BMW's long-rumored four-cylinder turbocharged gasoline engine has finally made its world premiere on the X1 xDrive28. Expect the new powerplant to be offered in a variety of models in the near future.

This is the first four-cylinder petrol engine to employ BMW's TwinPower Turbo technology. It also benefit from technologies such as double VANOS , VALVETRONIC and direct injection. Closely modeled after the Bavarian firm's force-fed in-line six-cylinder motors, it produces an output of 245 bhp with a peak torque of 350Nm. Its torque figure matches the 2.0 TFSI unit in the Audi A4 and overshadows the A4 in terms of horsepower. The 2.0-liter twin-turbocharged engine is hooked up to a standard six-speed manual gearbox or an optional eight-speed automatic transmission. Mated to with the manual gearbox, the X1 xDrive28 completes the 0 to 100 km/h sprint in 6.1 seconds (6.5 seconds with automatic transmission) and hits a top speed of 240 km/h.

In the EU test cycle, the turbocharged 2.0 SUV returns an average fuel consumption of 7.9 lt/100 km with CO2 emissions of 183 g/km. With the escalating fuel price, consumers may be pleased to know that this new powerplant requires a min fuel grade of just RON 91. I am looking forward to its application in the 5 Series and the upcoming 3 Series