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      05-30-2013, 11:58 AM   #25
NISFAN
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Drives: BMW M2
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Bedford UK

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Do people not feel that modern engines are that well controlled with VANOS, EFI, Drive by wire, etc that they no longer feel special?

These electronic aides do such a good job of stretching and smoothing the power delivery that it no longer matters how many cylinders or what configuration the engine actually is.....or even NA or turbocharged. To me even the S65 falls into this category, there is no 'on the power band' feeling, just smooth linear power delivery. The only feeling of sportiness is the amount of power being produced.

I imagine the next M3/M4 will be the same. Clue: the only reason you would contemplate fitting 3 turbo's is to produce seam-less power from idle to red line.

It's then down to exhaust flaps (in the case of Ferrari) or piped engine noise (in the case of BMW and Audi) to inject some sporty feeling. A million miles away from the raw M88 engine in the M1.

This to me makes the engine contribution almost zero to the sportiness of a modern car, it is all in the chassis.....the gearbox has a bigger influence than engine these days. Sad times.

So lets hope the new M3/4 is light and well balanced....should be the F30 is a big improvement on E90.
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