BMW Diesel in the US
Last Updated:
BMW will be showing new US Diesel models at the upcoming Detroit Auto Show.
The X5d and the 335d will both use the same engine producing 265hp. With peak torque (425pound feet) available at just 1750rpm.
That is some serious power.
While using 25% less fuel than a similar gas engine.
But we have to keep in mind that at least in the US, the price of Diesel goes up and down like crazy all the time. And that it is often more expensive than Gas.
We’ll see….
It is time that our next president or even this one mandate that ethanol or flex fuel become the standard for every car out there. It might cost at most $ 1000 to convert your current car to one of these gas alternatives but in the end your saving money and there is no worry about OPEC or pollution.
It is time we do something and our government needs to stop bending over to oil rich countries!!!!
we dont need stinky disles in thsi country gas is cheap anough one thing i dont want is being stuck on the hiighwaty behind grandma and her stinking and slow foreignn diels car say no to diesle
when is the last time douchebag jones been behind a modern diesel?? the technology has come along way since the 70s.
i say bravo to bmw for having the gut to bring its diesel to the united states. it will associate ‘sport’ to the word ‘diesel.’
while it is true that diesel costs about 5-10 cents more than regular petrol but keep in mind that it is still cheaper than premium petrol which is required in all bmws coupled with 25% more efficiency. now that is the formula i can leave with.
one caveat though. the infra-structure is not there for diesel. you cannot just drive down to any corner petrol station and get diesel. this would have to change if diesel were to take off in this country.
unlike oil, e85 is less efficient and there is not enough corn to support the thirst of an american driver plus human consumption. i can imagine the cost of corn if this idea ever takes off.
the best solution is plug-in hybrid coupled to a diesel engine.
VW also was a pioneer for importing their diesels into the US. They don’t smell either, but it is time to use
flex fuels and ethanol as a new fuel.
Reader 5:05,
I think we can get ethanol from other substances
and mass produce it in labs.
Honda already has a mass production ready
Fuel Cell, so I think that would be the only alternative.
Americans should learn not to be pigs(me included)
about driving. We need to remove fossil fuels
permanently and I bet there will also be less terrorism.
The solution for any of the alcohol based fuels will be: short term – import from countries in southern american hemisphere that already produce it (sugar cane), with long term: USA domestic use of bio-waste from farming, logging, and other agricultural activities. The best the government would do is require the production of a percentage of cars and trucks as flex fuel. I really doubt they would require every new vehicle to be FF. I am certain they would not mandate that we retrofit the capability on existing cars.
Diesel is a great alternative to gas. I’d rather drive a new diesel engine than a flex-fuel engine, any day. As a matter of fact, Diesel will get you about 40% better mileage than E85, considering a new diesel gets 25% better than a comparable gas while E85 gets about 20% less than a comparable gas engine and it’s not much cheaper than diesel.