August 10th, 2009
By Clint Williams
Green Right Now
Cars that deliver 30 mph typically don’t deliver much else. Acceleration is, at best, peppy. You can buy fuel efficiency, but you can’t find a thrill.
The 2009 BMW 335d is a breakthrough automobile: great fuel economy coupled with great performance.
The reason is BMW’s 3-liter, inline six-cylinder twin-turbocharged diesel engine. This clean-burning diesel engine cranks out 265 horsepower and an astonishing 425 lb-ft of torque. What’s torque, you say? Torque is what pins you to the back of the seat when you punch the accelerator.
BMW says the 335d jumps from 0-60 mph in six seconds and we have no reason to say otherwise. It’s tough to work a stopwatch with both hands on the wheel and a big grin on your face.
Diesel cars are no longer the clattering, black smoke spewing vehicles of decades on by. New generation diesels burn cleaner than most gasoline engines. The BMW 335d, in fact, qualifies for a federal Advanced Lean Burn Technology Motor Tax Credit of up to $900.
The fuel economy is stunning for a car of this size that offers this performance. The EPA fuel economy estimate is 23 mpg in city driving and 36 mpg in highway driving. We got nearly 34 mpg in a mix of driving that included very little of the set-the-cruise-control freeway driving that boosts average fuel economy readings.
Oh, and did we mention this car is fun, fun, fun to drive? The six-speed automatic transmission makes good use of the power. The handling is rock solid as is now expected from BMW. The car has dynamic stability control, traction control and four-wheel ventilated anti-lock brakes.
The cabin is very 
comfortable, luxurious in a minimalist Germanic sort of way. The front seats have plenty of lateral support to keep folks from sliding side to side as the car zips through S-turns.
Rear passenger legroom is strictly OK and there isn’t much storage space. But you can’t have everything. A fuel-efficient car that hauls ass will have to be enough.
Copyright © 2009 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media
