Quote:
Originally Posted by mofomat
1) Because they want to allow room for the CSL.
2) They don't want to get too close to the M5/M6.
3) Because they have gone on record as saying they don't want to get into a "power" race with MB and Audi. Why would they need to have an engine with any more power than the RS4, when dynamically the M3 will be better, and also it is lighter? Quite simply, 414bhp is enough power.
4) Because in reality the official output figures are most likely an underestimation of the actual power produced. This is the case with the M5/M6, 335i.
5) Because this engine is at the start of it's life cycle, and therefore there will be plenty of room for further development in the future.
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Well, you didn't respond to my point about the M3 engine already been pretty close what engineers can do with available technology. That's why I posted the Ferrari numbers. As you can see, there is not much of a gap there. I really don't think a mass produced BMW engine will outperform a limited production Ferrari engine anytime soon. There is only so much power one get out from a given displacement with available technology.
To respond to your points in the order you posted them:
1) How many CSLs will BMW sell? A few thousand. So, you are saying they will handicap the entire M3 product line so that they can sell a few thousands of another product?
2) M5/M6 are targetted at entirely different markets, so there is no overlap/issue there.
3) It doesn't matter what they might have said to downplay the threat from MB and Audi. Come on, deep inside they would love to open up a serious gap somehow and advertise that. Even if that is what they really think, what the market thinks and wants is more important. Like it or not hp numbers are important in marketing campaigns, especially when one is paying $60k for the product. Yeah, my '04 325ci handles better than a production supercharged dodge neon (or whatever those things are), but the neon will still blow me at a light, and having paid $35k, I don't like that. That's the sentiment.
4) I don't understand your point here. If the actual numbers are higher than the published numbers, that would make it even more difficult for the BMW engineers to up the power for the CSL (this relates back to my comment about the Ferrari numbers).
5) This again doesn't make sense to me; I am saying there are theoretical limits and all that (see Ferrari comment again). Also, the engine is not at the start of its life cycle at all. To the best of my knowledge, the M5 has been using the V10 version. However, as I've said in my previous post, yes, if there is a technological breakthrough in engine design within the next 2-3 years, we might see differences, but that would take more time. They could possibly have something in the pipeline right now, but we would have heard about it if it were something significant.
Regards,