What? A Three-Cylinder Engine in the 2016 BMW 5 Series?

By Manuel Carrillo III - November 5, 2013

Reports out of Germany say BMW will offer a three-cylinder, 150-horsepower turbodiesel engine in the 2016 5 Series, which will make it capable of achieving 60 mpg. Fuel economy won’t be an issue with this car, but what may be an issue is how quickly the next 5 Series will achieve 60 mph with only three cylinders to move it forward. The new platform being developed for the next-gen 7, 6 and 5 Series is expected to be light, but will it be light enough for a three-banger? If this engine is headed to the U.S., will 150 horsepower be enough for American sensibilities? We’ll have to wait for the product’s 2016 launch to find out.

Moving clear to the other side of the 5 Series speed spectrum, Auto Bild is saying the next M5 will move into the 600+ horsepower club, and that it will offer xDrive as an option … it will need AWD with that kind of power.

We think Mercedes-AMG’s success with all-wheel drive is allowing BMW M GmbH to dip its toes in the AWD waters for the M5.