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It will be the less fortunate used car buyers that will suffer. Imagine someone buying a used Ford Fusion EcoBoost with 90k miles on it and having to finance it for say, 4 years. Who knows how well it has been maintained, and let's just say the turbo fails at 120k miles... that person likely won't be able to afford to have it fixed, and then to the repo man it goes.
I know auto makers are doing this to meet mpg requirements, etc. But with the recent trend away from naturally-aspirated engines, and going to 4-cylinder turbos, are these vehicles going to get past 100,000 miles before something goes wrong? And is premium fuel required?
The transmission in my 2006 Dodge Durango died at 76,000 miles.
I can't speak to reliability but my wife's C300 turbo 4 is not a pleasant engine. It's relatively noisy and rather jerky, although that is probably a transmission matter. It screams I am a 4. I see a world of difference when I step into my ES 350 with a V6. It's buttery smooth and feels like I am flying a glider.
I had a 2010 C300 w/ the 6 cyl. loved the engine and trans, very smooth. I once had a borrower when getting service done with the 4 turbo, not even close.
I agree, and as a car enthusiast it's frankly depressing. I understand the reasons why, yadda yadda climate change CAFE yadda yadda, but it really sucks how times are changing. 4 cylinder E class? No, thanks. A generation ago you could get an E550 with a honkin' N/A 5.5L V-8. At least the base motor was a 3.5L V6. I'm not a fan of turbos myself, bottom line: much more complex not to mention how hot they run. I'm going to trust a big, under-stressed V8 that never really has to crest 2500 RPM over pretty much anything else for the long run. Turbo motors are working hard virtually all the time.
Grab your V8s while you can, y'all. I'd love to buy a Yukon Denali with that 6.2.
Nope, no experience with the older BMW's but not really sure why that's relevant. The 320 is a very "blah" overpriced sedan with marginal acceleration in my opinion. I expect more for $35K.
It's called experience and knowledge. If you want to lack that to form an opinion that's your prerogative. Just realize you have zero context to base that opinion on.
Adjusted for inflation, that $35k is exactly where those older BMWs were in the market, pricewise, as well.
As for the 320i vs the 330i, that's also the point. For up to $10k less you get the same 2 liter turbo 4 that, with a tune, gives the same 250 hp in the same chassis. With the manual and sport package, you have a much cheaper car that gives you the balance, power, and ability that the 330i has. It was the same last year with the 328i vs 320i as well. The 320i weighs 3320 with a 50/50 weight distribution, while the 330i weighs in 200 lbs more.
If you want a pure, RWD driving experience you could get a BRZ but it's much more basic and there's no sedan. Mercedes entry level car is FWD, as is Audi's.
In order to fill this space, BMW offers what may be the best performance deal you're going to find with any European luxury car (or Japanese for that matter). Enter the BMW 320i ZSP + ZMT. BMW wanted to offer an affordable performance package for the kind of enthusiast-oriented drivers that made BMW famous in the first place. That's where those first three letters come in.
ZSP gets you everything mentioned above, including the high performance summer tires, M sport suspension, increased speed limiter, 18-inch alloys, and Anthracite headliner. Pair that with ZMT, which means 6-speed manual transmission, and you're getting all of the good stuff you want without all of the heavy options you don't. The total cost? $1,300 over MSRP.
"The 320i goes back to the very essence of the 3 Series. It’s a true Sports sedan that embodies BMW’s intelligent approach to performance; that’s to say through the use of both a great engine and an advanced chassis that offers sharp handling and response in all situations. The Sport package echoes this positioning, with its simple, yet comprehensive attributes. It combines athletic design elements as well as dynamic drivetrain components to further enhance the driving experience… Equipped with the Sport Package, the 320i is even more of a homage to cars like the 2002ti; it is a very versatile car that can handle pretty much anything a driver might expect from his car, but its primary focus is on pure, simple driving pleasure."
If you guys consider a 4 cylinder E class as a bad idea, than the 730 that BMW sells in China and Turkey with the 2.0T must be an abomination. 258 HP and 295 lb-ft of torque gets the 730i to 100 kph in 6.2 seconds.
In reality, 99% of drivers will never drive at 9/10ths stressing the turbos. The vast majority of cars are driven very sedately with the occasional push into the throttle in order to merge onto the highway. Turbo fours have a long history and millions of miles of real world history.
The problem will be the typical American driver who rolls into QuickieLube every 10k miles or so and gets bulk conventional oil and a cheapie no-name filter. Turbo engines won't last long for those folks, and the problem gets compounded if it's combined with direct injection. I'd certainly never buy a used one.
Now if you buy one brand new, and run a good 5w-40 synthetic oil, you'll have better luck.
The only off the shelf oil that will work with BMW is 0W-40 and it takes 6.5 quarts. The only issue with turbos is that you are not supposed to gun the car without first warming it up an allowing the turbo to get fully lubricated BEFORE you hit the gas.
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