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Inside Line's dyno tends to read notoriously high for whatever that's worth. That said, the N20 does look like an underrated engine, more so than Audi/VW's 2.0T. The performance numbers alone suggest that this thing is making well over the advertised 240bhp--some publications are seeing 0-60 as low as 5.3s. Dyno variations aside, I think one factor at work here might be the drivetrain efficiency. With the looming CAFE increases and every manufacturer pushing the envelope to eke out more MPG, I don't think it's unreasonable to figure the engineers have worked out some ways to reduce parasitic losses and deliver more of the engine's power to the wheels. I'm not knocking the engine in any way mind you, just pointing out one of the possible reasons why this engine looks like such a freak. I'd put some money down that this setup is closer to a 10% correction factor than the "traditional" 15%.
What is most curious is that unless the newer N55s are stouter than previous (and early numbers suggest they aren't), then it is pretty clear that there is only 20-25bhp between the base car and the 335. Even with the N55 being more limp-wristed than the N54, BMW maintained a healthy 70bhp spread between the cars. This made marketing the expensive car easy. Sure it was $5000 to step up to a 335 but the difference was clear. Now, not so much. I'll grant that the new turbo four sounds terrible but I could overlook the soundtrack in exchange for 36mpg.
The more I read about this platform, the more intrigued I am. If BMWNA does decide to bring the F31 stateside in non-xi guise, it might be impossible for me to resist.
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