BMW Vehicle Engines

From the Electronic Throttle Butterfly to VANOS, BMW sets the standard for engine technology.

• More about VANOS Engine
• More about Valvetronic Engine
• More about BMW Diesel Engine Development
• More about BMW Common Rail Injection Systems (CRIS)
• More about BMW Digital Motor Electronics (DME)

The straight-4 or inline-4 is an internal combustion engine with four cylinders aligned in one row. Nicknamed a four-banger, this straight engine configuration is the most common in cars with a displacement up to 2.3 liters. The current "practical" limit to the displacement of straight-4 engines in a car is around 2.7 liters. However, in tractors and other construction machinery, four-cylinder diesel engines with a displacement of 4.5 litres and above can still be found.

BMW use the straight-4 engine from the New Class, to the E30 M3, and developed the new breed of VANOS and Valvetronic engines.

• More about Mini Engine
• More about VANOS Engine
• More about Valvetronic Engine

The straight-6 (also inline-6, I-6, or I6) is an internal combustion engine with six cylinders aligned in a single row. The name slant-6 is sometimes used when the cylinders are at an angle from the vertical. Straight-6 engines have perfect primary and secondary balance and require no balance shaft.

For over 70 years, BMW has used the straight-six power unit in production and race cars. Find out why they are so good.

• More about M3 Engines and 3.0 Engines
• More about BMW Z4 Engine
• More about M1 Engine

In the 50's, BMW's aluminum V-8's powered the Baroque Angels, the 507 and the 503. Today V-8 engine is powered M5, X5 and Z8 models.

BMW's aluminum V-10's were first used in their Formula One racecars. Now, V-10 technology propels the E60 M5 sedan.

• More about E60 M5 Engine

A V12 engine is a V engine with 12 cylinders. Like a straight-6, this configuration has perfect primary and secondary balance no matter which V angle is used and therefore needs no balance shafts. A V12, with two banks of six cylinders angled at 60¡Æ or 180¡Æ from each other, has even firing with power pulses delivered twice as often per revolution as, and is smoother than a straight-6 because there is always positive net torque output, as with an engine with 7 or more cylinders.

BMW's V12 Engines have Gasoline and Diesel versions. BMW's highest performance V-12 was made for the McLaren F1 sports car, the world's fastest car produced.

One of the most dominant engines in the '80s F1 turbo era was a 1.5 liter BMW engine.