Motor Trend on why the inline-6 might come back

[Kuato]

Originally Posted By: Lolvoguy
FWIW IIRC Volvo still uses the 3.2 I6 in their base S80


Yep and on more than just the S80...AND it's transverse mounted too.

 

[ledslinger]

I experience inline 6s in 60's Fords and Chevys, and V6s by Chrysler, GMC, Buick and Ford. I'll take a V6, though I've not had a BMW inline. I'm sure I6s got better with fuel injection as far as economy, my 60's Chevy IIs usually got 18 MPG. My 2000 Concorde 2.7 V6 has gotten as high as 34 MPG on the highway.

I thought I6s were buzzy and had little low end torque, particularly the 170 Ford. I didn't like them and always liked V6s better.

Strange how much talk about how V6s were only developed to solve packaging problems when the GMC 305 and the Buick 231 were developed for RWD platforms. I think the first Ford 60 degree was for a RWD platform also.

I like V6s better.

 

[artificialist]

Originally Posted By: Kiwi_ME

I think that the VW VR6 failed to survive because of too much dead space between the top ring and piston crown which raises CO emissions. The piston crown was tilted 15 deg (or 7.5?) to the bore.
I don't think straight sixes are coming back at least to applications where they have already left. The remaining life of piston engines belongs to the turbocharger.

VW solved that problem by giving the 3.6L VR6 a 11.6 degree bank angle. It would create piston crowns with a 5.8 degree angle. GDI may have contributed to solving the CO problem as well.

 

[MCompact]

BMW is committed to the inline engine architecture; their B series engines family is a modular design with a common bore and stroke that results in a 500cc displacement per cylinder. BMW will thus be able to produce a 1.5 I3, a 2.0 I4, and a 3.0 I6- all of which can be further differentiated by spark or compression ignition as well as intake, exhaust, and turbo tuning.