Photo: BMW
There’s no doubt in my mind that the current N55 3-liter inline-6 cylinder turbocharged engine is one of the best units BMW ever made and one of the most popular choices around the world. This unit is now used throughout the whole Bavarian line-up and will continue to do so for at least a year.
Surprised? I was too when I initially read some information about the plans BMW has for 2014 and 2015 thanks to an insider posting on a popular forum. According to him, the engineers are planning to replace N20 and N55 units in the near future with the new B-family engines. In case you forgot, these are the new 1.5-liter 3-cylinder units that are being fitted on the 2014 MINI Cooper and the BMW i8.
Don’t go screaming into the street just yet. Going with the B-family units doesn’t mean that the 335i and 435i will be using super-ultra-turbocharged 1.5-liter units. They will be using the modular platform it offers and the same cylinders as the smaller engines but will have the same displacement. Basically, as an example, the 320i will be using an engine codenamed B48 that will have 4-cylinders, 2-liters and will be turbocharged, making 192 HP.
Sounds familiar? That’s because it will be the same engine as the one used on the new Cooper S model. That’s what modularity means. At the same time, the N55 unit will be replaced by an unit called B58, that will have the same 3-liter displacement and inline configuration but it will be using different, modular, cylinders, probably making more power too.
It’s all about the Benjamins these days, it would seem. I’m all for it as long as it doesn’t take anything out of the thrills we’ve been getting used to. From what I know about German engineers, we might very well expect the new engines to be even better.
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