Models advertise sports 4-cylinder engines to gradually replace 6-cylinder engines

In-line engines, one of the most common engine structures; 6-cylinder, the number of engine cylinders that most mid-to-high-end models will use; when they are combined together, a new definition of motion is born.

Today, with the popularity of small-displacement and turbocharged engines, the six-cylinder and eight-cylinder engines are synonymous with luxury and high fuel consumption in many people's minds. In daily life, large-displacement engines seem to be getting farther and farther away from the average consumer. Some mid-to-high-end models that previously favored six-cylinder engines are gradually reinstalling four-cylinder engines, even on some sports models. The trend of 4-cylinder engines gradually replacing 6-cylinder engines, such as the Volkswagen Golf R. Of course, we are not saying that the 4-cylinder engine cannot achieve high-power output. In the history of motor sports, many excellent 4-cylinder engines have left a deep imprint, such as those famous Japanese "red-head" engines. In our view, it is not completely impossible to raise the power of a slightly smaller 4-cylinder engine to a 6-cylinder engine, but it requires more effort. There is a saying in the conversion industry: As long as you have money, your car can run faster than Ferrari. Therefore, the power output of small-displacement engines is often proportional to the cost of the depot. At this time, we saw a six-cylinder engine. Compared with the four-cylinder engine, the six-cylinder engine has two more cylinders and the power is relatively easy to raise. Compared with the eight-cylinder engine, the performance and quality of the six-cylinder engine have certain advantages. In the six-cylinder engine sector, there are many "stars" such as Nissan's VQ series, Porsche's various horizontally opposed engines, Volkswagen's direct-injection engines, and BMW and Volvo's inline six-cylinder engines. These star six-cylinder engines have different structures; some use V-shaped structures; others use horizontally opposed cylinder layouts; and some use linear cylinder layouts. Among them, the V-type 6-cylinder engine is favored by various brands due to its compact structure and excellent quietness. Today, however, we will introduce two inline 6-cylinder engines to you.

In the 1980s and 1990s, in-line 6-cylinder engines were widely used by various automotive brands. At that time, most of the in-line 6-cylinder engines were high-performance cars. The representative models included the Mercedes-Benz 190E3.2AMG, the predecessor of the Mercedes-Benz C63AMG; many people believed that the most classic BMW M3 - the M3E46 and the famous god of war. - Nissan GTR (R34 previous models). Later, the brands pursued compact designs while developing their own new products. The inline 6-cylinder engine was oversized and occupied too much space in the engine compartment and was gradually replaced by the V6 engine. Because of these once brilliant models, the in-line 6-cylinder engine was used by many fans as a legend.

Throughout today's car market, the brands that still use the inline 6-cylinder engine are only BMW and Volvo. At the end of 2010, US media colleague Ward's AutoWorld announced the results of the vote for the top ten engines of 2011. Both BMW and Volvo's two inline 6-cylinder engines (the BMW N55B30 engine and the Volvo B6304T2 engine) were both selected. Regardless of whether it was a special complex for an in-line 6-cylinder engine or a memory for that glorious era, the results of this selection will all pull our attention to the in-line 6-cylinder engine.

Among BMW and Volvo brands, there are many models equipped with in-line 6-cylinder engines. We selected two of the most common cars: the BMW 325i and the Volvo S60T6AWD.

The BMW 3 Series has been on the Chinese market for many years, and consumers are already familiar with this model, which is hailed as "the king of the world's mid-range cars." The model that is being sold today is a modified version of the fifth-generation BMW 3 Series. It officially met with Chinese consumers in 2008. In contrast, the Volvo S60, which has just entered China, is not well known among consumers. The BMW brand has always insisted on taking the sport route, especially with the 3 series as the representative. In the eyes of many people, the BMW M3 has always been regarded as the most sporty of all BMW models. Compared with Mercedes-Benz C-class, Audi A4 equivalent models, the characteristics of the BMW 3 Series sport is also the most obvious. The Volvo brand is probably hard to get involved with the sport, but before coming to China, the new S60 was dubbed the "Volvo in the history of the most fun driving" title, so for this special Volvo, we have to look at from a new perspective .

Do not misunderstand, we do not want to distinguish between these two cars a high and low. The 2.5L inline 6-cylinder engine assembled by the BMW 325i is a NA engine, while the 3.0L inline 6-cylinder engine of the Volvo S60T6AWD is turbocharged. They represent the NA and turbocharged versions of the inline 6-cylinder engine respectively. Therefore, there is no direct comparability. In fact, in addition to the NA version of BMW, there are many excellent turbocharged inline 6-cylinder engines, but all use the same layout - vertical layout; and Volvo brand all models of inline 6-cylinder engines are used horizontal layout . Supercharged and unpressurized, longitudinal and transversal, the collection of these two cars is sufficient to illustrate all the problems of the in-line 6-cylinder engine.

I believe no one will doubt BMW's achievements in the NA engine. In today's popularity of small-displacement turbocharged engines, many BMW engines still use naturally aspirated working methods. The advantage of the NA engine is self-evident: smooth power output. To drive any BMW model equipped with a NA inline 6-cylinder engine, simply place the stop lever in the sports gear position and step on the accelerator pedal, allowing the engine pointer to approach the red zone again and again, with no respite and pause power output. One acceleration is much smoother than those turbocharged engine models that require the turbine to intervene to provide additional power at high speeds. The reason for having such a perfect power output performance is inextricably linked to the relatively simple structure of an in-line 6-cylinder engine. Especially at high speeds, the in-line 6-cylinder engine has a smooth and quiet characteristic, and the V6 engine often needs to rely on a specially set horizontal axis to suppress excess vibration at high speeds.

When all these advantages of an in-line 6-cylinder engine are combined with turbocharging technology, its advantages are self-evident. Two of the inline 6-cylinder engines of BMW and Volvo selected for the top ten engines are turbocharged engines. Taking this inline 6-cylinder turbocharged engine on the Volvo S60T6AWD as an example, the displacement is 3.0L, the maximum output power is 224kW, and the peak torque reaches 440N. m, the power up to 75kW/L, such data even exceeds some V8 engines, but this inline 6-cylinder turbocharged engine is much lighter than the average V8 engine. This kind of power is a little extravagant for the slim and slim Volvo S60. In order to allow this powerful engine to play its due role, Volvo installed a four-wheel-drive system for the S60 and replaced it with four 235/45R17 "Big Feet." Even so, each time the acceleration starts, the four wheels of the Volvo S60T6AWD still seem to be unable to parry the sudden violent force, after a short buzzing and idling, they are firmly stuck on the ground.

As mentioned earlier, in the development of the in-line 6-cylinder engine, due to its physical shape, it had to gradually withdraw from the historical stage. Because the six cylinders of the engine are linearly arranged and elongated in shape, if placed laterally in the engine compartment, the space for the suspension and the wheels on both sides will be very cramped. If it is placed longitudinally in the engine compartment, the passenger compartment and The space of the engine must be adjusted. However, any layout method will have the advantage that another layout method does not have. The Volvo S60 chose the horizontal layout and opened the S60's engine compartment cover. You will find that the inside of the S60's engine compartment is full and there is no spare space. However, the passenger cabin space of the S60T6AWD has not been affected in the slightest. The BMW 325i uses a vertical layout, leaving enough room for suspension and wheels on both sides. For space handling, BMW uses a method of extending the engine compartment, so passenger cabin space has not been affected too much. This also explains why all BMW models left us with the impression of a narrow engine compartment.

The BMW 325i and Volvo S60T6 are priced between 400,000 to 500,000 yuan. In this price range, the choice is very large. You can of course choose a more spacious car of other brands, or a more functional SUV. Or MPV and other models. But I can tell you responsibly that if you choose them, you will never find smooth and uninterrupted power and precision, pure control like these two cars.

Nowadays, only two BMWs and Volvo two car companies that use the inline 6-cylinder engine are widely used. Inline 6-cylinder engines from these two brands won the title of “Top Ten Engines in the World” in 2011.

Links: Between a 4-cylinder engine and a 6-cylinder engine, there is also a 5-cylinder engine that cannot be ignored. The five-cylinder engine has also made great achievements in automobile sports such as the 2.5L inline 5-cylinder turbocharged engine on the Audi TTRS and the inline 5-cylinder turbocharged engine on the Volvo XC90. However, in the Chinese market, the five-cylinder engine is extremely rare, so there is no over-review here.

Thanks to the layout of the engine, BMW's chassis configuration and front and rear counterweight settings are even more perfect.

BMW 325i

Inline 6-cylinder Engine Displacement: 2497mL

Air intake form: naturally aspirated air distribution structure: DOHC

Maximum power: 160kW (6500r/min)

Maximum torque: 250N·m (2750r/min)

Volvo S60T6AWD

Inline 6-cylinder Engine Displacement: 2953mL

Intake form: Turbocharged gas distribution structure: DOHC

Maximum power: 224kW (5600r/min)

The maximum torque: 440N · m (2100 ~ 4200r/min)

The outstanding in-line 6-cylinder engine makes Volvo a brand that does not seem to care about driving pleasure and has a "violence machine."