Anyone have an 08 or later 335d?

[X5rolls]

I recently read a review of the 335d, 26 mpg city and 36 mpg highway wrapped in a sexy 3 series (although a 4 door sedan) makes for a nice "economy" ride. Not slow and handles well, loaded with leather, NAV etc would make a very nice addition. Not sure I'll go out an get one but I could see it happen some day.

Anyone have experience owning one? Other comments?

BMW North America

[Boston X5 4.4]

Originally Posted by X5rolls

I recently read a review of the 335d, 26 mpg city and 36 mpg highway wrapped in a sexy 3 series (although a 4 door sedan) makes for a nice "economy" ride. Not slow and handles well, loaded with leather, NAV etc would make a very nice addition. Not sure I'll go out an get one but I could see it happen some day.

Anyone have experience owning one? Other comments?

BMW North America

Why would you go for diesel? Just curious...

[X5rolls]

Originally Posted by Boston X5 4.4

Why would you go for diesel? Just curious...

A while ago my wife and I were discussing that someday it might be good to get a car that has great mileage. Neither one of us are fans of hybrids. We have become spoiled by owning BMWs and other very cool cars so giving up some of the dynamics, quickness, handling, interior quality etc. isn't very appealing. So, thinking of hi-line cars that have great mileage there are not a huge number to choose from. I'm a fan of diesels in certain applications but have never owned one.

Doing a quick survey of what is out there I started to review/investigate the BMW 335d. Very good mileage numbers, it's a BMW with all the things we have become accustomed to and it looks great with the right sport options and wheels.

I wouldn't be able to say an economy car as when optioned the way I like it is over 50k but it isn't like any other vehicle with 26/36 mpg out there that I've seen in my quicky survey. With the inherent push of the diesel torque way down in the rpm range it would be a very easy vehicle to get used to. Not in place of other sports cars we have but an excellent addition.

[Eurosport]

Originally Posted by X5rolls

A while ago my wife and I were discussing that someday it might be good to get a car that has great mileage. Neither one of us are fans of hybrids. We have become spoiled by owning BMWs and other very cool cars so giving up some of the dynamics, quickness, handling, interior quality etc. isn't very appealing. So, thinking of hi-line cars that have great mileage there are not a huge number to choose from. I'm a fan of diesels in certain applications but have never owned one.

Doing a quick survey of what is out there I started to review/investigate the BMW 335d. Very good mileage numbers, it's a BMW with all the things we have become accustomed to and it looks great with the right sport options and wheels.

I wouldn't be able to say an economy car as when optioned the way I like it is over 50k but it isn't like any other vehicle with 26/36 mpg out there that I've seen in my quicky survey. With the inherent push of the diesel torque way down in the rpm range it would be a very easy vehicle to get used to. Not in place of other sports cars we have but an excellent addition.

over 50k for a 3 series?
you might want to start looking for a much better diesel aka E-class

[X5rolls]

Originally Posted by Eurosport

over 50k for a 3 series?
you might want to start looking for a much better diesel aka E-class

Why is it better? I'm not sure that an E-class is going to give me the dynamics of a 3 series and I'm more interested in mileage than owning a MB. Maybe I'm missing something.

[JCL]

Originally Posted by X5rolls

A while ago my wife and I were discussing that someday it might be good to get a car that has great mileage. Neither one of us are fans of hybrids. We have become spoiled by owning BMWs and other very cool cars so giving up some of the dynamics, quickness, handling, interior quality etc. isn't very appealing. So, thinking of hi-line cars that have great mileage there are not a huge number to choose from. I'm a fan of diesels in certain applications but have never owned one.

Doing a quick survey of what is out there I started to review/investigate the BMW 335d. Very good mileage numbers, it's a BMW with all the things we have become accustomed to and it looks great with the right sport options and wheels.

I wouldn't be able to say an economy car as when optioned the way I like it is over 50k but it isn't like any other vehicle with 26/36 mpg out there that I've seen in my quicky survey. With the inherent push of the diesel torque way down in the rpm range it would be a very easy vehicle to get used to. Not in place of other sports cars we have but an excellent addition.

Only problem with that plan is that the 335d doesn't have great mileage. If we want to get serious about a good handling 3 series BMW, with great mileage, then we should demand that BMW bring the 320d Efficient Dynamics model to North America. Using comparative figures from the Euro models, it gets 63% better fuel economy than the 335d on the combined cycle fuel consumption tests. In Europe, you can get all the options and features you want on the smaller-engined models, unlike here. The 2 litre four cylinder is also much lighter, so handling will be improved. BMW has said they will bring four cylinder diesels to North America, so this plus the new X1/X3 with the same 2.0d engine are a possibility.

[SANguru]

torque, JBD with 525ft/lb of torque, 36mpg, Eco Credit extended to January now, 1800 tax credit, and $0 down on lease til Nov. Plenty of incentives.

[Quicksilver]

Yeah but the mileage the 335d gets is better than what a lot of people are getting in comparable vehicles. Additionally i believe some folks were considering the 335d because it still has enough guts to make them feel good about driving it. For me at least a 2 litre four cylinder would not be my choice. Great mileage isn't everything.

Originally Posted by JCL

Only problem with that plan is that the 335d doesn't have great mileage. If we want to get serious about a good handling 3 series BMW, with great mileage, then we should demand that BMW bring the 320d Efficient Dynamics model to North America. Using comparative figures from the Euro models, it gets 63% better fuel economy than the 335d on the combined cycle fuel consumption tests. In Europe, you can get all the options and features you want on the smaller-engined models, unlike here. The 2 litre four cylinder is also much lighter, so handling will be improved. BMW has said they will bring four cylinder diesels to North America, so this plus the new X1/X3 with the same 2.0d engine are a possibility.

[JCL]

Originally Posted by Quicksilver

Yeah but the mileage the 335d gets is better than what a lot of people are getting in comparable vehicles. Additionally i believe some folks were considering the 335d because it still has enough guts to make them feel good about driving it. For me at least a 2 litre four cylinder would not be my choice. Great mileage isn't everything.

I agree that great mileage isn't everything, but the 320d would have the handling, features, BMW familiarity, just not the dragstrip performance. In traffic in the city, is an 8 second 0-60 so bad? You can't go 60 in the city anyway. I had a 318 back in the early '90s, and the 320d would outperform it in the real world. It also wouldn't cost anywhere near the $50k that was quoted above. Automakers have long used the phrase "people will pay anything for economy" and have milked that obsession.

Philosophizing for a moment, I think that North America uses far too much fossil fuel, and is obsessed with hp ratings in vehicle. I think the automakers having the ability to offer real alternatives that move us forward, with vehicles like the 320d, but instead they are selling the myth that owners can have it all, 0-60 in six seconds for example, 23/36 mpg is 'good enough', etc. If they provided a choice of two diesel models, I wager they would sell more 320d models than 335d models. Sure, offer the 335d, and charge a lot for it. Just provide a real alternative that is much more (63% more) economical for those that want it. The development work is already done. The vehicle exists.

Many years ago, my 1.9 VW TDI Passat had something like 120 hp. It cruised just fine at 200 km/hr in Germany on our trips to Italy. It was the 'red badge' engine that was shared with Audi. That same engine came in 90, 100, and 110 hp versions, from memory. The 320d, a vehicle of the same size and weight, has 184 hp, which is pretty similar to the 186 hp we had in our E46 325xi, and that vehicle performed fine.

But hey, I would buy a 20d X3 before I bought a 35d X3.

[X5rolls]

Originally Posted by JCL

Only problem with that plan is that the 335d doesn't have great mileage. If we want to get serious about a good handling 3 series BMW, with great mileage, then we should demand that BMW bring the 320d Efficient Dynamics model to North America. Using comparative figures from the Euro models, it gets 63% better fuel economy than the 335d on the combined cycle fuel consumption tests. In Europe, you can get all the options and features you want on the smaller-engined models, unlike here. The 2 litre four cylinder is also much lighter, so handling will be improved. BMW has said they will bring four cylinder diesels to North America, so this plus the new X1/X3 with the same 2.0d engine are a possibility.

To me 26/36 with the level of performance the 335d brings is very appealing. I'm all for demanding something from BMW but I'm not familiar with the Euro models and therefore had not considered them viable at this point in my analysis. I'm all for the higher mileage but I'd be interested in keeping the level of performance of the 335d and not going down much.