Quote:
Originally Posted by Efthreeoh
Quote:
Originally Posted by chris719
I may not have driven a N52 with a tune, but I doubt I would be that impressed. It's no S54, or even S52. I would take an N54 any day of the week. If I wanted a mediocre NA engine I'd just get a Nissan VQ  . Turbo is different, not always worse.
I'm sure you're right on the transmissions. MT usually feel better inversely proportional to the torque they need to handle. Z4M shift into second is awful but it's good other than that.
I've driven other NA M engines, I just left the V8s off as I noted. S65 is a gem and S62 is great. The only 2001+ M engine I haven't ever experienced is S85. |
I'm not sure why you are pissing all over the N52. Does it compare in power output to an M engine? No of course not because it's not an M engine; BMW builds M engines for M cars. Does that make sense?
The N52 was designed as the replacement for the M52/54, where the M52 was a replacement for the M20. It's BMW's regular street fair engine meant for powering mass-production economy cars like the 3-series and their SUV (barf) offshoots. I've owned the M20, M54 and N52. Not that anyone asked but choosing between all three, I'd have a hard time choosing between the M20 and the N52. The M52/54 just seems not to have the BMW in-line 6 DNA. The beautiful and romantic mechanical sounds of the M20 are hard to come by in most car engines, especially modern-day, emissions-tight versions. Some of us Bimmerheads like the I-6 configuration because of the inherent balance, which leads to long engine life with low maintenance requirements.
Not everyone wants a M car. Replacing big-end bearings every 50,000 miles is not a requirement everyone wants to sign up for. |
Most people that poo poo non M-cars are also the same type of people that don't hold onto their cars past 25k miles, so they don't care about premature maintenance and wear items.