Top Gear lists the S54 as the 2nd best NA engine of all time.

[Obioban]

https://www.topgear.com/car-news/list/top-gears-top-9-best-naturally-aspirated-engines

[m3nt0s]

I immediately expected LS to hit the #1 spot, because nothing has been shoehorned into more places...

[jbfrancis3]

As much as its cause for celebration...you have to question the ranking if the Carrera GT's engine is down at #8...

[Obioban]

As much as its cause for celebration...you have to question the ranking if the Carrera GT's engine is down at #8...

I think that could be explained by this quote from the LS section:

Yeah, an LS. Yeah, we know that we’re taking up a space that could be filled by the Ariel Atom V8. Or the race-spec V8 from the 918 Spyder. the V12 from the 812 Superfast or the Murcielago SV. Or even the Cosworth V12 from The T.50. And these are truly great engines. But great for whom? The one per cent of the one per cent?

[jet_dogg]

As much as its cause for celebration...you have to question the ranking if the Carrera GT's engine is down at #8...

yep, I love the s54 but there are quite a few phenomenal engines that rank right up there with it and surpass it

Having said that, the thing I've always loved even before this m3 came out were individual throttle bodies so those combined with a carbon plenum is my favorite combination of all time. There was a german tuner who used to seldomly post on one of the old defunct forums I was on around 2003 who told me how common alpha n setups were on the ring and ever since then the dream was to do a csl conversion as far fetched as it seemed back then. He sent me links of older m3s with the airbox sound which was incredible. Nobody in the states was remotely doing what they were doing in the motherland. He was talking about camshafts when nobody here even had headers and I always knew there was untapped potential in the s54 despite everyone claiming it was maxed out from the factory lmao. So funny how mindsets change as more information is uncovered in subsequent years.

[Obioban]

yep, I love the s54 but there are quite a few phenomenal engines that rank right up there with it and surpass it

Having said that, the thing I've always loved even before this m3 came out were individual throttle bodies so those combined with a carbon plenum is my favorite combination of all time. There was a german tuner who used to seldomly post on one of the old defunct forums I was on around 2003 who told me how common alpha n setups were on the ring and ever since then the dream was to do a csl conversion as far fetched as it seemed back then. He sent me links of older m3s with the airbox sound which was incredible. Nobody in the states was remotely doing what they were doing in the motherland. He was talking about camshafts when nobody here even had headers and I always knew there was untapped potential in the s54 despite everyone claiming it was maxed out from the factory lmao. So funny how mindsets change as more information is uncovered in subsequent years.

I ran a carbon airbox with Alpha N setup back in the day. It was pretty crapass-- I went back to stock. It wasn't until the tuning revolution, especially CSL engine management, that it really became an actual upgrade IMO.

[BMWahba]

I’m surprised the McLaren F1 is not on the list, but, I suppose with the s54 being essentially half of an F1 motor - sound and all, that it makes sense

[02_lsb]

Wow. Not even s62.

[oceansize]

So many engines could be on this list but I just spent this past weekend driving a 2021 Mach 1 with a manual transmission plus the Mach 1 handling package and I was seriously impressed with that engine, and the entire package, considering the price point (at lease until everyone lost their minds and supply dried up). Really rather incredible all things considered.

[01SG]

Strange list. No Colombo or 427 side oiler? No way the s54 is number two, but it certainly isn't far off. I suppose this is mainly interested in the latest and greatest? But the s54 is old...go figure. What about the s65? I don't believe the historical context of what the straight six means to BMW is being measured here, thus the s65 is superior, even if the E90 as a whole is not.

The outgoing GT350 engine is superior to the Mach 1. It's definitely one of the best, next to the latest Gt3 and whatever NA V12 Ferrari is still holding onto.

[oceansize]

The outgoing GT350 engine is superior to the Mach 1. It's definitely one of the best, next to the latest Gt3 and whatever NA V12 Ferrari is still holding onto.

Unfortunately I haven't had the opportunity to sit behind a GT350 for more than a few miles whereas I was able to put around a 150 miles on the Mach 1. When the market cools a little I'm going to own one of these two for sure as a DD since my commute is super short. Price to performance ratio is spot on.

[Sharocks]

This is some crack magic.

I've been in real CSL's and I found the sound okay.

Also how the hell did the F20C not make the list lmao

[Obioban]

Strange list. No Colombo or 427 side oiler? No way the s54 is number two, but it certainly isn't far off. I suppose this is mainly interested in the latest and greatest? But the s54 is old...go figure. What about the s65? I don't believe the historical context of what the straight six means to BMW is being measured here, thus the s65 is superior, even if the E90 as a whole is not.

S65 has lower specific output and lower piston speeds. It also feels... uneventful (relaxed/unstressed). IMO the s65 was designed, from the start, to be stroked in the F80 gen, and the result is a somewhat tepid e9X version. The stroked version only barely made it out the door, in special editions, and the world was forced to turbos, so the s65 never really got to be what it could have been.

[EthanolTurbo]

This is some crack magic.

I've been in real CSL's and I found the sound okay.

Also how the hell did the F20C not make the list lmao

For real... F20C is straight voodoo.

[usdmej]

For real... F20C is straight voodoo.

how do they give the LS points for ubiquity but not mention any B/K/F series honda engines?!