BMW BLOG

Looking at the December sales numbers for BMW, we can clearly see an ascending trend of diesel vehicles sold in the United States. Official numbers showed that one out of three X5s sold were represented by the xDrive35d model. Last summer, the $4,500 Eco-Credit has also helped boost the sales for the two diesel offerings with most of the dealers running out of 3 Series diesel sedans.

Back in September, in an interview with Automotive News, Jim O’Donnell, CEO of BMW North America, has reiterated that BMW remains committed to its diesel strategy in the U.S. even if more hybrid vehicles will emerge in the near future. As far as future plans, BMW is hoping for 10%-20% diesel penetration in U.S and also the introduction of new diesel vehicles on the market. The one mentioned by Mr. O’Donnell was a diesel variant of the next generation 5 Series, but unfortunately, no other news along that line have been released since.

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Our friend Jonathan Spira has recently launched a new project, The Diesel Driver, a publication that focuses on the experience of owning and driving a diesel-powered automobile.  It is dedicated to providing reviews and information about diesel passenger cars, be they forthcoming models or classics.

Jonathan is also one of the most passionate BMW owners out there and his love for the brand goes years back. As a starting point, Jonathan went back to BMW’s roots to experience another BMW European Delivery, but this time, aboard a BMW 335d.

Part of his experience includes a tour of the BMW’s Munich factory where 10,000 workers producing ca. 800 3er Series autos and 1,200 engines each day. While photos are not usually allowed to be taken inside the plant, The Diesel Driver received special permission to snap some shots and share them with us all.

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The BMW 335d, one of the two bimmer diesels available in the U.S. makes the Automobile Magazine list of All-Stars vehicles in 2010. One of the highest rated diesel sedans, the 335d has been praised many times by automotive journalists around the world due to its combination of a sport luxury sedan and fuel efficiency.

Automobile Magazine is the last in line to praise the 335 diesel by adding it to their 2010 Automobile All-Stars list. Here is an excerpt from their article:

“Can we have a bit of fanfare, please? The BMW 335d is the most important car this year to get lost in the crowd. While the 335i and the M3 always show up in comparison tests, the 335d is an outlier – because, really, what would you compare it with? There’s no other car that combines performance and fuel economy at this level. Sure, there are many cars that do 0 to 60 mph in six seconds, but they don’t get 36 mpg on the highway.
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The votes are in and….the popular site …..”Popular Mechanics” names the 2010 BMW 335d as the “Best Luxury Vehicle”. The annual Automotive Excellence Awards focus on a variety of categories, from “Best Vehicle Design” to “Best Fuel Efficiency”.

The 335d needs no further introduction, I’ve been saying for months that if I had a choice a few years back, the diesel would have taken over the 335 gasoline, but that’s just another story. With their latest performance diesels, BMW hit the jackpot when it comes to combining luxury, performance and efficiency and the multiple awards they’ve won, confirm that.

So, let’s see what PM has to say about the only 3er diesel in the U.S.

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One of the most exciting news in the BMW world in the past year, was the introduction of two new diesel-powered BMWs in the United States: BMW 335d and BMW X5 xDrive35d. Launched during a period of time when the diesel and gasoline prices were moving downward, many believed that the timing could not have been worse. But six months later and with the oil price returning to its last year levels, these two new diesel bimmers are looking more and more appealing to everyone.

The 335d boasts a best in class EPA fuel economy of 23/36 MPG (city/hwy). This makes it the most fuel efficient BMW ever sold in the US, and also gives it the highest ever EPA MPG rating of any 6 cylinder vehicle ever offered in the US (gas or diesel). BMW X5 xDrive35d achieves an EPA rating of 19/26 MPG (city/hwy) and accelerates from 0-60 in 6.9 seconds, making it the fastest, most efficient Diesel SUV available in the US.

To “sweeten” the deal even more, BMW announced that the 335d and X5d will quality for a tax credit. The 3 Series Diesel tax credit is up to $900 while the X5d up to $1,800.

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Road & Track magazine published an interesting but in the same time strange comparison of two vehicles that not many will dare to put head-to-head: the new BMW 335d, a diesel powered car and the Audi A4 3.2 Quattro, a direct-injected gasoline-powered sports sedan.

As a disclaimer posted by R&R as well, the 335d was equipped with Sports Suspensions while A4 Quattro was running with stock suspension settings.

Before we go further, how many of you really think this is an insane comparison and how many of you will bet on the Audi? Well, I have to admit, I did…… Was I wrong? Let’s find out next.

Okay, we can agree diesels are much improved. But that doesn’t mean we want one providing the motive force in a BMW 3 Series, right? After all, it’s hard to envision true back-road thrills with an engine that tops out at 4600 rpm. How does it respond when driven hard? Is it slow and heavy? More importantly, how does the BMW 335d compare to a state-of-the-art direct-injected gasoline-powered sports sedan, in this case Audi’s excellent A4 3.2 Quattro?

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The folks at MPG-o-Matic sent us their latest review of the BMW 335d, which was test driven and reviewed by us also back at the L.A Auto Show. Along with their report, Dan Gray included a short video of the test drive as well, together with some of the car features.

“The 2009 BMW 335d sets a new standard for performance-oriented sedans, by delivering a remarkable combination of fuel economy, acceleration, handling, and electronics.

The 2009 BMW 335d is like nothing else on the road in America today. While it looks, for all intents and purposes, like typical 3-series BMW, the 335d’s game-changing clean diesel engine transforms the car into a tour de force to be reckoned with.

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