2009 BMW 335d has amazing diesel performance

• By STEVE WHEELER
• Advocate Wheels editor
• Published: Jul 30, 2009

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With enough torque to enter a truck and tractor pull, the BMW 335d sedan marries performance and luxury in a match made in Munich.

The German-made 335d won’t be hauling any blocks along a dirt track at the Ag Center, but with a zero-to-60 time of 6 seconds and an amazing 425 lb.-ft. of torque, it will be roaring past most everything else on the road.

The most astonishing thing, however, is the 335d will also be getting 36 miles per gallon on the highway and 23 mpg in the city. Like a bully in the school cafeteria, this car will eat your lunch and not lose a minute’s sleep over it. 

How in the world, you ask, can a car that runs to 60 mph from a standstill in 6 seconds get 36 miles out of a gallon of gas? Impossible, you say?

Not with the 3.0-liter inline 6 diesel engine that comes standard in the 335d. Diesel engines have long had a bad rap in the United States. But the reputation is no longer deserved.

The new diesel engines are not sooty, they are not smelly, they are not noisy. They are clean-burning powerhouses that have unbelievable torque and are as quiet as a church mouse. From inside the car, you have to listen carefully to even realize you’re in a diesel at all.

And this particular German BMW engine meets or exceeds pollution standards in all 50 states, including

ultra-regulatory California.

Diesels are cleaner than ever before thanks to improved fuels and exhaust treatment systems that turn pollution gasses into water and nitrogen. The diesel exhaust treatment has to be serviced at regular intervals, but it’s a small inconvenience for this kind of low-emission performance.

The engine in the 335d is mated to a Steptronic automatic transmission that easily and seamlessly skipped through all the gears. A manual transmission is not offered on the 335d.

I drove the 328i convertible a few weeks ago and thought it was a solid and fun ride. But I’d have to put the 335d I tested recently in the top 5 cars I’ve driven in the past three years.

Powertrain notwithstanding, the 335d has a tight suspension that holds true in the turns with little body roll. The power steering provides just the right amount of feedback and is crisp and precise. The cabin of the 335d is quiet and luxurious with excellent fit and finish, not much different from the regular 3 Series.

Standard on the 335d are stability and traction control, start-off assistance, anti-lock disc brakes with dynamic brake control, auto-leveling Xenon adaptive headlights with corona headlight rings, heated power mirrors, a power moon roof, rain-sensing wipers, AM/FM/CD/MP3 and BMWs advanced safety system.