BMW unveils 1.5 liter TwinPower 3 cylinder turbo motor, essentially half an inline-6 and up to 221 horsepower - Sound video

Wow. I think this really crosses the line.

I'm intrigued by the intercooler placement. Looks like they are considering this for FWD platforms.

Is this a transverse mount or is the FMIC... sideways????

Very interested to hear more about these engines. Sounds like BMW is using the 3 cylinder as a base for a number of different configurations. The aftermarket on these could be a lot of fun. Sounds really good in the cabin - not sure if that is synthesized. The outside exhaust note has a unique tone to it and some character as well.

Originally Posted by rudypoochris

Is this a transverse mount or is the FMIC... sideways????

Shown transversely mounted, but sounds like they will be used both ways by BMW.

Transverse mount or FWD for sure in that pic.

Originally Posted by E90Company

Wow. I think this really crosses the line.

How so? Too weak?

I don't like BMW going FWD. Thats a bummer. The engine bay pic looks longitudinal and the standalone pics look transverse.

Originally Posted by Sticky

How so? Too weak?

How could it be too weak? I couldn't believe it made 177 horsepower and 199lb/ft when I first read that and now I'm reading that it could make up to 220 horsepower which is seriously impressive from a 1.5 liter.

BMW is saying that this will be the basis of their upcoming 4 and 6 cylinder engines so I'm thinking the N55's replacement could have 350+ horsepower and 400lb/ft quite easily!

im impressed

Im courious about the weight!!

221hp is plenty if in a small car.

The FMIC will surely be in front, how would it be facing any air coming through if its sideways?

I want to know the damn engine code.

They FINALLY put aluminium end tanks on the intercooler! Looks pretty good. And I see the dipstick returning! LOL @ oil filter placement!

Originally Posted by Remonster

How could it be too weak? I couldn't believe it made 177 horsepower and 199lb/ft when I first read that and now I'm reading that it could make up to 220 horsepower which is seriously impressive from a 1.5 liter.

BMW is saying that this will be the basis of their upcoming 4 and 6 cylinder engines so I'm thinking the N55's replacement could have 350+ horsepower and 400lb/ft quite easily!

its not that much in the end.
From a pure horsepower point of view the bmw turbo engines are very weak so we are used to very low hp outputs (per displacement or per cylinder) of bmw turbo engines.

thats complaining at high levels i know, but look at audi:
5 cylinder and 340 hp where bmw "needs" a 6 cylinder 3.0 (M135i, N55 state of the art, and even lower output) for the "same" hp and nevertheless less tunable.
Look what abt does with the 5 cylinder engine from the TTRS. And that engine is "old".

Than mercedes:
their new 4 cilinder 340 horsepower in the A class amg (we will se how tunable, i honestly dont expect much, but they could surprise me. I was at the a-class premiere and the car looks good, far better than the 1 series in and out), where bmw is on merely 250 hp with their new 4 cylinder.
Go throug all the bmw turbo engines and you will find a better output per cylinder AND per displacement at audi or mercedes.

Finally the new m3, 450 hp with a 6 cylinder. I just say porsche turbo(or nissan, how old is the gt-r in the meantime?) and that puts the new engine already in a sad HP position. In the NA engine market BMW was always on top and state of the art, mercedes and audi delivered always lower hp numbers than bmw (or needed more displacement, audi used 3,2 liters to somehow match bmw), but not in the turbo engine segment.
But as the marketing at bmw says, ist all abut driveability not max hp...

Uhhh of course it's all about drivability and not max horsepower! Are you trying to say that peak horsepower is more important to you? Have you been in a TTRS or pretty much any other turbo Audi or Benz? They suffer from a lot more lag than you get with BMW's turbo engines and when you're driving the car on a daily basis, that's more annoying. The simple fact is BMW uses smaller turbos and smaller piping to make the engine more responsive and this restricts the amount of air it can flow at the top end. It's also important to remember that all of BMW's turbo engines have proven themselves to be seriously underrated while the competition's engines are not.

And as far as the M3 is concerned, Porsche and Nissan better be able to get a lot more power since they're both using 3.8 liter motors while the M3 is rumored to be 3.0 or 3.2-3.3 at most.

the driveability part was a joke....
The New m3 will be faster, non doubt in that. But the motor will suffer from turbo lag like every bmw does this days. It can be more or less or almost not there, but it want match the NAV8 response times. Thats physically impossible, even with an e-turbo. And that want be poistive for the driveability. Nevertheless it will be a good car and better than the old one as a whole package.
Sure i was in the TT(we have one in the family garage) and its laggy, just like my 335d is laggy ,my 120d was laggy and x35i was laggy too. Compared to NA N52 (less power than the x35i i admit, but way more funny due to the good response of the motor) or the actual M3 motor obviously. Never tried the N53 so i cant say anything about that one. I dont care if audi is worse than bmw in the lag. I compare BMW to BMW.

(when it comes to driveability) i dont like the audi quattro, nor their FWD system. The only car i actually am considering seriously is the A AMG45 to replace my actual 335d.