List of BMW engines

BMW has used the following engines in its vehicles:

Gasoline/petrol piston engines

For information on BMW Motorrad motorcycle engines, see History of BMW motorcycles.

Straight-three

• 2013–present – 1.2/1.5 L B38

Straight-four

• 1960–1984 – 1.5–2.0 L M10
• 1986–1990 – 2.0–2.5 L S14
• 1987–1995 – 1.6/1.8 L M40
• 1989–1996 – 1.8 L M42
• 1991–2002 – 1.6/1.8/1.9 L M43
• 1996–2001 – 1.9 L M44
• 2001–2004 – 1.6 L N40
• 2001–2004 – 1.8/2.0 L N42
• 2004–2007 – 1.8/2.0 L N46
• 2004–2011 – 1.6/2.0 L N45
• 2007–2011 – 1.6/2.0 L N43
• 2011–present – 2.0 L N20
• 2013–present – 1.6 L N20
• 2011–present – 1.6 L N13
• 2012–present – 2.0 L N26
• 2013–present – 2.0 L B48

Straight-six

BMW is famous for its straight six engines, which have powered many of their most popular models.

• 1933–1950 – 1.2-1.9 L M78
• 1936–1940 – 2.0-2.1 L M328
• 1939–1941 – 3.5 L M335
• 1952–1958 – 2.0-2.1 L M337
• 1968–1994 – 2.5-3.5 L M30
• 1977–1993 – 2.0-2.7 L M20
• 1978–1989 – 3.5 L M88/S38
• 1980–1982 – 3.2 L M102
• 1982–1986 – 3.4 L M106
• 1989–1996 – 2.0-2.5 L M50
• 1992–1999 – 3.0/3.2 L S50
• 1994–2000 – 2.0-2.8 L M52
• 1996–2000 – 3.2 L S52
• 2000–2006 – 2.2-3.0 L M54
• 2000–2008 – 3.2 L S54
• 2002–2005 – 2.5 L M56
• 2005–2015 – 2.5-3.0 L N52
• 2006–present – 3.0 L N54 (as of 2015)
• 2007–2014 – 2.5-3.0 L N53
• 2009–present – 3.0 L N55
• 2014–present – 3.0 L S55
• 2015–present – 3.0 L B58

V8

• 1951–1965 - 2.6-3.2 L "BMW OHV V8"
• 1992–1996 - 3.0-4.0 L M60
• 1996–2005 - 3.5-4.4 L M62
• 1998–2006 - 4.9-5.0 L S62
• 2000–2005 - 4.0 L P60B40
• 2001–2010 - 3.6-4.8 L N62 (still used in Morgan Aero 8 as of 2017)
• 2007–2013 - 4.0 L S65
• 2008–present - 4.4 L N63
• 2009–present - 4.4 L S63

V10

• 2005–2010 - 5.0 L S85

V12

• 1987–1996 - 5.0 L M70
• 1992–1996 - 5.6 L S70
• 1993–2002 - 5.4 L M73
• 1993–2000 - 6.1 L S70/2
• 1999 - 6.0 L P75
• 2003–2008 - 6.0 L N73
• 2009–present - 6.0 L N74
• 2016–present - 6.6 L N74

V16

• 1987 - 6.7 L Goldfish (M70 V12 based prototype)
• 2004 - 9.0 L - Rolls-Royce 100EX V16 engine prototype

Diesel piston engines

Straight-three

• 2012–present – 1.5 L B37

Straight-four

• 1994–2000 – 1.7 L M41
• 1998–2006 – 2.0 L M47
• 2006–present – 2.0 L N47
• 2013–present – 2.0 L B47

Straight-six

• 1983–1993 – 2.4 L M21
• 1991–2000 – 2.5 L M51
• 1998–present – 2.5-3.0 L M57
• 2008–present – 2.5-3.0 L N57
• 2015–present – 3.0 L B57

V8

• 1998-2009 - 3.9-4.4 L M67

Aircraft engines

Inline piston engines

• 1917–1919 – IIIa, 19.1 L straight-six — first BMW corporate product of any kind
• 1919, 1925–? – IV, 23.5 L straight-six
• VI, 38.2 L V12
• 1926–1937 – VI, 45.8 L V12
• VIIa supercharged V12
• 116 (initially XII), 20.7 L V12, never manufactured
• 116 (initially XV), 36.0 L V12, never manufactured

Radial piston engines

• X, 2.2 L 5-cylinder
  • Xa, 2.9 L 5-cylinder
• 1933–? – 132, 27.7 L 9-cylinder, development of Pratt & Whitney R-1690 Hornet built under licence
  • 1935 – 114, prototype development of 132
  • 1935 – BMW-Lanova 114 V-4, supercharged liquid-cooled diesel prototype development of 114
• 1939–1945 – 801, 41.8 L supercharged 14-cylinder double row
• 1942 – 802, 53.7 L supercharged 18-cylinder double row, never manufactured
• 803, 83.5 L supercharged 28-cylinder 4-row liquid-cooled, never manufactured
• 1936–1944 – Bramo 323, 26.8 L supercharged 9-cylinder, inherited when BMW bought Bramo in 1939

Jet engines

• 1944–1945 – 003 axial flow turbojet
• 1997–2000 – BMW Rolls-Royce BR700 family of turbofans; Rolls-Royce plc bought out the venture in 2000.

Diesel engines timeline

Technologies in modern engines

BMW engines are using technologies such as:

• Direct injection (called High Precision Injection by BMW). Engines including the turbocharged N54 and naturally-aspirated N53 (mostly European markets) used the more costly piezo injectors. However, where "lean burn" cannot be used (such as in North America), less costly solenoid-type injectors are often used- for example in the N54's successor, the N55.
• Turbocharging. BMW uses the name "TwinPower Turbo" to describe both twin-turbo engines and engines using a single twin-scroll turbocharger. The "TwinPower Turbo" moniker initially denoted engines that utilize a twin-scroll turbocharger which was unveiled in 2009 (the calendar year, not the model year) with the N55 and N74 being the first engines to use this technology. Nonetheless, BMW has started to apply the TwinPower label retroactively to earlier turbocharged engines that are still in production like the N54 and N63 which have twin turbochargers but do not use twin-scroll technology. The S63 V8 and N74 V12 engines have two twin-scroll turbochargers.
• Variable valve lift (called Valvetronic by BMW)
• Variable valve timing (called VANOS by BMW)