Saddle Brown? US Diesel?

[amh]

Guess this confirms that we cannot get saddle in nappa or perforated leather-too bad.

[amh]

on second thought, I am curious as to the reasoning behind BMW's policy as you stated regarding priority one cars? Is is because saddle leather cars are somehow less desireable?

[soldmystang]

Originally Posted by amh

Can you elaborate a little regarding the chip for the diesel? How does it impact the warranty, cost to purchase and install, any reliability issues? Can you give us an idea of what US mpg would be? Any risks we should know about?

I am still doing the math on diesel vs gas for US and would like to factor the chip into the equation.

Many thanks and apologies of this has been asked and answered elsewhere

more than likely, he is talking about a tuner similar to those available for US diesels. it plugs into your OBD port and you use it to reset OEM settings. common US tuners are Bullydog, Edge & Banks. there are many others. one big thing to consider when tuning a diesel is EGT's and as such a seperate gauge cluster is a must. diesel tuners have been shown to be effective in increasing mpgs and adding torque but generally should only be used in moderation. tune in too much and you will blow the top end of the motor completely off the block.

most US manufacturers do not warranty motor failures if the failure occurs on a motor that has evidence of a programer being used.

in the diesel world it is pretty much " if you want to play you gots to pay"

forget Magnuson-Moss when talking diesel tuning.

[amh]

Thanks, Stang. I thought maybe Dinan had something for diesels. If not, I would pass if I get the diesel. Not worth the risk for me.

[soldmystang]

Originally Posted by amh

Thanks, Stang. I thought maybe Dinan had something for diesels. If not, I would pass if I get the diesel. Not worth the risk for me.

certainly Dinan would be the one to go with. they may have something in place already. i honestly don't know. but IMO diesel tuning is a bit more twitchy than gasoline motor tuning. all my experiences have been with domestic diesels, and unfortunately the results have not been real spectacular. most US diesels are already engineered to produce close to the maximum hp and torque at the OEM level. Ford vs Chevy vs Dodge HP wars and all. maybe BMW will leave some room for the tuners to build upon.

and how bout them Panthers. fired Carr (yea) and picked up Muhammad. we shall see.

[HaroldC]

I would personally wait for the diesel. If I could wait until this fall, I would be all over the diesel for three reasons:

1) torque - 425 ftlbs! That is stump pulling torque. And after you've chipped it, it'll most likely above 500 ftlbs! Just for prespective, my 4.8 only gets 350 ftlbs. Torque is what pulls you, not HP, and is way more usable in everyday driving. HP is only important when pushing the engine at it's limit. Just look where engines make max hp vs. torque.

2) gas mileage - 22.6 gallons @ 28 mpg = 632 miles!!!! Even if you fill up with 20 gal (when the light comes on) you'll still get ~560 miles! In my 4.8 I'm happy when I get >260 miles.

3) did I mention torque?

[amh]

So you expect the diesel to get better mpg than the 19 and 25 they are quoting? I've been figuring 23 diesel mpg as I do 75% highway miles and 15 for the gas 4.8. Agree the range is a compelling difference.

The 4.8 nearly moves the vehicle like my 335. Great sense of control that felt different than the 3.0 to me. You seem confident the diesel will do the same thing.

Stang, I answered your post last night regarding Panthers but not sure what happened to it. It included a mention of where you could test drive an X6 on 3/28 if you wanted.

[soldmystang]

Originally Posted by amh

So you expect the diesel to get better mpg than the 19 and 25 they are quoting? I've been figuring 23 diesel mpg as I do 75% highway miles and 15 for the gas 4.8. Agree the range is a compelling difference.

The 4.8 nearly moves the vehicle like my 335. Great sense of control that felt different than the 3.0 to me. You seem confident the diesel will do the same thing.

Stang, I answered your post last night regarding Panthers but not sure what happened to it. It included a mention of where you could test drive an X6 on 3/28 if you wanted.

thanks Bro. my email does wierd stuff some times. my avg mpgs are in the 17 range around town. they seem to be creeping up. i think i might average 18 before all is said and done. my average day is mixed city and highway driving.

a turbo diesel can be much fun to drive. my pick-up is rated 325hp & 550tq. it weighs 8800 lbs but it has no trouble getting out of its own way. once you learn to deal with turbo lag it is easy to apply the power when needed.

if BMW has done their homework on this and they limit the turbo lag, the X5 sd should go as well as the 4.8. although i think a couple more hp couldn't hurt.

i might have to pass on the X6 test drive AMH, my wife gets nervous when i get near a car lot. let us know how it goes.

[amh]

I am averaging 25.5- 27.2 (manually calculated) on my 335i at average highway speeds of 80-85. If I got 17 on a 4.8 it would fine.

[amh]

I did see diesel in Charlotte today over $4/gallon which was about .60 above premium. Less differential north by the lake as diesel was "only" $3.89...

Hard to make the math work if you figure you have to pay list for the sd vs discounts on 4.8. I guess range and lower emissions are still good reasons though.