Quote:
Originally Posted by RobMason
So the N54 = twin turbo, no valvetronic AND
N54 = single, dual scroll, with valvetronic.
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Ooops I missed that too. Yeah, he meant N55.
Sorry, this is just more speculation...
RE MPG. I wonder if the DCT is really what drove the N55 in the 135. I noticed N55 w/6MT is 28mpg (epa hwy). N55 w/DCT is 25mpg. N54 with 6MT is 25mpg. So one could surmise the N54 w/DCT is ~22-23mpg, which would have been getting pretty low. Maybe this is also why the 1M is 6MT only? Not that people buy an ///M for mpg, but maybe significant for cafe regs?
RE cost. Someone mentioned BMW, worried about the economy, started cutting some cost like using the previous Euro-only base audio (even worse than the "hi-fi," or typical "base system" in the US). Alarm pre-wiring also stopped around this time. Maybe the N55 was motivated by cost reasons as well?
Or maybe if the N54 is more tunable up to higher power (someone else said "the N54 is a de-tuned 400hp car, the N55 is a de-tuned 360hp car), as an iconic car, the N54 may be BMW's nod that there's a big tuner industry with BMWs, and the 1M will certainly live on as future track machines, popular with modders, etc.?