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320d coming to US in 2013..will I dump my Prius for it?

39K views 69 replies 31 participants last post by  MarcusSDCA 
#1 ·
So I need to replace my Prius next spring and I was thinking about the soon to be released Jetta hybrid. For the past many years since I abandoned BMW (because they abandoned those of us that wanted super high mpg sooner rather than later)...I have been driving the Prius. t's a great technological car.....but a T-E-R-R-I-B-L-E driving car.

Enter the 2013 (or late 2012?) 320d allegedly coming to the US in the spring of next year. Finally, after all the complaining I did on this board many moons ago about the fuel thirsty over-powered 335d....the suits at BMWNA have finally gotten their heads out of their trunks and decided to give America the high mpg 2 liter diesel engine that Europe has enjoyed for years.

Is this car going to be the Ultimate Hybrid Killing Machine? At probably 40K reasonably equipped (just guessing on the price) it won't kill Prius sales.....but it should eat into the premium hybrid markets for Lexus. And, it should all but guarantee the demise of the 3 series hybrid at $50 grand. :dunno:

The prospect of doing my 4th Euro delivery and my first at the Welt is almost too much to handle!
 
#2 ·
WOW! Prius after BMW! You are the man. 30 minutes of driving Prius was too much for me and most I can take as auto torture. If you was able drive it for a long time, why not just pick any other car capable of high miles? In Canada 320i available which is pretty good in fuel consumption. The problem with diesel BMW here is nobody knows how to fix them. I would look into new Passat TDI, it show better fuel mileage than most common economy cars according Car and driver test.
 
#3 ·
The Passat TDI is on the table as well, but after the many years of suffering with the Prius, my driving heart might need to zoom right past VW and into the BMW. If they make the 320d too expensive...which is something BMW is very good at doing.....I might go with the Jetta Hybrid or Passat TDI.....
 
#4 ·
VW's normal electrical problems PLUS a hybrid system??? Are you crazy :rofl: VW does know how to do diesels, though.

How much do you drive? Is it worth it to spend the premium on the diesel (fuel and car) for better gas mileage?
 
#6 ·
I drive 15K per year easily....and it's not completely about the price....it's about using less petroleum overall.

Does anyone know what the MPG would be on the US spec 2 liter diesel? I know that it's going to be less than the Euro version.
 
#7 ·
The 320d will achieve better fuel economy than the Passat, has better performance, and will cost about $6k more.

Since the Jetta hybrid uses a turbo, it may require premium fuel. If you do mostly city driving than the hybrid is a good option. If you drive 50-50 or more highway than the diesel has a fuel economy advantage.

I'd drive all three and really compare how they feel before deciding.
 
#11 ·
The VW TDI engines have not been without issues. 320d should be an interesting car. The irony is that Europeans should be driving hybrids while Americans should be driving diesels. Though the opposite is the case.

I love my 335d. It is the perfect daily driver. I get about 32 mpg in mixed driving 40 mpg cruising on the highway. As long as it is reasonably reliable and continues to fit my needs then I can't see getting rid of it anytime soon.
 
#21 ·
#51 ·
???

Sales data doesn't lie. BMW has offered manuals in quirky combinations before (E61 anyone?) and had the take rate so low that they had no choice but to abandon.

It costs $2M to $5M to certify each power plant. Sorry, why do it just to satisfy a few hundred people? Utopia is great but....
What I meant is BMW needs to go and look how another manufacturer fares with selling 2 liter diesels and how many they sell with MT. I don't have access to that data, but I would be willing to bet that MINIMUM 20% of all VWs sold in TDI guise were also with MT. Yes, I could be wrong - unfortunately we don't have that info.

As mentioned in another similar thread on Bimmerfest, I believe that very few customers who will go to BMW dealership in order to check/test drive/buy a 320d will be of the clueless sort that listen to the salesman and let him sell them the car. In the informed customers group quite a few will be car enthusiasts and large portion of those will want MT. Just the same as with VW diesels.

I believe BMWNA is being pigheaded in this one and doesn't want veritable numbers to mess with nicely displayed speculations - those pie charts just look too good to mess with.
 
#53 · (Edited)
What I meant is BMW needs to go and look how another manufacturer fares with selling 2 liter diesels and how many they sell with MT. I don't have access to that data, but I would be willing to bet that MINIMUM 20% of all VWs sold in TDI guise were also with MT. Yes, I could be wrong - unfortunately we don't have that info.
I did my own research on the MT vs AUTO for VW TDI sales. Now, this isn't scientific but if you look at AutoTrader.com and search for used cars....you can actually get a rough idea.

There are currently, nationwide, 335(!) automatic 2009 Jetta TDIs for sale and 69 manual 2009 Jetta TDIs.

Hence, 17% of 2009 Jetta VWs are manual. I'm assuming that MT owners sell their cars at the same frequency as AUTO but wouldn't be surprised if they hold onto them just a little longer as they tend to be enthusiasts. That might mean the % is maybe more like 20% but that would be pure speculation.

Interestingly, the GOLF TDI for 2010 has about a 50/50 distribution.....28 sticks vs 26 automatics available nationwide. This is truly a stick-shift centric model!

So the 3 series would probably attract fewer stick drivers than the Jetta...maybe 10-15% :dunno:
 
#27 ·
Yes, I am quoting imperial gallons so the figures may be misleading. But the driving was on country roads and back roads so I was up and down the gearbox quite a bit. It's a completely different car in Sport mode though. It feels like the whole car is tightening up around you. Remarkable car all round.
 
#38 ·
oil burners will be exchanged for many prius cars.
 
#40 ·
How is it the M5 can have an auto and a manual?
 
#47 ·
Would you guys consider it if BMW bought the 320d over with DCT...I think that would be best of both worlds...however DCT is expensive. Have both MT and diesel to me is ideal. I can see a 320d with Auto being the base car and BMW upselling the MT by calling it the diesel 'Sport' line.
 
#50 ·
Very exciting - I have always wished for a 330d or 320d to be shipped here. I think people would be very surprised at the mpg AND power/quiteness of the car.
 
#60 ·
I am very excited about the 320d and perhaps the 330d. I have a MT on my 2010 328i but would be ok with the AT in either D. My question is: will either of these cars be available with Xdrive? If so, I am in.
 
#67 · (Edited)
This is great news. The more diesel that get sold the more diesel station get added locally = better price for diesel. Now, I wonder if this has anything to do with the European Auto crisis. Basically, Europe is selling auto unit at 1997 level and has been in decline since 2008. I suspect we are the dumping ground along with China. BMW make a lot of diesel engines for Europe. I am not sure how much different it would be to convert to US specification. If EU spec and US spec are converging, then this would be no obvious. This is all good news for local consumers :bigpimp:

Too bad I bought my X5 diesel already, but I hope to benefit for lower diesel prices through competition and volume discount.
 
#68 ·
Any chance of 320d having Xdrive option? How might the lease rates be on these ?
 
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