Kingston, Ontario - The automotive world is shrinking by the second. After Volkswagen, BMW is now selling diesel-powered cars in North America. A 3-Series sedan called 335d and a new variant of the X5 known as the xDrive35d are now part of the brand's portfolio.
Wolfsburg's TDI monopoly will soon be no more. A new market segment is fast emerging and the 2009 BMW 335d, the first premium compact sedan to run on diesel in Canada, represents the tip of this iceberg.
Cheaper than a 335i!
Executives at BMW Canada admit that the introduction of these two models will allow them to gauge consumer interest for this "new" genre.
Is it the reason why the 335d ($49,700) turns out to be cheaper than a similarly-equipped, gasoline-powered 335i? The difference is actually $800 in favor of the former, which is only available with an automatic transmission.
The impressive torque generated by its 6-cylinder engine could not be handled by a manual gearbox. In fact, the automaker had to rely on a new autobox that was originally designed... for a V8!
Cutting-edge technology
The market introduction of a new clean diesel fuel (with low sulfur levels) along with new engines that produce less emissions is at the source of this new trend.
We're a far cry away from the BMW 524td that was sold here in the 1980s. The mere mention of its name conjures up bad memories of harsh-sounding diesel powerplants, not to mention their bluish smoke coming out the back under acceleration. It's amazing that these engines used to be all the rage at some point!
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| The 2009 BMW 335d finds itself among the most environmentally-friendly cars in Canada! |
Wolfsburg's TDI monopoly will soon be no more. A new market segment is fast emerging and the 2009 BMW 335d, the first premium compact sedan to run on diesel in Canada, represents the tip of this iceberg.
Cheaper than a 335i!
Executives at BMW Canada admit that the introduction of these two models will allow them to gauge consumer interest for this "new" genre.
Is it the reason why the 335d ($49,700) turns out to be cheaper than a similarly-equipped, gasoline-powered 335i? The difference is actually $800 in favor of the former, which is only available with an automatic transmission.
The impressive torque generated by its 6-cylinder engine could not be handled by a manual gearbox. In fact, the automaker had to rely on a new autobox that was originally designed... for a V8!
Cutting-edge technology
The market introduction of a new clean diesel fuel (with low sulfur levels) along with new engines that produce less emissions is at the source of this new trend.
We're a far cry away from the BMW 524td that was sold here in the 1980s. The mere mention of its name conjures up bad memories of harsh-sounding diesel powerplants, not to mention their bluish smoke coming out the back under acceleration. It's amazing that these engines used to be all the rage at some point!
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| This ultra-torquey monster (425 pounds-feet at 1,750 rpm!) is remarkably flexible thanks to a pair of sequential turbochargers. |