Merc1
Premium
Diesel performance comes at a price.
It’s no secret that we love BMWs. Indeed, browse any auto-enthusiast message board and you’ll no doubt read about the piles of fresh $100 bills that arrive in our office every month from some German dude named Bayerische M. Werke. The reality, though, is that bribes are unnecessary, especially in the case of the sensational 3-series. It’s the benchmark vehicle for a benchmark company, and a car we’ve called “terrific,” “magical,” “world-class,” “definitive,” and “a wing-footed god.” (Although even we admit that that last one might be a bit much.)
Today, we add a new descriptor to our 3-series vocabulary: torquey sumbitch. For 2009, BMW has finally seen fit to offer a compression-ignition 3 in the U.S., gifting upon us its twin-turbo 3.0-liter diesel engine, which pumps out a goodly sum of power (265 hp @ 4200 rpm) and a wicked level of twist (425 lb-ft @ 1750 rpm). Compared to a regular 335i sedan, which boasts 300 hp and 300 lb-ft of torque, the 335d has 42 percent more torque while sacrificing just 9 percent in the power department. That, friends, is the sort of compromise we can live with.
That Old Familiar Feeling
Once you slide the gear selector into Drive—the 335d is only available with a six-speed automatic—you’ll see what we mean. Mashing the throttle unleashes a fusillade of torque down the driveshaft, and the near-immediate availability of same allows the 335d to churn its way to 60 mph in 5.7 seconds and cover the quarter mile in 14.2 seconds at 100 mph. (A 335i manual sedan accomplishes the 0–60 and quarter-mile runs in 4.8 seconds and 13.5 seconds at 106 mph, respectively.) We think it feels even quicker.
Full Article: Car and Driver - 2009 BMW 335d
M
