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The 335d is sold in the UK and Europe, only with more horsepower but auto only, as in the US -- 286 bhp: 0-62 mph in 6.0, 42.2 combined cycle.
That's good to know. Still wondering if they could pull 36+mpg like our old 323i. Still, that is no where near the 50+mpg of the 1.8d and 2.0d. We have a few more years before we consider replacing her car so we'll see what materializes by then.
I surely agree with your opinions and appreciate your saying. I like the diesel-like low end torque that comes off Inline 6 tt, so I bought the 335xi (with one inch more of ground clearance than 335i), but the bumpy ride of the 3er bumped me out off the car in less than 3 months, now I drive the 535xi instead. I am a typical diesel nut and I am wondering if the 335d would be a good choice for me, beside, the 3825 lb curb weight on 335d and 5225 in X5xDrive35d make me pondering if Bimmer is good in making lighter weight vehicles.
I'm guessing it's not since it's RWD only - no extra ground clearance.
"pondering if Bimmer is good in making lighter weight vehicles."
BMW does make lighter vehicles, you're just not looking at them. The twin turbo engine (especially the diesel) and all-wheel-drive add a lot of weight. Why not consider the 328i? It weighs 3340 lbs - 500 lbs less than the 335d!
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive
I did, however, drive a 335i and 335d back to back, both automatics with base suspension, and surprised myself by preferring the latter. I didn't think that the 335i was strong enough for an auto -- too little grunt right at the bottom, but the 335d worked well -- it felt a lot more like an OHV V8 of old, with bags of effortless torque. And you can hear the engine -- it's always there, noisier than I expected, and it feels big and bad when you step into it.
I still want to drive a 335i with manual and sports suspension, but I enjoyed the 335i with base susp and auto less than my '06 325i with manual and ZSP. I think I'll be keeping mine a while longer.
(I then drove a CTS with direct injection -- very nice car but came back to the dealer smoking from the left front side -- nasty electrical smell. Then on to a VW GTi with manual, which was the best drive of the day. Lovely car, but would it fall apart like my Mk 4 did? And better to wait for the Mk 6.)
You're asking if a VW will fall apart? (biting my tongue, breathing hard.....)
He did not bother to repeat the test with the M3 driven full out around the track, nor with both cars driven through city traffic... or at normal cruise speeds on a motorway The Prius fuel mileage numbers would have beaten the M3's severely about the head and shoulders in either case, of course, and that is the wrong answer for Jeremy. Better to stage a senseless stunt. I guess the adults in charge at Top Gear were off that day. I am surprised that his two buds did not call him on this one, though, as they often do seem to show more sense than Jeremy.
Re the VW -- I did notice the black plastic false and real air inlet panels at bumper height -- I think one encounter with a misplaced wheel barrow handle or snow bank would put paid to that.
Re the 335d -- don't be misled about magazine stories about the quietness and refinement of modern diesels. The former, no, the latter, yes, but this car is not like the gasoline version at all. The difference is apparent as soon as you start the engine. The engine is there at cruise, but it's not an unpleasant sound. It just feels big, strong and bottomless. It tails off a bit between 4k and 5k, as you'd expect.
The car did make me want to try a 330d with manual and sport suspension -- I'm sure it's as great as it's claimed to be by the press.
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It's a twin turbo four banger that knocks out the 0-60 dash in the mid to high sixes. It also has a manual tranny and pulls down @42 miles per US gallon in the EU combined driving cycle.
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive
http://www.bmw.co.uk/bmwuk/pricesandspecifications/0,,1156___bs-Mw%3D%3D%40bb-TE- - - kwOA%3D%3D%40sit-bmwuk,00.html
No manual tranny for the 335d -- I think I remember reading that the available transmission could not handle the torque. We're certainly fortunate in the US from the pricing perspective.
In the old days, when I worked on cars and dinosaurs roamed the earth, the joke was about Volvos rather than Priuses---that "it's a car for people who hate cars".
I drove a Prius 1250 miles in 2 days (SF to Denver) and it was very comfortable.
Exactly! If we didn't have the Prius and its ilk, what would dorky eco-weenies drive?
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive
You should take the same trip in a Jetta TDI and a BMW 335D and give us your comparison.
PS
I cannot imagine driving 600 miles a day in a Prius after my 15 minute ride in the 2009 model. I guess it is what you are used to.
I rather liked the test. It indicated that you are probably buying a car that meets your needs than buying a car other people think you should buy.
I'd like to drag us back on-topic for a minute, but I did the same test-drive as nkeen, and I too was shocked.
That I-6TT diesel is a fantastic engine. So much torque, it un-does most of the weight of the ever-porking 3-series.
The transmission did an equally amazing job of shifting all that torque under boost imperceptibly smoothly. Perhaps because it had less rev range to deal with. But I too preferred the action over the 335i automatic.
But the end result of the combination of truckloads of torque and seamless shifts is that it felt nothing like any car I've driven. It was more like accelerating down the highway in your own private jet. Sounds similar too, as the greatest noise under accel is the turbo whine. No abrupt jerkiness, just a constant forcing you into the seat.
Hard to describe, I suggest those curious go try it.
The torque is so available that it would make the 3-series a better daily driver. It won't search for gears in traffic, slowing down for lights, going over hills, etc. But when you get on it, its as strong as the gas version. Speeding up takes less effort, especially when you want to get home stress-free.
But I notice that this thread is mostly based on the economics of diesel. If cost is the only downside... there's far more to it than that. This engine is more luxurious and versatile IMO.
Sure I'd rather have taken the trip in a 335d, but I didn't suffer the agonies of a martyr driving the Prius 1250 miles. It was amazingly easy. It's like driving mom's sofa. How hard is that?
I haven't sat in a 335d, so I can't comment or compare in any detail. The last 3 series I was in was a 2006, and I wouldn't have wanted to take that cross country. The car is too small for my size is all.
I drove my 2006 330i 1500 miles in Europe. It wasn't taxing at all and at times I was doing 150. I averaged about 110 on most freeway driving.
Regards,
OW
Really if you can name one thing BMW excels at, it is engines.
Is he trying to tell us that ANYONE would buy a V8 M3 and then drive it gently to try to get the best mileage possable? Is he trying to tell us that ANYONE would buy a Prius to flog it on a track?
The episode would be amusing if he left out the sermon at the end. The sermon, itself, was utter nonsense.
I use to drive through high mountain roads at least every other week-end. I anticipate those week-ends not only for the pleasure of skiing, my favorite sport, but also for the joy of driving from the see level up to 5,000 feet and back. Then I have to restrain myself from overtaking other cars in the winding roads because the car acceleration is so impressive that I can feel everything as possible, and way much possible—only to realize the bent is there asking for a lot of braking. Even so, the drive is always precise and easy.
Regards,
Jose
2009 BMW 335i, 2003 Corvette cnv. (RIP 2001 Jaguar XK8 cnv and 1985 MB 380SE [the best of the lot])
Forget about it with all-seasons. They will be marginal when new and dangerous when worn on a RWD car.
Regards,
OW
I can't help it. I love straight 6s for their smoothness, sound and power band.
But that's not really fair, pretty much all German convertibles suffer from some cowl shudder on bumping roads. You want a really strong convertible structure, you need something designed that way...like a Corvette.
By "no German company makes an engine like a BMW" do you mean like the the E46 M3 engines that were basically on their death beds as soon as their owners got them due to poor construction, or the famous disintegrating plastic water pumps of the E36's that caused owners plenty of trouble and $, or the VANOS feature that eliminates any sense of smoothness when it starts to "go" (like I currently experience on my 30,000 miles E46 zhp), or the current 335 gas engine that BMW just "upgraded" the firmware to to introduce turbo lag because without it the engines were failing too soon and costing warranty bucks, or the same engines that were first sold to customers w/o an oil cooler which it desperately needs to make the turbos last?
If you mean no other German company makes a straight six, anymore, you are probably right. Heck, BMW is moving away from them, too. What do they put in the M3? The other guys (Merc) went away from the straight six for packaging reasons and I'll bet BMW will eventually, too. Great design choice, but quite bulky for its displacement.
The I 6 is bullet proof . It has been for literally decades if not generations. One can even label this old school/tech. If BMW has taken advantage of this (I6 design) with the diesel, and stayed within its known design parameters, it certainly has a hit with 265 hp and 425 # ft.!! Maximum torque comes on at relatively low RPMS. Another obvious issue would be the reliability of the twin turbos and compatibility with the I 6 diesel.
Whether or not the I 6 twin turbo diesel in the BMW 335 D navigated correctly, remains to be seen, ie, time, miles, history. It is a not brainer out to 60,000 miles, due to being maintenance free and covered under warranty for those miles.
Sure you are right, older M3 engines had their issues, but then, people drive them a bit differently than a Buick.
I've had BMWs, and mercilessly driven the living crap out of them, and barring the exceptional, those engines don't break.
Now you show me a little German black box stuffed with electronics, and I might agree with you about "problems".
I may not be ga-ga over a luxury diesel BMW with a substantial price tag, but I have full confidence in the engine and chassis of the 335d.
Well that is true, but I am thinking that takes the focus off the true scenario. It was really a series of engine design decisions, that they packed, for example the 2001 BMW M3 with performance features, increasing the likihood of it exploding / grenading. It is very unlikely the BWM M3 was made or marketed for the over 55 years old set, to get them to switch from their perfectly fine Buicks.
Every car is a compromise about something. The phenomenon you refer to is I think called "narrow engineering", wherein the manufacturer engineers the car to excel in one or two ranges of things while leaving the rest merely adequate at best.
I'm sure the 335d is a combination of compromises. Exactly what they are, I don't know, I haven't driven the car.
I think the truly "great" cars we remember did not do everything well, but rather did a few things brilliantly.
I think BMW engines were/are brilliant.