Earlier reports of when BMW would bring its diesel-powered 335d sedan and X5 35d SUV were close, but not entirely accurate. The latest news have the advanced oil-burners coming to North American showrooms sometime in November, albeit in limited numbers.
The 335d will wear the skin of the updated 3-series, and be labeled as 2009 model year. Production of the 335d will begin in September, although it will not be at full capacity, meaning the cars will be scarce until early in 2009 at the earliest, according to Kicking Tires.
The X5 35d, powered by the same 3.0-liter twin turbo inline-six diesel, will also come to dealers in November, although likely slightly later than the sedan. Both cars will make their debut in production form at the Los Angeles auto show in November.
The engine makes 265horsepower and 425lb-ft of torque at just 1,750rpm. BMW claims a 0-62mph time of 6.2 seconds and EPA fuel economy of 23mpg city and 33mpg on the highway.
08/06, 10:07 AM
posted by:
thenoggin
HA! Take that Audi/VW…that’s what you get for dragging your feet in bringing diesels over here! Suckers! That and this 335d sounds AWESOME!!!
08/06, 10:17 AM
posted by:
mulletmaster
Based on the LLN 335 specs there is only a 4 mpg improvement based on EPA ratings. If that is the case then the ends dont seem to justify the means to me.
08/06, 10:17 AM
posted by:
thertrain
With all the emphasis on fuel milage, why these companies don’t bring over their 4cyl diesels and show the true advantages of this technology, is beyond me. Bring us a 320d making 40+mpg and American consumers may start looking at this as a viable option.
08/06, 10:21 AM
posted by:
xyunya
It’s not soon enough. I wish they extended diesel into most of their range: X3, 5 series. I am sure the real mileage will be better then posted by EPA. Car & Driver drove diesel powered 7 series and reported near 50 mpg on highway.
08/06, 10:35 AM
posted by:
howsmydriving
Ahhhh, very nice Camaro story hidden in the text. You just need to know the secret code.
08/06, 10:37 AM
posted by:
Buhbye
33 mpg highway??? That’s it??? I thought they had engineers at BMW. Guess not.
08/06, 10:38 AM
posted by:
Buhbye
Overpriced, overrated.
08/06, 10:51 AM
posted by:
xyunya
Does anyone actually drove BMW? BMW with diesel packed in? Are you guys judging car by numbers on proverbial paper? Take a ride to BMW dealer and test drive twin screws 3 series (very nice indeed especially with 3 pedals). Now imagine the same experience with 4 cylinder diesel inside and over 40 mpg on highway and well over 30 in a city. Imagine (I actually have not driven) the same car with V8, but without V8 weight. That would be 6 cylinder diesel. It has the same torque as V8 at much lower rpm.
08/06, 11:14 AM
posted by:
Fletch
Need more info about the diesel. Does it require urea injection? If so, no way, that’s a ridiculous way to meet the ridiculous emission standars.
08/06, 11:18 AM
posted by:
krautninja
i agree, overrated. yea the torque would be wonderful but the extra you spend on getting the diesel powerplant , i expect more than a bump in torque and miniscule MPG bump 33mpg hw on a diesel 3series is just not enough to justify it. especial with the price of diesel :-/ now when they bring a 4cyl diesel it’d be well worth it
08/06, 11:33 AM
posted by:
xyunya
Fletch, so you’ll pee once in a while on your catalytic converter, what the big deal!
08/06, 1:04 PM
posted by:
neptronix
Actually, if you look at the specs on the bmw site, the 328 is rated at 28mpg hwy and the 335 is rated at 26mpg. ( manual transmission ).
If you guys remember what happened to the vw, the new passat got rated at ~36mpg hwy which was pathetic for a 2.0l diesel, then vw had it re-tested and ended up that it was getting 43mpg hwy. I think this may ring true for the bimer also, and 35mpg highway might be possible, which is damn good for a 6 cylinder car with some balls.
hell, you could tow a truck behind this car with all that torque, well, as long as the frame can support that.. lol.
08/06, 1:27 PM
posted by:
The Stig
Good news but not great news. Problem is that the 335d is too much of a premium (I hear $5K) over the 335i versus the cost of diesel and the torque of the engine makes it unacceptable to put the DKG transmission behind it. Bring over the 323d (4-cylinder twin-turbo) with a DKG and I’m there.
08/06, 1:39 PM
posted by:
xyunya
Stig, is it 5K over 335 or 328? No one charges 5 large extra for diesel (so far).
I think there is a reason why mileage is so pathetic. EPA measures mileage not by consumption of actual fuel, but by emission produced by engine. I believe they do measure NOX (soot is easier to weight then CO2 gas). Diesels produce fraction of CO2 compare to gasoline engine, but crap a lot of NOX. I suspect if BMW will whine about measurement just like VW did, numbers will look better.
08/06, 1:48 PM
posted by:
El Aleman
yeah, it should be better in real life.
You can travel 800 miles on the highway with an Audi A8 4.2 TDI quattro, and that’s a much bigger car with a bigger and less efficient V8 diesel.
08/06, 2:39 PM
posted by:
peacemf
you know it wasnt until the fuel crisis that i found out that american dont get the same engines as we euro twits get….
you guys get the big engines, nothing more…..
08/06, 4:04 PM
posted by:
xyunya
peacemf, you should see our condoms!
08/06, 6:08 PM
posted by:
ktulu
the Obamster is not gay
08/06, 8:00 PM
posted by:
DrFill
But he is YOUR next President.
Sweet!
At least he won’t need a catheter to get through the Inauguration.
DrFill
08/06, 9:47 PM
posted by:
Bimmer
hertrain,
320d has a problem with sucking into engine plastic inlet manifold butterfly. And BMW responding that it’s not a problem! Read BMW Car magazine for more info.
get it chipped by DMS Automotive to improve economy and performance. Just read some forums on this subject.
08/06, 10:23 PM
posted by:
maxcar
that torque is through the roof. can’t wait to get my lead foot on that. the fuel economy leaves a lot to be desired, though.
08/07, 3:40 AM
posted by:
mange555
We have a BMW 320D and averages 42 MPG…. …and the car is not even broken in. We have just driven it 1000 miles and expect the consumption to drop even further… what a car…
08/07, 12:36 PM
posted by:
1c3d0g
EGGcellent! Go BMW Go!
08/07, 2:41 PM
posted by:
foster1
THE MPG IN THE 335D WERE NOT GIVEN. THOSE NUMBER’S ARE THE EST MPG BY LLN FOR THE X5 XDRIVE 35D. AND ONLY EST. BMW SAID THAT THE X5 SHOULD GET MID UP UPPER 20T’S CITY AND MID TO UPPER 30′S HIGHWAY 25-28 CITY 35-38 HIGHWAY.
335D WILL BETTER WITH 33-35 CITY TO 44-48 HIGHWAY LEAD FOOT DRIVER’S 38-43 HIGHWAY. AND PONY’S SHOULD BE 273 HP NOT 265
08/07, 5:18 PM
posted by:
zoomnbyu
Ok. So, the cars will cost more, diesel fuel costs more and the cars are going to cost alot more to maintain (after BMW’s “free” maintenance period expires). The increase in fuel economy can’t possibly offset these points and I do not see how they will be any “greener” than thier gas counterparts. What’s the point? I say bring on the hybrids!
08/08, 1:08 AM
posted by:
blokejoke
More like November production and Jan- Feb Delivery.
08/08, 1:11 AM
posted by:
blokejoke
More like November production and Jan- Feb Delivery. Price will be between 2-3k more than the base price of a 335 sedan. Auto Only for launch.