BMW Prepping Quad-Turbo Diesel with Over 400 HP

Twin-turbo and even tri-diesel diesel setups are so passé nowadays, and BMW knows it, too.

BMW is reportedly preparing a quad-turbocharged diesel engine, which will initially do service in the brand’s large sedan and SUV range. However, according to new reports, BMW is developing a quad-turbo diesel engine set to debut on the 7-Series sometime next year. Dubbed the B57 TOP, the engine will feature four turbochargers, but it is still unclear whether the Bavarian company will install four classic turbos or add an electrically-driven turbo to the current three-turbo setup. It is also possible that BMW has simply just added a fourth conventional, gas-driven turbocharger.

Exact specifications remain unknown, but the output figures could be in the ball park of over 400 BHP and 800 Nm of torque, with the grunt driving all four wheels through BMW’s xDrive system.

Maybe one day we’ll see the true awesomeness in engines like this 3.0-liter tri-turbo (soon to be quad-turbo) unit, but for now we’ll only get to view it from afar.

After its debut in the M750d, the new quad-turbo setup is set to appear in the X5 XDrive50d, X6 xDrive50d, and X7 xDrive50d. The turbos are likely there to make the engine more responsive, and to widen the torque curve.