power on paper, another is how that engine delivers the power, how responsive it is and how well it's capable of delivering that power for an extended period of time (cooling etc). That is where some of the extra money you spend on an M car is justified. Not to mention suspension, brakes, transmission etc, etc.
An M car is SOOO much more than just a HP number
