35D vs 35I - Anyone owned both?

[bigx5er]

Late to the thread. I owned both the 35d and 35i. For me the 35i is the easy winner and I'm currently driving a 2013.

With the price of diesel where it is, there is little or no advantage is fuel costs. The 35i is faster than the 35d 0 - 60 which is what I cared about more. I also prefer the 8 speed automatic.

Plus the 35i doesn't make you mess around with urea, deal with the occasional burn off smell, or enjoy dirty gas pumps.

I'm not knocking those who own the 35d. Just my opinions.

[xlr8]

Where i am diesel is $.30 more than premium. Considering i bought my 35D used and it was cheaper than the equivalent 35I at the time i think i made off well. I get 20% more economy for around a 10% more cost in fuel plus that delicious torque.
I do agree about fuel pumps though, diesel ones are often nasty. I'm one of the few who likes the diesel clattering though i bet.

[bawareca]

Originally Posted by xlr8

I'm one of the few who likes the diesel clattering though i bet.

I'm the other one
It all depends on the way it is used.I have a track car and my daily job includes hauling a good amount of stuff in the trunk,sedan or hatch wont work.So I moved from 03 X5 4.6is (16 mpg avg/14mpg towing) and 06 530xit(18 mpg average) to just one 12 X5D.22 mpg average and up to 19 mpg when towing.The fact that it cost me less than 30 grand total doesnt hurt either.

[4MoJoe]

I've never found engine noise at freeway speeds annoying in my 35d. It seems to hum along to me and plenty of pep when needed. I've never felt the 6 speed was not a good match to the engine because it doesn't need that many gears because there is so much damn torque to push you along.

Diesel was only $3.69 a gallon in Portland and now it's near $4 or over here in SoCal which hurts slightly. But buying the 35d for mileage, which is/was a nice bonus over my 4.4i E53, wasn't my main goal, it was the engine power and towing ability.

As far as stinky and dirty diesel pumps, they are def that way. I carry a roll of paper towels in my car and always cover the pump handle with one when I fill the tank and then wipe up anything that spills. In Oregon you couldn't pump your own fuel so I didn't have to deal with it and now I do but no big deal. It's occasionally a mess but now that I have a routine down it's not awful.

I'd be interested to see how the 2014 x5 diesel performs and the sound, but I have no plans to buy that big of a car again but would def go the diesel route in another BMW 3 series.

[Diesel X5 35d]

One of a big advantage of a diesel is that it really helps on the resale with the price and selling it fast. A diesel doesn't cost you any more to own but you get 30% better mileage than a gasser. Diesel is about 10% more than premium in MD right now so your still about 20% less in fuel costs. On my last trip fuel cost was $0.16 per mile,not bad for such a big car.

Filling up with UREA is no more complicated than windshield washer fluid once you use common sense.

Like my mercedes mechanic used to say: "drive it like you stole it"!

[conedoctor]

Ya urea is a non issue.

I got one for towing the camper and the race car, I wanted the jam and mileage in the mountains.

The cost of Diesel is a wash for premium right now but once the diesel price settles down I am ahead, we get a bit over 10 l/100km mixed driving and that is awesome. Cant wait for camping and race season to try out some towing action!

That said I have not had a 35i but would like to drive one and see how it goes.

[JCL]

We are evaluating an F15 now. It would be either a 35d or a 35i. The 50i is not under consideration. Both vehicles have an 8 speed ZF transmission, but the diesel model has a transmission rated for higher torque.

I like the 35i engine, had a similar one in a 535. I would like the greater power of the 35i. While I appreciate that the diesel has more flywheel torque, the torque peak at 1750 rpm is higher than the 1300 rpm of the 35i, and flywheel torque doesn't matter as much to me as wheel torque. We've got transmissions for that purpose.

When I look at the payback on fuel cost, the diesel is a very hard sell in our area. I used current fuel prices (Vancouver), but also compared Calgary and Toronto. We are currently paying $1.40 to $1.50 per litre (around $6 per US gallon) for diesel, representing anything from 2% to 10% more than premium gasoline. In some other areas of Canada diesel is cheaper. Long term, I don't expect diesel to come down below gasoline. It has more energy content, so it should cost more on a $/MJ basis. The number of diesel vehicles as a share of the vehicle population will likely climb in the next few years, so relative demand isn't going to drop soon.

We regularly drive to Calgary, primarily highway miles. In Vancouver, it would get mixed used, so I used the BMW combined highway/city rating.

I assumed the same resale, and left out maintenance cost since I expect it to be very low for both models. Considering current fuel prices in both locations, and the published $1500 premium for the diesel model, the payback period ranges from 55,000 km to 220,000 km, and that is just to break even, not coming out ahead. I just can't see the logic of the diesel given that. When I last looked at an E70 diesel a few years ago fuel prices were different but the vehicle price premium was $4500. That had a payback period just under 100,000 km.

I know about diesel issues, I had two diesel vehicles in Europe and spent 24 years working in the heavy equipment business with diesel engines. But I suspect that our next vehicle will be a gasoline one. It will come down to convenience of fueling I suspect.

[Diesel X5 35d]

Fuel suppliers have really stepped up to the plate here in the US in the last 3-4 years. I used to have to hunt for diesel pumps with the small nozzle and cringe at the dirty pavement all the time. Now most of the large fueling places along interstates have diesel pumps. With the number of VW's with TDI's on the road these days it's not surprising. As I mentioned ease of resale has worked for me in the past to justify a diesel. I could say the same about having a navigation system also. I was getting 28 MPG per US gallon with winter blend this weekend and that was pretty sweet also. Hoping for 30 miles per gallon once it gets hot again. Cheers

[JCL]

I have been watching all the stations I use regularly, seeing who has diesel. It isn't hard to find. The issues are more around the smell and getting it on your hands.

My wife is already unhappy that she would lose her six speed manual transmission with a new vehicle. The diesel issues, while not insurmountable, may just be a bridge too far, especially since I can't show an economic justification.

[conedoctor]

The cost of diesel is high right now for a few reasons but there was that refinery fire just before Christmas and it is not up and running yet, price should relax after that as all summer the price of diesel was very close to gas if I recall correct in Calgary.

The other part of the decision has to be about vehicle use and if your buying used, for us wanting to tow and buying out of the US used the diesel was a no brainer, we also do a Calgary-Kelowna and all points between run a few times a year and this thing is going to be awesome towing or not.