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Shockingly, even the Alpina B12 isn't all that quick. 0-60 in 6.4. Slower than my 2.0T Mercedes C300
Just do a straight piped W140 V12. Lots of F1 sounds.
LOL, you remind me of my cousin. Performance is extremely important, regardless of vehicle purpose. We have had a lot of conversations about what to get and many times things were thrown out because it was too slow. I keep asking him “ok, where are going to use that performance?” And I get this pause in the conversation with a face that says “who cares where I can or can’t use it… slow is slow.”
Originally Posted by 00TL-P3.2
Shockingly, even the Alpina B12 isn't all that quick. 0-60 in 6.4. Slower than my 2.0T Mercedes C300
Just do a straight piped W140 V12. Lots of F1 sounds.
The good thing about those, you get to really enjoy the sound because you can keep your right foot down a long time.
LOL, you remind me of my cousin. Performance is extremely important, regardless of vehicle purpose. We have had a lot of conversations about what to get and many times things were thrown out because it was too slow. I keep asking him “ok, where are going to use that performance?” And I get this pause in the conversation with a face that says “who cares where I can or can’t use it… slow is slow.”
The good thing about those, you get to really enjoy the sound because you can keep your right foot down a long time.
Your cousin is a likeable person already. He may also agree that the faster car you have, the less time you actually spend getting up to those excessive speeds. .
Ah, I love flawed logic.
I would say an overwhelmingly amount of time I stay within the speed limits but, there are times where you need to put your foot down and marvel at what an internal combustion engine is capable of.
Lol, reminded me of the Clarkson bit where he says that people with fast cars love their children more, because it allows them to get home sooner and spend more time with them…
I remember a long time ago, probably in college, we saw a Bentley, and I said something like “ohh I totally would have that if I could afford it”. His immediate response was “oh really? It’s faster than the S55 (or whatever was the big S class AMG then)”. To which I replied; “no that’s not the point”… lol the confused look on his face, he didn’t even attempt a counter argument, he just moved on.
some years later, he was looking for a family car, a bmw specifically, he wanted the 3 series touring, but he discovered it only had the N20 engine. Instant deal breaker, so he comes back home with the hideous 3GT because he could get that with the N55. He agreed it’s ugly and trunk capacity is worse because of the long raked window.
you guys should keep him in your thoughts, I lent him our Odyssey last time he and his family came to visit
I cross shopped a G35 back in 08 and ended up with the TL-S, even though the g35 is rwd and faster. I just preferred the looks of the TL in and out, and I knew someone that had a g35 and he was getting abysmal fuel economy. Plus, my perception was that the TL would be a reliable long term car (which it has been).
Sure, if you can stomach the cost of entry.
I can't. I'll always have shitboxes I have little things to fix. I'll ride the bullshit political wave of fuel prices.
Getting 850HP out of an electric motor is not a flex.
It takes a LOT of work to get to that with ice.
Eh, not really these days with modern turbo cars. In any case, speed isn't a big thing anymore. You could have some crazy modded gas car and still get walked by some asshole in a Rivian pickup truck.
That said, getting 850hp out of an electric motor is absolutely a flex. Rivian needed 4 motors to get that much power lol.
Originally Posted by TylerT
Considering gas is almost $7/gallon in SoCal right now, an absurdly fast used Rivian truck doesn't sound half bad right now
Values of used Rivians have unsurprisingly gone notably up lol.
Eh, not really these days with modern turbo cars. In any case, speed isn't a big thing anymore. You could have some crazy modded gas car and still get walked by some asshole in a Rivian pickup truck.
That said, getting 850hp out of an electric motor is absolutely a flex. Rivian needed 4 motors to get that much power lol.
Values of used Rivians have unsurprisingly gone notably up lol.
Also, it's now up to nearly $7/gal?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
$6.59 at the station closest to me - I'm moving 20 minutes east and it's about a buck cheaper per gallon out there .
Escrow closes in a few weeks and our official "move in" day is 5/14 - exciting stuff.
Cayenne has been doing great - leaks some fluids but truly is a workhorse .. it doesn't give a F - currently at 163,000 miles.
I've done so many frequent stops / errands / trips with this thing in the last few weeks and I'm only going to stack on the miles as it gets closer to actual moving time and house projects galore.
How is the S by comparison?
Not that I'm in the market, though I will need to buy a car next August when my oldest starts driving. Either she takes the Legacy & I get something different, or we buy her something cheap.
Depends on which one you get but, the S generally comes with steel spring& standard shock suspension and the engine being non-turbo is way simpler.
The only things that are really needed is doing coolant pipes under the intake manifold and a service. Also, clear ALL of the body drains ... this car's design for water is so bad.
They're solid assuming they aren't bore scored to hell .
Another car thought - BMW 335i (N54 only) - @ttribe may have some input here.
My first reaction is no, it's not "special" enough .. I see them every day.
HOWEVER.
The more I think about it, conflicting thoughts enter my head.
- N54 has always intrigued me, definitely has German 2J vibes.
- Slightly less punishing than a B5 S4 and easier to modify.
- Engine was built for boost & bigger power without opening it up.
- Did not realize you can upgrade the open differential to a mechanical LSD
- Definitely within my budget and I could see myself turning this into a longer term project and head to the dark side.
- Nice to have a car that actually handles well and is the perfect size.
Not really looking per say but, I think a manual N54 sedan would be a great fit for me.
I love the simplicity of old shit, but I also have a certain expectation for performance...catch 22 really.
I have to read up, but I THINK the N54 was the one I wanted to try as well. Is that the old 335/135 inline twin turbo that was pretty beefy?
I love the simplicity of old shit, but I also have a certain expectation for performance...catch 22 really.
I have to read up, but I THINK the N54 was the one I wanted to try as well. Is that the old 335/135 inline twin turbo that was pretty beefy?
N55 is an improvement in certain areas but N54 (The original engine in the 335 / 135) is the one to have .. fueling headroom is way higher and I believe the engine is fundamentally stronger.
Another car thought - BMW 335i (N54 only) - @ttribe may have some input here.
My first reaction is no, it's not "special" enough .. I see them every day.
HOWEVER.
The more I think about it, conflicting thoughts enter my head.
- N54 has always intrigued me, definitely has German 2J vibes.
- Slightly less punishing than a B5 S4 and easier to modify.
- Engine was built for boost & bigger power without opening it up.
- Did not realize you can upgrade the open differential to a mechanical LSD
- Definitely within my budget and I could see myself turning this into a longer term project and head to the dark side.
- Nice to have a car that actually handles well and is the perfect size.
Not really looking per say but, I think a manual N54 sedan would be a great fit for me.
Don't mind me - new week, new mental gymnastics.
If you are looking at the last E-Chassis generation of a 3-series, the N54 is the one you want. I have an N54 in my 335i. Here are some things to know about it:
The N54 was the first BMW inline-six with direct injection and turbo chargers. It had some growing pains (discussed below).
The N54 is known for being able to get pretty significant HP and TQ gains with very little upgrade effort. For example, I've been running a mild tune on mine since 50k miles (now at 188k) and I gained approx 60hp and 100 lb-ft. of torque above the base rating.
The N55 replaced the N54 but wasn't as easy to tune due to the switch from two discreet turbo chargers (N54) to a single twin-scroll turbo charger (N55).
There is A LOT of information and material out there on upgrading and tuning N54s.
Here are the negatives that have made the N54 somewhat infamous -
The plastic water pump impeller is a weak point that WILL fail.
The valve cover will leak. You'll end up changing the gasket several times over the time period you own it.
The HPFP had a recall. N54s with replaced HPFPs should be fine.
The turbos are known to eventually leak and are not cheap to replace. That being said, I'm still on the original turbo chargers on mine and haven't had a problem.
Overall, it's a super smooth, quick, and fun engine.
If you are looking at the last E-Chassis generation of a 3-series, the N54 is the one you want. I have an N54 in my 335i. Here are some things to know about it:
The N54 was the first BMW inline-six with direct injection and turbo chargers. It had some growing pains (discussed below).
The N54 is known for being able to get pretty significant HP and TQ gains with very little upgrade effort. For example, I've been running a mild tune on mine since 50k miles (now at 188k) and I gained approx 60hp and 100 lb-ft. of torque above the base rating.
The N55 replaced the N54 but wasn't as easy to tune due to the switch from two discreet turbo chargers (N54) to a single twin-scroll turbo charger (N55).
There is A LOT of information and material out there on upgrading and tuning N54s.
Here are the negatives that have made the N54 somewhat infamous -
The plastic water pump impeller is a weak point that WILL fail.
The valve cover will leak. You'll end up changing the gasket several times over the time period you own it.
The HPFP had a recall. N54s with replaced HPFPs should be fine.
The turbos are known to eventually leak and are not cheap to replace. That being said, I'm still on the original turbo chargers on mine and haven't had a problem.
Overall, it's a super smooth, quick, and fun engine.
That’s probably because you’re waiting for them to go so you can upgrade. Like when I’m driving and I need to reply to a text or short email, all traffic lights are green. There is also a scenario for red lights, but I’ll move on
If you are looking at the last E-Chassis generation of a 3-series, the N54 is the one you want. I have an N54 in my 335i. Here are some things to know about it:
The N54 was the first BMW inline-six with direct injection and turbo chargers. It had some growing pains (discussed below).
The N54 is known for being able to get pretty significant HP and TQ gains with very little upgrade effort. For example, I've been running a mild tune on mine since 50k miles (now at 188k) and I gained approx 60hp and 100 lb-ft. of torque above the base rating.
The N55 replaced the N54 but wasn't as easy to tune due to the switch from two discreet turbo chargers (N54) to a single twin-scroll turbo charger (N55).
There is A LOT of information and material out there on upgrading and tuning N54s.
Here are the negatives that have made the N54 somewhat infamous -
The plastic water pump impeller is a weak point that WILL fail.
The valve cover will leak. You'll end up changing the gasket several times over the time period you own it.
The HPFP had a recall. N54s with replaced HPFPs should be fine.
The turbos are known to eventually leak and are not cheap to replace. That being said, I'm still on the original turbo chargers on mine and haven't had a problem.
Overall, it's a super smooth, quick, and fun engine.
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If I daisy-chain 5 Legacy together, I might get close 
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- currently at 163,000 miles.
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