Great post Jeff!

The first thing that jumped out at me was the pistons. Those skirts are incredibly short (and light). What that suggests is that rod/stroke ratio is pretty high (1.75+), and this is designed to be a high-revving engine. Even if the X6 app isn't, some variant of this engine will be (and can be). High r/s ratio= lower thrust angle= lower side-load forces= can use shorter skirt. A high r/s ratio also lends itself to longer tdc dwell time= better volumetric efficiency at higher engine speeds than low.

Of course, dual-VGT's really allows a lot more flexibility with powerband targets.

The other thing that's pretty interesting is that the distance from the top ring to the crown is pretty short too also. You don't really see that in FI engines. I'm really curious to know the relative height of the wrist-pin.

Turbo placement in the valley is a pretty standard affair. Heavy-duty diesels have almost always had the turbo's there; it's a packaging issue more than anything. Doesn't matter which side of the engine the exhaust exits.

The dual-aftercoolers stems almost purely from emissions roots. These engines run very very hot to accomdate emissions targets. This how must heavy-duty diesel OEM's deal with it too.