DIESEL: Is the 4k worth it? It depends.....

[MrX]

Originally Posted by Fraser

I think that everything in Australia is more expensive than the US! Current X5 Aussie pricing is:

3-litre six-cylinder petrol: $86,635
3-litre six-cylinder single-turbo diesel: $88,541
3-litre six-cylinder twin-turbo diesel: $105,490
4.8-litre V8 petrol: $121,908

Aussie dollar is currently worth 65 cents US. Six months ago it was close to parity (97 cents).

As for relative performance between the 4.8 and the twin-turbo diesel, in Aussie spec the 4.8 is 0.7 second faster to 100 kilometres per hour (6.5s v 7.2s) and 0.7 second faster over the standing-start kilometre (26.6s v 27.3s). For your reference, 1 kilometre = 0.62 mile.

However, these figures don't tell the whole story. I've driven both the 4.8 and the 35d back to back over an extended period (not just at a customer clinic) and the V8 simply can't match the diesel's huge bottom-end and mid-range power and needs all the revs that it can muster to see off the diesel. By 1200rpm the diesel is already making more torque than the 4.8 ever produces, and the diesel's peak torque is some 20% better than the 4.8 and is produced from 2000rpm whereas the 4.8's peak torque doesn't come on stream until 3400rpm. As a racer, I'm sure that you will appreciate that performance is not just about peak power, but power spread and power delivery. I can't really comment on Barcius' comments because all my experience has been with the Australian models and your models (both petrol and diesel) may be significantly different.

Fraser, thank you for the info. There is a huge difference between the biturbo diesel and the V8 in Australia. Here in the US the difference is approximately only $6K according to the sticker, but can be actually less expensive in real life assuming the dealers are currently heavily discounting the cars in stock. I will take your word about your experience with the diesel versus gasoline. Like I said, it is very hard for me to picture a gasoline BMW V8 engine losing to a diesel, but I will defer the decision after I drive both vehicles. My friend has a V8 with the sport package and the drive is absolutely fantastic. Can not wait to buy one. I drove a 3.0si gasoline at the dealer and it is not the engine I would choose to move this monster. I will keep you posted. It may be true that the US spec is not as good as the Australia one.