German Car Zone

Aint' that the truth. If people can't get with the times then they should continue to buy older cars. Nobody is FORCING you to buy the latest anything.

A BMW V6? I believe it when I see it...

I read this on NASIOC last week and thought to myself that, the day BMW puts a V6 into any of their cars is the day that BMW sells its soul to the devil.

Anyone who's felt the magic of their straight sixes will know that it's one of the definitively great and unique engine experiences of the last 30 years.

Actually BMW had great I6 engines in the 30s too.

Oh, I know that but how many people on this forum can list their definitive motoring experiences from the 1930's?

The point is, many youngsters here have only experienced cars from the turn of the millennium. In terms of automotive design and technology, I consider anything pre-1980's to be the equivalent of ancient history - irrespective of its relevance and context in the present.

But for as long as I can remember from years gone by, there has always been a great inline six-cylinder engine from BMW.

So if BMW engineers figure out they can make the car better with a V6, then you think they are evil? I think they would be doing their job.

Just because their old |6s were so good doesn't mean they can't improve them. I don't see the point of sticking with the |6 out of a sense of tradition if BMW can make a V6 that performs better than a |6. There was a lot of similar sentiment about BMW using turbos again.

As NarutoRamen pointed out, if you don't like the new products then don't buy them. BMW is not a religion, it's car manufacturer owned by shareholders, they can and should change their product lines to stay ahead of the competition.

Now hold up a moment ACE...

The metaphor "selling one's soul" is just that. It doesn't imply "pulling a Skywalker"... I don't quite understand how a car maker would be deemed as being evil.

Do I think it would be a mistake for BMW, however? Absolutely. The inline six engine is one of the last bastions of inherent smoothness, balance and character that a V6, no matter how well engineered can't match. In terms of crankshaft harmonics and primary balance, the BMW inline 6 stands alone in most of the segments within which it competes. A V6's primary balance may be close to that of an inline 6 but in terms of outright smoothness and high-rpm character the BMW approach is superior. Not by my opinion but by that of many engineers on the IEOTY jury. Flat sixes display the same inherent smoothness but their application is limited to specialised models and niche manufacturers.

I've driven many inline 6 BMW's and the pervasive characteristic of 15 years' worth of experience is the definitive nature of the inline engine due, predominantly, to its mechanical layout.

Turbocharging as a discussion point is different because BMW finally acknowledged that turbos were a viable and reliable means of increasing engine performance without increasing displacement. When it comes to inline sixes vs. V6s there are no engine output benefits to be had by moving to a Vee configuration for identical means of aspiration.

BMW do not need a V6 - not even for their all-wheel drive cars - because of their long-established practice of mounting an engine far back in the engine bay to the benefit of front-to-rear weight distribution. In employing this approach BMW's have never been afflicted with nose-heavy handling. This in contrast cannot be said of Audi, who choose to mount engines ahead of the front axle to accomodate the quattro system in longitudinally oriented 4 wheel drive layouts. So, for Audi a shorter, more compact V6 makes plenty of sense.

But for BMW, the negligible packaging benefits are far outweighed by the damage caused through the loss of 30 years of intrinsic BMW DNA. There is simply no justification for a move from an inline 6 to V6.

Moving from an I6 engine to a smaller displacement turbo'd four (a distinct reality) is an entirely different matter given the pressures on consumption and emissions compliancy. For the foreseeable future, I'm certain that the six cylinder will remain a BMW USP albeit in reduced model offerings.

Martinbo, thanks. Great post.

And what he said is absolutely true. BMW has been fine-tuning their cars for decades with a straight six mounted as far into the cabin as possible for the ultimate 50:50 weight distribution. The one advantage a V6 has over the I6 is it being more compact, but that doesn't outweigh all the advantages an I6 has over a V6.
A BMW will always have a I6 and will always have RWD. The rest is technology driven and can change, like using turbos as of late.