Bimmer32

I noticed that a www.germancarfans.com said that in Europe, BMW still makes the 4.0 litre v8 and the new 4.8 litre v8 (550i). The 545i has been discontinued.

That makes me feel like I bought an interim engine (545i) and that it was not worth it for BMW to keep it around. Could anyone offer links or information regarding 545i discontinuation and continuation of the 540i engine? Is there a technical issue with the 545i engine (4.4 litre) or is it not as good as the 4.0 liter to be kept around.

Thanks.

BetterMakeWay

Nope, i don't think there's a "technical issue". BMW just wants to make the 550i to match the competition (like E500...) and wants a smaller engine (540i) targeted to the segment that needs a little more power (than the rest) but is more fuel efficient that the 550i. So tharefor there's no need for the 545i anymore. It's simply a marketing decision. At least that's my opinion

Ricracing

The 4.0 litre engine is a brand new as well.

Bouth the 4.0 and the 4.8 litre engines (540i and 550i) give better milage and less polution, i.e. they are more modern engines than the old 4.4 litre (545i).

colejl

The 4.0 litre engine is a brand new as well.

Bouth the 4.0 and the 4.8 litre engines (540i and 550i) give better milage and less polution, i.e. they are more modern engines than the old 4.4 litre (545i).
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Indeed, but the 545i is not suddenly a 'dead duck' It's the price of continual development, environmental concerns and improvement.

kryptokat

Discontinuing an ENGINE after just two years in a new body style is bad marketing and would qualify as a 'dead duck' in my opinion.

swajames

That's just utter BS. The 545 is and remains a desirable car and will be better than the 540, but not as good as the 550. It's improvement and innovation, not bad marketing. I do not for a second consider my 545 to be a dead duck. There aren't that many of them, even here in CA, and there won't be many 550's either. Do you consider older engined 530's to be dead ducks as well? Not in my book - same logic applies.

colejl

Discontinuing an ENGINE after just two years in a new body style is bad marketing and would qualify as a 'dead duck' in my opinion.
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My diesel engine has been changed after a similar period (218PS to 231PS) but as I said continual improvement, especially for emissions and consumption. I can't see the residuals of the 545i diving because of the 540/550i...

Lomag

Yeah, same thing happened in the E39. It's good business practice, on any release you'll have the folks who must have the car right away so once those saales are made you have to improve to keep sales growing. Especially with the competition and all...

I personally don't care. I rarely see other 545's in my area. Mostly 525/530's and the 545 has plenty of oomf. Although more is always better I guess... but you're paying a higher MSRP too, I believe over 2K more.

ZinMe

Discontinuing an ENGINE after just two years in a new body style is bad marketing and would qualify as a 'dead duck' in my opinion.
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Correct me if I'm wrong, but i believe the engine in the 545i has been around for 4-5 years. I'm guessing it first showed up in the 745i. One of the reasons I opted for the 545i vs. the new 530i is that with 4+ years of operating history it was likely to be more reliable than the 530engine which has a number of new features. I would expect that BMW would upgrade each engine every 5 years or so. Makes sense to me, to just don't want to be get the first one off the line.

ademitt

I agree with Lomag. In the book "Driven" which gives you an insde look at how BMW functions, they make reference to the constant "tweaking" of BMW models throughout their product cycle. Changing engines, adding options and features or simply making standard equipment items that were previously options are all identified as part of the BMW marketing plan. Keeping the model current or fresh is the name of the game.

Think about it for a moment, after owning a BMW for two or three years, what will bring you back as a repeat buyer (assuming the body style has not changed), new features. Historically, BMW has done this for years. It is part of their game plan.

I have an original 530i. I covet the new engines and features in the current models. Does it make me want to buy another when my lease runs out (or when I am no longer upside down)? You bet!