The lucky dogs at the MSN Cars UK got to test BMW's new 635d coupe and came away mighty impressed. The key to this car is the "d" at the end of the model number. Propulsion comes courtesy of BMW's 3.0L twin-turbo inline six cylinder diesel which is rated at 286 hp and a mighty 427 lb-ft of torque. The almost electric motor-like torque of of the diesel means that this big coupe has more usable real world performance than the high-performance M6 model. The 635d hits 62mph from a standstill in 6.3 seconds which is pretty decent for a two-ton car. More impressive is the fact that it does all this while scoring 34 mpg (US) on the EU combined cycle. The best part is that this engine will be coming to the US in fifty state-legal form later in 2008 in the 5-series and the X5. Now if we can just convince GM to bring their new diesel V-6 to the US market CTS (and everywhere else it will fit!) GM could stop whining about new fuel economy regulations. In the meantime a 535d will be dropping into the ABG Garage in a few weeks so we'll be able to give you an idea of how good the real world mileage is.
[Source: MSN Cars UK, thanks to Limo for the tip]
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1. Performance and fuel economy the best of all worlds, and who says we Americans can't have it all, only the US government, the car manufacturers, and the oil companies, which colluded to prevent it.
Anyone who's ever driven a turbo diesel on the highway knows that it's one of the most viscerally satisfying driving experiences around. There's a kind of instantaneous forward thrust you get from all that torque, torque that somehow even the most powerful gasoline engines can't quite compare to, it's a different experience altogether.
My dad had an Audi 5000 Turbo diesel, and that zone from 60 to 90 mph in top gear was just magical, no need to down shift at all. I've also driven 20 ton turbodiesel dump trucks that were just unbelievable, sink you back in the seat like an old Jaguar XKE 12 cylinder. Put the pedal to the metal in one of those monsters going 70 on a narrow dirt road without a load, and get it sideways for 30 or 40 yards. That'll get your adrenaline pumping as effectively as a Porsche Turbo.
I just pray that Audi will take that turbodiesel they've been running in R10, that 5.5 L V12 TDI and build a worthy supercar around it. I know Audi likes to build tanks, but if they could just keep the weight down to 3600 pounds, with 811 foot pounds of torque between 3000 and 5000 rpm, that would be just about right. Sign me up for one of those.
Posted at 5:36PM on Nov 3rd 2007 by Aaron B Brown