BMW 4 Cylinders Coming to US

[Jean H.318TI]

Bloomberg is reporting that BMW NA may be bringing some of its stellar four cylinder powerplants to the US in the future. However we can exclusively report (as we have mentioned previously) that there is no maybe about it. BMW NA has definitely given the go ahead to bring the at least one 4 cylinder power-plant to the US as soon as 2011. Destined for either the E90 3 Series or the a 1 Series model, the power-plant could either be a current engine or one of the two new 1.8L turbos (producing 204 or 240 hp). While there’s an outside chance four cylinder diesels could also make it, we wouldn’t hold our breath unless there are some drastic fuel price shifts

Here’s an excerpt from the Bloomberg piece:

Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, the world’s biggest maker of luxury cars, probably will bring back four-cylinder engines to meet tougher U.S. fuel-economy standards, the company’s top North American engineer said.

The automaker, which hasn’t offered the smaller engines in the U.S. since 1999, wants to boost fuel efficiency without hurting its reputation for performance vehicles, said Tom Baloga, BMW’s vice president of engineering for the U.S.

“The biggest challenge will be maintaining the ‘Ultimate Driving Machine’ performance,” he said in an interview today, referring to the Munich-based company’s marketing motto.

[Maverix]

SWEET!!! :dance::mrhappy:

Would be cool if we could get a e81.

[MPWR]

“The biggest challenge will be maintaining the ‘Ultimate Driving Machine’ performance,” he said in an interview today, referring to the Munich-based company’s marketing motto.

What bullsh!t. Like a 4cyl performance car is somehow difficult. Perhaps they've not heard of Caterham or Lotus in Munich. You would think that if the Brits can do it, the Germans should be able to. Perhaps BMW has also forgotten something called the 2002tii, or the E30 M3.

Poor, poor BMW NA may have to finally put their bloated US market cars on a much needed diet. It's been a long time since BMW has rightfully been able to call itself the 'Ultimate Driving Machine'. I've had quite enough of the 'Ultimate Overbig, Overheavy, Overpriced, Overpowered, Overluxury, Image Concious (but Uberfuggly) Land Yacht' that they've been pushing here for the last 10 years. Would it kill them (and/or their precious image) to make a sports car?

[1996 328ti]

123td FTW!

[spidertri]

These turbo engines are the ones that were supposed to rev to 11k rpm, according to speculation last year. That would be mind blowing, I doubt it will happen though.

I'm with you Steven, send over the 123d, they would sell like hot cakes if they got 45 or more mpg.

[amancuso]

Great news!!!

[2ndBimmer]

I got to drive a 118td in Italy 2 summers ago.
Was very nice and had ALOT of pull.
The auto engine stop feature was weird, I kept thinking I had stalled.

[ZEK]

What bullsh!t. Like a 4cyl performance car is somehow difficult. Perhaps they've not heard of Caterham or Lotus in Munich. You would think that if the Brits can do it, the Germans should be able to. Perhaps BMW has also forgotten something called the 2002tii, or the E30 M3.

Poor, poor BMW NA may have to finally put their bloated US market cars on a much needed diet. It's been a long time since BMW has rightfully been able to call itself the 'Ultimate Driving Machine'. I've had quite enough of the 'Ultimate Overbig, Overheavy, Overpriced, Overpowered, Overluxury, Image Concious (but Uberfuggly) Land Yacht' that they've been pushing here for the last 10 years. Would it kill them (and/or their precious image) to make a sports car?
Dang straight. Maybe they even forgot about their 4 cylinder formula 1 motors producing around 1000hp.

[tiFreak]

“The biggest challenge will be maintaining the ‘Ultimate Driving Machine’ performance,” he said in an interview today, referring to the Munich-based company’s marketing motto.

well they sure weren't concerned about that when they released the ti, sure it handles good but 0-60 in 8.9 seconds isn't the ultimate anything :rolleyes:

[Kilijan]

I would buy a 1 series diesel hatch (120d) or coupe (123d) if they brought them over. I would much rather drive one of those than a Prius, Yaris, Civic, etc. Right now I'm waiting for the 335d or X5 3.5d to be available as a CPO.

[2ndBimmer]

Right now I'm waiting for the 335d or X5 3.5d to be available as a CPO.

Slushbox only :mad:

[briansol]

i would buy a 120d in a hearbeat.

not because it's deisel.... because its a hot hatch.

[zoner]

123td FTW!


Agreed.

Fuel price shifts? Are they talking about up or down? Around here, Diesel is cheaper than reg. gasoline! Besides, even if it weren't, The Mini diesels get upwards of 60 MPG, so I doubt the 1 series is too far behind that and that would more than offset any price differential.

[Maverix]

Agreed.

Fuel price shifts? Are they talking about up or down? Around here, Diesel is cheaper than reg. gasoline! Besides, even if it weren't, The Mini diesels get upwards of 60 MPG, so I doubt the 1 series is too far behind that and that would more than offset any price differential.

WTH?! Really?! :eek: Our diesel is 10 cents more than our high grade gas!

[Kilijan]

Around here diesel runs from 20c above top grade gas to 15c below depending on the station and city you are in. The Chevron one town over is chaper than the Costco where I live.

[zoner]

Up until about the end of last year, Diesel was always $.10-.15 higher than premium grade gas but since then, for some reason, it has been $.05-.10 less than regular grade. Guess people just aren't buying large diesel trucks anymore!

[CirrusSR22]

The 123d would be so perfect here. Enough power and excellent fuel economy.

[spidertri]

This is what needs to happen for diesels to start looking like a better option financially.

http://www.autoblog.com/2009/07/06/wsj-higher-gas-taxes-much-better-than-cafe-to-save-gm/

It seems so foolish to tax the most efficient fuel and not tax the least efficient at all.

[briansol]

last summer deisl was a full $1 more a gallon.

now, it's about 20 cents cheaper than 87.

[eltristo]

Whenever gas prices climb dramatically, the gas companies shift a noticeable part of the load to diesel, and the price of diesel fuel climbs higher than premium gasoline. By doing this, they keep the regular gasoline prices *a little* lower, keeping supply and demand in check, and they get more money from a contingent that has no real choice but to buy just as much fuel as ever - the trucking industry.

As a reference, I had a diesel truck from 2001- 2005, and i was paying less than 87 all the way up until late 2004. Last year, the prices skyrocketed, then dropped down below standard gas again. Now, they rise. It's a bit of a pain for us diesel lovers, but, in the end, we still save money by nearly doubling fuel economy.

[CirrusSR22]

LeftLaneNews.com says BMW USA has now confirmed four-cylinders for the USA!

http://www.leftlanenews.com/bmw-confirms-four-cylinder-engine-for-the-u-s-market.html

My guess is the engine in the biggest of the current four-cylinders (gasoline) will make it. The engine in the current E90 320i is 2.0 liter, direct injection, 170 HP.

Or maybe they will have something new soon? 2.0 - 2.5 liter? Turbo? 200 HP or more?

[b-rad]

Ill be in line, if i can get an Alpine White 135ti.

http://www.kuvalauta.fi/m/src/124315308098.jpg

[ElfinForest318ti]

Unfortunately, whatever 4 banger BMW NA brings over to the USA, rest assure it will be optioned out to the max and priced barely below the 6 cylinder models already here.

BMW wants to keep the brand up there with MBZ in NA. The Mini Cooper is the BMW product that replaced the 318ti in the US market.

I'd love a more basic equiped BMW 4 cylinder (rear-wheel drive) so you could squeeze out some extra performance (and fuel economy) without all the extra weight of the luxury model for sale now.

[amancuso]

M-Benz phased out the 4 cyl models as well, so maybe this will fare well for BMW because they'll have a fuel efficient model in the line up. maybe a 120i priced around 25K?

[vsonix]

WTH?! Really?! :eek: Our diesel is 10 cents more than our high grade gas!

Diesel used to be cheaper than unleaded here in the UK, it now sells for about 10 pence more. Apparently the increase is because they are unable to meet demand for the much larger number of diesel cars now in circulation but to me it just seems like a cynical attempt to milk the same amount of profit from drivers who prefer a more economical fuel.

[bullmand]

What bullsh!t. Like a 4cyl performance car is somehow difficult. Perhaps they've not heard of Caterham or Lotus in Munich. You would think that if the Brits can do it, the Germans should be able to. Perhaps BMW has also forgotten something called the 2002tii, or the E30 M3.



The Germans do it. It's called a VW GTI :wink:.
BMW knows how to do it as well, since they're not having any problems with the Mini here or selling all those different 4 cylinder cars all over the rest of the world. What that chief engineer meant to say was that the BMW NA marketing department hasn't figured out how to convince wealthy but car ignorant lawyers and their wives that a puny 4 cylinder can still give them joy or the ultimate driving experience or whatever they decide to call it. I'm not sure why they're so hung up on this "4 cylinder isn't sporty" nonsense anyway. With a sufficiently large hp number in the ads (which they can easily do with a turbo) the average BMW driver will still buy the car because they don't really care or even know what's under the hood.

[tiFreak]

With a sufficiently large hp number in the ads (which they can easily do with a turbo) the average BMW driver will still buy the car because they don't really care or even know what's under the hood.

definitely, plenty of BMW drivers think they have a V6 under the hood

[matt4068]

sniff snifff....... i got wind from a higher up exec from BMW NA that not only will there be a 4cyl bmw and that they will be importing some of the technologies from the world markets, but there will be a fwd bmw coming up. I hope the last part gets axe'd . FWD und BMW are two acronyms that should not go together....

[ElfinForest318ti]

I agree, I hope they kill the idea of a front wheel drive BMW. Totally oxymoronic!

[RAiMA]

Dang straight. Maybe they even forgot about their 4 cylinder formula 1 motors producing around 1000hp.

They actually produced 1400bhp, but keep in mind, these were not street engines. They were throw away engines. They'd do one or two races, then they'd replace the motor.

I do agree with how BMW has lost it's bearing with creating over weight cars. Bigger isn't always better and it's the one reason why I've stuck with the E36. They're much lighter than the current cars of the industry, and they've got the potential to create some amazing power.

BMW has done a few good things, the advancement in engine technology, driver train, and handling have all been great. I only wish they made the cars lighter and smaller, but without much or very little sacrifice to being able to put larger tire sizes. This is the biggest limitation I've got on the E36s atm, without doing some serious flaring of wheel arches.

[aleena212]

hi,
This is really good news for us members but i think i will more costly and faster and heaving extra qualities then before because of these cylinders.Thanks for shearing nice information .

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[patriot]

Old thread is old, man

[Mohamed...]

I'd love a diesel 4 banger to run around town in.

[ElfinForest318ti]

Does BMW make a 'ti' liftback version of the new 2-Series platform?
http://www.themotorreport.com.au/content/image/2/0/2014_bmw_2_series_m_performance_235i_220d_03-1129.jpg

[L84THSKY]

I wish they did, cause I would have bought it. Just ordered a new 228i, will be here in Dec

[ElfinForest318ti]

I wish they did, cause I would have bought it. Just ordered a new 228i, will be here in Dec

Were there not any 228i's on the dealer lot to choose from or were you ordering a specific equipment configuration?

[L84THSKY]

There were no manual tranny 228i models on the entire east coast. Two were in production enroute, but I didn't like the configs. Here's mine:

http://www.bmwusa.com/Standard/Content/BYO/SharedBuild.aspx?ConfigurationId=5812222


Were there not any 228i's on the dealer lot to choose from or were you ordering a specific equipment configuration?

[jca]

There were no manual tranny 228i models on the entire east coast. Two were in production enroute, but I didn't like the configs. Here's mine:

http://www.bmwusa.com/Standard/Content/BYO/SharedBuild.aspx?ConfigurationId=5812222

Very nice. Can a person negotiate the price of a special order BMW? John

[L84THSKY]

John

Absolutely. I started with a 3% discount, and then the real negotiations began. In the end, I bought the car for $39,000, that includes, tax, tags and processing fees. So the cost of the car was actually around $36,500 on a sticker price of $40,300.

If you use the website to build your car, it just gives you MSRP. From there you get quotes from any dealer you choose. I went in and test drove the 228i with auto tranny, and then he was anxious to sell me one. We negotiated for about an hour, as time ran out and the dealership was closing. I took his best price, checked a few other dealerships, and no one could match it, let alone beat it, so I came back and ordered one from him. The dealership was Fairfax BMW in VA.

Won't see the car till December, but it beats making payments now.

Eric

Very nice. Can a person negotiate the price of a special order BMW? John

[jenkinskg]

Anyone ever done it?
How hard is it?