2009 BMW 335d

d ... What's the "d" stand for? Well, since you asked. It stands for diesel. BMW has finally decided to bring its technology stateside. Somewhere lots of people are rejoicing that they get a decent performing car without suffering at the gas pump. Now, before "you people" start saying well "Diesel gas costs more at the pump." Yes, yes it does. However, you get more miles out of a gallon of diesel gas than you do our of premium gas. When was the last time you got 600 miles to a tank of fuel? So that squashes that argument...

Back to the point at hand... from the exterior, there is no discerning marks that would identify the 335 as a diesel car compared to a 335i. The only difference come to those with detailed eyes when you see a body colored port located in the rear bumper. This port is used to refill the "mystery" fluid that help to keep the diesel fumes from becoming an environmental problem. Every 15,000 miles you need to make a trip to your local BMW dealer and they will refill the container that holds the mystery fluid. Rumor has it that without this fluid, the car will self-destruct... well no it won't, but it will cease to run.

Interior wise little has changed. The only visible change is on the dash here the fuel tank indicator has a diesel indicator over it and the redline is much lower ... at around 4750 RPM. Other than that, the car operates just the same.

Start it up and initially there is a little difference in sound, but soon it settles into a low hum just like any other BMW. Only the most discerning ears will here a difference in tone over a traditional motor. Push the gas pedal and off you go. Like any other car, the power is smooth and effortless. You will see that there is much more torque... 425ft-lbs compared to the 300ft-lbs available from it's cousin. There is a horsepower penalty however, dropping from 300 down to 265. Not really a problem because torque is your friend anyway.

Driving this car, the boat loads of torque is instantly apparent. Ask for more go power and the car obliges. The torque pushes you forward almost making down shifts unnecessary. Highway speeds are easily attained and quite quickly. Once at speed response is almost instant, but from a stop, there is a slight delay while the turbo does what is has to do to build boost. Once you're up to speed though, response is almost instant. The average driver will not know the difference between a diesel and a gasoline powered car. They will notice however when they don't have to go to the gas station nearly as often. And that is a major bonus...