BMW 123d gets another rave review, and we still can't get it!
The US market will be getting the new BMW 1-series coupe in the near future but only with the gas-fueled six cylinder engines from the larger 3-series. We've already mentioned the diesel-powered 123d, which is powered by a twin turbo 2.0L four cylinder diesel, before and now CAR magazine is the latest to try it out. As with the others who have taken a turn behind the wheel, CAR came away very impressed. The 204 hp 123d gets 45.2 mpg (US) and even with a diesel engine it weighs in at 143 lbs less than the 135i that we'll be getting. Please BMW, find a way to make this engine Tier2 Bin5 compliant and offer it here, Bimmer-philes who want great gas mileage will swarm all over it.
[Source: Car]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Jay 7:21PM (11/23/2007)
I agree wholeheartedly. BMW-make it happen!
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rgseidl 7:31PM (11/23/2007)
First off, terminology alert: the 123d and 335d/535d diesels feature dual turbos (= high boost asymmetric sequential), not a twin turbo (= mild boost symmetric parallel) like the gasoline-powered 335i.
As for the US market, I expect BMW will be testing diesel acceptance in its large platforms before even considering bringing something as small as a 2.0L power plant across the pond. The EPA/CARB NOx emissions standards just add a lot of cost to vehicles that are already expensive, not least because of the weak US dollar.
The 1-series in particular is quite small, it's really just a 2+2 seater. In Europe, BMW might just decide to drop the six-cylinder 325d and 525d (incl. wagon styles) in favor of marginally *more* powerful four-cylinder dual-charged 323d and 523d variants, to help meet EU fleet average CO2 emissions. The new engine option would also make sense in the X3 or its successor model.
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MikeW 11:23PM (11/23/2007)
The engines are serial/sequential turbocharged.
I hope BMW is kicking itself for making valvetronic & direct injection mutually exclusive. The US is never going to have gasoline as good as the fatherland does.
It would be nice to have an engine on par (or better) than the N53.
A really souped up 3.0 valvetronic/direct injection with 285hp@7000/240ft-lbs@3500 would be sweet, especially with a 7 speed double clutch.
The N54 twin turbo 3.0 I6 is really just too much for the cars (fine for the X5), seeing as we are lacking an autobahn network.
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Der Alte 5:03AM (11/25/2007)
BMW has no intentions of selling any four cylinder engines (petrol or diesel) in any BMW branded vehicles in North America any more. The market BMW caters to by and large cares more about power and performance than fuel economy. BMW is unwavering on this. I suspect this is partly due to the Euro/US dollar exchange rate. With the US dollar tanking so fantastically they can't make a profit in North America unless they cater to the premium and performance end of the market. In Europe it is a different story because the brand is a little more mainstream there, people buy the cars in Euros, and the regulatory structure encourages more of a market for fuel efficient vehicles. If you want a BMW four banger in North America, buy a MINI....now a Mini diesel, that could have a chance here.
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why not the LS2/LS7? 7:58PM (11/25/2007)
That car probably has 40lbs less brakes and 100lbs less rims/tires than the 135i.
Here's a big part of the equation:
Cars built for economy get better mpg than cars built for sport, regardless of the technologies involved. For economy, you put on narrower, higher pressure tires, etc.
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EM 1:05PM (12/31/2007)
I would love to see the 123d as well but agree with the scale of economics and the dollar-exchange rate. However, I would go out and buy a 5-series diesel tomorrow AND take European delivery to boot! So BMW please bring it on.
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