[thomps]

Not sure where people are getting the impression that 4 cylinder motors are so constrained power-wise. I have some bias, coming over from the Evo/STi world, but if you look at what those cars have been doing for years, and doing so reliably, you would have more faith in the M2 to be an absolute track beast, even with a 4 cyl.

I also understand there is more to power than just the peak numbers. You also want a usable power curve. The point remains that even the most conservative enthusiasts in the Evo/STi communities have been getting 350+WHP out of 2.0-2.5L 4cyl motors on stock twin-scroll turbo chargers with usable low-mid range power. Will it pull like a V8 from 1000rpm? No. But a fraction of a second later you'll forget the difference, and you'll surely make up for any delay with increased agility.

The real top-end only beasts with the dreaded turbo lag you hear about exist in the realm of 500WHP Evos with gigantic bolt-on Garrett turbos and the lack of adequate tuning and complimentary modifications to generate a usable power curve.

On the other hand, we're talking about giving ///M engineers two years to figure out how to extract, at the most, maybe ~375hp and 375lb/ft, at the crank, of usable power out of a turbocharged 4cyl, and you're worried? Even if this thing comes out with ~350hp and the same 332lb/ft with a slightly later delivery, the weight savings will make it fly.

I understand the perspective if you're somewhat of a purist and haven't had a ton of exposure to high-performing 4cyl motors. In that position, I too would look at the CLA running near 30PSI to get a mere 360hp and wonder whether that's even usable power or a sustainable setup. But if you look outside the obvious comparison car in the CLA, you will see that people all over the industry are doing amazing things with 4cyl motors.