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335 Diesel

High-Performance Diesels, an Oxymoron No More

Diesel and high performance don't normally sit in the same sentence, but take a look at the following figures: 155 mph, 0 to 62 mph in 6.0 seconds and 428 lb.-ft. of torque. Compare those numbers with these: 155 mph, 0 to 62 mph in 5.6 seconds and 295 lb.-ft. of torque. Okay, so which one is the performance car? The first set of figures apply to the 335d, the second to its gasoline alternative. Away from the test track the turbodiesel's midrange torque and flexibility would absolutely smoke (but not really, this is a "clean diesel") its gasoline counterpart. And the 335d is not only the faster point-to-point car, it also gives you a 10 mpg (U.S.) boost over the the gas one. The 335d returns an NEDC combined economy of 35.1 mpg against the 335i's 25.6 mpg. In practice, the big diesel gives around 33 mpg in our mixed running, partly because the performance is just so intoxicating and almost impossible to resist.

Make no mistake, this is no pure economy car—it's real-world fast. The mandatory six-speed automatic gearbox means you can't be quite the hooligan you imagined, but it is perfectly possible to get the rear wheels of this nearly 2-ton car to break traction. And the iron block mill provides serious grunt all the way to the 5000 rpm redline, which makes passing slower vehicles contemptuously easy. This is an oil-burning hot rod.
Watch this incredible video (below) and you will see that this Diesel is going to turn some heads.
Watch this video (below) and you will see the BMW Diesel is not like anything else out there on the road today.
What's special about it?
In case you haven't noticed, German's carmakers aren't big on the idea of hybrids. Sure, BMW and Mercedes-Benz collaborated with GM on the two-mode hybrid transmission, but what they would really like to sell you is a car like the 2009 BMW 335d. Yes, that "d" stands for diesel and although BMW already sells several diesel models in Europe, only now has emissions technology advanced enough to get the EPA's seal of approval in all 50 states.

This is a good thing, as the 335d's twin-turbo 3.0-liter inline-6 generates a healthy 265 horsepower. More impressive is the staggering torque output — 425 pound-feet at just 1,750 rpm. So in other words, the 335d's inline-6 generates as much torque as Chrysler's 6.1-liter Hemi V8. It's enough power to get the 335d from zero to 60 mph in just 6.2 seconds, BMW claims. All that power doesn't torpedo the 335d's fuel economy, as BMW claims mileage figures of 23 mpg city and 33 mpg highway.

What makes it tick? A 3-liter in-line 6, with two turbochargers (and urea injection, making the 335d emissions-legal in all 50 states). The turbos are sequential, a small unit kicking in immediately and a larger one coming on-line as the r.p.m. builds. The output is “only” 265 horsepower, but the torque rating is a wrenching 425 pound-feet. This translates to 6-second-flat zero-to-60 times and a 135 mile an hour top speed — and 36-m.p.g. highway fuel economy.