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Diesel-powered BMW 328d debut at NY Auto Show

27K views 100 replies 37 participants last post by  des16 
#1 · (Edited)
Diesel Powered BMW 328d

The New York Auto Show is just a few weeks away and BMW has teased out the details of what will be on display. The big news is for 3 series drivers waiting for an oil burning variant. The 328d will make is US debut at the auto show and Bimmerfest.com will be there to cover it.

The diesel-powered BMW 328d will make its U.S. debut at this year's New York International Auto Show, joining the BMW 3 Series lineup and strengthening BMW's position as one of the country's most efficient automakers. The BMW 328d will be powered by a TwinPower Turbo 4 cylinder engine, delivering 180 hp and an impressive 280 lb-ft of torque ***8211; propelling the vehicle from 0 to 60 mph in about 7.2 seconds while getting mileage that could well exceed 40 mpg (official US EPA estimates will be available closer to the launch of the 328d). With the hallmark performance of a BMW 3 Series and increased efficiency of a diesel engine, the BMW 328d will serve as the new benchmark in its class.

We will be on hand to get up close and personal with the 328d. If you have any specific questions about the diesel F30 3 series post them and we will do our best to get them answered.

Read more about BMW at the NY Auto Show
 
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#10 ·
Check your math, it's less than 30 more tq and 60hp less.

But we all know it's the actual power that will matter as dynos show the N20 is making the tq that the diesel is claiming. In reality, the diesel might be making the same torque as the N55.
 
#9 ·
Sign me up. Don't care about HP, we're all doing max 80 MPH anyway. Gimme that torque and the great mileage.
 
#75 ·
Yes, this is an exciting car. I own a 2011 335d and am pretty much addicted to the massive torque (425 ft/lbs). And I actually get better than 36 highway. I would bet the 328d will easily exceed 40 on the highway and still have ample power. Diesel is the best of both worlds.
 
#13 ·
#1 - interested in tunability...lot of turbo diesels nowadays get a real nice HP spike
#2 - This will be ruined if it carries a hefty premium over the 328i
#3 - I'm concerned about weight balance since diesels are usually much heavier due to the heavier engine and heavier support around that heavier engine
#4 - Diesel needs to offer enough of a MPG advantage over the n20/n26 to make it worthwhile to drop 60hp and lose some of the other advantages
 
#28 ·
BMW hasn't announced prices yet but I'm sure it will cost more than the 328i, which I'm guessing is the main reason why BMW felt necessary to badge the car 328d instead of the more appropriate 320d. BMW probably thinks Americans are more likely to pay the diesel price premium if it has a higher number.
 
#32 ·
The success of this car will depend entirely on the pricing. If it is priced close to the 320i it will be hugely successful. If it is priced north of the 328i it will fail.
 
#59 ·
I agree... but that being said, if BMW intended the price this car close to 320i, they wouldn't have rebadged it to 328d.

The rebadging of the car from 320d to 328d for US market suggests that BMW agrees with you that selling 320d at higher price than 328i is unwise. But their sales planning team must have concluded that selling a "328d" at a nominal premium is feasible even if the car is really a rebadged 320d. The badge change is just a way to align consumer expectation with actual price.
 
#41 ·
When I bought my 335d BMWNA was offering a $4500 rebate. Combined with the USAA pricing I bought a $52K car for just over $44K. That said, it did not hold its value very well when I traded it 2 years later. Unfortunately diesel BMWs have not done well for BMW. The 335d was a hell of a road car, pulls like a train and cruises at 80 mph while barely turning 2K rpms. I routinely got 36-38 mpg on trips. I plan to test drive a 328d but seriously doubt I'll buy one. I'm waiting to see if Audi brings the A6 3.0 TDI to the US.
 
#44 · (Edited)
A little bit about that motor.

Excerpt from Autocar's review of the 320d GT

"And there's no question that these days, BMW's 2.0 diesel motor is greying with age. It's too prominent at idle, too prominent when revved and well, just too prominent generally. It's fairly smooth and its torque curve well spread, but for a car called GT it isn't especially powerful. Performance is brisk enough for the urban battle and it's a relaxed cruiser, especially with those eight ratios, but this engine does its work without huge panache."

Instead of giving us some newer technology, BMWNA is foisting an aging diesel motor on us Yanks?
 
#54 ·
Just need to correct the physics here please. Work is energy in units of force times distance. Torque coincidentally is the same units as work but represents something different entirely. HP is power which is work divided by the time to do the work (Force X distance/ time). Torque gets you out of the hole in the quarter mile, HP accelerates you and produces the top end speed at the end of the quarter mile.

Diesel engine blocks are cast from Alusil alloy albeit likely a heavier/beefier casting to deal with the higher compression ratio. Also the internals are of forged steel (crank and rods) and forged aluinum pistons. While heavier than the i version, i wouldn't think the difference is dramatic as its a 4 pot not a 6. I'm told my 33D engine is ~ 200 lb heavier than the 335i engine or at least the whole car is 200 lb heavier.
 
#55 ·
...
Diesel engine blocks are cast from Alusil alloy albeit likely a heavier/beefier casting to deal with the higher compression ratio. Also the internals are of forged steel (crank and rods) and forged aluinum pistons. While heavier than the i version, i wouldn't think the difference is dramatic as its a 4 pot not a 6. I'm told my 33D engine is ~ 200 lb heavier than the 335i engine or at least the whole car is 200 lb heavier.
Looking at the model comparisons on bmw.com, this doesn't always seem to be the case. The 320d is lighter than the 328i. The Euro 535d is heavier than the 535i by 25kg.

As a side note, it is amazing to see the comparison between the 535d and 535i. The d puts out 7 more hp, over 50% more torque, is nearly 1/2 sec quicker from 0 to 100kmh, and uses nearly 30% less fuel :yikes:

The 530d (apparently the engine we will get over here in our "535d":rolleyes:) does pretty well against the 535i too. Only 0.1sec slower in 0 to 100 kmh and uses more than 30% less fuel than the 535i.
 
#62 ·
I feel this is going to be underpowered for what the US market expects out of a BMW these days. Something more along the lines of 220-240hp, 350lb/ft would still give good mileage while having decent performance, especially if it is going to be priced similarly to the 328i.

I wonder if the Eco credit will apply to it as well? That may be their plan for pricing it similarly to the 328i on paper while still being able to actually sell it for less.
 
#66 ·
I'm not sure if this hasn't been mentioned here yet - I don't understand why BMW wouldn't bring the (European) biturbo 325d here instead. With its 218hp and 332ft-lb of torque it wouldn't be such a stretch to call it 328d and it seems more fitting to US market demands. It must have been to expensive to get this engine approved for the US.
 
#68 ·
I'm personally happy to se the engine that will do the most for fleet fuel efficiency and provide the highest MPG for the model itself. I never understood what sense it made to sell a more powerful, less efficient diesel in the US (where buyers really don't appreciate diesel anyway,and where there are no tax subsidies for diesel fuel). The gasoline engine cars address that market segment adequately.
 
#76 · (Edited)
But 'massive torque' and 328d cannot go in the same sentence...

It's a '328d' in name only. It's really a 320d, with an engine barely having more torque than the N20 gasser engine at its peak at low/mid-low RPM, but it runs out of breath i.e. RPM range far sooner than N20. So while it might pull say around 2K rpm ever so slightly more than the gasser N20, it certainly won't be doing that around 4K [or even a bit over 3K? wondering] and higher.

I'm disappointed as you may have guessed...
 
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