Originally Posted by grover432

Isn't Mr. Lutz talking about the difficulties his company will face bringing diesel vehicles to the North American market? BMW and Mercedes already have Bluetec engines that meet Bin 5 Tier 2 which is required for emission regulations in 2010. So the cost of diesel emission equipment for these two companies will not go up.

The change to Bluetec by Mercedes (2008 to 2009) resulted in a 1L/100km fuel consumption increase and the 35d has already been rated, so there should be no additional costs related to fuel economy, moving forward.

As for diesel fuel costs, this is of course the wild card. At this point, the drivability of the diesel puts it close in performance to the 4.8, with lower monthly fueling costs (considering better mileage but higher diesel cost).

If BMW introduces the gas TT in the X5, it would have similar performance to the 4.8 with slightly better fuel economy. The X6 35i uses 15.7 L/100 cit and 11.8 L/100 hwy. I would expect the X5 to be similar. This compares to the 4.8 at 16.8 City/12.4 hwy. Not a huge diference, but the option cost should be no more than the diesel, which, in Cnada would mean a savings of $7,000 on the purchase price of a 35i X5.

Of course the 35d would be the vehicle of choice ofr me. In my area, if I hunt around, I can buy diesel for about the same as premium fuel (that's today, who knows about tomorrow). Given the uncertainty, I'd be inclined to lease an X535d rather than purchase.

I guess there is no free lunch when it comes to fuel economy. the same thing is happening to people who buy hybrids. You save at the pump, but you have to pay thousands more for the technology. After8 years you need to buy a new battery for $7,000. If you trade before then, you have to deduct this cost from value. In addition, ou face the uncertainty of future value of your hybrid car/suv as emerging technologies are likely to obsolete your hybrid (in terms of technology) with better, cheaper and more efficient hybrids. It's the early adopter cost we are paying with those vehicles right now.

I'm starting to think Honda Civic .....