Brits get to sample the BMW 635d, a high performance diesel GT!
The lucky dogs at the MSN Cars UK got to test BMW's new 635d coupe and came away mighty impressed. The key to this car is the "d" at the end of the model number. Propulsion comes courtesy of BMW's 3.0L twin-turbo inline six cylinder diesel which is rated at 286 hp and a mighty 427 lb-ft of torque. The almost electric motor-like torque of of the diesel means that this big coupe has more usable real world performance than the high-performance M6 model. The 635d hits 62mph from a standstill in 6.3 seconds which is pretty decent for a two-ton car. More impressive is the fact that it does all this while scoring 34 mpg (US) on the EU combined cycle. The best part is that this engine will be coming to the US in fifty state-legal form later in 2008 in the 5-series and the X5. Now if we can just convince GM to bring their new diesel V-6 to the US market CTS (and everywhere else it will fit!) GM could stop whining about new fuel economy regulations. In the meantime a 535d will be dropping into the ABG Garage in a few weeks so we'll be able to give you an idea of how good the real world mileage is.
[Source: MSN Cars UK, thanks to Limo for the tip]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Aaron B Brown 5:36PM (11/03/2007)
Performance and fuel economy the best of all worlds, and who says we Americans can't have it all, only the US government, the car manufacturers, and the oil companies, which colluded to prevent it.
Anyone who's ever driven a turbo diesel on the highway knows that it's one of the most viscerally satisfying driving experiences around. There's a kind of instantaneous forward thrust you get from all that torque, torque that somehow even the most powerful gasoline engines can't quite compare to, it's a different experience altogether.
My dad had an Audi 5000 Turbo diesel, and that zone from 60 to 90 mph in top gear was just magical, no need to down shift at all. I've also driven 20 ton turbodiesel dump trucks that were just unbelievable, sink you back in the seat like an old Jaguar XKE 12 cylinder. Put the pedal to the metal in one of those monsters going 70 on a narrow dirt road without a load, and get it sideways for 30 or 40 yards. That'll get your adrenaline pumping as effectively as a Porsche Turbo.
I just pray that Audi will take that turbodiesel they've been running in R10, that 5.5 L V12 TDI and build a worthy supercar around it. I know Audi likes to build tanks, but if they could just keep the weight down to 3600 pounds, with 811 foot pounds of torque between 3000 and 5000 rpm, that would be just about right. Sign me up for one of those.
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stevejust 8:36PM (11/03/2007)
so this makes me ask... why aren't we getting the BMW 123d, again?
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why not the LS2/LS7? 9:01PM (11/03/2007)
The new fuel regs talk about 35mpg. This gets 34.
Also, if the new fuel regs happen and don't take into account the extra 15% of oil in Diesel fuel (Requiring 40mpg on Diesels), then our lawmakers are fools.
Can someone delete Andy the comment spammer up top?
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MikeW 9:49PM (11/03/2007)
And BMW hasn't integrated the new ZF 8 speed automatic, that is another mpg at least, and if BMW goes for the tallest axle ratio maybe two mpg more.
Yes the regulations should be normalized to BTU content, but knowing the morons in the district of criminals, it won't.
34mpg for E10, 35 for straight gas, 39mpg for petro-diesel
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Mike Taylor 7:15PM (11/19/2007)
I really don't understand all these comments where the poster hears about a car that gets around 35 MPG and then proclaims the automakers are complaining about nothing. The proposed CAFE standard says that cars and trucks combined would have to get 35 MPG. That is a HUGE difference.
Take the new GM hybrid SUVs. Even with DOD, cam phasing, hybrid power, keeping vehicle weight the same as the gasoline only version, etc., they are only about 20 MPG in the city and about 22 MPG on the highway. As long as customers keep market sales of larger vehicles like this one, close to 50% of total sales, the automakers are screwed.
It really is as simple as that.
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