Review: 2009 BMW 335d, Performance and Fuel Economy

2009 BMW 335d -

Over the last two years BMW has started making a major push for its new EfficientDynamics technology in Europe and more recently in North America. The premise is that the company that has long promoted itself as the "Ultimate Driving Machine" can retain all the qualities that made it so ultimate while drastically cutting fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. In Europe, BMW offers a suite of technologies like automatic start-stop for engines, brake energy regeneration and smaller four cylinder engines. The most important near term technology however is diesel engines.

Late in 2008, BMW launched its first two new clean diesel vehicles here in the United States, the X5 xDrive35d SUV and the 335d sedan. We recently had a chance to spend a week with the 335d to determine if it truly can provide the driving experience that customers expect of a BMW with better fuel efficiency. Read on to find out if the automaker succeeded.

2009 BMW 335d, Performance and Fuel Economy

2009 BMW 335d

2009 BMW 335d
Over the last two years BMW has started making a major push for its new EfficientDynamics technology in Europe and more recently in North America. The premise is that the company that has long promoted itself as the "Ultimate Driving Machine" can retain all the qualities that made it so ultimate while drastically cutting fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. In Europe, BMW offers a suite of technologies like automatic start-stop for engines, brake energy regeneration and smaller four cylinder engines. The most important near term technology however is diesel engines.

Late in 2008, BMW launched its first two new clean diesel vehicles here in the United States, the X5 xDrive35d SUV and the 335d sedan. We recently had a chance to spend a week with the 335d to determine if it truly can provide the driving experience that customers expect of a BMW with better fuel efficiency. Read on to find out if the automaker succeeded.

2009 BMW 335d Sedan

The 335d is a high-powered, turbocharged sports sedan with all the bells and whistles.

What we have here is a high-powered, turbocharged sports sedan with all the bells and whistles that is EPA rated at 23 miles per gallon in the city and 36 mpg on the highway. Oh, and the little "d" in the name stands for "diesel."

For those of you who thought diesel was a synonym for "noisy, smelly and slow," Audi has been winning races with diesel-engined cars against gasoline-engined cars for several years and BMW, well, in Europe drivers under 21 are restricted to diesel-powered cars, and that includes young Formula 1 drivers.

Jenson Button of England, say, who was pulled over in France and ticketed for speeding: 228 kilometers per hour, or about 142 miles per hour. The gendarmes escorted him to the nearest ATM and relieved him of some 5,000 francs, or something over $750. Then they bought him a cup of coffee and got a couple of autographs before sending him on his way. (They are a bit more civilized about these things in Europe. After all, the road was straight, there was no traffic and the weather was good.)

This happened back in 2000 when Button was only 20 and forced to drive a diesel-engined car; specifically, a BMW 330 sedan supplied by the racing team. Rather a company car, as it were, turbocharged, of course, like the 2009 BMW 335d that is the subject of this review. But we don't know how fast the 335d is, and we aren't going to find out, as we expect the conversation with American traffic officers would not go quite so well. (Nor, for that matter, are we among the only 22 or so drivers each year competent to drive a Formula 1 car.)

BMW 3-Series Interior

2009 BMW 335d