35d diesel - calling all 35d owners!

[spmd11]

Good stuff, guys. thanks.

[Diesel Guy]

I don't have to turn off my 35D at the drive thru. There is no more noise that a gasoline, just a different pitch.......I'm a bit prejudiced towards diesel, yet I cannot understand the concerns that some say they have about their diesel clatter.....it's just not there.......

[JCL]

I agree that you really have to drive it, to decide. It is different.

For my part, I would never buy one. I would (and have) bought diesels, I just wouldn't buy a BMW diesel, not that there is anything particularly wrong with them. I have had a VW diesel Passat that got 50 mpg, a LR Discovery diesel (which was rather crude), and I almost bought an F350 with a Powerstroke (I drove lots of them at work). More importantly, I made my living for 24 years working with large yellow diesels from Peoria in trucks, boats, and mobile equipment, from 50 hp to 8000 hp. I love the sound of diesels, I just don't want to hear it in my BMW. I associate it more with a tractor. Part of what I love about driving a BMW is the tactile experience, the sound, the engine response as it revs. A diesel just doesn't do it for me in a BMW, I feel like I might as well buy something much cheaper. Part of that is the limited rev range, and subdued throttle response. Torque doesn't do it for me, I can get torque with gears.

Others find that they like the BMW experience with the 35d, and don't mind the different engine note. It isn't worse, just different. To each their own. There are two camps on this, though.

[Thavipah]

I've had 6 BMW's with a gasoline engine and this is my first BMW diesel. The sound is really different then with the gas engines. But I love this diesel. It is so much more refined then a 4-cilinder diesel like VW.

When cold it does clatter when you stand outside. It isn't the nicest sound I've heard but inside the cabin it is hardly noticable. As soon as it's warmed up the clatter is almost gone. Because the dieselnote is a lot lower and darker then with a gasoline engine I dare to say that when you are at highway speeds it is more quiet then any gasoline engine I have owned from BMW. I love that fact because I bought this car as a comfortable way to go from A to B. I've had a 130i wich had a very nice exhaust and engine sound. But after two years I got tired from it at the motorway and went for comfort.

I also love the torque of the diesel. You can feel the torque when you drive on a road that has inclines up and down. The transmission doesn't have to go a gear up to go uphill, the torque of the diesel pulls it up easily.

This engine suits the car very well and I would never buy an X5 with a gas engine for economic and comfort reasons..

[ard]

Anyone watch the Audi film, "Truth in 24"? The VW diesels run with an eerily quiet exhaust note....

[NewGTGuy]

Originally Posted by Skinnedy

I look forward to driving by a wall with my window down so I can hear the engine when I accelerate

Totally! Sometimes I'll roll my window down in parking garages just to hear the diesel awsumness!

[bigx5er]

Drive it before you buy it. I'm in the minority here, but I associate a certain type of sporty purr with BMWs. The diesel is a much different sound and while quiet on flat highway, it is noisy when accelerating while driving slow.

Once again, that noise doesn't bother many people and nothing wrong with that. But at 60K+, you really need to try it first.

I grew up on sports cars and got used to the 3 series sound. So I am biased to that type of sound.

[Penguin]

I've found I've gotten to like the sound of the Diesel... when I hear a gasoline engine now it sounds kinda wimpy to me.

That said, when I bought the 2010 the improved performance over the standard six, combined with the ecocredit, made it a no-brainer decision for me. But with the new base six in the 2011, I would want to drive both before making a decision. I suspect I would still go with the diesel as I really like the flat torque curve, but who knows?

[Retired Profile]

no problem here - no clatter inside the cabin

[Prof]

I have a Mercedes GL320 and X5 35d and the BMW is quieter than the GL320. I don't even hear the clatter in the BMW. IMHO it is the only way to go with SUV/SAV. Have 2700 miles on it and averaging over 25 mpg. The clatter is not a factor.