2012 BMW M3 – New Tri-Turbo Engine?

In July various BMW sources and UK magazine Auto Express hinted that the next generation BMW M3 could be powered by a new 3.2-litre tri-turbo six-cylinder engine.

Whoa, that’s going to be one hot engine bay.

Huge intercooler for BMW.

At present, the new tri-turbo which produces 444bhp is the leading contender to power the new M3 (or could it be M4) which will appear after the new 2012 3 Series due for launch later this year.

These unexpected developments have caused much heated debate and a few pointy-finger style arguments within the online BMW community.

The general list of grievances among BMW fans includes;

• The reduction in engine size
• Six cylinders rather than eight
• Turbo charging rather than naturally aspirated

It’s The Environment

The majority of these changes have been prompted by the need for lower emissions and better fuel consumption while improving performance.

And Here’s The Rub

At this stage it’s still unknown whether it will be an inline-six which is traditional BMW territory or gasp…a new V6 configuration.

It’s enough to make BMW traditionalists choke on their sauerkraut.

Here’s what BMW USA chief Ludwig Willisch told BMW Blog about the new M3 back in 2009;

“The question is will it be a V6 or an inline six. And we are simply looking at the best solution for the car. The V6 has the possibility to move the engine further downwards, towards the bulkhead, whereas the inline six is lighter. But as it looks right now, in order to have the right power output, we have to do a lot of work on the test beds to see where we can go”

Inline 6 Advantages

• Inline engines are much smoother.
• Inline engines are lighter.
• BMW already have several inline engines in their range. If they make the M3 the only V6 BMW car both the cost of the vehicle and certain spares could be significantly higher.

V6 Advantages

• The unit is more compact so it can be placed lower down in the engine bay creating a lower centre of gravity.
• It has been suggested that a V6 configuration is more amenable to a tri-turbo from an engineering point of view.
• As BMW has added an all-wheel-drive xDrive M5 variant, there is also a suggestion that a V6 M3 would provide enough space to accommodate the xDrive machinery at the front.

Whatever engine configuration is finally selected, the new M3 is due in late 2012. BMW still has to announce whether a saloon version of the M3 will be produced.

Tri Turbo Diesel

Rumours surrounding the M3 have been given added weight by the announcement of a tri-turbo diesel engine.

The new 3.0-litre diesel unit, developing 395bhp and even more torque, will first appear in the X6 xDrive 50d which debuts in March 2012.

It will also feature in the facelifted 2012 7 Series 750d and possibly the 550dx with M-Sport package.

Just imagine a diesel M5 and you won’t go far wrong.

And as BMW has already registered “M 50d” as a trademark for their top-end performance diesel models, expect to see a whole range of M 50d models over time including the 5 Series, 6 Series, 7 Series, X5 and X6.

It’s also likely that these models will only be available with all-wheel-drive xDrive.

The rise of the sporty diesel continues.