Automobile Forums  Where Car Enthusiasts Go to Discuss Cars Online

The BMW 335d and X5 diesel will both go on sale in the USA very soon. What do you think, will they sell? Will the lack of a manual transmission turn any of you off? With diesel fuel so expensive right now, will that push you away from buying the vehicles?  

This is a question that hits close to home for me. I'll admit one of the reasons I got rid of my 1989 F-250 was the lack of power the normally aspirated diesel produced combined with the record cost of diesel. I figured that the limited amount of miles I put on each year would actually be cheaper with an equivalent truck and a big block gasser, or that I should sell the toys I tow.

That said, I think a daily driver with a modern turbo-diesel engine makes a lot of sense. You can get more than 30 mpg combined in the 335d and there's more torque there than in a 335i. What's not to love?  

if you really need the utility (albeit limited utility) go for the X5. for a daily driver, the 335d is the excellent choice. irregardless of the cost of diesel, as long as i am gassing up 2-3 times a month only, i find no reason as to why i shouldn't be buying euro cars with diesel engines. if they will be bolting an excellent engine with a 6-speed manual, so much the better...if you are good in hypermiling, the posted MPG for the diesels will look lame-duck compared to what you can do with the aforementioned combo.  

If I was pulling in about double the salary I currently am, I'd LOVE to own a 335d. Even though I'm usually a hard-core manual trans fan, based on the power delivery characteristics of modern turbo-diesels, I think an automatic is probably a better choice.

In terms of making a dollars-and-cents case for the 335d over a 328i or 335i, it's not a super-compelling argument. I'd say it's more of an "early-adopter" car for those with enough discretionary income to swing the $50k+ pricetag, but like the idea of getting 36 mpg on the highway while going 0-60 in 6 flat.