Twin-turbo and even tri-diesel diesel setups are so passé nowadays, and BMW knows it, too.
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With its three turbochargers, the current BMW Tri-turbo diesel enjoys a special position in the high-end premium market, yet the engineers in Munich have already put together a worthy replacement. The engine could be fitted with four exhaust-driven turbochargers, or BMW could choose to add an electric turbo to the existing tri-turbo setup in order to virtually eliminate turbo lag. Quad-turbo engines certainly aren’t new, Bugatti had a quad turbo production auto all the way back in 1991, but BMW is going to be putting four turbos on a six-cylinder engine, and that kind of turbo-to-cylinder ratio is pretty unusual. It is also possible that BMW has simply just added a fourth conventional, gas-driven turbocharger.
According to preliminary details, this new diesel powerplant will likely generate 408 PS (300 kW) and around 800 Nm (590 lb-ft) of torque.
Maybe one day we’ll see the true awesomeness in engines like this 3.0-liter tri-turbo (soon to be quad-turbo) unit, but for now we’ll only get to view it from afar.
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When installed in the 7-Series as well as future X5, X6 and X7 versions, power will be sent through all four wheels via the German marque’s xDrive system.
