A BMW 520i with a tiny 1.6 engine, it’s possible these days.
We had actually hoped that the whole downsizing thing would be behind us. It started about 15 years ago that manufacturers provided small engines with a turbo in order to link low consumption to adequate performance. Before that, economical cars were very slow and fast cars were very thirsty.
The problem was that the NEDC was leading and therefore many automakers had all kinds of tricks to make that cycle as economical as possible. At Volkswagen they might have hired some too smart whiz kids. It led to a period in which it was normal for a Jaguar XJ LWB to be supplied with a 2.0 four-cylinder and for BMW to supply a 418i Gran Coupé.
BMW 520i with tiny engine
Nowadays we have the WLTP and fortunately manufacturers have discovered that a bit of back tuning on a normal engine gives the best effect. That is why it is good to know that the BMW 520i now simply has a 2.0 four-cylinder. Yes, there is a turbo, but it blows along very subtly.
But if you live in Turkey, things are different. BMW has launched the 520i for that market and it doesn’t have a big 2.0 engine. No, the BMW 520i has a tiny 1.6 engine there! This produces a power of 190 hp and torque of 310 Nm. The automatic transmission is simply the same eight-speed unit from ZF and provides excellent acceleration. Sprinting from 0-100 km/h is done in 7.9 seconds.
The Dutch 520i is faster
For comparison, ‘our’ 520i with the B48B20 delivers a maximum of 208 hp of power and 330 Nm of torque. The Dutch 520i is faster: 7.5 seconds to 100 km/h.
Of course, there is a clear reason why BMW is doing this: taxes. Below 1,600 cc it apparently makes such a difference that it makes sense for BMW to fit a tiny 1.6 liter in it.
This is not the first time, by the way. The 520i of the F10 and G30 generation also had a 1.6 liter engine in Turkey. As far as we know, it is the only sedan with a length of more than 5 meters that has such a small block.
Check something out below @wouter thinks of the latest BMW 520i:
Read more? These are 13 cars with a poor engine in a row!
This article BMW 520i gets tiny 1.6 petrol engine first appeared on Autoblog.nl.
#BMW #520i #tiny #petrol #engine