What is Digg?73 Comments
- maximilen, on 11/27/2008, -0/+29Listen guys, I was in Europe on vacation for 2 weeks this summer, and if I remember correctly, every single car I drove or rode in was diesel... Everything from Peugots to Fiats to BMWs... And I couldn''t even tell a diesel from a regular car anymore -- no noise, smell and crap. The 335d should be a beast, considering my cousin has a base-model 325d which was already pretty quick. (The 335 has twice the power, and should be insane). I'm really looking forward to it.
- inactive, on 11/27/2008, -2/+26Looks and sounds sweet. The best part is, diesel doesn't even cost $5 a gallon anymore.
- ivancuriel, on 11/27/2008, -0/+15neither does gas. i filled up at $1.64 this morning!
- inactive, on 11/27/2008, -0/+11Got a chance to look at these at the auto show last week. They're good looking cars and diesel promises to give you more bang for your carbon emissions if you're looking for a performance vehicle.
- dantecesa, on 11/27/2008, -1/+11When visiting Europe in September I rented a 320d (4 cylinder diesel version of this car) and got 38.5 imperial mpg (works out to 32 US mpg) with an average speed of 44.5mph.
Gobs of torque and amazingly refined. I'm a believer.
Pic of the on-board computer here: http://snipurl.com/3smfp - psykiv, on 11/27/2008, -0/+8Now if only base MSRP wasn't $45k...
- brookpt, on 11/27/2008, -0/+8I had no idea BMW didn't sell any diesel cars in the US! In Europe there are lots of people who buy BMW diesel cars, because the gas versions are so much more expensive (in terms of consumption, not in terms of what you pay for the car itself). It's actually rare to see a 3 liter + gas BMW in europe, because most of them run on diesel. Besides, diesel is waaay cheaper than gas, here.
But I prefer a billion times to drive a car that runs on gas than one that runs on diesel. You just can't compare it :) - djrbx, on 11/27/2008, -0/+8Todays diesel cars are nothing like they where before. Most cars in all of Europe run on diesel. You could hardly tell if a car was diesel or gas. If I'm not also mistaken, diesel was also cheaper over there than gas.
- palehorse864, on 11/27/2008, -0/+8Where I fill up, regular is about 1.80 I think or somewhere around there, and Diesel is around 2.40-2.60
- 1nhuman, on 11/27/2008, -0/+7WTF? You are saying that in the US Diesel is MORE expensive then regular?
You know what I pay for a gallon of regular (Octane 95)? $5.88. I just filled up my car for $108. Diesel is cheaper and costs about $5.00 a gallon.
Jeez. - asty, on 11/27/2008, -0/+7In the case of the BMW 335 the petrol model returns 30mpg and the diesel 335d 38mpg but costs £1590 more. Take the initial ticket price and the inflated cost of diesel fuel (due to higher tax here in the uk) and the diesel is no more cost effective to run than the petrol. The only people who benefit are company car drivers who pay less income tax due to lower diesel CO2 emmisions. BMW fully understand their primary demand and have thus developed an appropriately costed car. Does the average petrolhead spending their own cash want a performance car that sounds like a bus on startup? No.
I know you guys in the states are used to poor fuel economy but a previous poster thought 38.5mpg imperial was great economy from a bog standard 2.0L diesel. I get 50-55mpg from my diesel and even the new Audi TT diesel averages around this. I would expect no less than an average return of 45+ mpg unless the car is high performance like the 335d. In fact Top Gear did a long distance economy test this week and the Polo BlueMotion returned 82mpg I think. - techdever, on 11/27/2008, -0/+7diesel engines have come a long way
- JackpotCity, on 11/27/2008, -0/+6The torque on that baby is serious stuff.
- badmojo1961, on 11/27/2008, -1/+7Now is the time to make Congress lower the exorbitant tax on diesel fuel. Of course, with their under and over the table perks and cash from lobbyists, maybe they don't really care about fuel prices and their constituents.
- killercow, on 11/27/2008, -0/+4Correct, diesel is cheaper over here,
You do need to have a bunch of small additions (particle filter etc) in your car to avoid extra taxes though. From about 25K km per year, a diesel is cheaper to run/own. All new cars come with these little additions anyway, and you are subsidized to add them to older diesel cars. - pennvneff, on 11/27/2008, -0/+4The US automakers came out with electric cars like the EV1 back in 1996, there's always been innovation but the monkeys in suits don't want it.
You ever hear of Preston Tucker? - Jude007, on 11/27/2008, -0/+4Most hire cars are diesel in the UK.
- Hobbes24, on 11/27/2008, -2/+6i remember their older diesel...it smelled ***** awful. i really hope they make some serious efforts to fix that...because i don't see people buying it otherwise
- fsweep, on 11/27/2008, -0/+4Diesels are everywhere in Europe. Here in Norway it is cheaper than "gas." I have no clue why this is big news.
BTW, diesel vehicles generally cost more over here, but are cheaper to operate. - ISEEDEADPEOPLE, on 11/27/2008, -0/+3Yep according to this over 50% of new cars are diesels in Western Europe
http://www.vda.de/en/meldungen/archiv/2007/06/13/1 ...
For what it is worth though, with the UK's higher diesel price and the premium you pay for a car when you buy a diesel, I worked out I needed to do over 20000 miles a year for 5 years to make my money back.
So only really a benefit for high mileage drivers in the uk.
Saying that you always find a ton of secondhand diesel available with high mileage (sales reps) for a steel, and Diesels run for ever!
My 5 year old Peugeot is on 110 K and still runs sweet and returns nearly 50MPG. - secrity, on 11/27/2008, -0/+3Diesel is considerably more expensive than gasoline in the US -- it has a higher federal tax
- computershack, on 11/27/2008, -0/+3Take your pick. The models sold are European wide.
- palehorse864, on 11/27/2008, -1/+4Around my local station, Gas has dropped to 1.80-1.90 while diesel still hits 2.40-2.60 a gallon.
- Kakes, on 11/27/2008, -0/+3For a country that didn't sign up to Koyoto, I'm amazed that this is the first clean diesel to be approved in all 50 States. I thought Bush had blocked states from tough controls (i.e. California).
Only when petrol is expensive will people consider diesel in the US. In the UK petrol is £1 a litre. This is around $5.60 a gallon with diesel costing around 20% more. Hence, it makes sense in the UK drive a diesel because of better fuel economy. A BMW 320d will give you 40mpg around town and 60mpg on a longer journey and has a top speed in excess of 120mph. In the very cold, when not moving you can hear the characteristic diesel sound, at higher speeds you'd be hard pressed to tell it's a diesel. - secrity, on 11/27/2008, -0/+3There is a very good reason to have a higher road tax on fuel used in heavy trucks, which tear up roads. Perhaps there could a two tiered tax structure.
- ivantalboys, on 11/27/2008, -0/+3Not in the UK. diesel carries a 10% premium over petrol. Its still more economical than the equivilent models in petrol.
- drifter, on 11/27/2008, -0/+3Do you really think BMW and even Americans want a 4 cylinder BMW?
BMW will not lower their prices below 27k, not even the new 1 series is cheap its nearly the same price as the 3 series, which to many is weird.
So, if you are going to pay nearly 30k for a car, you expect it to have many things and power is one of them. Plus BMW is known for its amazingly engineered inline 6. Anything else would seem weird. - crunchyeyeball, on 11/27/2008, -0/+3Hmmm - this is an interesting new development in spam on Digg - automatically copy a previous comment (in this case, EcoLogic's) so it looks like your comment came from a human being, then just append the spam URL.
Points for creativity, but dugg down and blocked anyway. - swiftheart, on 11/27/2008, -0/+3Another amusing fact: BMW's best selling engine is a 4 cylinder--which is not available in the US. The smallest thing we get is the 3.0 six cylinder.
Power sells for US consumers much more strongly than it does in the rest of the world. - pgouy, on 11/27/2008, -2/+4OMG! First i discover americans pay for INCOMING mobile calls...
Now diesel is more expensive than gasoline.
If those are true then i have to ask: WTF has happened to America? - freehunter, on 11/27/2008, -1/+3Wish they had showed the speedometer, it didn't look like he was accelerating _that_ fast. He could have been a little smoother on the shifting, too.
- jamesdew, on 11/27/2008, -0/+2Why is everyone talking about Europe like it is one place, in the UK it is about 15% more and in Sweden it is about the same. Where the hell do you live?
- linagee, on 11/27/2008, -1/+3@1nhuman: Where? Every state in the US diesel is more expensive than gasoline.
- dantecesa, on 11/27/2008, -1/+3agreed!
Took them long enough to switch to low-sulfur diesel fuel in the first place! - cardinalb, on 11/27/2008, -0/+2Your out of date with your petrol prices its only 89p a litre now!
Cheap at half the price.... - redfred18t, on 11/27/2008, -1/+3Finally.
- inactive, on 11/27/2008, -0/+244 mph. You lead foot.
- lowmagnet, on 11/27/2008, -0/+2That's his average. I went for a drive in the country yesterday and my average was around 47, and I was often driving at much higher speeds on straights.
- BotchaMcCoola, on 11/27/2008, -1/+3Look, Germany is a fine country but I want innovations like this to come from our own USA!.. Are we going to be the last country to recover from WWII? Let us find out WTF is going on or prepare to do some serious ass kicking.
- holysin, on 11/27/2008, -0/+2In he US diesel is 15% more expensive than unleaded, in the UK diesel is 15% more expensive than gasoline. I'm guessing this is not true in other countries, but the refinery capacity and farm demands tend to keep diesel more expensive than unleaded in those two countries.
Downside of diesel cars is they sound like mini delivery trucks when idling... Perhaps the clean diesel ones don't. - dantecesa, on 11/27/2008, -0/+1Going through European cities on rush hour... that means I had to be going not american legal speeds to achieve this :P!
- Hodor, on 11/27/2008, -0/+1BRING ME THE 123d!!!!!!!
- eimersaufen, on 11/27/2008, -0/+1When people talk about "Diesel" they always mean a turbocharged Diesel engine. Non-turbo Diesels are rare (Volkswagen offers some variants called "SDI" here in Europe) and horrible to drive since they produce nearly zero torque.
- Demos27, on 11/27/2008, -0/+1My assumption is that the 1-Series is so expensive because they are such fun little cars to drive (it's like a new gen. e30). Other then that, you would be better off with a 3-series.
- inactive, on 12/01/2008, -0/+1All cars should be available with a diesel engine.
- N00F, on 11/27/2008, -1/+2I drive a VW Jetta TDi (diesel). The bottom end torque is what really gives you a smile. I don't know what my 0-60 time is, but I do know I can smoke the tires in the first two gears (If I'm not careful). Add to that 70 MPG and that puts a big smile on my face. Mind you, you can either go for miles per gallon or SMILES per gallon, you really can't have both. If I burn through a tank full like a fool, I usually get about 40 MPG.
- FierceGrape, on 11/27/2008, -0/+1Good. Now bring over the diesel Mini Cooper.
- bpwned, on 11/27/2008, -0/+1I live in Europe. http://www.aaroadwatch.ie/eupetrolprices/ Diesel prices in most countries of Europe or the EU are either lower or low enough to be cheaper than petrol (when taking the engine efficiency into account). It's good enough to say "Europe", at least this time.
- cardinalb, on 11/27/2008, -0/+1Your probably right about 30% of card on the road being diesel in the UK but 60% of new cars over the past few years have been diesels.
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