Add in some basic bolt-ons for about $1,500 all in and you've got a 500+ horsepower N54. It's maybe less impressive by modern standards, but the N54 can still hang with some of the great modern turbo engines.īefore 2010, you'd be hard pressed to find many other engines that could deliver 70-100+ horsepower with a simple $500 tune. This is where it really stands out and shines as a great engine. Tuning and upgrades is a long topic for the BMW N54 engine. Pistons are cast yet remain pretty strong. The rods are also forged, but nothing special. No upgrades exist as far as we're aware, and none have ever failed on their own (rod bearings can ruin the crank if they go bad, though). It's an impressive accomplishment for what it is on paper.Ī very beefy, forged crank is a big highlight of the BMW N54. However, the N54 block holds up well until about 750+whp. An aluminum open-deck block is far from ideal for high power and boost. On paper, the N54 specs don't offer the greatest strength. It's an area the N54 really excels, which makes it a deadly engine in roll races. Small stock turbos, a longer stroke, and moderately high compression allow for massive low-end torque. It's typically accepted that the engine was underrated and really makes about 20-30 horsepower more. It also makes 300-335 horsepower from the factory. A forged crank and rods deliver solid strength.Ĭombine that with DOHC and variable valve timing and the N54 is good for 7,000 RPM redline. An aluminum open-deck block and aluminum head help keep weight down. It's the first mass production engine from BMW to feature this technology together. The BMW N54 engine utilizes a twin turbo, direct gasoline injection design. Specs for the BMW N54 inline-6 twin turbo engine are as follows: Engine However, the original 3.0L inline-6 remains in some premium performance cars. N54 engines are in the following BMW year and model vehicles:įor 2011 model year, the BMW N55 engine largely began phasing out the N54.
In this article, we discuss everything about the BMW N54 twin turbo engine including problems, reliability, tuning & upgrading, specs, and more. It's almost too easy to tune and upgrade for massive power. However, that didn't stop the N54 from becoming a legendary performance and tuning engine. The 300hp and 300 lb-ft from the factory may not sound impressive. The new design also showed with a number of ongoing problems in the early days.Įven after working out the early kinks the N54 can still be problematic. The twin turbo 3.0L inline-6 direct injection engine was a totally new direction for BMW at the time. It then made its way into a handful of other models including the 135i, 535i, and Z4. The BMW N54 engine made its debut in the 2007 E90/E92 335i.