To Turbo or Not to Turbo?..

For as long as enthusiasts can remember BMW has always geared their engine's performance towards the raw power delivered to the wheels. They never fooled around with forced induction (turbochargers) as the Japanese had been doing for nearly 3 decades. As a matter of fact, it was not until the 335i broke out onto the scene back in 2007, that BMW experimented with turbocharging their vehicles. BMW recognizes that by downsizing your engine and then equipping it with a turbocharger will actually help to pump out a few more mpgs (miles per gallon). With today's economy and the current "oil crisis," people are becoming more aware of how fuel efficient their vehicles actually are. In contrast to the previous statement, this is NOT to say that BMW plans on sacrificing performance for more mpgs. Thank God!

The "twin-turbocharged" 335i uses BMW's famed inline six but is given a bit of extra pep by two baby turbos. Before moving on, let me clear the air when it comes to using the terms twin or bi-turbo. To put it simply, twin-turbos act independently of one another and bi-turbos fire together. Now with that said, the twin-turbo 335i uses one of it's two turbos right around the 1500 rpm mark while the second turbo does not kick in until around 4000 rpms. It is not that BMW is just trying to "one-up" the single turbo competition; they actually have a very important reason for using two turbos. As any gearhead would know, many single turbo cars suffer from "turbo-lag." This happens when the, usually underpowered, engine doesn't receive it's turbo boost until the higher rpms. Unfortunately this makes the powerband unreachable until you hit anywhere between 4000 and 6000 rpms (dependent upon the vehicle). Turbo-lag is nonexistent in the 335i's rev range and the powerband kicks in from the moment you step on the peddle to when you hit redline.

The two newest additions to BMW's turbo family are the X5 M and the X6 M. Both of these vehicles are powered by a twin-turbo 4.4 lt. V8 producing upwards of 555bhp. Some of you may recognize the 4.4 lt. V8 to be that of the since departed X5 4.4i which made its debut in 2000 and ran until its departure in 2006. Since many were taken back by the overall performance of 4.4 when it was in the previous X5, BMW decided to build off of that same platform when it came time to design the X5 M and X6 M's powerhouse. The new all wheel drive M SUVs use the same turbo technology as the 335i which is sure to produce monstrous performance on and off the track! In addition to these two turbo beasts, there has been word that BMW has decided to drop the 10 cylinder in the current M5 and turbocharge a V8 for the 2012 model. Figures are scarce to come by but it is said that the car should be pushing an upwards of 600bhp, as if 505 was not enough...

Introduction

Hello all, and welcome to my blog! This blog will be built around the passion I have for automobiles, most of which that come from the great-auto empire of Germany (BMW, Audi, Porsche, etc.). This is not to say that examining vehicles coming from other countries is out of the question, but that I will do so all in contrast to that particular vehicles German competition. I encourage feedback, negative or positive, and welcome any conversation about the topics I post. With the exception of the statements I declare as being factual, which will be followed by a reference in parenthesis, all statements are my opinion and my opinion alone.

Now for a bit of history... Since I was young automobiles have always been my hobby. From the design of the exterior to the power hidden under the hood, I cannot help but get excited when examining and driving cars. In my lifetime I cannot even recall how many car shows and exhibits I have attend as well as the amount of different vehicles I have driven. Up to this point I consider myself to be an above amateur car enthusiast with knowledge ranging far and wide across the entire automobile spectrum.

In my lifetime I have owned two cars thus far: 2000 BMW 323i, 2008 Volkswagen R32. Both of these vehicles gave me a taste of what Germany has to offer; one being the "Ultimate Driving Machine" (BMW) and the other "Das Auto" (VW). To date, I have actually sold both of these cars and am currently in the market for a new vehicle. Each of my two previous vehicles, both of which were very different from each other, made and impact on me in a number of different ways. The more luxurious BMW 3 gave me the comfort and "reliability," I use that world very very lightly, of one of the top German car companies. With its renowned inline six cylinder, still used by BMW today, it gave me the pep when I needed it but was tame enough to casually be driven around town.

Circa 2007, it came time for the bimmer to go due to a blown transmission which was, interestingly enough, made in Mexico! Feeling snake bitten by the unfortunate events that had come about with the BMW I decided to turn to Germany's more affordable and economic car company, Volkswagen. By the end of June 2008 I had my hands on a Mkv VW R32 (MkV being the model designation). With its all-wheel-drive system, VR6 engine, and DSG transmission this car was truly one of a kind. In fact, my R was number 1750 out of 5000 that came to the United States. If you have already done the math you will have found out that I only drove this car for about a year and a half. It was not that I didn't like careening down Route 33 at 128mph then finding myself climbing the Appalachians for a adrenaline filled ride back down the other side into West Virginia. It was more or less just a need for a change of direction; I mean that figuratively of course seeing that you only really have about two feet between you and the guardrail meant to keep you from tumbling down the mountain's edge. So now the R was gone and I was back, and still am, in the market for my next toy.

As I conclude, I would just like to thank all who have read this post and I hope that you enjoy the many more that have yet to come. Thanks.