BMW Uses Old Engine to Power New 335is

There’s a reason BMW has swapped out the old twin turbo N44 engine in favour of the new single-turbo powerplant now known as the N55. Meting out a smoother dollop of torque than the older engine, the new N55 simply put, uses the same displacement to better effect.

But, as any gearhead will tell you, it’s impossible to refute the possibilities such a silky-smooth twin turbo inline six presents. And BMW’s engineers are first rate gearheads. So, they’ve taken the now defunct N44 and massaged it to produce 340 horsepower and up to 369 lb-ft of torque (when using the overboost feature); a healthy increase that puts this new engine somewhere between the N55 inline six and the M3’s V8.

And the best news of all? This new engine, called the N54, will find itself under the shapely bonnet of a new 3-series. Called the 335is, the car will feature a unique M-sport appearance package to visual bridge the gap between 335i and M3, and will also mark the first time BMW’s excellent seven speed dual clutch gearbox will find itself on an option list not attached to an M-car.