6 or 4

[Dr.Gonzo]

6 ! All the way

[Dr.Gonzo]

6 ! All the way

[R.E92]

From what information I can see about real world MPG between the two engines it looks like the 28i only gets 4mpg more. Tax and insurance will also be lower on the 28i but I don't see running costs being that much different in the grand scheme of things.

Comming from an N54 to an N20 its more like 10mpg as an average.

I have completed a four or five times achieved over 500 miles out of a tank - however, I find it not easy to drive 10-15mph below national speed limits.

In my N54 I was achieving around 22 Mpg - and with the N20 average MPG 33+. However on longer trips, the different was a greater amount.

A friend of mine has an E85 3.0si - and my N20 is considerably more frugal and faster. However, it is his weekend toy - so MPG is not a real issue for him.

One factor that is not included in my savings - was £600PA for engine warranty I had on my E92 335i

But some one with experience of both engines, there is definitely savings to be made.

But as I said - weekend toy 3 Ltr - daily, then you may want to consider the N20. If you doing more than 12,000 miles a year.

Me personally I am thinking of an 35is next or G29 Z4 40i - as I am now more office based, and do less driving for work.

I think your 335i had issues though. From a brief look through Fuelly figures and forums it looks like 32mpg for the 28i and 28mpg for the 35is.

[Twin Turbo]

From what information I can see about real world MPG between the two engines it looks like the 28i only gets 4mpg more. Tax and insurance will also be lower on the 28i but I don't see running costs being that much different in the grand scheme of things.

Comming from an N54 to an N20 its more like 10mpg as an average.

I have completed a four or five times achieved over 500 miles out of a tank - however, I find it not easy to drive 10-15mph below national speed limits.

In my N54 I was achieving around 22 Mpg - and with the N20 average MPG 33+. However on longer trips, the different was a greater amount.

A friend of mine has an E85 3.0si - and my N20 is considerably more frugal and faster. However, it is his weekend toy - so MPG is not a real issue for him.

One factor that is not included in my savings - was £600PA for engine warranty I had on my E92 335i

But some one with experience of both engines, there is definitely savings to be made.

But as I said - weekend toy 3 Ltr - daily, then you may want to consider the N20. If you doing more than 12,000 miles a year.

Me personally I am thinking of an 35is next or G29 Z4 40i - as I am now more office based, and do less driving for work.

I think your 335i had issues though. From a brief look through Fuelly figures and forums it looks like 32mpg for the 28i and 28mpg for the 35is.

R.E92 you normally talk a lot of sense - but on this matter, I have to completely disagree

My experience of the N54 was based on three years of ownership and over 50,0000 miles - that was served and maintained by BMW.

The big factor in difference MPG figures is the driver and the roads they used. This can fluctuate massively when comparing like for like.

From my personal experience, and not based on making an assumption that you can get incorrect conclusions.

Same Driver, same roads - different car

[Player 1]

I wouldn't bother with anything other than a turbo motor if you are considering a remap.

Turbo 4 (N20) gives a decent amount of power and will be cheaper to run. 290bhp without changing any hardware.
Turbo 6 (N54) is in a different league for tuning, you can get to 400bhp without any hardware changes. It also sounds amazing.

From what information I can see about real world MPG between the two engines it looks like the 28i only gets 4mpg more. Tax and insurance will also be lower on the 28i but I don't see running costs being that much different in the grand scheme of things.

I'm not sure I'd run an N54 at 400hp without any hardware changes, the engine would be fine but extra cooling capacity would be a must, surely?

As for the original question, I hear the argument for the 4 pot's but if you can stomach the extra running costs of the big engines why wouldn't you?
A straight six is a rare thing these days and that makes it worth it for me.

[TitanTim]

Sorry but a 6 everytime in the E89, the N20 I had was pants, in fact the worst engine I ever had the misfortune to own in a car, well you did ask Depending on the age of Zed and if its an early model with the N20 I would seriously pass mapping it as they are known to run hot and crack the head. I think the later N20s were modified by BMW.

Tim.

[R.E92]

R.E92 you normally talk a lot of sense - but on this matter, I have to completely disagree

My experience of the N54 was based on three years of ownership and over 50,0000 miles - that was served and maintained by BMW.

The big factor in difference MPG figures is the driver and the roads they used. This can fluctuate massively when comparing like for like.

From my personal experience, and not based on making an assumption that you can get incorrect conclusions.

Same Driver, same roads - different car

I agree that MPG differs greatly between someone doing big motorway miles and someone commuting in central London but Jabber, who started the topic, will be doing the same routes regardless which engine he ends up with.

Using a tool like Fuelly you can get a better picture of what mileage people actually get. Comparing 35i and 35is figures with 28i figures you will see the MPG gap isn't that wide.

I don't see your one sample of a 335i getting 20mpg to be in any way indicative of the actual fuel economy of the N54 engine. You'd be hard pressed to find another N54 user getting 20mpg unless they have thermostat issues or their injectors are completely screwed.

[Smartbear]

Sorry but a 6 everytime in the E89, the N20 I had was pants, in fact the worst engine I ever had the misfortune to own in a car, well you did ask Depending on the age of Zed and if its an early model with the N20 I would seriously pass mapping it as they are known to run hot and crack the head. I think the later N20s were modified by BMW.

Tim.

The only disaster I've heard of was a car mapped to over 350bhp (at the wheels!) & subjected to competition use on a racetrack, never heard of a road car suffering anything similar after a remap?
Rob

[SteveSmith]

I'm going to get AMD to remap mine. They mapped my TT and have an excellent reputation. They think 300bhp is achievable but they're know for nice smooth maps, not huge peaks to exaggerate peak bhp.

[Twin Turbo]

I'm going to get AMD to remap mine. They mapped my TT and have an excellent reputation. They think 300bhp is achievable but they're know for nice smooth maps, not huge peaks to exaggerate peak bhp.

Be interesting how a remapped 28i will compare against my JB4 version

However, I have found driving in Sport plus mode feathering power out of corners quite tricky - however only experienced this on track.

Prefer to drive in comfort mode but DSC turned off

[Pbondar]

To come back to the core question...it depends whether you are influenced by other factors such as goodies, condition, mileage, number of owners as well?

As discussed elsewhere any of the N20 4 pots 1.8i, 2.0i, 2.8i can be re-mapped to around 280 bhp with no apparent loss of integrity and arguably greatly improved drivability..

If you need more than 300bhp you could argue that you need to look at other cars...

For me it's the body shape, wheels, colour, interior trim and goodies that matter..I couldn't get what I wanted at the time at any price, and the 6 pot versions had a price premium by around 30% for similar or less goodies...

I think the 6 pot argument boils down to one or more of the following

More is better
My sex life will be immeasurably improved by driving a 6 pot
A six pot sounds so much better than a 4 pot
Hero worship within the Z4 forum or BMW owners club matters to me

The flip side is

I see so many early Z4 that are in immaculate condition with personal plates and I can't easily work out/ get bothered about whatever engines they have..they just look so good...

Given that a Z4 is a 99.5% emotional / impratical purchase you should do what floats your boat..not others..IMHO

All I can say is that for someone who went on the 6 pot journey and drove a couple I ended up with a 4 pot.

However, for me, the transformational event was the remap which completely changed how I perceived the car...

Not sure if any of hat helps?

[metal licker]

Get a 6

[Dav the wheel nut]

I think the 6 pot argument boils down to one or more of the following
My sex life will be immeasurably improved by driving a 6 pot

[TONYL]

Buy the 4 pot.....and be forever thinking i should have got the 6....your call!

[Smartbear]

Buy the 4 pot.....and be forever thinking i should have got the 6....your call!

Nope, I started with a 6 & then got another 6 which I liked very much-I now have a turbo 4 and its everything I need, plenty of power and very economical
Rob