In 1994 BMW dropped all six-cylinder engines for the 7-series in favor of the V8/V12 power needed to haul their bloated-by-features luxobarges. Now, inline-six fans rejoice! The 2011 BMW 740i is back with an inline-six powerful enough to haul itself.
BMW calls their philosophy of dropping cylinders "virtual displacement," as in, adding a pair of turbos is just as good as having two more naturally aspirated cylinders. With output of 315 HP at 5800 RPM and 330 lb-ft of torque from 1600-to-4500 RPM it's approximately as powerful as the outgoing 4.4-liter V8 but nowhere near as much fun as the twin-turbo 402 HP V8.
Available in both the 740 and longer wheel-base 740li, the return to six-cylinder power is a good move for BMW, which will be able to offer higher efficiency and reasonable power for customers who do not know, or care, how many cylinders their car has.
Created
