In a world where diesel engines seems to be on their way out of production, some manufacturers are still investing in them and bringing out rather impressive powerplants. One of them is BMW, which is selling M50d models in a variety of countries with two different engines under the hood. It’s quite an interesting situation that won’t last for long though as the BMW X5 and X6 models which are still using the old N57S mill are going out of production. But how does that older mill compare to a new high-performance rival from Audi?
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In the US, diesels on passenger cars have never been as popular as in some other countries. Therefore, the cars featured here are not even sold in the US and that’s truly a shame as they do bring a good mix of power and fuel efficiency to the table. The BMW X5 M50d in F15 guise uses the N57S 3-liter straight six diesel engine which used to be the most powerful of its kind until not long ago. With 381 HP and 740 Nm of torque, it would rocket the heavy SUV up to 100 km/h (62 mph) in just 5.3 seconds.
On the other side of the comparison here we have an Audi SQ7. The badge points to the beast under the hood, a 4-liter V8 with electric turbochargers, tuned to make 435 HP and 900 Nm of torque. According to Audi, the diesel under the hood should allow the SQ7 to reach 100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.8 seconds, drastically faster than the BMW. Furthermore, the electronically activated turbos can spool up considerably faster than conventional ones, meaning the full amount of torque is almost available throughout the range, with no build-up necessary.
However, the two are quite evenly matched in a straight line though. The video shows the BMW to be a bit faster up to the benchmark speed and then start to die down as the superior figures of the Audi give it the upper hand at higher velocities. In the end, the SQ7 wins it but we can’t help but wonder whether the new M50d model with the B57S quad-turbo engine under the hood would perform any better.
why are diesels going out of production?
Because people no longer want them. Demand for new diesel passenger cars in Europe went down last year by about 20 percent and this year it’s even worse. Despite manufacturers’ best efforts to make them as clean as possible, people simple don’t buy diesels any more and eventually they will die off.
So in future it will just mainly be petrol and electric cars only?
Yes. It will begin with petrol and hybrid models and eventually we’ll only have electric/hydrogen powered cars.
Sad future. :(
Aren’t BMW developing flexible platforms & assembly lines to offer ICE/BEV/hybrid/diesel according to market demand?
Yes they are and they will most definitely hope diesel sales go well as they are one of the few car makers out there that are actually abiding by the rules set by the EU in terms of emissions. Furthermore, they need the money from diesel sales to help develop future technologies. They even said it a number of times in various interviews. But if the customers simply don’t want diesels, there’s nothing they can do but adapt and sell more hybrids.
Is there such a thing as a diesel hybrid?
Yes, Peugeot has such a powertrain on the 508.
Cool.
What about commercial traffic, trains, 18 wheelers? Aren’t most consumer goods moved by diesel?
That’s a different topic, I was talking about passenger cars. As far as commercial traffic goes, it will still rely on diesel engines for the foreseeable future, until a more eco-friendly alternative is found.