Official: BMW F80 M3 / F82 M4 Brings Back the Inline 6 Engine

[Bowser330]

+1 Basically all the things done to the S54 (E46 M3) vs. the M54 (E46 330i)...

There are countless Tune + Bolt-on N54's running 383whp (450hp) for years now...however since BMW needs to separate the "M" from the "non-M" and build the car for longevity...I would expect to see...

(1) Additional displacement vs existing N54/5...3.6L maybe?
(2) Slightly larger turbos for more top-end pull, current turbos run out of juice well before 6000rpm.

With 3.6L & larger turbos tuners should be able to bump it up to 550hp pretty easily...

[TheRox]

With the current 335 being so good, I wonder how many people will go for the m3. It can't possibly be the same difference as the last generation.

Then again, the e46 m3 was inline six and so was the 330 and 325. Meh, it is what it is.

Still think a Porsche is a good value drivers car and add a 5 series or 3 series for everyday use. More sporting intentions.

[Soorena]

Good news. This means there is a good chance of seeing a blown S38 under the hood

[ATSR]

Originally Posted by TheRox

With the current 335 being so good, I wonder how many people will go for the m3. It can't possibly be the same difference as the last generation.

I have no doubt it will be

[///Matthew]

The V8 was short-lived. Good night sweet prince.

[JulieDriving]

Originally Posted by Harold Wood

Sounds good to me, I wonder how much carbon fibre will go into the production car?

What a drool-worthy rendering Harold.

I just have the feeling this new M3 will be great.

[///Matthew]

Originally Posted by benzy89

Pumped they've brought back the inline 6 to maintain the balance & handling characteristics thats made the 3-series (especially the Ms) infamous.

Really hoping to see a 3.3/3.5 L, twin turbo'd bomb shoved under the hood, pushing out a healthy balanced 450 HP/TQ bomb of an engine. Be interesting to see if they...

• Ditch the 7 speed DCT for something more "updated" (Upgraded 8-speed ZF?)
• Offer the carbon ceramic breaks
• Ditch electronic steering for something more direct

Bottom line: Ditch the whole 4-Series marketing ploy & keep the 3 series + M3 moniker. That car is BMWs bread & butter

///M3

Have you ever driven an E9X M3 w/DCT?

[JA///MES]

Obviously he hasn't. By the time the new M3 or M4 come out I'll have my ESS 575 supercharger and eat the new M3/M4's lunch!!!!! V8 forever!!!! I didn't buy the car to worry about the gas mileage.

The 7 speed DCT gear box is the future which is why it was put in the new M5 and M6! No one needs a car with 8 gears, 7 is enough.

[BH_Fanaticos77]

how about that V8 sound at 25s-30s. Sorry inline 6 but can't really sound as the current one does.

[AllydNYC]

Looks like when the time comes I will be buying a USED e9x M3 V8... there goes all my option choices, Euro delivery and new car smell.

[FogCityM3]

Seriously doubt this: we already know what a 450hp lightweight M3 can do straight line and on multiple tracks (CRT and GTS) and we know what the new M5 can do (and the M3 will not be made faster than that). Expect the car to be an impovement vs current gen performance-wise, albeit more incremental than revolutionary.

Originally Posted by benzy89

. Now you're ripping out stats on it: Whatever BMW does, the next M3 will deliver & demolish the E92.

[ATX78703]

this is awesome news!! At the end of the day, when it comes to turbos the V6 offers better setup and more compact packaging....

but to me BMW = I6, and the M3 is the core enthusiast car that BMW makes. They need to rep the M3 big time and the v8 is just heresy. Hopefully, they'll get innovate and drop the triturbo or something groundbreaking and it wont just be a twin-turbo twin scroll N55 (which i don't see as possible b/c 6 is not divisible by 4).

BMW = I6
MB = V8
Audi = I4
Porsche = H6
Subie = H4

brand oriented values, people...

[Soorena]

Originally Posted by ATX78703

BMW = I6
MB = V8
Audi = I4
Porsche = H6
Subie = H4

brand oriented values, people...

It's not that i agree with other Brands and engine layouts, but surely Audi isn't known for it's I4's. More like I5 or V6.

[SamS]

Originally Posted by benzy89

More than likely, this is what BMW will do. The N54 was "killed off" because it lacked the reliability & emissions that the N55 was able to deliver. But somehow it keeps resurfacing -- 1st in the 335is, then in the 1M, and now in the 135is.

135is uses N55.

[JulieDriving]

Originally Posted by TheRox

With the current 335 being so good, I wonder how many people will go for the m3. It can't possibly be the same difference as the last generation.

Then again, the e46 m3 was inline six and so was the 330 and 325. Meh, it is what it is.

Still think a Porsche is a good value drivers car and add a 5 series or 3 series for everyday use. More sporting intentions.

All this talk about how much torque the 335i has or how much you can add it to smoke a (current gen.) M3, yadda, yadda, yadda had me think that an M3 wasn't worth it for me, at least not as a daily. But then I drove one. And wow, all I can say is that it makes perfect sense for me why one is an M car.

So yeah, I can see the new M3 - regardless it if *only* has an inline 6 - as being much better than the regular 3 series!

[SamS]

Originally Posted by AllydNYC

Looks like when the time comes I will be buying a USED e9x M3 V8... there goes all my option choices, Euro delivery and new car smell.

Huh? You can still buy a brand new M3 coupe/vert and take Euro delivery. You have another full year to do so! :drive:

[Remonster]

Originally Posted by JA///MES

Obviously he hasn't. By the time the new M3 or M4 come out I'll have my ESS 575 supercharger and eat the new M3/M4's lunch!!!!! V8 forever!!!! I didn't buy the car to worry about the gas mileage.

The 7 speed DCT gear box is the future which is why it was put in the new M5 and M6! No one needs a car with 8 gears, 7 is enough.

Not only is 8 speeds too many (why not just make 7th longer...?) but who in their right mind would choose the 8 speed auto with a torque converter (as good as that transmission is) over a dual clutch gearbox?

[jagdeepj123]

N54 for the win. It would make a great base for the M3. Drove the V8 and it was lacking torque and the sense of 'rapidity'.
If they wanted to make it special, the new M3 would have the V8 turbo, but then it couldn't have same engine as new M5. "It's all politics, man..."

[Soorena]

Originally Posted by Remonster

but who in their right mind would choose the 8 speed auto with a torque converter over a dual clutch gearbox?

One of the BMW head engineers. He months ago stated that DCT has no future and Autos can be as quick as DCT's.

[Peahi]

Originally Posted by jagdeepj123

N54 for the win. It would make a great base for the M3. Drove the V8 and it was lacking torque and the sense of 'rapidity'.
If they wanted to make it special, the new M3 would have the V8 turbo, but then it couldn't have same engine as new M5. "It's all politics, man..."

Yeah man the V8 sucks! We need to park 'em all at the junkyard. It doesn't have pulling power and the handles like crap, and sheesh...not dependable - it has fuel pump issues galore.

[FogCityM3]

Very true; keep in mind that going FI is really not much of a choice, but a requirement..ie, what engines would car manufacturers really choose if they didn't have to meet super high emissions, fuel economy, and sound regulation hurdles over the next 10 yrs in the EU and US.

The prior generation M3s and M5s engine developments were driven far more by true performance enhancement/racing needs than by regulation, which was less of an issue in the 90s and the early part of 2000s vs today. As prior comments out of M have indicated, going FI is really driven by regulation and achieving common mandates for BMW as a whole, not by M-division (or most enthusiasts) choice. In the end, outside of weight, DCT advancements, electronic enhancements, the V-8s and V-10s were and always will be, impressive and fun-to-drive engines. If the DCT were in the E60M5, don’t think the performance differential of new vs old would be as much as it currently seems.

Originally Posted by benzy89

V8s are unrealistic w/ emissions and fuel economy laws going into effect. Forced induction is the future for all "normal cars" (this excludes cars like the Aventador & Ferrari F70/next gen-Enzo).

[cstavaru]

One problem what would arise if they would come out with an inline-6 3.0-liter bi-turbo engine would be, what an incentive to upgrade do the current 335i owners have ? Personally I would love a 3-liter engine because it is the cutoff displacement for high taxes, at least where I live. But if it would only have like 440hp, this is achievable right now with $3000 upgraded turbos on the N54 engine, or even pushing the stock turbos.

So they will probably need the 3rd "electrical" turbocharger or maybe even some electrical hybrid tech to really bring something new and enticing to the market.