With BMW's next-generation 3-Series around the corner, you know that the M3 is following closely behind. Given that we've seen the camouflage come off the 3-Series, that means it must be reaching final stages of development.
Taking that into consideration, we know that the M3 has to be undergoing some sort of testing at this point, even though it hasn't been photographed. According to sources, the M3 is being tested with no less than FOUR different engines.
Yes, four.
And they all vary widely. You have forced induction and naturally aspirated powerplants, but the real news is a rumored V6 that could make its way into the next M product. Although it sounds far fetched, so did a an X6M that broke all the "rules": all-wheel drive, turbo, SUV, etc.
You have to remember, we're in evolutionary times here and in order to keep up with the competition, BMW has to innovate and spice things up.
So the question is, what powerplant option do you think would work best for the next-gen M3?
The next generation M3 is still at least 3 years from its debut, but it's never too early for speculation, particularly about its powerplant. While the current E9x M3 is powered by the marvelous high-revving V8 engine (S65), it's been widely speculated that that the next generation M3 will return to using a 6-cylinder engine. Emissions regulations have forced the move, much like the new upcoming F10 M5 getting the more efficient S63 V8 Twin-turbo engine instead of continuing to use the iconic V10.
So far so good. However, according to our good source with close ties to BMW M, BMW has not settled on exactly which engine layout the company will use for the F30/F32 M3. Rather, the guys at BMW M are currently testing no less than four different engines at the moment, using four separate E9x M3 prototypes. They are as follows:[Source: M3post]
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