BMW unveils new petrol engine

BMW has unveiled a new twin-turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine which will make its debut in the X1 at the Geneva motor show in March.

Wait! Come back! The new BMW X1 xDrive28i features a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder unit - apparently modelled on the straight-sixes - with twin-scroll turbocharging.

The result of this engine wizardry is a power output of 245bhp and 258lb ft of torque. Yes, 245bhp from a four-cylinder petrol.

Remember, the old BMW 2.0-litre petrol produced a max of 170bhp, and this new one, as fitted in the X1 28i, offers 35.7mpg and a 0-62mph time of 6.1 seconds. BMW claims that torque figure is accessible from as low down as 1,250rpm. It gets an aluminium crankcase, double VANOS and high precision fuel injection, which, in short, results in something quite astonishing.

Don't forget, BMW became famous with its classic 2002 Turbo, and has recent form - the 3.0-litre turbo'd six won at the International Engine of the Year awards.

In other engine-type news, future AMGs will likely use hybrid technology. Herbert Kohler, Daimler's head of future mobility and advanced engineering, said AMG would still offer big power, but nodded at the need to reduce fuel consumption, pointing to hybrid tech as a solution.

Anyhoo, that turbocharged four-pot, a BMW 1 Series Coupe, stripped interior, lightweight body panels...can you see where we're going with this?

View pictures of the BMW 1 Series M Coupe