Bob Elton, upon hearing that BMW plans to offer a turbocharged six in the new 3-series, offers up this rant on the history of turbos and why they, for the most part, stopped making sense for volume cars. Elton asserts that the reason the turbo's not found in inexpensive cars anymore is that with modern technology, it's more efficient to build larger-displacement motors. On the high end (say with Mercedes' twin-turbo V-12s), the power can be enormous, but the cost and efficiency are prohibitive for all but the wealthiest customers. To wit, most Merc hi-po models are either large-displacement, supercharged, or both. Ford and the General have both gone to superchargers after dalliances with turbocharging. However, BMW suddenly seems smitten with the devices. They're rumored to be replacing the supercharger on the Mini Cooper S with a turbo, and we're anxious to drive the turbo 3. Unfortunately, as of press time, Turbo Lover Rob Halford couldn't be reached for comment.
-Davey G. Johnson
BMW's Turbo Goes Back to the Future [The Truth About Cars]
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