SteVTEC

The 250 engine has all of the overhead and weight and cost of a V-6 engine, but with none of the power, and doesn't even match up to the efficiency of the 4-cylinder engines these days. It still needs 6 pistons, 24-valves, 4 camshafts, and the same block and all accessories and components as the 350 engine does. I can't imagine the 300 engine costing $2k more to make over the 250. Where on earth would the cost be coming from? I'm sure the 250 engine can be made with cheaper/lighter components due to way less power, but are you really going to strip $2k worth of cost out of it? Don't think so. The fancier D4S injection system is a few hundred bucks tops.

And why limit people's choices? BMW offers the 320, 328, 335, 335+ with their factory performance upgrade, and the M. I've long complained that the powertrain choices offered here in the U.S. are the two extremes with no happy middle ground. The 250 is way too slow. The 350 is way too powerful and more than I could truly enjoy or use on a day-to-day basis. I'm quite fond of the "300" range engines with 240-260hp, but they've stopped offering them here. Same with my BMW. I'd have preferred a 330i convertible, but it wasn't offered. I had the choice of the 328i with the detuned NA 3.0L I-6 and 230hp/200tq, or the 335. The 328 would have been a bit soft in a 4000lb convertible so the choice for me was the 335, but the 330 would have been about perfect. Better throttle response, better engine sound, still plenty of power, fewer reliability concerns without a turbocharger. Why does it have to be all or nothing?