New BMW Alpina Diesel

[waynne]

There is a new BMW diesel coming out based on the 2.3 engine from the 1 series. It delivers over 50mpg and gives 220 bhp so is still pretty quick.

Is this the first Alpina Diesel?

[HDi fun]

The 123d is actually only a 2.0 litre!!

BMWs used to be so easy to understand when the last two digits represented engine size.

But the 520i became a 2.2

523i a 2.5 etc.

and early 316i compacts were 8 valve 1.9 litre units (early Z3 engine).

535d is a 3 litre as is the 530d but it's stripped of a turbo and some of the fancy intake management kit.

[xavier]

Trust BMW to confuse everyone. Its either this or those E numbers

[HDi fun]

I think it's marketing departments who find that 522i has less cachet than 520i

Also, if the 523i was only 2.3 it'd be hardly quicker than the 520i (2.2). But the 2.5 petrol is easily outclassed by the 525d anyway.

'd' has become the new 'i' it seems.

[waynne]

D is the new I ()

I should have checked that. There is quite a power difference between the 120d and 123d - I guess they couldn't have the 120d 150bhp in the model name.

The Rover 200 did not have a 0 litre engine - an interesting side point

[pgarner]

120 is a single turbo
123 uses a twin turbo setup

[waynne]

Two is definately better than one. So why not call it the 120TT? Its good enough for Nissan.

[pgarner]

not posh enough or bmw

[HDi fun]

It's not a Nissan, either. If it was it would be plastered with badges:-

120d 2.3 litre 16 valve twin overhead cam twin turbo direct injection and so on....

They'd have to widen the car to fit all the monkiers

[HDi fun]

Sorry , that's 2.0 litre

[waynne]

See its contagious!

[jarrus]

similar turbo setup to the 35d engine

[pgarner]

pretty much aye

[jarrus]

Sequencial turbos....
Small one spools up early to help the big turbo do the work futher up....then the small one cuts out...

[waynne]

You mean the big one cuts in

[HDi fun]

Sequential turbocharging is a very effective way of getting enormous power and torque outputs from smallish engines whilst minimising or totally eliminiating the traditional lag problems.

This is why diesel engines are finding their way into true performance cars now.

[waynne]

I'll be a believer when I see Le Mans won and dominated by a Diesel.

(Don't give me the "this has already happened" line. - Like the moon landing which was faked and all these daft people that think we live on a globe I will not be taken in by this shallow attempt to make a petrol engine sound like a diesel using some speakers and a few bits of plastic to cover up the petrol engine.

[HDi fun]

I think we can twist the knife a little further.

Anyone of the opinion that the twin-towers tragedy in 2001 was set up by the US Government in order to distract attention from the dreadful state of the domestic economy?

[jarrus]

something like that...thast what I ment...when the big one cuts in completely the small one cuts out.....lol

[HDi fun]

The changeover is quite progressive with the smaller turbo running out of pressure as the larger one gets into its stride.

Afterall, the whole idea is to mask the effects of turbo lag and spool up time rather than just move it from 1500rpm to 2500rpm and create a great big chasm in the torque curve. That could be bloody dangerous halfway past a lorry.

[sprout99]

The 120d has a very linear torque delivery. The VAG cars tend to be quite agressive lower in the revs. The BMW tends to be quite sedate but lasts longer.

Not driven a 123d but would like to !!

[HDi fun]

I agree; the VW PD series of engines were savage at low revs.