Yes, let's face it, badges are confusing as they no longer represent displacement. I think Infiniti is one of the worst, where a number like 60 (I think) could be 3.7 liters? lol

So the BMW 740, which obviously back in the day meant 4 liters and V8 was a given, has been a 6 cyl. for a while. A 528 has been 4 cyl. for a while (I think in the G30 it just got bumped to a 530, because that extra 530-528= +2 means sales!). Many just want the car, they're not that interested in the powerplant, more the price....but can we then say, a 760 is the flaship, a 750 is not, and a 740 definitely is not? Or is a 740 a flagship based on its body...

I base it on the basic car. The 7 Series in general is the flagship.

Infiniti'a numbers don't have anything to do with engines. The "Q70" denotes a certain model not its engine.

Not to digress but this whole problem can probably be traced back to Lexus with the hybrid characters. When did the RX hybrid come out? 2004? RX400h, power to match a 4.0 v8 engine was how it was marketed. I think the Germans were still matching model numbers with engine displacements...

agreed 6's are coming and will be majority of sales, but TODAY the LS and S-class are v8 only, and those two alone outsell the others combined most likely.

Are there sales numbers proving the majority of the 7, XJ, A8 sales are 6 cylinder and not 8? I have never seen it broken down by engine size. The S class is V8 only in the US so far and beats all those cars by wide margins in sales despite being more expenisve, the new 7 is catching up though.

6 cylinder power is the cheapest way to get a full size luxury sedan in most cases, I would not say it is the standard, just the cheapest way which many buyers are going with because the V8 carries too much of a premium(except for the G90) and they can't justify spending so much for the V8. I bet many of those buyers would prefer a V8 if they could get it standard at the V6 price. 6 cylinder flagships I believe have much more attractive lease deals too. Paying less then $2000 extra for the V8 in the G90 is a no brainer to me especially when it includes more features.

V6 740i has been around for a while, but what I see the 750 still more than the 740.
the lower engine is for someone wants to get a flagship at a lower price, nothing wrong about it but I never see it as a full flagship sedan.

Honestly the more I think of it, I don't think I would pay for the bigger engine...

at the end of the day, money talks, period.

doesn't mean it's right, but the power of money

Even in the case of the G90 where the V8 is less then $2000 more and has more features/luxury then the 6 cylinder? I don't know if I would trust a new turbo 6 cyl from Hyundai/Genesis for the long term just yet, V8 sounds like the safer bet if you are keeping it a while.

You will, Steve, I know you will!

I always like to go to the largest engine in a model as money permits ( still don't want to spend V12 money )
I love HP and torque, so once I taste the difference between the engines, there is no way I would back down. Or just like Henry says: money talks.

I am in agreement....sure we all have our limits. I would always want a higher model car, with less options, than a lower model car, with more options....and feel the same about the motor. Same thing with a house, where neighborhood equates to the higher model car. Rather have a smaller house in a better neighborhood, than a bigger house in a lesser neighborhood.....and since I own an inline 6 twin turbo, I would rather not have a V6 turbo or twin turbo....I get that a V8 is not technically balanced either, but in practice it is, unlike a V6.....imho the I6 is almost extinct due to the fact it has less applications than a V6 which is more compact and can be turned sideways...my .02

It would depend on the differences in the lease payment. The V8 may have different residuals and money factors making it more expensive to lease than the $2k difference would indicate. If it's a small difference than sure.

But paying $5k or $10k? I don't think I would.

I would rather have a higher optioned 740 than a lower optioned 750.

I feel mostly the same way. I would not pay 5-10K for a bigger or more powerful engine aside from maybe $5K at most going from a weak 4cyl to a nice 6 or 8 on a luxury or performance car if it was really worth it. The reason V8 options were rare sellers on mid sized lux cars is not because people did not want them but because the premium was just way too high, if they lowered the premium they would have sold many more instead of complaining not enough buyers are paying $5000 or often much more for just 2 more cylinders. For the same money though I would do a lighter optioned 8 cyl then a higher optioned 6 in many cases. I like how Genesis is not placing a huge premium on the 8 cylinder for the G90.

I think in the end we are being "trained" to accept the notion of a V6. As a kid, my dad was trying to explain to me why a V6 is undesirable and imbalanced (for pete's sake dad I was like 6 y.o.! and he doesn't remember this conversation....). We first balked at premium cars getting 4 cyl., but now, they are rampant. Doesn't the Cadillac CT6 come with a 2 liter 4 cyl turbo? I have a problem thinking of it as a flagship car with that motor. My colleague had a A6 with a 4 cyl., and the motor failed. Again, motor sounds too small for the vehicle despite the numbers on paper...

Dollar for dollar, I would always want the V8 of course, but theres a cost premium where you have to make a value judgement.

Since I lease, its not just a matter of "$2k" or "$5k" or "$10k", when you look at the lease figures you see that the special leases are usually for the lower trim model, residuals go down when you get higher up and money factors go up, which can dramatically increase the lease cost. For instance that "$2k" premium for the G90 V8 may translate into $150 more per month. The 750 is about $200 more per month than a 740 even at similar MSRPs (base 750 vs high option 740). Do I want the V8 enough to pay $100-$200 a month more, not really.