I wonder if they'll put that four in a MINI variant at some point...If they could get that power down, it'd be a beast. The three makes sense on a daily driver, but in the back of my head, I wonder how it will hold up over time, especially on a hard driven car. But then again there were the same concerns as engines got smaller and went from 8 to 6 to 4 cylinders, and the 4 cylinder engines have held up well. Time will tell.
When Ford first offered the V8, pundits claimed that because the pistons were splayed outwards, they would wear into ovals......
As soon as I saw that 3cyl engine being planned for 2012 and beyond I started thinking that's it for me and MINI's. Their *saying* same HP, We shall see. I'd say I'm neutral now That BMW N20 sounds like a winner though! Course if gas keeps ratcheting up it might become a necessity
Sounds tasty in my book, but rumors are just that - have to see it get real before passing judgement...
I sure hope MINI/BMW has learned from the Prince of an engine & hope history isn't repeating itself. Time will tell. I guess it will either be a snowmobile engined new MINI or one of the last R56 MINI's in a year or so. Tough choice. :crazy: