Mick Jagger once sang that “you can’t always get what you want,” and, to a degree, he was right. As a petrol head and committed environmentalist, I’ve found I’ve had to make compromises. After going crazy in my friend’s Porsche Boxster, I develop a painful pang of guilt of all the resources I wasted in the name of fun. No, really. Likewise, after driving greenly in my Toyota Yaris on a long drive (achieving 50 mpg for anyone who’s interested), I feel like I’ve watched a Russell Brand stand up show (i.e., I feel like my soul is damaged due to the absence of fun). But now it seems like Mr. Jagger’s words are out of date. Apparently, you CAN get what you want . . . .
What if I told you that you could have a premium saloon car with 2-zone air conditioning, rear park distance control, professional radio and multi-function leather steering wheel? And have world renowned driving dynamics, emit less than 110gm/km (the same as a Toyota Yaris diesel) achieve 69 miles per imperial gallon in mixed driving (on the Euro test, no EPA numbers available) AND still get from 0 to 62mph in 8.2 seconds? Are you interested? Well BMW thought you might be.
The East Kilbride News reports that BMW will unveil the “all things to all men” 320d model at the Frankfurt Motor show. It will use BMW’s efficient dynamics package which includes, Auto Start Stop, Brake Energy Regeneration and Michelin Energy saver tyres. Due to its low emissions, the 320d is expected to be a big hit with fleets. But private motorists can drive this car and only pay £35 per year in car tax.
Now for the bad news (at least for you good folks in the United States): don’t expect this car on your shores any time soon. The reason (as I’m sure you’ve already figured out) is due to the 1995cc, single turbo charged, oil burning engine. That’s right, it runs on that evil, fuel of Satan, diesel. So, while Europeans are hooning around in this Teutonic oil burner, I suggest that you lobby your representatives (and BMW) to demand cars like this in the United States—all in the name of the environment, of course.
“Americans will buy what they’re TOLD to buy…”
– Big Brother
Its good to hear that the Toyota Yaris gets great mileage, they are very popular here in Canada as well, and our Petrol prices are always higher than in the USA, due to Taxes I expect, but not as high as in the UK, I was in Edinburgh last September and we had a rental Car for ten days, putting Petrol in the Tank was always a big hit on my Wallet so I can see why any vehicle in the EU countries has to get good mileage, I am sure most North Americans would find your costs very high from vehicle registration down to the cost of Fuel.
Last evening on one of our local TV shows on vehicles a man called in who has a 2010 Prius, so converting to MPG he said he was getting 65 miles per gallon, the Host agreed that the Prius was the best of any vehicle on commbined City and Highway milage.
Most of the Yarises in Europe are equipped ith the 1.0L 68hp engine, so they get quite a lot better fuel economy than the ones you can buy in America.
£35/year sounds great. In Germany it would cost around 200€/year to tax. But we drive on the right side of the road. That’s worth something.
This ED edition 320d sounds great – 14hp less than a standard 320d, but 4.1 l/100km instead of 4.9.
For what it’s worth, 50mpg Imperial is 41.6mpg US, which is nothing to sneeze at. In a Yaris, that is readily achievable with conservative driving. It’s not tough to beat the EPA numbers in any car — it just takes a willingness to admit that your commute isn’t on a racetrack, so there’s no need to drive like it is.
That said, I demand more diesels for the US. For example, BMW’s only diesel offerings here are ludicrous twin-turbo 6-cylinders in the 3 and X5. Apparently, we can only get BMW’s (and MB’s) high end offerings while they secretly complain about CAFE, because somehow decent fuel efficiency will hurt their “luxury” (read: self-absorbed-jerk) image. VW at least offers the Jetta with a diesel, but it’s at a $5k premium over the gasoline version.
Beyond that, the only diesels we have are in medium- and heavy- duty trucks, bought primarily by guys that speculate about maybe possibly some day having a huge RV or horse trailer to tow.
@paul_y :
For what it’s worth, 50mpg Imperial is 41.6mpg US
This BMW is rated at 4.1 l/100km (57.5 mpg (US), 68.9 mpg (Imp).
I drive a BMW 118d, which has a 143hp version of this 2.0 diesel, but 17″ performance tires instead of the 16″ standard tree hugger rubber. The 4.5 l/100km rating is achievable, but not fun. Realistically, I’m getting around 6 L/100km average (40 mpg), with lots of quick Autobahn driving. It would be impossible to not get better FE in a speed limited country.
VW at least offers the Jetta with a diesel, but it’s at a $5k premium over the gasoline version.
In Europe, they have cheaper diesel models. Europe also doesn’t get the cheapo 2.5 gasser. Is the diesel Jetta really a $5K premium over a 2.5 with exactly the same level of equipment?
@ Mirko Reinhardt: The difference in trim between the base Jetta and TDI come down to wheels and some interior gewgaws (e.g., a different gauge cluster and stereo, and some leather trim bits).
For what it’s worth, as concerned as I am with my own personal fuel consumption, it’s probably just as well that my commute doesn’t include the Autobahn. That would shoot everything right out the window. However, that’s basically the perfect environment for a modest diesel drivetrain.
I was just behind a 2006+ VW Jetta TDI, and it was blowing black soot as it was accelerating. Good luck with diesel’s image makeover here in Canada or the US, if it works let GM and Chrysler know that the improbable is possible.
After having a rented Yaris sedan last year, I can make the following informed statement….
I’ve driven bigger pieces of shit, but it’s only because that car is smaller.
BMW’s aren’t cheap, neither are diesels of any displacement. Combine the two, then factor in the BMW repair costs, diesel upkeep costs, and this is far from a big deal for anyone outside of the TTAC community. I think I’d rather have a 6MT G37 or V6 Accord and feel confident in knowing I won’t get raped when my $38,000 Bimmer needs out-of-warranty work. Or a brake job, for that matter.
Ms. Puckrik, I reckon the ownership experience is much more than presented here: and you/I/we cannot have it all. :)
Speaking of Yarii (?), do they have good rear visibility in the US model? Some idiot went halfway into my lane (in his Yaris hatch) this morning on my commute to work and almost hit my motorcycle.
Also: 40mpg US is not impressive at all. My wife’s y2k neon (3 speed cherry flavored slushie), cruising at 48-55mph has done a FULL tank at 40mpg (100% highway) and easily gets 35mpg in normal highway driving.
…and that is why I love the bmw 118d!
For all you diesel dilusionists out there who gripe about them not being in the US:
Its very expensive to make a diesel that doesn’t kill your lungs, which is why there are so few in the US that meet CA standards. And if your car doesn’t meet CA standards, why bring it to the US?
Also, in europe, they tax fuel very very differently. Gasoline is taxed very heavily, but diesel was not because that affected truckers. So what happened? Everybody bought diesel cars…
@Nicholas Weaver :
Its very expensive to make a diesel that doesn’t kill your lungs
That used to be the case until a few years ago, because the US introduced ULSD a few decades after the rest of the world. The sulphur in the older diesel (LSD?) would have clogged patriculate filters.
@Sajeev Mehta :
BMW’s aren’t cheap, neither are diesels of any displacement.
This may be true, but 2.0L diesel BMWs are cheaper to buy than the 3.0 gasser BMWs BMW of America calls it’s entry level models. If they wanted, they could offer a 320d for $2000 under the price of a 328i.
Sajeev Mehta
What are the extra upkeep cost for diesle?
I really like to think they are worth the cost, if I could keep a car long enough to really care that my diesel is just breaking in.
But I don’t seem to keep cars that long anymore.
It seems today, the toys keep getting more and more awesome every year and I keep wanting and wanting newer and newer!
But just in case, I heard they were the exact oposite and easier to care for long term.
Mirko Reinhardt : If they wanted, they could offer a 320d for $2000 under the price of a 328i.
That’s good to know. Then again, considering the price premium and market demand for Jetta TDIs and BMW’s image in the states, I’d be shocked if they undercut the 330.
@WaftableTorque:
The 2006 TDI uses the Pump Duse (unit injector) engine with only an oxidation catalyst. So some smoke is not uncommon on heavy acceleration. However, the 2009 TDI uses a common rail design and includes a diesel particulate filter. So if black smoke ever comes out of a 2009 Jetta, something is seriously wrong with it. The new TDIs are supposed to be as clean as a gas engine, which is why they’re 50 state compliant.
@Sajeev Mehta :
Then again, considering the price premium and market demand for Jetta TDIs and BMW’s image in the states, I’d be shocked if they undercut the 330.
Yes, they probably won’t offer anything with four pots in the states. Because that would be bad for their brand.
(Which was built by four-pot 2002s)
Also, in Europe, they tax fuel very very differently. Gasoline is taxed very heavily, but diesel was not because that affected truckers. So what happened? Everybody bought diesel cars…
While this is true in some countries in Europe it is not true in all. In the UK the tax & end user cost of diesel is slightly higher than petrol (gasoline)
Its very expensive to make a diesel that doesn’t kill your lungs, which is why there are so few in the US that meet CA standards. And if your car doesn’t meet CA standards, why bring it to the US?
The truth of the matter is that CARB & therefore EPA have never liked diesel and therefore they written the legislation to favor gasoline. However as the focus moves away from NOx & PM to CO2 the case for diesel becomes stronger..
The latest diesels (with a DPF) emit very low levels of PM. Gasoline engines also emit PM but the size of these particles is much smaller. There has been some talk for the legislation to move to particle number rather than particle mass. The jury is still out as to which is worst (relatively) large diesel soot particles or the smaller gasoline particles that can get deeper into your lungs
“Americans will buy what they’re TOLD to buy…”
– Big Brother
Big Brother didn’t turn out to be the government, it turned out to be the mega-corps and their cadre of mass psychology understanding marketers.
“The truth of the matter is that CARB & therefore EPA have never liked diesel and therefore they written the legislation to favor gasoline. However as the focus moves away from NOx & PM to CO2 the case for diesel becomes stronger..”
That really isn’t true. The problem isn’t a matter of not liking diesels, the problem is the diesel engine’s propensity to emit large quantities of very fine particles into the atmosphere. For many years the emissions rules for diesels were looser than for gasoline engines, which in fact means the rules were written to favor the diesel, not the other way around. Once CARB said that diesels and gasoline engines had to meet THE SAME emissions standards, diesels suddenly had a much harder time competing. Besides particulate emissions, the other big problem diesels have is relatively high levels of NOx emissions.
Car manufacturers will sell Diesels when American consumers start buying them. I understand BMW had to put a few thousand dollars on the hood to get rid of the remaining 2009 diesels in the US. No big brother no conspiracy.
It is called supply and demand. (yea I know about VW, still a niche.)
The same goes for wagons and sticks
I drive a stick every day and might get a wagon if there were any out there I wanted, a diesel not so much, but I would take a test drive.
@Juniper :
Car manufacturers will sell Diesels when American consumers start buying them.
It’s hard to buy something that nobody is selling.
I understand BMW had to put a few thousand dollars on the hood to get rid of the remaining 2009 diesels in the US. No big brother no conspiracy.
Just BMW deciding to import their most expensive, least economical (by quite a huge margin) diesel. In Europe, the 335d isn’t even 1% of the 3-series sold. What you see on the road are 318d and 320d. Mostly wagons, mostly stick. Nearly 70% of all 3-series sold are 4-cylinder diesels. The rest, mostly 4-cylinder gassers.
What if I told you that you could have a premium saloon car with 2-zone air conditioning, rear park distance control, professional radio and multi-function leather steering wheel? And have world renowned driving dynamics, emit less than 110gm/km (the same as a Toyota Yaris diesel) achieve 69 miles per imperial gallon in mixed driving (on the Euro test, no EPA numbers available) AND still get from 0 to 62mph in 8.2 seconds?
I would be interested, if it cost as much as a Yaris.
Most people can’t afford to have any of it. Just a moronic poster car from BMW. We are so worried about the environment we want you to go 500 KPH on the autobaun in our 7 series.
Diesel is bull shit.
It’s only cheap in Europe because it’s taxed less, energy unit for energy unit, than gasoline is.
And it can only be called clean because of the overboost exception. That’s what causes the little cloud that most even new Diesels fart out at you when your company-car Diesel driver, enjoying all that torque, presses the pedal to the metal. It’s completely legal that most emission controls are disabled for a second or two for that extra ten-tenths of power. But that doesn’t mean that a bicyclist like me who inhales a cloud or two of particulates per day shouldn’t believe that they stink.
CammyC, you do know how difficult and expensive it would be to get such “clean” Diesels up to Euro 6 gasoline-engine standards, do you not?
Juniper: “I understand BMW had to put a few thousand dollars on the hood to get rid of the remaining 2009 diesels in the US.”
The 2009 335d currently has a $4,500 incentive (in at least some markets) on it in addition to the $900 federal tax credit.
Autotrader currently shows 73 NEW ’09 335ds available in the U.S..
A US-spec 328i will hit 60 mph in about 6 1/2 seconds. The 8.2 seconds needed by this car would seem sluggish in comparison.
And once again, my hackles are raised when gasoline and diesel MPG figures are directly compared. They aren’t comparable; it takes more oil to produce a gallon of diesel than it does to take to produce a gallon of gas, so a gallon of diesel is really something more akin to about 1.2+ gallons of gas.
We already use plenty of diesel in the US. Semi trucks all use it, and it is the dominant fuel used in agricultural and industrial equipment. Why there is this fixation amongst a few people to burn more of it specifically in passenger cars, I don’t know.
As a niche, it’s pretty harmless. But if it became substantially more popular in the US than it is now, the end result would be to create disruptions in our refining system, and the price increases would outpace gasoline prices. It’s as if some people get an idea in their heads, and irrespective of how irrational it may be, they just can’t shake it.
“clean” diesel is only clean compared to old diesel. It’s still the dirtiest category of car legal in this country, and only barely, and only because California was pressured to allow it, again, just barely.
Many normal non-hybrid gasoline engines have no trouble being rated in a cleaner emissions category than “clean diesel”. Hybrids are so much cleaner they aren’t even on the same planet.
If everybody in LA drove ‘clean’ diesel, we’d be back in the Bad Old Days in no time.
Pch101, again I give you a +1. I keep hearing that we’re producing close to the maximum available proportion of diesel from the crude oil we refine.
I would add railroad locomotives to your list of big diesel fuel users.
I keep hearing that we’re producing close to the maximum available proportion of diesel from the crude oil we refine.
To be fair, the US still has room to change its refining output toward a higher proportion of diesel. The US mix is skewed toward gasoline refining.
Where you can see the problem is in Europe. Their refining is already pretty much maxxed out in favor of diesel, yet their consumption ratios are so out of whack that they need to import diesel while exporting gasoline that they can’t use. (And mind you, this is from a region that has to import almost all of its oil.)
The ULSD requirements make it worse for them, because there aren’t many producers of refined diesel that meets their standards. Much of the substantial increase in European retail diesel prices is due to this pressure on refining resources and need to import refined diesel fuel.
The whole gas-diesel debate is frankly dumb. A barrel of oil includes both, and an “efficient” system will use both. Arguing in favor of more diesel would be about as logical as claiming that we should eat more chicken breasts while throwing away the wings. An efficient system would make use of as many of the parts as possible so that the waste is kept to a minimum, not specifically favor one usage at the expense of the others.
The US-spec 3-series diesel is not available with a stick shift transmission. No sale.
The 335i was not a good choice of vehicle to bring to the US as it is neither fast nor frugal. The 323d would have been a better choice and maybe use the the 3 liter single turbo for the X5 and X6.
I drove a 335d a few weeks ago and became very enamored with the car. It smells cleaner than the gas version, pulls like a freight train and goes far on relatively little fuel. I could live without a stick, since you would have to shift constantly to keep the engine in its torque band anyway.
I ask this question without sarcasm and with frankness and honesty…what makes a radio ‘professional’?
I may be out of line with the rest of the world when I say this (as I’ve been driving a slower than molasses Miata for 20 years and still enjoying the crap out of it), but I do wonder if it’s really such a big deal that this is an 8.5 second instead of 6.5 second car… (all other considerations aside).
It wasn’t that long ago (early 2000s) that 8.5 seconds was perfectly acceptable. Case in point… I drive an e46 touring, my wife drives an new A4 Avant. So another 8.5 vs. 6.5 second car comparison.
Now don’t get me wrong, I love hooning around in the Avant — and I’d prefer a DI turbo gas engine over a Diesel for the most part. But trust me, I still have a helluva lot of fun driving the e46 wagon, slow as it is, just based on handling — and I suspect a 320d with similar performance (and the bonus of all of that torque) would be similarly fun.
So maybe I’m an (forgive me for using a Malcolm Gladwell word) outlier. But if we assume that at some point we have to make a performance vs. fuel economy trade off, I’ll personally be plenty happy if I still have that kind of performance.
I could live without a stick, since you would have to shift constantly to keep the engine in its torque band anyway.
Diesels actually do pretty well with an automatic, provided it has enough gears, because the rev range is so impossibly narrow. I’d imagine a 335d would be profoundly frustrating, what with the power dropping like a stone at 3000rpm. And that’s a large-displacement engine; a small one drops off sooner and much more precipitously.
I’d like to see this car with a CVT.
Yes, you heard right. Even with a five- or six-speed auto I’d imagine there’d be dropoffs in power or times when you’re revving past where needed.
Michael Schwoerer
CammyC, you do know how difficult and expensive it would be to get such “clean” Diesels up to Euro 6 gasoline-engine standards, do you not?
Well according to European Automobile Manufacturers’ Assocation*, the cost would be close to €900 (£783 at current exchange rates). Though, the European Commission believe it to be around €202.
But for the purposes of this debate, let’s go with £783 (€900).
Now with this 320dED you get 69mpIMPg in mixed driving, but let’s be conservative and say the mpIMPg in mixed driving is 60mpIMPg.
Now to keep the comparision fair let’s use Pch101’s assertion that 1 gallon of diesel is equivalent to 1.2 litres of petrol. That means 60mpIMPg is actually 48mpIMPg.
Now the current 320 petrol gets 41.5mpIMPg. Therefore, the diesel gets 7.5mpIMPg more than the petrol version. Which means over 12K miles the petrol car will use 289 gallons whereas the diesel will use 250 gallons (and before anyone says it, I’ve checked prices, diesel is 102.9p per litre as is petrol). Which means (using imperial gallons) your annual fuel bill with a petrol would be £1350 and £1168 with a diesel; a difference of £182.
Now the petrol BMW emits 159gm/km, which means you’d have to pay £150 per year in car tax, but with the diesel BMW you’d pay £35; a saving of £115.
£115 + £182 = £297.
Which means in 2.65 years you’d have paid for the €900 extra.
Doesn’t seem too bad to me.
* = http://www.acea.be/index.php/news/news_detail/cost_effectiveness_must_guide_progress/
As noted, BMW brought 2 diesel models over as “tests” for the US market and they (along with the US market) bombed. The reason they brought over high-end cars? Well, the last market “test” that BMW tried was the 318ti and they are still so scarred from that experience they would never bring a 4cyl car to the US under any circumstance. Of course, they never asked if they brought the wrong 4 cyl car over, they just concluded “4 in US = bad.” No doubt the same will happen with the diesels.
One thing might change their mind – Audi has made market inroads with the A4. If BMW can be convinced that premium buyers don’t count cylinders any more they may try again….
I would be very interested in a 320d in the US… I would seriously buy one.
Cammy, I feel no guilt as I test drive good used Infiniti G35s (Nissan Skyline) selling for about $20k. Thirsty, but reliable. I have no desire to spend my life and my earnings in a dealer service deparment, therefore I don’t seriously consider the few European brands available here.
Pch101, or anyone else for that matter:
Are there any place where one could get a quick breakdown of how much is produced of the various crude oil distillates, and the costs of “biasing” in favor of one vs. another? And would the increasing share of heavy crude in the total mix of oil used as input shift the balance in favor of an increasing share of diesel in the output?
Well, if only BMW will ever manage to make a car, smaller than the 7 series, which is comfortable for me for more than an hour, and where 4 people of 6’+ can sit comfortably for more than an hour, your statement would carry some merit.
The other issue is, that when you spec the 320d to levels, which are ‘acceptable’ – and I do admit this is relative, you are looking at a very long time, before the car makes economic sense. Admitedly this does change in a stripper model but then again much of the fun component will be missing, unless your only driving is on some sort of alpine passes or mountain roads.
Are there any place where one could get a quick breakdown of how much is produced of the various crude oil distillates, and the costs of “biasing” in favor of one vs. another?
This is a breakdown of what is typical in the US. Our ratio of gas vs. diesel is about 2:1 (It’s a “kid’s page”, but the data is useful enough for adults.) http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/sources/non-renewable/oil.html#Howused In Europe, the ratio of diesel to gas is about 1:1.
The issue isn’t so much with the initial set up of the refinery so much as it is with the high costs and low returns of changing them. Refining is a low-margin business, so there is minimal incentive to invest a lot of money in building new ones or extensively modifying old ones.
The primary reason why there aren’t many refineries being built is not because of regulations, but because it just isn’t very lucrative. The money in the oil business is increasingly made in the upstream (controlling and exploring for it,) with the downstream (refining and retailing) being a lot less attractive.