4 cylinder 430i - sorry what?
I recently dropped my 335i off to the dealer from some recall work - and was given a new 430i Grand Coupe.
Initially excited by the 30i badge but was hugely disappointed when I fired it up to hear 4 pots, rather than 6. I knew that petrol 2.0 turbos were now widespread across most manufacturers but surprised that only the 40i in current 3/4/5 variants were actually still 6 cylinder units. I also read recently that the next generation m140i will move to a 2.0 turbo xDrive setup - so potentially the end of the 6 pot unit for the future 3/4/5 variants also. An inevitable but worrying trend.
To be fair to the 430i, it goes ok (248 bhp) and probably returns good mpg - but theres no joy in revving it out and to me just sounds rattly and dull compared to a silky smooth 6 pots of old. In many ways it might as well have a "d" badge on there.
Having had a string of 6 cylinder e46s, e39s, and now the e90 - I've learned that sonically the 6 is head and shoulders above the modern engines and realise how important a cars sound is to me as part of the driving experience. Maybe piped in sound is what I need to keep me happy but there's no substitute for the real thing.
Interested to hear what others make of the new 4 pot motors. It seems that in the near future - in order to get into anything other than a 4 pot, the options for new buyers will be full blown M cars, and the 6/7/8 series.
