BMW Brings 4-Cylinder Sedans Back to U.S.
 

that should include the diesels as well :D

This was news months ago.........in fact 4-cyl BMWs have been in Canada since their introduction of the X1 back in late spring.

I know I'm at risk of getting yelled at here, but what is it about the Americans apparent fascination with engines in the V8 class and the near derision that fewer cylinders is - or appears to be regarded? Is it really because petrol is cheap, or something else?

Europe and a good many other countries around the world have been driving sub-2litre 4-cyl units for decades, and even now there are few V8s around. In-line 6 and V6 there are a few, but most cars have 4-cyl engines of varying sizes.

Diesels outsell petrol by a wide margin - albeit beginning to narrow as petrol is cheaper and petrol mpg is improving with the new turbocharged small engines - but we still have a wider range of sizes, power output, transmissions than the US seems to either get, want, or builds itself.

Electric cars are still a joke when you consider a battery replacements cost as much as a brand new VW golf Bluemotion! Hybrids? Er no, not when diesels are cheaper, more efficient, and look better :rofl:

Now I know there are some 1-litre cars that I would not want to take on a freeway/motorway under any circumstances, but most cars with 1800cc or bigger engines are fine.

What is it that drives the US engine requirements for these bigger (and gas guzzling as it's often reported here) powertrains?

I know my X6 has a 6-cyl 3.0 litre diesel powerplant, but BMW don't offer a smaller unit - even if we are getting a triple turbo diesel in the Spring which means they cold make a smaller option available, but won't as the prime market is the US.

Just curious, and genuinely interested.

Petrol is too cheap in America for people to care. BMW and other makers like Audi, Mercedes are perceived as luxury cars and traditionally luxury cars are supposed to mean more zylinders and bigger engines (a byword for more power). There is more market stratification and value of "brand image" in the US than most other countries.

Furthermore, there is little incentive to downsize. Regular petrol costs 0,55/litre GBP right now, and there is no measurement of CO² emissions at all, much less for tax purposes.

+1
Also, no real difference in fuel economy between the 3.0 and 4.4/4.8 so no strong financial incentive. In addition to fuel costs, there are more puinitive taxes for larger displacement engines in EU than here.

I have driven higher end diesels in the EU many times and although I love the torque I would miss the high revving engine feel...different strokes and all that.

Hey folks this aint Europe. This country is bigger, the roads wider and people
love to feel that surge that comes from driving a car with guts and the
suspension to support that raw speed.

Of course we love our gas savers too. So it's all about choice. If folks have
the money to pay for the fuel that that's for them to decide. And from what i'm
told there's enough oil to last for another 300 years so it aint about supply.

Europeans drive fast too. Their speed limits are higher on average.

I think the difference between driving habits is that Americans tend to all drive along at some median speed, gravitating from 50mph (80km/h) on local roads to 70mph (110km/h) on the freeway regardless of surroundings and limits posted. Americans tend to accelerate faster as well; I'm almost always left behind at the lights.

Compare that to Europeans, who have slower speeds in urbanised areas (50km/h limits generally) but higher speeds on autoroutes and motorways (120-130km/h limits). So their cars, although modestly powered, are probably built with those kinds of speeds in mind. Probably a better sense of "speed" as well.

European roads are generally better maintained than American roads as well, so even if American roads are wide, the poor drainage and questionable line markings don't lend themselves to higher speeds, at least safely.

:thumbup:


People here just like bigger engines. Good to see 4 bangers making it back...the more engine options the better...

This will be interesting. I like VW/Audi's 2.0T but would I buy one? No

The Q5 2.0T was, for me, like driving with a rubber band on the throttle. If I lived in the city, I wouldn't care, but for my reflexes it was garbage. I still prefer NA.