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Message: <blockquote data-quote="rpmnut" data-source="post: 539105" data-attributes="member: 20757">I think going the turbocharged route is perfectly alright. After all, the turbo Twin Power straight-six in the 535i is a gem of an engine.But when you're talking about cars like the 5 & 7 series, there's a certain appeal of having the car powered by more than 4 cylinders.As for Audi and Mercedes, their turbocharging/supercharging/downsizing hasn't been limited to just their 4 cylinder engines. They are applying it to even their V6/V8 engines. The main issue for me, I suppose, is this : As advanced as a 4 cylinder engine is, it still is a 4 cylinder. A format shared with Honda Accords, Toyota Camrys and every Jap-mobile you can name. And it's not the optimum cylinder layout for premium cars, IMHO. No matter how advanced a 4 cylinder engine is made, a good 6-cylinder engine will always beat it for smoothness.In most cases where a car receives a downsized engine, it's principally to beat the European tax system, which determines road tax by the CO2 output of the engine. 4 cylinders obviously produce less carbon, and are taxed accordingly. Thus it's a move to please the pocket/wallet rather than improve the driving experience.</blockquote>