Quote:
Originally Posted by SDeFranco1
You know, for me, it isn't so much about the "feel" or the choices, it is about reliability. I currently have a 328xi E92 coupe. Yes I feel it is underpowered at times and even a pig other times with that xi drivetrain. Would I love a 335? You bet.
Would I love an F30 come August (lease is up)? Possibly.
Why am I conflicted? Because my 328 has never been in the shop in the nearly three years I have had it for any engine related or mechanical issues, save some temperamental seatbelt assist arms and a leaking washer fluid reservoir.
This is why I am conflicted about the future, my very near future. Will I give up a pretty solid N/A car that has been practically zero headaches for a turbo that will be in the shop more than on the road thanks to HPFP, waste gate rattles, and blown turbos? Or will I be one of the lucky ones who have had "zero issues" with their N54/ N55 BMWs?
Then we have the up and coming N20 engine, whose predictability is about as predictable as the future itself.
So in the end, if I knew going in BMW could build a solid turbo assisted engine like a gazillion other car manufacturers seem to have no problem doing, I'd be in- lock, stock, and barrel.
As far as feel and emotional pooh poohing about choice and experience, I could give a shit- it's not a condom, it's a car.
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At this point no way to know. I have owned turbo'd Saabs, Volvos, VWs, and Peugeots. Probably at least 500-600K total across all of them and I have never had a single turbo related issue other than I bought a Saab convertible where the owner had intentionally backed off the boost. For whatever reason BMW screwed the pooch on the N54. Hopefully they have learned something and the N20 is better. What are we hearing from the 5-series drivers? Doesn't the 528i already have that motor?
I came from a 2.0T Saab to my N52 328iT. The motors are very comparable, the Saab had more torque, the BMW more horsepower but you have to rev it to get it. I like them about the same, though the BMW sounds a little better. Nothing in for smoothness once off idle, the Saab balance shafted motor spun just as smoothly as the six. And not THAT much different at idle.
For the tuner boys though, nothing in it. For $1000 you could easily add 80-100 reliable horsepower to the Saab, to do that to the BMW I would need to sell it and get a 335i. And lose the reliability.
So let's lay off the 'I'll never buy another BMW' talk until the car hits the market and we see how it goes, both literally and figuratively. Oh, and by the way everybody has said exactly the same stuff about every new generation of BMWs all the way back to the 2002.
And get used to it, because EVERYTHING is going to be turbocharged eventually, it just makes sense. From the manufacturer's point of view, a turbocharger is the closest thing to a free lunch that exists in the engineering world.