We're here at BMW's Welt Museum and Vehicle Delivery Center to collect the fascinating new comer the BMW's North American line up, the 335d. This is BMW's first Fifty State legal diesel and the first opportunity for Americans to see whether you can have a Sport Sedan that uses fuel like an economic car.
We head out into the Munich traffic down for the Autobahn, Italy and the alps. Well
Angus Mackenzie: We are on the Autobahn with no speed limit and it's time to see whether the 335d can cut it in fast company. Well if you think diesels are slow, think again BMW claims the 335d will accelerate from 0 to 60 in 6 seconds, and right now we are cursing at a 120 miles an hour. The engines turning just 3100 RPM and according to the instantaneous read out on the dash, we are getting nearly 30 miles per gallon; pretty amazing.
Well we have left behind the Munich traffic and 120 miles of German Autobahn and Austrian freeway, and now we are in Italy at the foot of the alps. Ahead of us lies the 6000 foot Jaufenpass. We've averaged about 60 miles an hour all the way down here and the trip computer showing 30.9 miles per gallon, so the BMW 335d is living up to its economy car credentials but the climb up to the Jaufenpass is a narrowly switch back, full of tight second and third gear corners.
Now we are going to find out whether the 335d lives up to its BMW Sport Sedan heritage. Well it might be a fuel stiffening diesel under the hood but this is still a 3-series. It's a real Sport Sedan up here on the switch backs it's quick, it's neat, and it's clean, turns in well, grips strongly, and accelerates out of the turns with a punch you'd expect of a Sports Sedan.
The diesel engine is a different driving technique though, whereas in a regular gas engine 335i, you've let it rev out to the red line the engine is silky smooth all the way. But this one best to shift early we're barely going at the 3000 rpm at any point. And the diesel engine just growls away happily like Tom Waits gargling a gallon of Irish cream.
Down in the valley behind us this our destination, Murano, Italy. We covered over 200 miles in the 335d. We've done a 120 miles an hour on the German Autobahn and hamated up and over the 6800 foot Jaufenpass, and I have to say I am pretty impressed. Is it possible to have Sport Sedan with a economic car fuel consumption? Absolutely, so far the 335d has averaged 23.6 miles per gallon, and we've been driving it hard cursing on the freeway at 100 miles an hour we've seen 30.9 miles per gallon out of this car. BMW's claim of 36 miles per gallon at highway is easily within reach. Giving this car a cursing range of over 550 miles on the interstate.
So you have to wonder do you really need any more car than the BMW 335d. It's fun to drive, it's fast, it's comfortable and it's economical. It sounds like the perfect all rounder for me.
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