Next BMW M3 returning to inline six-cylinder engine

BMW M3 purists, rejoice. According to F30Post.com, BMW's North American boss, Ludwig Willisch, has confirmed that the next-generation M3 will be powered by an inline six-cylinder engine. That's right, the V8 is dead and the rumors of a possible V6 have officially been squashed.

To wit, Willisch told F30Post.com that a V6 was under consideration for quite some time, and the original thought was to use a chopped version of the S65 4.0-liter V8 found in the current car. But plans for a V-configuration have indeed been ruled out, and all that's left to speculate on is exactly how much help the new inline-six will get from forced induction.

In order to be more powerful than the current M3, no less than two turbochargers will likely be bolted to the new six-cylinder powerplant. In fact, we've even heard rumors of a tri-turbo setup being engineered for use in the M3. In any case, expect about 450 horsepower to be on tap.

http://www.autoblog.com/2012/05/22/n...linder-engine/

 

i am so glad i had the NA v8 setup

 

I6 Turbo FTW! Even though you don't get the joy of hearing screaming V8, but turbo is very mod friendly, wonder how will Dinan tuning will increase the power to?

 

I agree the potential of the turbo I6 will be nice for the M, but still happy the IS-F will have a V8!

 

Awesome! This may heavily sway my decisions in abandoning the marque depending on the specs of the next gen ISF or GSF ...

 

So glad BMW didn't go with a V-6.

 

Forget Dinan, I wanna see what JB Tuning will have to offer. If they have bone stock 335's putting down over 340whp just with the JB4 I can only imagine what they're gonna do with the next gen M3.

 

I've gone turbo and Ill never go back....I just love the hiss of the recirc. valve.

 

Never should have dumped the inline 6. Those things got nothing but massive praise over the years.

 

whats wrong with the v8?

 

I don't know much about cars, but from this very basic and superficial description of inline engines vs "V"-configured engines, it appears as though it's not really a big deal -

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/question366.htm

There's some negligible weight, handling (center of gravity), and hood aesthetics advantages/disadvantages between the two.

Can anyone explain why M3 "purists" prefer the inline configuration to the "V"-configuration?

 

"An inline engine is long and narrow. In small cars in particular, a long, narrow engine mounted transversely can allow a very short hood. In an air-cooled engine, the inline configuration is sometimes harder to cool. "

And, it looks like in terms of handling, flat > V > inline (i.e., flat engines give the lowest center of gravity and therefore provide the best handling).

So that's 2 strikes for the "inline" design. The only positive appears to be possible weight reduction advantages -

"The inline shape needs only half as many camshafts as a V configuration (if using overhead cams), which can lighten things slightly. "

Edit: But overall, these differences appear to be largely negligible -

"If you built all three of these six cylinder engines to the exact same specifications -- same displacement, same valves, same intake and exhaust systems, etc. -- they would likely perform nearly identically. Displacement is displacement. "

 

Inline 6 cylinder engines are inherently harmonically balanced with no need for a balance shaft. It is a very simple, straight forward, and very elegant configuration. The narrow config allows for a lot of room besides the block for extra hardware.

Would Lexus ever bring back a modern inline 6? 3JZ anyone?

 

This is great news!! though i love V8's and the current M3 V8 is a BEAST, I think going with an inline 6 Twin or Tri Turbo would really put the M3 back on track for tuners to making some serious modded PWR..!!

 

apparently less cylinders, better.