Hey everyone, hope you enjoyed this installment of the series! These are only German made gasoline I6 engines, the diesels may come in a future video simply because there are so many. Let me know what you would change or rank differently. Thanks for watching and welcome to the channel if you’re new!
So close to perfect but the N54 fuel pump issue (high pressure I've changed hundreds)was because of the French manufacturer that said they fixed the issue but did not, I re-did "new design" pumps after low pressure fuel rail faults would set. Replacement of high pressure pump (newest design, not French) after this (and updated injectors, often) the N54 was very reliable and easy to squeeze power out of. Not D tier imo, too many industry firsts to be under B... if you must
Like this video, tbh n54 might be unreliable, but my experience is bmw turbo engine need good maintenance, my buddy bought a used n55 w/ 130k km, due to poorly maintained from previous owners, it was trashed in 6 months, but my n54 was properly maintained, has 230k km and still running strong and powerful (yes it was tuned and modified), but the block and turbo was not touched(the reason I got into n54s id their internal is strong) my experience shows the stock hpfp doesn't like ethanol AT ALL, and the charge pipe might crack due to temp cycles, mine blew up when I cranked up the boost, so to summarize it, when buying a old bmw, gotta find one was properly maintained, and do your research, there are thousands of people just like me to share their experience.
Sad to not see the monster OM606 with Mercedes. it's basically the "diesel 2JZ" so much it can handles power, and probably one of the best diesel engine ever made for "Mr.Everyone's car".
He tells everyone - in the very end of the video - 2 things: 1. This video is only of petrol engines. 2. He will maybe in the future make a video of ”European inline 6:s diesel engines”. I - like probably 80% of all european onlookers - will very much look forward to such a list instead of a list with uninteresting petrol engines.
Absolutely Agree. Driving a 300CE seeing the M103 in C Tier almost made me cry😂 Oil Leaks, yes. But it's mostly the Head Gasket and the bad fuel setting stock due to a lean fuel mixture. Most of them run AFR Ratios in the 16's which is way too high. Once you set them to like 13-14 you'll be much better off. Im almost finished with my engine and it runs soooooo smooth
I’d have to swap the places of B58/S58 as there are some minor problems arising for the S58 while the B58 is still to this day basically completely flawless even tho it went into production 7 years ago
@@leonlange861 you said minor problems. Rod bearings are not minor problems. Ha news to me, I have over 40k on one and its been solid so far. Know of guys that have over 70k w over 50k of E tuned miles on em.
I own a N53. Once the injectors and the fuel pump is replaced they are great engines and super economical in gas usage. It uses less gas than any eco 4 cylinder engines that i have ever driven, despite producing up to 270hp. Super smooth too since its I6. And you have way more torque at low rpms than in a N52 or any M series engines.
B58 is one of the greatest engines ever. S tier. It is becoming apparent now after hundreds of thousands of them have been built. Very strong and tuneable, closed deck, single turbo. Downsides are it doesn't sound particularly good or rev freely like the previous N55/S55 variants. Longer stroke. What helps these modern BMW engines seem so good is the pairing with the ZF8 automatic transmission is a match made in heaven. They put this combination in virtually everything it's that good. 1-8 series, X1-X7, Z4, Supra, you name it.
The VR6 is technically a straight 6/inline 6, not a V6. The name VR6 comes from the combination of German words “Verkürzt” and “Reihenmotor” meaning "shortened inline engine". I think it should've had a spot on the list, maybe in high C or low-mid B tier
Great video, love these rankings. N54 in D is a little harsh, yes they're super unreliable and expensive but with $1500 in bolt ons they'll make 100-150hp over their 300hp stock
I get the N54 fuel pump being a disaster, but D tier? It's known for being able to push far above stock power reliably, so it's great as a cheap 500-600hp build. Otherwise, it's a great list!
I have one, I hate it. Every second I spend under that engine is a second I wish the jack stands gave out. RHD does not make it any easier. Injector issues, plastic coolant pump breaks. Boost solenoids going out which no one seems to talk about. Lpfp sensor. And the intercooler isn’t even good enough when the car is stock. $3000 for index 12s, I can replace the engine for that price. Serpentine belt entering timing chain. Turbo failure. Ofhg failure causing coolant to enter engine. Yeah it can do all these great things with making power but that only redeems it to a C
@jaafarf1198 You're right, but the worst rating doesn't give it credit for withstanding so much power. But for the average buyer, it really is one of the worst engines.
@topg6896 That's one common thing I heard. Some owners don't have any issues and get a nice and cheap 500HP car, and some get stuck with the purchase cost of an M3 and the pain included in a BMW. It really is a pain to maintain, and its only saving grace is the power potential. It's not my only vehicle, so I am fine-ish, but I really do expect to hit my head against the wall, trying to figure out why it's broken again. C would be fair.
I'd say the M104 is probably one of the best straight sixes you can get right now. They're dirt cheap, easy to find, very reliable once you install new gaskets and they're capable of producing ridiculous power when turbocharged. It's basically a German 2JZ but actually obtainable by mortals.
The JZ is far superior, it beats the m104 in every way except its initial purchase price. They're getting a bit more expensive though, so even that benefit is falling off.
I'd have to disagree with your placing of the S54, N55 and B58. Firstly, the S54 are known to require rod bearings in the long term, which would put it down to A tier. It is not widely known as being a perfect engine like the remainder of the S tier section, but it is damn close. At the very least this would open an argument that the S55 should be lifted to S tier, since the spun crank hub issues have been far less prevalent than spun rod bearings were for the S54. Secondly, the N55 should be a B tier because it implemented the N54 HPFP for a substantial portion of its production run. This is the same part that led to BMW recalling N54's in NA, albeit most early N55s utilised a later version of the part which was still unreliable until a further revision of the HPFP that occurred around 2015. The only difference with the earlier N55's is that there was no class action lawsuit, recall or extended warranty in NA - likely because there were much fewer N55s sold in this configuration as opposed to N54's that were sold between 2006-2010. However, the N55 HPFP issue was resolved when the engine was manufactured for F series BMW applications where a different HPFP strategy was adopted, so the engine was improved substantially later on and that should be also be factored in. However, N55s are also plagued by the same cooling issues that the N54 has (electric waterpump and a general lack of cooling in the coolant and charge air circuits to allow prolonged abuse). It is not a workhorse that can cop prolonged track abuse in factory form like the N52. Lastly, the B58 has to be an S tier. It is reliable across the board, has a very strong block and importantly, it has zero cooling issues unlike the N54/N55.Put simply, it is a workhorse that can be tracked all day long and has plenty of power potential without having to remove the valve cover. It's the modern turbocharged equivalent of the M30.There is no reason for it to be reduced to an A tier other than it not having been put in a proper M car - an argument which has nothing to do with the engine and more to do with BMW.
I have a N52 and it perfectly fits in the A tier. It's one of the best N/A engines BMW ever made (but it also has its issues, e.g. DISA). But I see the B58 (like the even better S58) definitely in the S tier. And the N54 is not that bad, later versions (like in the Z4 E89) were quite reliable and not far behind the N55. The N54 can handle even more power and is happier with higher revs. Just don't go for the early versions or check what has been done yet.
Imagine putting the B58 in A 🤦🏻♂😂 it's the best engine in this list by far, they Dyno at 400hp, can get over 40MPG, have absolute rock solid reliability, have peak power from 1600 - 5000rpm, sound great, excellent drivability, and are cheap to make. Oh and a basic Stage 1 can take it to 500hp and still maintain all of the above.
I think the N54 deserved to be in B tier or at least C tier, I’ve owned 2 and they make stupid power with general mods. As long as you got maintenance down N54s run great
In my opinion M50/52 switch places with M54. M54 has oil burning issues. From oil rings and valve seals. Although all of these engines have issues with their rod bearings.
Late to the party, but I'm glad you remembered to include the Opel CIH-6 engines. They're a really unique design - and I'm glad they rank high on this list!
I would swap the M30 and the M102/M106 with the S50 and the B58. The S50 was insane when you look at the performance to displacement and the new B58 is just the german 2JZ
What's your engine tier list out of order, so this was the last I6 engine that I watched. I would like to see an American version of this list....I wonder what you would put the 4.0L engine as seen in the Jeeps.... Also I would like to see a diesel version for the lists. I have to think that the Cumming's 6BT, (commonly called the 5.9L 12v in the Dodge pickup trucks) would it have to rain in the S-Tier.
The order has been a little random, I’ve just been doing whatever is highest requested but working the general trend of going from most to least cylinders. I will certainly get to the American I6 engines, and will consider doing diesels. Thanks for watching the series, I appreciate it and hope you’re enjoying the videos!
@@running2redline That was supposed to be, "I watched your engine tier lists out of order." Google's voice typing butchered it, and I failed to notice it before I posted the comment. I was telling you so you would have more information, if my question about an American I6 sounded strange. Sorry about not catching the error....
Haha i drive a E90 3 series with the N52, its a fantastic motor that just loves to rev and pull, makes a great noise and sings at 7k rpm. I love it and i was so happy to see it receive the recognition it deserves. Definitely a high A tier motor. happy that u agree :D
Have to agree about the M103. I have the 3.2L AMG version (W124 320E) and it has a ton of leaks which cost so much in labour to fix. I would have sold mine ages ago, but because its a rare early pre merger AMG variant ive decided to keep it going. Maybe some day it will become a valuable car, but i think its unlikely due to the mediocre reptuation of the m103.
Having owned a couple of different engine configurations, mostly i4, i6, v6 and v8, I have come to the conclusion, that the i6 is the best configuration. Many of those engines are bulletproof, and offer more than enough power for daily use, while still being quite affordable to run, compared to v8s. also the i6 beats the V6 in my Oppinion, because it is much smoother and, should anything break, you have much fewer parts. And out of all the Engines, my personal favorite is the M50. It is in my oppinion the very best engine for daily use ever made. You have the increadible smoothness of the engine, making every car feel high value. You have 4 valves and fuel injection, making the engine quite efficient and reliable. But it is also not so new, that you have a ton of technology attached to it. Well, the later M50s came with Vanos, but they are still available without. And god damn it does this engine make an awesome sound. Especially if you throw a good manifold on, it is just a blast to listen to
M104 at B tier is crazy. My dad’s benz has this engine and yes, he had a problem with overheating, but he just needed to replace one single thing and everything was done. His benz has 360k km(220k miles) and it runs perfectly. And it’s also perfect for tuning. It can easily handle 600 hp.
Seeing the m30 in S tier is so accurate, I have an m30b34 that has over 500,000 miles on it in its second car. For the last several years of its life it has seen 25psi of boost with only a set of upgraded head studs. At 475k miles you could still see cross hatch in the cylinder walls.
The Opel CIH I6's largest version was 4 liters claiming 272hp under the engine code C40SE. It was modified by Irmscher for the Omega A and Senator B (similar to Alpina and Brabus) and before the 4liter Irmscher increased the volume of the engine to 3.6liter but unlike the Lotus tuned engine it was naturally aspirated. The Omega A DTM I coudn't find any solid info but I think was an even larger engine but I can't say that for sure but that engine was badass as well, having a 9k redline and producing around 400hp. The I6 put into the Senator B as well and only the Omega A had them, the Omega B switched to the v6 layout. I would also pick the Lotus Omega as presentation, but I just wanted to mention that there were so many other cool cars behind the Lotus Omegas shadow. Opel Omega A had many other cool verions: 3000 24V, Evo 500, Irmscher, and ofc the DTM which was an underperforming platform in its time but in my opinion a very cool car. The Senator also had a very cool Irmscher adaptation with the I6 but in my opinion the basic Senator B was also a car worth mentioning and the british police claimed that they used the senator B because they just coudnt break these cars no matter how much they abused them. Gotta love the Inline 6 layout. Thanks for the cool video, keep it up!
@@running2redline Never tought about it but yeah, sadly I can't find a video but Top Gear did an interview back in the early 90's and showed how they were basically hooning these things on their training grounds and looked for weak spots.
One brief correction, the M52 was iron block in the US, with the exception of the 2.8l engine in the Z3 which was aluminum. There was also the m52tu which was more or less an M54 but with semi electric throttle.
M52TU was better than M54 tbh... it made a little bit less power but it was considerably less prone to oil consumption because of the stupid m54 piston rings :D
Just got a bmw roadster z4 2.2 m54 engine. At 70k miles. That engine is just bullet proof 😲. Never selling it. Changed oil every 6months or 3000miles which ever came first. With ceratec oil additive
The South African market e23 745i was also fitted with the M88 and the e30 333i also had the 3.2 litre M30. Legends. Also, I would've put the M50, M52 and M54 in the same tier. M54 no better than M50 imo. Perhaps a bit worse if you consider how each responds to serious modification. Great list though!
@@MisoElEven Ive always heard the "rumor" about a flashed m50 manifold swap yielding 20+whp and thought it was too good to be true. Years later i own two M52s and i can 100% confirm, as a matter of fact im on the + side with only a heatshielded intake and no exhaust. The "rumors" are even conservative and verified. Worth every single penny. Its a different motor! LEGEND
M256 owner here and yeah it's one hell of an engine. 84'000km I run it on 0w40 esp x3. I've seen s classes with 200'000km and not even maintained properly. 435hp in the E class coupe go well while maintaining good fuel economy. Almost 2 tons of weight and 8.5-9.0l/100km consumption The Land Rover I6 mild hybrid was released simultaneously, it's pretty much exactly the same thing if you look at the data sheets
@@running2redline thanks a lot! yeah I'm at 670km on the same tank and reserve light hasn't popped out yet! (66l tank) Personally I love it, for sure feels like a V8 in some way. From a dig it goes instantely, no lag at all, kinda feels electric when you press the gas paddle right. 9th gear at 65Km/h the engine is at 900rpm! And it can accelerate from as low as 1'000rpm without a problem thanks to the eq-boost. Vibrations (unlike in my Ferrari derived V6) are non existent, it is silly smooth and the power delivery ultra linear up to the peak at around 6'100rpm. And this car goes like HELL. I've been in the E63s which is utterly insane but this still reaches 100mph like nothing. My personal eco record over a 100km distance (mixed cycle) are 7.0l/100km. I only miss the amg sports exhaust and burmester high end stereo otherwise I totally recommend this car/engine for now, a hidden gem under all the C63s
The m256 feels like the first step into a new era of engine design and philosophy Also it shares the name with the main gun of a M1 Abrams so that’s cool too
No love for the M57?? Not even a mention. Mine is basically stock just tuned. Over 600 lb ft of torque and I can get 42 mpg hwy. there is NOTHING else like it. Performance and fuel economy don’t normally go together. IMO the best thing BMW has ever made
I grew up on American V8s, and the S54 with a Dinan exhaust is the engine that made me realize why people like I6s. I mean it was down like a hundred horsepower on my Mustang, but it was sooooooooooooooo(this goes on for some time)ooooo good to drive, and high in the rev range, it just SCREAMED
m256 is really incredible engine. It uses 48v system way better than bmw or audi. This thing does not have any belt and it actually turns off the engine when your cruising.
Id place the N52 in the C tier. Seen so much issues with em during my time working as a tech in the dealership. Valvetronic motors, broken head studs. Overall its a fragile motor.
never forget. the s54 nearly makes as much power as the b58does, but its NA. i genuinely belive the s54 is one of the greatest engines ever made. especially for when it was
I will say Mercedes is closer than it looks on the graphic because the big block family in S tier is really 5 engines. Although I do agree BMW is the best at it, they’ve been at it the longest and have had the most success, some truly great engines!
This video was gasoline I6 only. Will make another for diesels, but if I had put them together the video would likely be around an hour long and I want to make sure they’re short and watchable. Thanks for watching!
In my opinion putting M50 on a B tier is a crime, it should be atleast on A tier. Arguably one the most reliable engines BMW has ever made. Incredibly robust even in tuning use, my friend has an E36 with M50B25 stock unopened engine running over 500hp with Holset HX40.
I have an M256 engine car now and I'm glad you gave it an S grade! However, there are two types of m256 engine: the engine used in the 450 and the engine used in the 53amg. Which of the two is better?
They are neither of them. The have a single cylinder bank like an inline-6, but they also have a cylinder angle like a V6 (it's just much smaller with 15° instead of the usual 60°). Therefore VR aren't as smooth as i6. They don't even sound like an inline-6 engine and VW marketed it as "V6" in many models (after they recognized "VR" doesn't work anymore). So even VW saw that this engine is more a V6 than a R6 (hence the name "VR", inline-6).
@@exoroxx the have close to the perfect primary and secondary balance of an inline 6, only a small rocking couple created by the staggering of the pistons. Ok while there is a small v angle it has more in common with an inline 6 than a v6, which is why VR means shortened inline.
@@destroyer6470 VR means this engine is a V as well as a R (which stands for "Reihe", translates into 'row'). I also see that this engine (like the VR5) is more an inline-6 than a V6 (but fun fact: VW doesn't). But the small 15° cylinder angle makes it different to any other inline-6 engine. An inline-6 is perferctly balanced - not only close to.
@@exoroxx The name VR6 comes from the combination of German words “Verkürzt” and “Reihenmotor” meaning “shortened inline engine”. It was developed specifically for transverse engine installations and FWD (front-wheel drive) vehicles.
@@destroyer6470 I hear this explanation the very first time. It doesan't explain why VW calls it V6 for models after 1997. I guess they didn't believe in this myth anymore... But it doesn't really matter what VR stands for. It sits somewhere between V6 und R6 (inline-6) - and that's the reason why you can't count it to those other inline-sixes. I know why this engine was developed. Fun fact: Volvo made a real inline-6 with up to 3,2 liter (which was only 3 mm longer than their inline-5) also for FWD and transverse installation.
Ranking the n53 above the n54 makes no semse mate The n53 has the same problems (minus turbos) but some others additionaly and makes less power So no reason to rank it better than the n54
B58 sounds good and makes great power and all they just break, already seen one get replaced at my dealership in a Supra half a year ago, they’re worth buying with a fat warranty only
I’ve heard a lot of good about them, but there’s no denying a full engine replacement is a terrible thing to deal with. Unfortunate it would fail on a car that new
The title says German I6 engines. I have a German V8 video which includes the S65 because it is a V8. It can be found in the engine tier list playlist on my channel!
Have a 03 530i besides the cooling system issues the engine is extremely reliable I’ve been able to take it on plenty of drives and it last well, honestly one of best cars I owned really quick too