Will Lucas The only problem with engineers reviewing cars is that they get too excited (if they like it) and talk too fast. How do I slow this guy down. 🤨 ☺️
Then again, he drives a Subaru Crosstrek which is...slow as fark. As in 0-60 by lunch if you're lucky, slow. A lot of people would find that hard to live with.
Jan Niklas Wittmann Hi, Would you know if this hybrid is a Development of Mercedes (only) or maybe co-developed with ZF or just bought from ZF? I’m just curious. If you can’t answer here I understand of cause.
Was not directly involved with the planning of the ISG just with the motor itself and only the strategic planning of quantity. No idea if zf has there hands in it. But EE was right, the m256 can be run on the same production lines as the m254 I. E.
reliable and jeep are antonyms lol. I've had a few from my experience they are far from reliable, fun off-roading machines though, wouldn't trade mine for anything, but the engine has been replaced 3 times in 250,000 miles.
Same, I had a 90 Cherokee with the i6 in it. The only problems I had with it were the ones I created. Mostly because back then I didn't understand why I needed antifreeze coolant and not just tap water in my radiator while in Florida.
If jeeps I6 could only have had their intake and exhaust in opposite sides, more TORQUE and horsepower. My inline 6 is already hard to hold back at a traffic light. LOL!
@@ZeroCooly wtf i have a jeep i6 with 155k miles og tranny too. And a grand cherokee 5.9 240k miles og tranny too, that one was offroaded to hell in arizona. adn OG engines
Yeah, but the Clio is a smaller car, so it feels more powerful than it actually is. My 155 hp Suzuki Aerio with a five-speed feels faster than a lot of heavier cars with 200+ horsepower, because it only weighs 2,600 lbs.
Unlike English, the German language doesn't make a difference between a generator (DC) or an alternator (AC), the actual German word for both is Lichtmaschine, (machine generating light) but nowadays the English word generator has been absorbed in the German language as a simpler substitute.
I forgot to mention earlier... almost every heavy duty Simi truck on the road today in the USA is powered by an in line 6, most either 13 or 15 liter diesel.
In industrial aplications, an inline 6 is the prefered format as it is naturally balanced. Trucks, locomotoves or ships all have I6 engines because the natural lack of vibrations that would cause significant problems in those large displacement.
I remember my parents early mustang with an i6. That one was smooth. Which ones? I honestly haven’t heard an i6 or v12 for that matter that wasn’t beautiful music. That old I6 from jag dates back to the fifties and it sounds mint.
Just built a beautiful Ford 300 straight six. It replaced the garbage 390! Ford also made a nice 200 inch. Also just got done 2 Mercedes 3.0L, a BMW M30 and M20, and now I have a 4.2 Jaguar engine to do. My 2 favorite gas engines are the Chevrolet 292, and the Nissan 2.5L found in the R34 Skyline. And for diesels, any Cummins straight six!
It can be turned off, but it's deep in the menu. I spent about 15 minutes trying to find it and was unsuccessful. Sofyan of Redline Reviews showed me after I had filmed my review.
Engineers "How can we piss off mechanics this time?" Mechanics " Sir, replacing the alternator will cost you around $2000 because it is located in the transmission now" Customer " What? Why? Who does that?"
Good illustration ... how you pay extra for simple alternator repair and replacement when the cars alternator is sandwiched between engine flywheel and transmission ... an hour’s job becomes days works at the end customer pays more for mundane jobs as you have pointed out Haris
That is a great microcosm of why I do not, and will not, buy modern German automobiles. They are NOT designed to be serviced by the owner. I can do just about anything I need to do to my Blazer with relative ease. And have.
I am German and ISG stands for: Integrierter Starter Generator --> so it's not alternator, we say ,, generator" You were right on this engineering explained 👍
Verdammt, das wolllte ich schon schreiben! Bin extra deswegen wiedergekommen. Egal, gibt nen extra like, damit es weiter hochkommt. Geht in den comments wohl eh unter, naja... whatever
the tech is superb. the electric alternator is next level. instant 160lbs of torque on top of the 80-125hp the engine is producing....and when u hit 2500 ur gone! imagine this for the lil clk😉 this will come to all cars. the gearbox will include an electric motor, like a strong drill. it could even be air compressed 😉
the old jeep 4.0L inline 6 was amazing in my wrangler, just a perfect match of car and engine (with regards to its intended off road purposes). they should have never quit making it!
(Spoken like any war film German accent) Ah zou hate me but I hev recorded your last three calls to your side chick zo if you don't vant zem on social media I zuggest you do as you are told. Now drive me to ze main dealer zo zey can tickle my money light.
I am no engine expert. But I do remember the inline 6 my friend had in his late 80's BMW 3 Series with a manual transmission....how sweet it sounded...and how well it pulled......
@@nathanielallen865 BMW switched to a "modular platform" some years ago and make a bunch of inline 4's on the same line that they make inline 6's. MB has done something similar, as mentioned in this video, in that they used their inline 4 assembly line to make inline 6 engines. As an example my mother in law's 2014 328i has a 2.0 liter turbo 4 whereas her previous 2001 325i had 2.5 liter straight 6. The MIL has no clue, nor does she care!
I still have an I-6 right behind me. My old 4.0 Jeep in the garage, still purring away. I live in a no salt climate so it's still in good shape. I'll keep it always.
@Mike Hunt That's ultra-low miles. A keeper. TJ's will eventually be collectors. Mine is a 92' Sahara which is what they used to make the Jurassic Jeep. I have collectors insurance on mine. About 250 a year, full coverage, no deductible with an agreed value of $12,000. I think yours is old enough for collectors insurance. You could probably save a bunch of money. If you want, I'll ask my wife which company we use. Not all will cover Jeeps.
blame marketing people "what do you mean the numbers will go lower and we have to justify to our customers that its actually better??" I hate salespeople and catering to them for theis very exact reason.
@@derpdudedatboi7455 it would make a great drop-in for a vintage merc resto-mod. Then you get all the advantages of an old car with the reliability of a new car
@@SleepyTM1 I'd tend to disagree. The expected lifespan of a car from the 1970's was 75,000 miles. Nowadays it's well over 200k. Modern engines are flat out more reliable. I have several old cars, all under 100k original miles. The engines are worn out. Oil leakage, low compression, camshafts with flattened lobes, etc. Every car newer than MY 2000 has lasted well over 200k miles. (Except for a BMW MINI but thats neither here nor there)
The inline six has always been one of the very best configurations. Better balance equals better reliability. Non efi models sometimes have fuel distribution issues and the length means heavier block and crankshaft but with proper engineering can be overcome.
Inline6 needs actually stronger camshafts and crankshafts,because of the length the shaft want to bend,so it needs to be stronger by default compared to inline 4 (torsional physics)
@@egeayvala1799 Yes, we are aware of this. The inline will likely always pay a penalty for this in performance, however in gross reliability, smoothness, and simplicity terms, worth the effort. This is why industry tends to embrace this design, especially with constant speed engines.
@@egeayvala1799 Torsional imbalance in the crank is much easier to handle than primary or secondary imbalances in the engine itself. At the end of the day, the perfect primary and secondary balance of an inline 6 makes all the other minor flaws seem trivial.
Manufacturers really steered away from the inline six because of their length and their height. Dodge approached the height by tilting the engine over, for their "slant six" but ultimately the desire to lower and shorten the hood for better road visibility took over and the Vee configuration does both.
Well yes but they can do these prices because they have been consistent and been great to their costumers for decades that has given them a good name that in it self adds value.
@@emiliospowerballer1441 That applies to almost every premium branded item you buy regardless of what it is. In fact even lesser brands are loaded with margin wherever possible.
My car has a BMW N52 I6, one of the greatest engines ever made, it’s unbelievably smooth, it just pulls from idle (600rpm) to redline (7krpm) so linearly and gracefully. All the I4 and V6 cars I’ve been in feel like they’re driving through gravel by comparison
Well many older mercs are way more reliable and have low maintance costs. I own a MB W124 300d n/a diesel i6, still runs fine as vine. Not many struggles with it tbh.
Mercedes: How can I help you? Driver: TYRES ARE DEAD, CAN'T DRIVE LIKE THIS, ALSO TELL BOTTAS TO SLOW DOWN. As for I6 vs V6: Always preferred I6 due to their simplicity and balance, might be a bit biased because BMW, Merc, Nissan and Toyota I6 I had were bulletproof, while the VW/Audi V6 were total garbage (unlike their godly 5 cylinders).
@@wcurtin1962 The worst engines IMO are the 3 cylinder ones... not only do they sound and feel like they're broken, most of them also have serious heat issues when pushed, so they run rich just to keep temperatures in check - making them guzzle more fuel than a proper engine without delivering any kind of serious power.
@@danielrouw2593 Didn't say all Toyota i6... the old ones up to the 2jz. Yeah some V8 are quite reliable, but especially on the more modern / European ones it's usually a nightmare to work on. Merc's 6.3 V8 and BMW's 4.6L V8 were quite good, same for Audi's NA 4.2 V8 (Turbo / Bi-Turbi versions kinda sucked, tough). Being in Germany, I didn't get my hands on too many U.S. V8... usually, they're build quite conservative (reliable), the main breaking points would likely be related to insufficient (oil) cooling / lubrication etc. or maybe things like head gaskets and so on.
Lol its nothing new, honda has been doing the integrated startor / alternator on their ruckus scooters for decades. Its actually a more mechanically robust system because theres no brushes in the starter motor to go bad.
As you described here, it's like a catch 22. Companies today are starting to provide the inline 6s, but at the cost of putting them in SUVs, which are heavier and you can't feel that power because you're driving a boat.
This is an interesting technical achievement by Mercedes. Typically the goal of hybrid electrification is to achieve better mpg. But good mpg has never been a high priority for Mercedes because most luxury car buyers don't care about fuel prices. So if the goal of a hybrid is performance and other non-fuel saving goals, then that allows all sorts of approaches. The problem is this approach adds huge amounts of complexity requiring sensors, computers, and software to get the components to even work together. It is the kind of system that will be costly to keep running. And in the end all the technology doesn't make it do anything much better than its competitors, just be more expensive.
You do NOT purchase this car, you lease it and make sure it stays under warranty for the entire time you drive it, when the lease is up, GET RID OF IT !
@@oveidasinclair982 You do non of those and buy it when it's 2-3 years old get it for half leasing is probably for those that don't know what a hood latch is fill it up and go maintenance?? What is that
I have a '95 Ram 2500 with a Cummins 5.9L 12v I-6 diesel 5-speed 4wd, with a bn engine in it. Has enough engine noise to make it seem decently fast. If you want more power, put a bigger turbo in it! My truck probably has at least the same HP, but more torque (600-700ft-lbs total) than the Mercedes M256 engine
Keith Libner How true! I love the silky-smooth I-6 in my 2011 328i. It could be mistaken for a well-balanced small V8. It’s definitely smooth and pulls stronger than it’s displacement would infer and is definitely smooth. I could never own any four cylinder engine again as I’ve been spoiled.
0:13 "Engine downsizing, and usually we are all very sad about engine downsizing." 0:16 "Because the V8 is disappearing, and instead we have lots of *little four cylinders* and that makes people sad." _America likes this quote_
Any automotive enthusiast from anywhere in the world likes this statement. I've never heard anyone from Italy calling for 4 cylinder swaps in a 458. Or anyone saying I really like my Koenigsegg but I think it could really benefit from half as many cylinders.
@Stephen j I helped my buddies brother install a CX racing turbo kit on his 95 e36 it was such a nightmare we had to just pull the whole motor which made the process three times longer than any other turbo kit
Guess I just had a dud then, because BMW has been one of the worst vehicles I've ever owned. I had a 95 M3. It had slightly over 150k and was only 14yrs old when it literally started to fall apart on me. It was owned by a Doctor before me and he had all the maintenance records. So it was taken care of as far as I knew. He said he purchased it used in 97 at only 12k. After my first yr of daily driving it, it developed a pretty bad rear main seal oil leak. I was having to put about a qt of oil in every 2 wks. Then the rear welds that weld the rear strut mounts to the body completely sheared off! It looked like the car had switches. Id go over a small bump in the road and it'd start to bounce pretty bad. I had to sell it for cheap, just to get rid of it. Got an 02 Z28 Camaro and never looked back. As far as luxury is conferenced BMW wasn't my favorite. Then again the M3 was built for sport, not luxury. It was a pain to work on and the parts were way overpriced. That I6 in the M3 was decent, only because it has a 5 speed manual in it. I can definitely say that my 04 G35X easily out performs that M3. Which it should considering it is 10 yrs younger and had newer tech. Now an 04 M3 is another story. My friend had an 02 and his was pretty nice. I prefer the E46 over the E36, but I've read that they too had issues with the subframe welds breaking at the rear strut mounts. The same exact issue I had with that E36. I'd still give BMW another chance if I ever come across a great deal. I've had a Lincoln LS, Caddy's, Mercedes E class, Acura TL, Infiniti G35x so I like the luxury sedan platform. I've also owned a lot of sports cars, love the two seat coupes. But there's just something about a nice luxury sedan. Im really considering getting an Infiniti M56S. Get the best of both worlds with a 420hp 5.6 liter V8.
@@rowen898 Depends on how many oil leaks you are okay with. German cars are disposable since about 2005. As soon as the warranty is up, they fall apart and their values go into free fall.
They need too. I remember the six cylinder in a coworkers 3 series was redlined at 4200 RPM! Imagine that a huge unbalanced American V8 can our rev your fancy European engine!
Inline 6 cylinders are the ideal engine configuration. Smooth, simple and very reliable. Throw on a a turbo and you have V8 power. Look at semi trucks, they have I6 engines and they last well over 1,000,000 miles hauling 80,000 lbs.
I had a 1977 Chevy Nova 4dr with an inline 6, 250ci. Cast iron block and heads. Nice, simple, straightforward engine. 1 bbl carb, even this was real simple to maintain, couple of hours of work,soaking for cleaning, reassembled. I did all my engine work on top. Even changed the Starter just by opening the hood, and there it was - easy. I miss that car. Looking around for stock models,.I would like to own one again. I went to an Auto Shop (circa 1986) and the Mechanic said, "I can rebuild that engine in a day!" (8AM to 5PM, excluding 1hr Lunch Break). I forgotten the actual quote, but it was cheap, maybe around 600 to 700 dollars circa 1986. Parts and Labor.
My first car was an inline 6. BMW 2800cs. Inline 6 will always be my favorite. So strong. So balanced. Has plenty of power tuned down. Can be juiced up to handle a TON.
@@seven9766 Thats their name for a dynamo... Which is pretty much the same, but name comes from bicycles light. They use the word generator in these cases. "Der generator" "der Wechselstromgenerator" etc Last one being a generator that produces AC current. Makes total sense as its pretty much the same in Norwegian which is based on german pretty much xD
We use "Dynamo" in the context of bikes and smaller electric devices and "Lichtmaschine" in the context of cars. "Generator" is generally used for larger generators. It's sometimes used to refer to a "Lichtmaschine" but both "Generator" and "Lichtmaschine" are almost never used when referring to a "Dynamo". "Alternator" also exists in German but it's generally very uncommon.
No alternator! ISG stands for "Integrated-Starter-Generator" in principal like the 70s 2-stroke Yamaha had running off the crank. Since batteries are DC, a DC generator can be field-reversed into a DC electric motor. An alternator CAN'T be reversed and act as a motor on DC current.
Loved the video and really interesting insights into incorporation of modest electronic componentry to make a real performance improvement. But I think you forgot to mention the coolest thing about in-line sixes : the fact they have 7 crankshaft bearings, one either side of each conrod! More than a V8, more than a V10, the same as a V12. This makes the robustness of the crank up for amazing boost (just like the in-line 4’s you mention, which have 5 mains for 4 cylinders, but difficulties with balance)! Please keep the reviews coming!
My first inline 6 was a slant six in a Dodge Aspen. They were bombproof engines but not a lot of power. I now have a '97 Land Cruiser with an inline six. It is a nice engine. They are pretty durable engines except the head gaskets can go.
Also, if your engine is mounted transversely for a FWD only car, it's a lot easier to reach important bits on the top of the I6 as oppose to bits on top of the side of the V6 facing the passenger compartment.
Felt like it was a mishmash of information. I don't think the point of going from 3.5L to 3.0L is the downsizing. They added a turbo, so most likely they made the bore smaller to handle higher pressures. The new engine has significantly more power/torque (probably drinks more gas too). Just irks me a bit that he compartmentalizes the unknown closed door engineering decisions into something so simple and general. Could be 100s of reasons (engineering or not) for their manufacturing decisions.
Great review. Drove a 95 Wrangler with a 4.0 inline six for years....fantastic engine for all the reasons you mention. Easy to work on...everything is right in front of you under the hood. Bomb-proof motor, really. I know there's some science behind optimal balancing of an I6 that's pretty cool. You should do a video on that.
@@garthlundquist8316 1965 tech. They put them in f600s and single axle dump trucks, ups trucks and industrial equipment. No its not fast but it will run for a long time and handle a load like its not there. All my ford trucks are 300's. Dont be in a hurry and it'll do whayever you ask it
Here in Australia we have an amazing engine (production ended in 2016) called the BARRA. It's a 4.0L DOHC Inline 6 made by Ford Australia most notably used in the Ford Falcon which was a Sedan, Station Wagon and a UTE (kinda like a pickup truck).
@@Foche_T._Schitt I totaled a 420 hp Cadillac CTS-V Sport which was WAY fast and decided to slow down with a Chevy Volt. Damn what a nice car! It gives me about 60 miles on a charge and I never go nearly that far. I ran the gas motor for ten miles just to see and used one quart of gas. And have not ONCE drifted it around a 90 degree turn at 50 mph! I also have a Ferrari and drove it like a Ferrari till I crashed the CTS and now it just mostly sits in the basement looking good.
If you want to use the power of the engine best and to have a smoother response. You should try the paddle shifters! They make the car more responsive! 👍🏾
Mazda finished out their Skyactiv-X engine, which will yield fuel-economy on par with a diesel, but using ordinary regular gasoline. They also said that they would be producing a straight-6 with this improved fuel-economy. Looks like a win across the board for me; smoother ride, moderate acceleration, and great fuel-economy. Nothing to not like.
The lane tracking steering issue that is mentioned is the mercedes way of making sure you are still paying attention, this minor tugging on the wheel is the MB check that you are still there and paying attention. I have a MB with the same system and once you're used to it is a fantastic setup. Once a month I have to drive 170 miles, have a karate training and drive back another 170 miles, in the past I would be burned out at the end of the day because of the focused driving required, now with the distronic (keeping distance between you and the car in front) and the lane keeping assist I am completely relaxed after the same trip, just because you don't have to concentrate as much while driving, the car takes care of the mundane part of the trip (keeping distance and staying in your lane).
In line 6's are great and have been short changed for 30 years now. I had a Datsun 260 z that was sweet. The inline 6 came with side draft carburation . A nice torquey , responsive drive train. Much like the jaguars, and several other cars which really had performing 6 cylinders. I worked on numerous v-6's in my younger days, thinking they'd be ez to make perform, but no satisfaction. It came back to the in-line 6 for smooth, quick revving, efficient...I hope other manufacturers keep some healthy ideas flowing on advantages of having the 6 cylinder in their line up!!
you didn’t mention the second most impressive feature of this engine. thanks to the electric motor, when going e.g. downhill, the car will save fuel by sailing/coasting - switching the engine completely off (while putting the gear into neutral), but thanks to the electric motor, it can power it on without any noticeable (for the driver) lag/vibration (!). now THAT is really cool.
Smile Space i’m not talking about start&stop. also, switching off valves/engine during sailing isn’t new, but in every other car, you can FEEL the moment it starts again. which is a bit annoying, especially in a super-quiet limousine (that this engine is often used for).
SkylineFTW97 not the same. in that moment, while you’re using no fuel, you will slow down the car with the resistance of the engine (engine braking). sailing would be akin to putting the gear into neutral and a few cars do that now already, because even though it’s using a bit of fuel for running the engine, it’s more efficient downhill, than using no fuel, slowing down and using fuel to speed up or hold the speed. this goes one step further by combing sailing with switching off the engine completely.
Every fuel injected car /bike I’ve ever owned, does exactly the same thing. On a downhill grade, close the throttle, fuel system shuts down to 0% duty cycle.
Ford does as well. However it is my understanding the difference is a generator produces DC and an alternator produces AC and uses a rectifier to convert AC to DC
I sold my 72 swinger a couple of years ago.....man what a pleasure it was to drive....you could steer it with 1 finger....... and yes it was all original , garage kept 60k miles with cold air....
Thank you. I remember my Triumph GT 6 which was an inline 6 that had a buttery purr much like you described. That 2.0 I-6 had tremendous power, it's too bad the manual syncro-mesh tranny couldn't handle the high torque. I just remember how buttery smooth that engine was like no other. My dad's 1966 Chevy Nova had a pretty Inline 6. real nice and most reliable.
48Volts sounds like a mild hybrid. Expect these will be everywhere soon. Electric torque boost makes sense for any conventional engine as you can have instant torque from zero RPM. Filling that hole in the power band is way more practically useful than turbo or supercharging.
In many ways, BMW's perfected the idea of modular engine design. It's 3-, 4-, and 6-cylinder inline engines share an incredible number of components and architecture, including bore.
gm did this as well with the Atlas engine lineup used in the small trucks/suv from the early 2000s. they had a 2.8l 4 cyl, 3.5l 5 cyl and 4.2l 6 cyl where a great deal of pieces were shared. sadly, these engines were pretty lackluster.
@@Anttihii Nope, that just ain't correct. My 2011 is not pampered, it puts out 300hp through about 85% of the RPM curve and I USE that daily. NOTHING has EVER broken on my 135i. Maybe you need to look at your regular maintenance schedule a bit closer? Change that oil twice a year? ;-)
@@Anttihii I've had my M20B27 (which has a factory redline of 4500) way past 7k and it still keeps on running. They'll live forever with proper maintenance and waiting for the engine to warm up before getting rowdy
Thank you! He goes through the whole video without mentioning that the bottom end of this engine is far stronger than the V6 because of the 3 extra mains. I thought that would be first on the list of why it's better. Great comment.
I am not convinced that 7 bearings v 4 is an advantage. The bearings will be designed for the loads that they need to handle. Also I would expect 7 bearings to have greater frictional losses.
@@fuzzycounsellor9147 The bottom end on most inline 6 are not stronger because they are also much longer and can flex quit a bit under high loads or high rpm. There is no free lunch. Every thing is a compromise. Engineers try to make the best balance they can
@@johnkendall6962 I agree everything is a compromise. One advantage of 7 main bearings is each throw is supported on both sides of the connecting rod. Meaning each main bearing has to carry less load. Many hands make for light work. There are free lunches like turbo charging, turning wasted hot gases into positive compression, but the parts cost money. "Engineers try to make the best balance they can " Agreed.
Or straight 16. It's extremely efficient because you lose all the loses in the drivetrain from the driveshaft. Instead you just have a longer output shaft from the transmission going directly into the differential. SO SMOOTH! It also acts as the, 'spine' of the car, giving excellent chassis balance and control. How is this not already in modern production vehicles, ESPECIALLY with cylinder shut-off technology for cruising/highway speeds??
@@ryanshannon7703 Well that's great and everything but how practical is it? Especially when considering the fact that manufacturers are trying to leech out every bit of production costs
Jason, inline-6 engines have two advantages over V6 engines: 1. Cheap construction. 1a. Cheap construction 1b. Cheap construction 1c. Cheap construction.... 1d. CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP to build! 2. Extremely smooth operation due to the cancellation of primary and secondary order vibration. But that is it. NOW, let's total up the advantages of the V6 design: 1. Compact. FAR easier to package. 2. FAR FAR lighter weight than the long, lengthy inline design, with it's enormously heavy crankshaft. American inline-6 engines with iron blocks were typically HEAVIER than iron small-block V8's! 3. Can often be produced on the same production line as a V8. 4. STRONGER. A V6 engine block forms a "box", which like the early biplanes, gives greater natural strength with no increase in weight. 5. FAR better high RPM performance. An inline 6 that revs to 8000 rpm can be done, but the vibrations up and down the crankshaft are enormous and as a result.....It has to be built VERY strong. Meaning....Heavy. Or it has to use exotic metals = $. 6. Volkswagen's VR6: Need I say more? Size of a four cylinder, revs like a V, yet smooth like an inline design. And don't even get me started about how much better than all of them is the flat-6 engine.....
The VR6 is technically an Inline 6 with a slight offset(10.6 degrees in the 3.6l or 15 degrees in the 2.8, 2.9 and 3.2). It has the same firing order as an I6, 1 cylinder head, 2 camshafts, and it's crankshaft has 7 main bearings just like a modern I6.
I did a quick scan of all available models where I live (EU, Netherlands) and I found the following figures: - 2, 3 and 4 cylinder engines: 3500 models (across all car brands) - 5, 6, 8, 10 and 12 cylinders: 500 models. The cheapest car with a 6 cylinder engine costs 70000 euro, but most of them are upwards of 90000 euro. The cheapest car with an 8 cylinder engine costs roughly 100000 euro (some Ford, I’m not sure which one) So they’ve just become too expensive for us to buy. You only see some older cars with engines larger than 2.5 liters, but most engines are 1.4 liter 3 or 4 cylinder engines. Oh well, combustion engines are on their way out anyway, so I don’t really mind. We’ll have the classics to remind us of the old days.
Taxes are incredible on larger engined cars in The Netherlands because the consumption figures on paper aren’t good. An i6 BMW is like 60k net but 100k after taxes.
Fun fact: AMG first came with straight six engines before going to V8s and V12s Just glad that AMG created the 53 series with the straight six engines which is honestly pretty cool
And now the German engineers that held fast to the in-line 6, are starting to feel the love again! All other things aside, something that the straight-6 (there's an age disclosure) gives you, is a nice longer hood line. What's not to like about the looks of the 240Z or other straight-6 cars!!
Love the inline 6 in our 05 e320 cdi (om648). Wish they would bring her back in a modern car or some varient. We routinely get 44-46 mpg and it'll get up and go.
I built a Ford 300 inline 6 with Holley Sniper EFI, 240 head, Comp Cam, Roller Rockers, Offy intake and blowthrough Turbo setup. Its a monster in my 71 F100 Shortbed 4x4. Very very strong
"This is a $100,000 car but meh whatever"
We need more engineers reviewing cars. Straight and to the point
Status symbol is what this is. It is like doing a massive lift on a brand new truck and putting as many aftermarket items on as possible.
KnightsWithoutATable LOL, funny. Then, the license plate will say “mywllet”!
Will Lucas I’m a bit surprised by Mercedes engineering team; could’ve seen these issues ahead of time and corrected! (previously owned a C-230)
Will Lucas The only problem with engineers reviewing cars is that they get too excited (if they like it) and talk too fast. How do I slow this guy down. 🤨 ☺️
Then again, he drives a Subaru Crosstrek which is...slow as fark. As in 0-60 by lunch if you're lucky, slow. A lot of people would find that hard to live with.
In German it's integrierter starter generator, worked at the production planning when this engine was being planned :)
There is a disable option for the FORD "turn the engine off everytime I stop" feature.
Jan Niklas Wittmann Hi,
Would you know if this hybrid is a Development of Mercedes (only) or maybe co-developed with ZF or just bought from ZF?
I’m just curious. If you can’t answer here I understand of cause.
Was not directly involved with the planning of the ISG just with the motor itself and only the strategic planning of quantity. No idea if zf has there hands in it. But EE was right, the m256 can be run on the same production lines as the m254 I. E.
I was like damnit its called GENERATOR in Germany...
But then Generator kind of a fancy technical term, generally it's called a "Lichtmaschine" (light-machine, seriously)
Inline-sixes are way cooler than V6s
Yup! Smaller and less weight.
@@lucienl9465 sadly often a inline 6 is heavier than a V6, the block has to be beefier, the crank, camchafts too.
@@lucienl9465 smaller but not as easy to package as a v6. The i6 is too long. Vr6 best of both worlds.
@@Manny32V vr6 heat up the inlet due to the exhaust being right beside the inlet in the head. Like in a old ass non crossflow head. So not the best.
Why Ford GT uses V6 and not inline 6?
Why LeMans Porsche 919 uses V4 instead inline 4?
Have You heard about weight distribution?
I had a jeep for 10 years that was an inline 6 - fantastic engine. Smooth, easy to work on, long lasting and ultra reliable.
reliable and jeep are antonyms lol. I've had a few from my experience they are far from reliable, fun off-roading machines though, wouldn't trade mine for anything, but the engine has been replaced 3 times in 250,000 miles.
Same, I had a 90 Cherokee with the i6 in it. The only problems I had with it were the ones I created. Mostly because back then I didn't understand why I needed antifreeze coolant and not just tap water in my radiator while in Florida.
@@ZeroCooly Three engines needed replacement?!. All with the same owner. What a coincidence.
If jeeps I6 could only have had their intake and exhaust in opposite sides, more TORQUE and horsepower. My inline 6 is already hard to hold back at a traffic light. LOL!
@@ZeroCooly wtf i have a jeep i6 with 155k miles og tranny too. And a grand cherokee 5.9 240k miles og tranny too, that one was offroaded to hell in arizona. adn OG engines
"Mercedes"
How can i help you.
"I hate you"
Mercedes cries.
I can't tell you how many times she interrupted my filming. I edited as best I could to make it seem like it wasn't happening.
@@EngineeringExplained why didn't you just start saying Merc instead, we get it.
Reminds me of a saying i heard my gf say once welp mom always used to say better to cry in Mercedes than to cry on bike lol
@@EngineeringExplained maybe that's why the steering was shimmying with lane assist; temperamental assistant?
@FCHQ lmao
Car: "how can I help you?"
Driver: "I hate you"
That's great
It's the way he sais it what cracks me up. It's not a scream, but a strange mix of despair and calm hahahahaha
I’d rip all of that garbage out.
.
.
Car: "fcuk you too"
OnStar...all I can say...GM beat them to it by a decade or more...
It was actually worse.
Mercedes Engineer "we can save money making a inline 6"
Mercedes Sales "it's still going to cost 100k"
And another $100.00 per hour to change out spark plugs.
@@4gauge10 And $600 for the sparkplugs.
R&D is expensive mate.
It is not that simple, Research & Developement is not for free
The car only costs $50 000 starting price, though. This one has tons of options, of course.
"At 360 HP it doesn't feel all that quick"
Me: _laughs in 85 HP Renault Clio_
85 hp, 150 hp , 220hp or 400hp
Is never enough power.
85 hp is enough
probably you will be faster on track lol
Yeah, but the Clio is a smaller car, so it feels more powerful than it actually is. My 155 hp Suzuki Aerio with a five-speed feels faster than a lot of heavier cars with 200+ horsepower, because it only weighs 2,600 lbs.
@@nilcialinasemedotavares4144 never enough. I'm looking at new turbos, mine only makes 550
datsuntoyy what car do you have ?
I've always loved the straight 6's in my BMW. But this is interesting.
ZF has a module for this that fits just about all their transmissions.
Happy M54b25 here
BMW m54 straight 6 the best.
Im a happy owner of the M52B25TU
LandCruiser used to have an i6.
4:00 - ISG stands for "integrierter Startergenerator". So in german it is called integrated starter generator if you like ...
Greetings from Germany!
Starter -> Take electric power, make mechanical power
Generator -> Take mechanical power, make electrical power
Unlike English, the German language doesn't make a difference between a generator (DC) or an alternator (AC), the actual German word for both is Lichtmaschine, (machine generating light) but nowadays the English word generator has been absorbed in the German language as a simpler substitute.
I guessed that the G was for generator, especially after he called it a generator a couple times. Funny that he missed that as a possibility.
@@Tom-Lahaye Actually, it's originally Latin. I think it was absorbed from the Latin language.
hallo guys, wondering if it possible to swap mercedes's ISG into japanese build?
Channels like this have turned the word nerd into a compliment.
I forgot to mention earlier... almost every heavy duty Simi truck on the road today in the USA is powered by an in line 6, most either 13 or 15 liter diesel.
Yeah, but it's because of ease of production, ease of servicing, and the fact that inline 6 is self balanced and has not too many parts.
@@TransAmDrifter By simple physics, the I6 also allows a longer stroke allowing for more torque, which is most needed in a class 8 truck.
That's really more about the torque than the reliability.
In industrial aplications, an inline 6 is the prefered format as it is naturally balanced. Trucks, locomotoves or ships all have I6 engines because the natural lack of vibrations that would cause significant problems in those large displacement.
Not an engineer,but was a mechanic for 58 yrs,and must say you REALLY know what you are talking about ,,great info
I've always been fond of the straight 6 cylinder engine, I don't care who makes it, always been a good power plant.
Amen.
All I6 motors have a beautiful sound. So balanced
@@DirtNastyCivilian old ones sound like a diesel when starting, and somewhat similar when idling.
I remember my parents early mustang with an i6. That one was smooth.
Which ones? I honestly haven’t heard an i6 or v12 for that matter that wasn’t beautiful music.
That old I6 from jag dates back to the fifties and it sounds mint.
Just built a beautiful Ford 300 straight six. It replaced the garbage 390! Ford also made a nice 200 inch. Also just got done 2 Mercedes 3.0L, a BMW M30 and M20, and now I have a 4.2 Jaguar engine to do. My 2 favorite gas engines are the Chevrolet 292, and the Nissan 2.5L found in the R34 Skyline. And for diesels, any Cummins straight six!
Imagine spending $100K on a car that annoys the crap out of you.
I think it can be turned off
It can be turned off, but it's deep in the menu. I spent about 15 minutes trying to find it and was unsuccessful. Sofyan of Redline Reviews showed me after I had filmed my review.
I don't talk to myself in the car or if I'm with people I'm not gonna be talking abiut my car so it won't activate that often.
@@EngineeringExplained thanks for clearing that up
Endless money pits when parts start deteriorating..
Engineers "How can we piss off mechanics this time?"
Mechanics " Sir, replacing the alternator will cost you around $2000 because it is located in the transmission now"
Customer " What? Why? Who does that?"
Good illustration ... how you pay extra for simple alternator repair and replacement when the cars alternator is sandwiched between engine flywheel and transmission ... an hour’s job becomes days works at the end customer pays more for mundane jobs as you have pointed out Haris
as an engineer, i think the design sounds genius, really cool 😅
@@Rich-on6fe my '06 motorcycle still has carburetors...4 of them...
That is a great microcosm of why I do not, and will not, buy modern German automobiles. They are NOT designed to be serviced by the owner.
I can do just about anything I need to do to my Blazer with relative ease. And have.
That may top the starter under the intake manifold conversation.
Engineers: how much boost do you need?
Mercedes: yes
Lmao
😂
Omg 😂😂😂
"ya"
How much pounds do you need
Hell yes
An entire video on 6cyls without mentioning BMW and their entire history of I6, which continues strong even today. Great video though!
That's what i was thinking. Can't make a video about the I6 engine without mentioning BMW.
LOL Always in the shop. BMW won engine of the year 9 times with their straight six diesel.
@@ChristianFrench1 i don't think this person has ever drove a BMW
First thing that should come to mind is The 2JZ
I love my BMW 335d 😀
V6, I6, V6, I6... split the difference and make everyone happy: V12!
I12
V12, I12, V12, I12.... Why not split the difference.......
@@johnnyasus86 You got moxie, kid.
W10 Supercharged
W12
Yeah but my wallet is very unhappy
I am German and
ISG stands for:
Integrierter Starter Generator
--> so it's not alternator,
we say ,, generator"
You were right on this engineering explained 👍
Yes and that ist because the word Starter stands for the Alternator - Part of this piece.
Verdammt, das wolllte ich schon schreiben! Bin extra deswegen wiedergekommen. Egal, gibt nen extra like, damit es weiter hochkommt. Geht in den comments wohl eh unter, naja... whatever
@@tadeumaghuhnchen1012 danke :D
Horrible design.
@@DeCSSData They starter is for started, Generator is alternator
"The car itself, meh, whatever" .. lol
the tech is superb. the electric alternator is next level. instant 160lbs of torque on top of the 80-125hp the engine is producing....and when u hit 2500 ur gone! imagine this for the lil clk😉 this will come to all cars. the gearbox will include an electric motor, like a strong drill. it could even be air compressed 😉
So funny 😄
Mercedes: we has Das flagship auto ☝️
Jason: meh...
@@rosen9425 jason drivers a tesla p3d. so every gas car is now meh
the old jeep 4.0L inline 6 was amazing in my wrangler, just a perfect match of car and engine (with regards to its intended off road purposes). they should have never quit making it!
Bad fuel efficiency. Averaging 15 mpg.
@@KCN8er Well of course, it's an old engine. But it's still very reliable.
It's a gashog,but it was reliable
Could say the same for the Go Devil in the OG willys
@@KCN8er have an 04 grand cherokee with an i6. 260k miles and still gets 25 mpg on highway. Bulletproof engine
MERCEDES
-How can i help you?
I HATE YOU!
*Mercedes Breaks*
It's going to break anyways!
Me though
@@wcurtin1962 exactly!!
That's ice cold.
(Spoken like any war film German accent) Ah zou hate me but I hev recorded your last three calls to your side chick zo if you don't vant zem on social media I zuggest you do as you are told. Now drive me to ze main dealer zo zey can tickle my money light.
My 1968 mustang has a 200ci inline 6! I love it so much. It runs like a diesel, tons of torque and runs at low rpms. Gotta love it!
My 1965 has a V8 but I do want more power and reliability. So I have considered the heretic option and go 2JZ-GE (NA to turbo).
@@DAN007thefoxx1 or the Ford Barra engine
I am no engine expert. But I do remember the inline 6 my friend had in his late 80's BMW 3 Series with a manual transmission....how sweet it sounded...and how well it pulled......
The e30 325i has the m20 motor which is great. I agree they sound great and pull great!
Jason: inline 6 which are kind of making a comeback so...
BMW: I'm a joke to you ?
BMW has been doing away with inline 6's to turbo 4's in many of their bread and butter vehicles for some time now.
their high preformance cars that's not M cars are still i6's.
My 84’ F-150, 300 cubic inch inline six has been an incredible engine, reeling in the miles, just crossed 386,000 miles last year.
@@brentlanyon4654 which inline 6s have they done away with?
@@nathanielallen865 BMW switched to a "modular platform" some years ago and make a bunch of inline 4's on the same line that they make inline 6's. MB has done something similar, as mentioned in this video, in that they used their inline 4 assembly line to make inline 6 engines. As an example my mother in law's 2014 328i has a 2.0 liter turbo 4 whereas her previous 2001 325i had 2.5 liter straight 6. The MIL has no clue, nor does she care!
-Mercedes
-How can I help you?
-I hate you
@ nice
Who doesn't hate a money pit like Mercedes?
Poor car.
I still have an I-6 right behind me. My old 4.0 Jeep in the garage, still purring away. I live in a no salt climate so it's still in good shape. I'll keep it always.
@Mike Hunt That's ultra-low miles. A keeper. TJ's will eventually be collectors.
Mine is a 92' Sahara which is what they used to make the Jurassic Jeep.
I have collectors insurance on mine. About 250 a year, full coverage, no deductible with an agreed value of $12,000.
I think yours is old enough for collectors insurance. You could probably save a bunch of money.
If you want, I'll ask my wife which company we use. Not all will cover Jeeps.
I owned two Jeeps with the 4.0 liter in line 6, and both were good vehicles. I also owned one with a V-6, and it was a dud.
@@carlhuffman454 I think the V-6 was the Chevy dog.
4.0 is the best engine jeep engine ya could get, it will run forever
Ah yes, the big ol' 4.0 i6 producing its amazing 190 bhp.
Still, I love thta engine. The only thing on my jeep that hasn't broken and needed fixing.
I miss when the number told you the ~displacement.
The number is telling you what the minimum cost is when it goes in for service.
My E350 4matic is 3.5 liters
me too!
blame marketing people
"what do you mean the numbers will go lower and we have to justify to our customers that its actually better??"
I hate salespeople and catering to them for theis very exact reason.
Hey i recommend you get into motorcycles:)
Walks into dealership
Jason: "I'm looking for an inline 6"
Dealer: "We've got just the GLE 450 for you! "
Jason: "Meh, gimme just the engine"
gimme just the engine cause who needs a car!
@@derpdudedatboi7455 it would make a great drop-in for a vintage merc resto-mod. Then you get all the advantages of an old car with the reliability of a new car
i'd rather just restore the old one. They were far more reliable than the new crap
@@SleepyTM1 I'd tend to disagree. The expected lifespan of a car from the 1970's was 75,000 miles. Nowadays it's well over 200k. Modern engines are flat out more reliable. I have several old cars, all under 100k original miles. The engines are worn out. Oil leakage, low compression, camshafts with flattened lobes, etc. Every car newer than MY 2000 has lasted well over 200k miles. (Except for a BMW MINI but thats neither here nor there)
my uncle has a Mercedes W124 and it's almost at 1 milion km still going strong no problems, that's what I base my opinion off
Inline 6's are naturally balanced, another huge benefit.
The inline six has always been one of the very best configurations. Better balance equals better reliability. Non efi models sometimes have fuel distribution issues and the length means heavier block and crankshaft but with proper engineering can be overcome.
Inline6 needs actually stronger camshafts and crankshafts,because of the length the shaft want to bend,so it needs to be stronger by default compared to inline 4 (torsional physics)
@@egeayvala1799 Yes, we are aware of this. The inline will likely always pay a penalty for this in performance, however in gross reliability, smoothness, and simplicity terms, worth the effort.
This is why industry tends to embrace this design, especially with constant speed engines.
@@egeayvala1799 Torsional imbalance in the crank is much easier to handle than primary or secondary imbalances in the engine itself. At the end of the day, the perfect primary and secondary balance of an inline 6 makes all the other minor flaws seem trivial.
Manufacturers really steered away from the inline six because of their length and their height. Dodge approached the height by tilting the engine over, for their "slant six" but ultimately the desire to lower and shorten the hood for better road visibility took over and the Vee configuration does both.
Straight 6 is a smoother better balanced engine anyway.
Ganausooooo
Exactly
Absolutely
Nice and easy to work on too.
Gotta love the, “in one side out the other”format.
no where near as smooth as an electric motor...
And more torque due to geometry of crankshaft.
@@trentallman984 old tech ....
450 stands for percentage of profit they make on morons who buy this $100K 4 wheeler
that applies pretty much for all european luxury cars
Well yes but they can do these prices because they have been consistent and been great to their costumers for decades that has given them a good name that in it self adds value.
I spec'ed my 450 to 115k with all the options and taxes, I think they go even higher without dealer discount.
@@emiliospowerballer1441 That applies to almost every premium branded item you buy regardless of what it is.
In fact even lesser brands are loaded with margin wherever possible.
YEAH RIGHT so moms?
My car has a BMW N52 I6, one of the greatest engines ever made, it’s unbelievably smooth, it just pulls from idle (600rpm) to redline (7krpm) so linearly and gracefully. All the I4 and V6 cars I’ve been in feel like they’re driving through gravel by comparison
N 52 garbage. M 54, b 58 cool
@@Michail_86have you ever driven one?
I haven't even watched yet, but I need to say it:
"Perfectly balanced, as all things should be." -Thanos
Now I'm going to watch the video!
No that would be an opposed 6. They are more "perfectly balanced" down to 3rd orders
@@liamcooper5202 Is that like a boxer 6?
@@mrkazman that is one of its names, yes.
Lower cost in maitence in mercedes.
Computer: ha ha ha
Lmao...that car computer is going to have a melt down when it starts to fill up with error codes
Lower cost in Mercedes
Mercedes: Laughs in german engineering
Well many older mercs are way more reliable and have low maintance costs. I own a MB W124 300d n/a diesel i6, still runs fine as vine. Not many struggles with it tbh.
Unsuspecting buyer:
Mercedes ECU: I’m about to end this mans bank account.
bob 69 ya and old merc reliability simply does not exist anymore
Mercedes: How can I help you?
Driver: TYRES ARE DEAD, CAN'T DRIVE LIKE THIS, ALSO TELL BOTTAS TO SLOW DOWN.
As for I6 vs V6: Always preferred I6 due to their simplicity and balance, might be a bit biased because BMW, Merc, Nissan and Toyota I6 I had were bulletproof, while the VW/Audi V6 were total garbage (unlike their godly 5 cylinders).
jeep's old ones were also bulletproof. 220k miles without rebuild, and it's only got a slow oil burn (1qt every 3 months)
V6s will always be the worse engine of any car maker.
@@wcurtin1962 The worst engines IMO are the 3 cylinder ones... not only do they sound and feel like they're broken, most of them also have serious heat issues when pushed, so they run rich just to keep temperatures in check - making them guzzle more fuel than a proper engine without delivering any kind of serious power.
@@danielrouw2593 Didn't say all Toyota i6... the old ones up to the 2jz. Yeah some V8 are quite reliable, but especially on the more modern / European ones it's usually a nightmare to work on.
Merc's 6.3 V8 and BMW's 4.6L V8 were quite good, same for Audi's NA 4.2 V8 (Turbo / Bi-Turbi versions kinda sucked, tough).
Being in Germany, I didn't get my hands on too many U.S. V8... usually, they're build quite conservative (reliable), the main breaking points would likely be related to insufficient (oil) cooling / lubrication etc. or maybe things like head gaskets and so on.
@@danielrouw2593 You can get around the firing order with a 120° 2-stroke design.
4.0L 242 AMC I6 was a bullet proof beast. I would take that over almost any V6 or V8.
I had an AMC Spirit. I still miss that old car.
ISG = something really expensive is about to happen..lol
trustgtr33 very true but if you’re buying a Mercedes you’re already screwed lol
Haha. Another German Rube Goldberg engineering disaster.
Lol its nothing new, honda has been doing the integrated startor / alternator on their ruckus scooters for decades. Its actually a more mechanically robust system because theres no brushes in the starter motor to go bad.
I wonder why they chose to install it on the transmission end?
"It saves on manufacturing costs..." Yes, and I'm sure they're eager to pass those savings on to the buyer.
Lol, those savings are not going to the buyers, more R & D maybe!
And somehow they still have people paying 2-3K extra for CVT's despite the fact they are far cheaper to produce
than a 8-10 speed transmission....
@TrumpCat Thanks.. Yeah, I'm hoping my career in stand-up comedy takes off soon. I'm getting tired of working at a real job!
They probably did the math and figured out it helps them the most. Or made parts more expensive since it’s a “new” engine to account for it.
Swallowed up during the development of the electrification of the powerplant and accessories I'd say. Fair swap.
As you described here, it's like a catch 22. Companies today are starting to provide the inline 6s, but at the cost of putting them in SUVs, which are heavier and you can't feel that power because you're driving a boat.
Lu Pavo ford territory turbo
I smell engine swaps
Also a well made V6 will feel smooth also.
This is an interesting technical achievement by Mercedes. Typically the goal of hybrid electrification is to achieve better mpg. But good mpg has never been a high priority for Mercedes because most luxury car buyers don't care about fuel prices. So if the goal of a hybrid is performance and other non-fuel saving goals, then that allows all sorts of approaches.
The problem is this approach adds huge amounts of complexity requiring sensors, computers, and software to get the components to even work together. It is the kind of system that will be costly to keep running. And in the end all the technology doesn't make it do anything much better than its competitors, just be more expensive.
You do NOT purchase this car, you lease it and make sure it stays under warranty for the entire time you drive it, when the lease is up, GET RID OF IT !
How come, reliability or depreciation?
@@omarhasan2083 Both, especially in depreciation, you lose more money on depreciation than you do on making lease payments.
I'll do what I want
I didn't know you could lease cars.
@@oveidasinclair982 You do non of those and buy it when it's 2-3 years old get it for half leasing is probably for those that don't know what a hood latch is fill it up and go maintenance?? What is that
I remember the first time I was test driving a BMW with a line-6. It was unbelievably strong, fast and quiet
I have a '95 Ram 2500 with a Cummins 5.9L 12v I-6 diesel 5-speed 4wd, with a bn engine in it. Has enough engine noise to make it seem decently fast. If you want more power, put a bigger turbo in it! My truck probably has at least the same HP, but more torque (600-700ft-lbs total) than the Mercedes M256 engine
Screw Mercedes, BMW never gave up on the straight 6.
So true!
Keith Libner How true! I love the silky-smooth I-6 in my 2011 328i. It could be mistaken for a well-balanced small V8. It’s definitely smooth and pulls stronger than it’s displacement would infer and is definitely smooth. I could never own any four cylinder engine again as I’ve been spoiled.
Keith Libner cry
But wait they did the new 3 series is mostly i4 isn’t it
Ford 300 cubic inch inline six was one of the most reliable, well built combustion engines E V E R.
Used to have a 88 Ford f150 300cid. Decent power and silky smooth operation. The longevity of those engines is legendary
Came for an Engineering lesson, got a car review out of it too!
0:13
"Engine downsizing, and usually we are all very sad about engine downsizing."
0:16
"Because the V8 is disappearing, and instead we have lots of *little four cylinders* and that makes people sad."
_America likes this quote_
Any automotive enthusiast from anywhere in the world likes this statement. I've never heard anyone from Italy calling for 4 cylinder swaps in a 458. Or anyone saying I really like my Koenigsegg but I think it could really benefit from half as many cylinders.
*Koenigsegg Gemera has entered the chat*
Loyalty is to the 5.7L HEMI in the Dodge Charger 240,674 miles
damn strait, i6 ftw
I see what ya did there! ;)
LOL👍
BMW built their reputation on smooth, reliable inline-sixes. Did it well. Love the five that i have owned.
Also BMW has amazing transmissions to pair with them, both automatic and manual
Also their sixes are shoved under the windshield so they are impossible to work on but that's neither here nor there
@Stephen j I helped my buddies brother install a CX racing turbo kit on his 95 e36 it was such a nightmare we had to just pull the whole motor which made the process three times longer than any other turbo kit
Guess I just had a dud then, because BMW has been one of the worst vehicles I've ever owned. I had a 95 M3. It had slightly over 150k and was only 14yrs old when it literally started to fall apart on me. It was owned by a Doctor before me and he had all the maintenance records. So it was taken care of as far as I knew. He said he purchased it used in 97 at only 12k. After my first yr of daily driving it, it developed a pretty bad rear main seal oil leak. I was having to put about a qt of oil in every 2 wks. Then the rear welds that weld the rear strut mounts to the body completely sheared off! It looked like the car had switches. Id go over a small bump in the road and it'd start to bounce pretty bad. I had to sell it for cheap, just to get rid of it. Got an 02 Z28 Camaro and never looked back. As far as luxury is conferenced BMW wasn't my favorite. Then again the M3 was built for sport, not luxury. It was a pain to work on and the parts were way overpriced. That I6 in the M3 was decent, only because it has a 5 speed manual in it. I can definitely say that my 04 G35X easily out performs that M3. Which it should considering it is 10 yrs younger and had newer tech. Now an 04 M3 is another story. My friend had an 02 and his was pretty nice. I prefer the E46 over the E36, but I've read that they too had issues with the subframe welds breaking at the rear strut mounts. The same exact issue I had with that E36. I'd still give BMW another chance if I ever come across a great deal. I've had a Lincoln LS, Caddy's, Mercedes E class, Acura TL, Infiniti G35x so I like the luxury sedan platform. I've also owned a lot of sports cars, love the two seat coupes. But there's just something about a nice luxury sedan. Im really considering getting an Infiniti M56S. Get the best of both worlds with a 420hp 5.6 liter V8.
@@nowimhigh only BMW could figure out how to make an inline-6 a piece of crap.
BMW straight 6 cylinder especially diesels are superb engines..pull strong from low revs in every gear
No need for ISG when their turbos produce full boost at 1500rpm. Practically idle.
@@rowen898 Depends on how many oil leaks you are okay with. German cars are disposable since about 2005. As soon as the warranty is up, they fall apart and their values go into free fall.
They need too. I remember the six cylinder in a coworkers 3 series was redlined at 4200 RPM! Imagine that a huge unbalanced American V8 can our rev your fancy European engine!
@@calvinnickel9995 🤔What engine was in it??
Calvin Nickel i think you read the mileage or it was a diesel. 7K is the redline. No caveman valve float here.
Inline 6 cylinders are the ideal engine configuration. Smooth, simple and very reliable. Throw on a a turbo and you have V8 power. Look at semi trucks, they have I6 engines and they last well over 1,000,000 miles hauling 80,000 lbs.
The V8 semis tho few in number are still more powerful tho
In high(est) gear, those big diesels are barely turning 1,000rpm at cruise though. Slower-turning machinery, wears-out slower.
Hans Landa also remember they are 10 to 14L 6 cylinders
Just bolt another i6 on the side of it and you've got a V12
*Agrees in 2jz*
"Only makes quite a bit of power"
I love these lines
It doesn't just make a little bit of power, it EXCLUSIVELY makes "quite a bit of power".
I had a 1977 Chevy Nova 4dr with an inline 6, 250ci. Cast iron block and heads. Nice, simple, straightforward engine. 1 bbl carb, even this was real simple to maintain, couple of hours of work,soaking for cleaning, reassembled. I did all my engine work on top. Even changed the Starter just by opening the hood, and there it was - easy. I miss that car. Looking around for stock models,.I would like to own one again.
I went to an Auto Shop (circa 1986) and the Mechanic said, "I can rebuild that engine in a day!" (8AM to 5PM, excluding 1hr Lunch Break). I forgotten the actual quote, but it was cheap, maybe around 600 to 700 dollars circa 1986. Parts and Labor.
All hail the straight 6
Easy to work on
Less complicated
Smooth
Room for boost
What's not to love
They are long enough that they have a lot of weight far away from the center of the car.
The only problem i see is they're looking enough to land aircraft on and considerably heavier than a similar displacement V- engine
They're definitely easier to work on
My first car was an inline 6. BMW 2800cs. Inline 6 will always be my favorite. So strong. So balanced. Has plenty of power tuned down. Can be juiced up to handle a TON.
"alternator" in German is literally "generator". Hence, ISG.
But the german engineering term for an alternator and not a generic generator is "Lichtmaschine". "Light-Machine",light as in illumination.
Go figure
@@seven9766 Thats their name for a dynamo... Which is pretty much the same, but name comes from bicycles light.
They use the word generator in these cases. "Der generator" "der Wechselstromgenerator" etc Last one being a generator that produces AC current.
Makes total sense as its pretty much the same in Norwegian which is based on german pretty much xD
We use "Dynamo" in the context of bikes and smaller electric devices and "Lichtmaschine" in the context of cars. "Generator" is generally used for larger generators. It's sometimes used to refer to a "Lichtmaschine" but both "Generator" and "Lichtmaschine" are almost never used when referring to a "Dynamo". "Alternator" also exists in German but it's generally very uncommon.
No alternator! ISG stands for "Integrated-Starter-Generator" in principal like the 70s 2-stroke Yamaha had running off the crank. Since batteries are DC, a DC generator can be field-reversed into a DC electric motor. An alternator CAN'T be reversed and act as a motor on DC current.
@@seven9766 Just mechanics use the term "Lichtmaschine" anymore, engineers are calling it "Generator".
Loved the video and really interesting insights into incorporation of modest electronic componentry to make a real performance improvement. But I think you forgot to mention the coolest thing about in-line sixes : the fact they have 7 crankshaft bearings, one either side of each conrod! More than a V8, more than a V10, the same as a V12. This makes the robustness of the crank up for amazing boost (just like the in-line 4’s you mention, which have 5 mains for 4 cylinders, but difficulties with balance)!
Please keep the reviews coming!
The straight 6 never left.
Mine went to get milk. Still waiting
Aside from BMW, who else kept making them?
Even ford quit making them (barra).
@@Coyote27981 Barra is still in production in Australia the ford factories closed up but they have still been producing the engines
Cummins
Toyota 1HZ is also still around. Sure, it produces all of 129hp with 4.2 litres but, it's there, faithfully serving its owners
For $100,000, you could get a good car insead.
Hell yeah!
A $100k SUV is still an SUV!
How about a Tesla M3P
Like any tesla
For 100k, almost 3 M3 standards without taxes.. Another 20k and you get two M3P without taxes.
My first inline 6 was a slant six in a Dodge Aspen. They were bombproof engines but not a lot of power. I now have a '97 Land Cruiser with an inline six. It is a nice engine. They are pretty durable engines except the head gaskets can go.
Also, if your engine is mounted transversely for a FWD only car, it's a lot easier to reach important bits on the top of the I6 as oppose to bits on top of the side of the V6 facing the passenger compartment.
Meanwhile complaining about downsizing and four cylinders. In Europe were downsizing from four to three cylinders.
Cruel world
To my ears, three cylinders sound better than i4. I find inline 4 the worst sounding architecture :)
@@mariuszanfir2298 Yeah, its acceleration is tragic but I love how my Skoda sounds like a Triumph motorbike when I'm winding it out.
I3s are cooler than I4s imo. But I would not want one in anything bigger than a Polo.
Europe is downsizing back to the Dark Ages. They just don't know it yet.
@@mariuszanfir2298 V4 engines sound pretty good in Honda motorcycles.
Mercedes: "You may hate me, but I'm the one laughing all the way to the bank!"
bit jockey truth!!!!
Wrong title on this video. It should have been "The M256 and the Mercedes GLE 450".
Felt like it was a mishmash of information. I don't think the point of going from 3.5L to 3.0L is the downsizing. They added a turbo, so most likely they made the bore smaller to handle higher pressures. The new engine has significantly more power/torque (probably drinks more gas too). Just irks me a bit that he compartmentalizes the unknown closed door engineering decisions into something so simple and general. Could be 100s of reasons (engineering or not) for their manufacturing decisions.
Great review.
Drove a 95 Wrangler with a 4.0 inline six for years....fantastic engine for all the reasons you mention. Easy to work on...everything is right in front of you under the hood. Bomb-proof motor, really.
I know there's some science behind optimal balancing of an I6 that's pretty cool. You should do a video on that.
If you ever had a truck or suv that needed to work with? Offroad? Straight 6 the way to go.
Tractor motor
Ford inline 6 300ci workhorse
Ford 300 , Chrysler 225, amc 258. The glory days
I owned one for 15 years. 1930’s tech. Very heavy and slow. 135 hp with the carb was not enough for a 3/4 ton pickup truck.
@@garthlundquist8316 1965 tech. They put them in f600s and single axle dump trucks, ups trucks and industrial equipment. No its not fast but it will run for a long time and handle a load like its not there. All my ford trucks are 300's. Dont be in a hurry and it'll do whayever you ask it
Here in Australia we have an amazing engine (production ended in 2016) called the BARRA. It's a 4.0L DOHC Inline 6 made by Ford Australia most notably used in the Ford Falcon which was a Sedan, Station Wagon and a UTE (kinda like a pickup truck).
Ford 300 is a beast, hands down my favorite engine ford ever made
_"Oh Lord, won't you buy me a Mercedes~"_
"How can I help you?"
Janis Joplin
@@jadedjay7861
I'm curious as to what would happen if someone played that song in a Mercedes.
@@Foche_T._Schitt
I totaled a 420 hp Cadillac CTS-V Sport which was WAY fast and decided to slow down with a Chevy Volt. Damn what a nice car! It gives me about 60 miles on a charge and I never go nearly that far. I ran the gas motor for ten miles just to see and used one quart of gas. And have not ONCE drifted it around a 90 degree turn at 50 mph!
I also have a Ferrari and drove it like a Ferrari till I crashed the CTS and now it just mostly sits in the basement looking good.
Lol
I had an inline 6 in my first car. I liked it, there was a ton of excess space and room to work in the engine bay.
If you want to use the power of the engine best and to have a smoother response. You should try the paddle shifters! They make the car more responsive! 👍🏾
That is the most unattractive engine bay for $100k
Charles Bronson
Did you just call a Mercedes reliable? Boy have I got some news for you...
No one looks down there anyway. This isn't a sports car lol.
So they didn't put a bunch of plastic crap shields you have to take off to do any work? Kudos to them!
I find all SUV's ugly so I don't fault them
@@ironmonkey1512 Yes they still have plastic - check out 10:02
Mazda finished out their Skyactiv-X engine, which will yield fuel-economy on par with a diesel, but using ordinary regular gasoline. They also said that they would be producing a straight-6 with this improved fuel-economy. Looks like a win across the board for me; smoother ride, moderate acceleration, and great fuel-economy. Nothing to not like.
Does no one else see a problem with a CAR THAT IS CONSTANTLY LISTENING?!
... and with a wireless connection.
The lane tracking steering issue that is mentioned is the mercedes way of making sure you are still paying attention, this minor tugging on the wheel is the MB check that you are still there and paying attention. I have a MB with the same system and once you're used to it is a fantastic setup. Once a month I have to drive 170 miles, have a karate training and drive back another 170 miles, in the past I would be burned out at the end of the day because of the focused driving required, now with the distronic (keeping distance between you and the car in front) and the lane keeping assist I am completely relaxed after the same trip, just because you don't have to concentrate as much while driving, the car takes care of the mundane part of the trip (keeping distance and staying in your lane).
Less moving parts, more torque, naturally balanced, better sound
no , you are wrong best sound from sixes is v6, v6 has no block head problems, like loong i6ses-
In line 6's are great and have been short changed for 30 years now. I had a Datsun 260 z that was sweet. The inline 6 came with side draft carburation . A nice torquey , responsive drive train. Much like the jaguars, and several other cars which really had performing 6 cylinders. I worked on numerous v-6's in my younger days, thinking they'd be ez to make perform, but no satisfaction. It came back to the in-line 6 for smooth, quick revving, efficient...I hope other manufacturers keep some healthy ideas flowing on advantages of having the 6 cylinder in their line up!!
you didn’t mention the second most impressive feature of this engine. thanks to the electric motor, when going e.g. downhill, the car will save fuel by sailing/coasting - switching the engine completely off (while putting the gear into neutral), but thanks to the electric motor, it can power it on without any noticeable (for the driver) lag/vibration (!).
now THAT is really cool.
My Saturn Vue Hybrid does the same thing at stops! And its 10 years old lol
Smile Space
i’m not talking about start&stop.
also, switching off valves/engine during sailing isn’t new, but in every other car, you can FEEL the moment it starts again. which is a bit annoying, especially in a super-quiet limousine (that this engine is often used for).
Most cars for the past 20+ years already shut off fuel when coasting in gear without the throttle pushed down.
SkylineFTW97
not the same. in that moment, while you’re using no fuel, you will slow down the car with the resistance of the engine (engine braking).
sailing would be akin to putting the gear into neutral and a few cars do that now already, because even though it’s using a bit of fuel for running the engine, it’s more efficient downhill, than using no fuel, slowing down and using fuel to speed up or hold the speed.
this goes one step further by combing sailing with switching off the engine completely.
Every fuel injected car /bike I’ve ever owned, does exactly the same thing.
On a downhill grade, close the throttle, fuel system shuts down to 0% duty cycle.
Damn he explains the driving experience and how it connects to the car so well
In German they do call alternators generators
Nice! I googled it after I'd filmed it, and thought, well how wonderful. :)
Its honestly makes way more sense.
Or a little more common, but not the officiall term: Lichtmaschine.
Ford does as well. However it is my understanding the difference is a generator produces DC and an alternator produces AC and uses a rectifier to convert AC to DC
Generators are probably permanent magnet alternators or also known as magnetos
An alternator/starter thing stuffed back by the bell housing sounds like a major pain in ass to replace...
I own a 1971 Dodge Dart coupe with a 225 Slant Six. I love that car.
Go watch uncle Tony's garage
I sold my 72 swinger a couple of years ago.....man what a pleasure it was to drive....you could steer it with 1 finger....... and yes it was all original , garage kept 60k miles with cold air....
& You Will Forever! (Those Engines LAST)
Had a 69 Plymouth Valiant with same. Reliable forever.
Terrible for automakers. Lasts forever.
Thank you. I remember my Triumph GT 6 which was an inline 6 that had a buttery purr much like you described. That 2.0 I-6 had tremendous power, it's too bad the manual syncro-mesh tranny couldn't handle the high torque. I just remember how buttery smooth that engine was like no other. My dad's 1966 Chevy Nova had a pretty Inline 6. real nice and most reliable.
48Volts sounds like a mild hybrid. Expect these will be everywhere soon. Electric torque boost makes sense for any conventional engine as you can have instant torque from zero RPM. Filling that hole in the power band is way more practically useful than turbo or supercharging.
True, but it's at the cost of extra weight from the batteries, controller, extra wiring, ect. Usually an extra 100 to 200 lbs to hybridize a car.
In many ways, BMW's perfected the idea of modular engine design. It's 3-, 4-, and 6-cylinder inline engines share an incredible number of components and architecture, including bore.
gm did this as well with the Atlas engine lineup used in the small trucks/suv from the early 2000s. they had a 2.8l 4 cyl, 3.5l 5 cyl and 4.2l 6 cyl where a great deal of pieces were shared. sadly, these engines were pretty lackluster.
too bad they are quite unreliable because that inline structure
BMW always knew that INLINE 6 is a good engine 😎
yeah sure, thats why they are always broken at workshop heads open
@@Anttihii Nope, that just ain't correct. My 2011 is not pampered, it puts out 300hp through about 85% of the RPM curve and I USE that daily. NOTHING has EVER broken on my 135i.
Maybe you need to look at your regular maintenance schedule a bit closer? Change that oil twice a year? ;-)
@@Anttihii I've had my M20B27 (which has a factory redline of 4500) way past 7k and it still keeps on running. They'll live forever with proper maintenance and waiting for the engine to warm up before getting rowdy
Andys ***insert spongebob mocking meme here****
@@randy438 its a good thing to do for the engine to warm it up
If you ever sat in an early 2000s 3 series with an inline 6, you know what it all stands for.
To further reduce the length of a crankshaft, VW went with the VR - Verkürzt Reihen = Shorten InLine - engine design. And the VR6 was born eons ago.
Most important advantages for inline 6 are better balancing and 7 main bearings vs 4.
Thank you!
He goes through the whole video without mentioning that the bottom end of this engine is far stronger than the V6 because of the 3 extra mains. I thought that would be first on the list of why it's better. Great comment.
I am not convinced that 7 bearings v 4 is an advantage. The bearings will be designed for the loads that they need to handle. Also I would expect 7 bearings to have greater frictional losses.
@@fuzzycounsellor9147 The bottom end on most inline 6 are not stronger because they are also much longer and can flex quit a bit under high loads or high rpm. There is no free lunch. Every thing is a compromise. Engineers try to make the best balance they can
@@johnkendall6962
I agree everything is a compromise.
One advantage of 7 main bearings is each throw is supported on both sides of the connecting rod. Meaning each main bearing has to carry less load. Many hands make for light work.
There are free lunches like turbo charging, turning wasted hot gases into positive compression, but the parts cost money.
"Engineers try to make the best balance they can
" Agreed.
@@andrewetheridge73 : some v's are just as good as any straight six . just depends on the design and build quality .
on the manual transmission you don't have that problem ;)
It's obvious why this is one of my all time favorite channels!! Jason - you're friggin awesome.
Yes the inline 6 is great and all, but when is the straight 8 video coming out? ;)
Or straight 16. It's extremely efficient because you lose all the loses in the drivetrain from the driveshaft. Instead you just have a longer output shaft from the transmission going directly into the differential. SO SMOOTH! It also acts as the, 'spine' of the car, giving excellent chassis balance and control. How is this not already in modern production vehicles, ESPECIALLY with cylinder shut-off technology for cruising/highway speeds??
@@ryanshannon7703 does 16 go evenly into 360° of crank rotation? I think a straight-18 would be most optimal.
@@rickc2102 A 16 cylinder would fire every 45 degrees. Remember, one cycle is 720 degrees.
@@ryanshannon7703 Well that's great and everything but how practical is it? Especially when considering the fact that manufacturers are trying to leech out every bit of production costs
Geronimo l loved my ‘53 Buick Special sedan with the 263 ohv straight 8 with the column shift 3speed. Smooth as glass.
And tilt the engine allowing for a lower hoodline .. hey you gotta Slant 6.
Jason, inline-6 engines have two advantages over V6 engines:
1. Cheap construction.
1a. Cheap construction
1b. Cheap construction
1c. Cheap construction....
1d. CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP to build!
2. Extremely smooth operation due to the cancellation of primary and secondary order vibration.
But that is it. NOW, let's total up the advantages of the V6 design:
1. Compact. FAR easier to package.
2. FAR FAR lighter weight than the long, lengthy inline design, with it's enormously heavy crankshaft. American inline-6 engines with iron blocks were typically HEAVIER than iron small-block V8's!
3. Can often be produced on the same production line as a V8.
4. STRONGER. A V6 engine block forms a "box", which like the early biplanes, gives greater natural strength with no increase in weight.
5. FAR better high RPM performance. An inline 6 that revs to 8000 rpm can be done, but the vibrations up and down the crankshaft are enormous and as a result.....It has to be built VERY strong. Meaning....Heavy. Or it has to use exotic metals = $.
6. Volkswagen's VR6: Need I say more? Size of a four cylinder, revs like a V, yet smooth like an inline design. And don't even get me started about how much better than all of them is the flat-6 engine.....
They are compact width wise, but very long length wise.
The VR6 is technically an Inline 6 with a slight offset(10.6 degrees in the 3.6l or 15 degrees in the 2.8, 2.9 and 3.2). It has the same firing order as an I6, 1 cylinder head, 2 camshafts, and it's crankshaft has 7 main bearings just like a modern I6.
I did a quick scan of all available models where I live (EU, Netherlands) and I found the following figures:
- 2, 3 and 4 cylinder engines: 3500 models (across all car brands)
- 5, 6, 8, 10 and 12 cylinders: 500 models.
The cheapest car with a 6 cylinder engine costs 70000 euro, but most of them are upwards of 90000 euro. The cheapest car with an 8 cylinder engine costs roughly 100000 euro (some Ford, I’m not sure which one)
So they’ve just become too expensive for us to buy. You only see some older cars with engines larger than 2.5 liters, but most engines are 1.4 liter 3 or 4 cylinder engines. Oh well, combustion engines are on their way out anyway, so I don’t really mind. We’ll have the classics to remind us of the old days.
Taxes are incredible on larger engined cars in The Netherlands because the consumption figures on paper aren’t good. An i6 BMW is like 60k net but 100k after taxes.
Fun fact:
AMG first came with straight six engines before going to V8s and V12s
Just glad that AMG created the 53 series with the straight six engines which is honestly pretty cool
Yeah, 53 seems really cool with the electric supercharger! Would love to try one out.
And now the German engineers that held fast to the in-line 6, are starting to feel the love again!
All other things aside, something that the straight-6 (there's an age disclosure) gives you, is a nice longer hood line.
What's not to like about the looks of the 240Z or other straight-6 cars!!
Bmw 635 had a proper long bonnet too. It's a great look.
Love the inline 6 in our 05 e320 cdi (om648). Wish they would bring her back in a modern car or some varient. We routinely get 44-46 mpg and it'll get up and go.
I built a Ford 300 inline 6 with Holley Sniper EFI, 240 head, Comp Cam, Roller Rockers, Offy intake and blowthrough Turbo setup. Its a monster in my 71 F100 Shortbed 4x4. Very very strong