Is this going to be the death of the naturally aspirated engine?

The BMW M5 which is the ultimate driving saloon has recently fallen victim to the turbo charger. Its monstrous 5.0 litre V10 has been replaced by the 4.4 litre twin turbo V8 from the X5M. BMW say it’s going to be more powerful, torquier and will also rev higher than the V10. Which is fine in its own right, I mean who doesn’t want higher performance? But the charm of a naturally aspirated is something else. Ofcourse, turbochargers and superchargers are probably the greatest inventions of man after the wheel and the engine and contribute a whole lot to the automobile world.

You see turbochargers superchargers being fit onto smaller engines produce more power than a bigger naturally aspirated engine because it increases airflow to the engine thereby increasing combustion and producing more power.

So why not just have bigger engines instead of fitting turbochargers and superchargers? A smaller engine consumes less fuel and reduces the weight of the car it also helps better weight distribution which is why manufacturers are increasingly using turbochargers and superchargers in their cars and not just sports cars but also in regular hatchbacks to increase fuel efficiency and power. Very soon all our cars will be turbocharged or supercharged considering the mass production of turbochargers and superchargers resulting in cheaper costs.

But as long as we have powerful fun to drive cars it doesn’t really matter what configuration is used for the engine. Some of the old world charm is gone but that’s how the world works.