2009 BMW 335d Review

[Hidezepickle]

Hmm the 335d in europe gets 286 HP and a bit better MPG, I feel like you should import a 330xd wagon or something if you want the best mpgs

[alphaswimmer55]

@Hidezepickle Don't forget that the Imperial gallon is slightly bigger than a US gallon.

[bhangraboy96]

Can you put a JB4 chip in the 335d ?

[jimmyhoffa9]

damn i'd rather have that kinda power at 43.9 highway than a prius that can get 50mpg, because its like 3-4x times more powerful and i wouldnt look gay driving it.

[NemanjaGuitar]

Dan, thanks for all these reviews, I told VW you are the one who made me buy a brand new tdi jetta... But this torque monster bimmer must have been a treat to test!

[mpgomatic]

@NemanjaGuitar Indeed ... many thanks for the kind words, Nemanja! TDIs are wonderful. Perhaps one day we both will have the good fortune to have torque monster bimmers in the garage. :)

[vspec2wrx]

I drove this thing on the Autobahn for 6 days at high speeds and was blown away by its fuel economy no matter how hard you thrash it.

[05front]

i love that "eco gauge" helps me manage my E46s mpg. 

[Gnometower]

why are EPA estimates of European diesels so far below real world performance - in contrast to some hybrids, which get considerably LESS than their EPA.... do i smell a conspiracy?

[Amilo2000]

I own a 330D E46 and its´one amazing car. But this one (335D) is a masterpiece. At least I know which car that will be my next!

[coolerdude44]

just wondering, when you give a "combined mpg figure" is that really accurate? for instance, if you drive 700 miles on the highway and 50 miles in the city, of course your combined figure is going to be skewed...

[mpgomatic]

@coolerdude44 Aye, yup. Real-world combined numbers will always vary depending on the conditions. With our combined numbers, the pure highway driving is typically 50 percent or less. The vast majority of our highway testing uses an identical route ... the same routine, week after week (it's like Groundhog Day, with cars) ...

[ObersterChef]

In Germany the 335d produces 286 hourse power;-)

[lfsracer79]

44.3 mpg at 64.8 mph, not bad

[Truemoderate]

SOLD! I'm getting one. I was comparing an electric hybrids but wasn't impressed with the styling or the driving dynamics (especially highway speeds).

[JELH]

Amazing car. Just amazing.

[winglow]

Twice the car my new Jetta TDi is ...

[Guitarnoob99]

Europien cars are the best in the world :]

[wildbloodydragon]

I own a gas guzzling Camaro Z28 that does 0-60 in about 5.7 seconds.

If only I had the money for a 335d...

[protlewski]

Man I want one of these, what a sweet daily.

[tenta20]

Not a bad car. Nice diesel by BMW.

[Nashuaam]

how does it handel in the weather? My concern is living in New England with snow and ice in the winter, how does all that torque affect traction? Any rear wheel drive slip and slide?

[jhs277]

Lot of BMW rwd diesel cars are used without any problems on European roads where weather is quite similar to that. Rwd and snow is a bad combination anyway. Don't forget, computer keeps all that power under control.

[Flexfuel306]

Just buy snow tires. The car has 50/50 weight distribution. They're fine in snow with the right tires.

[chip56100]

Hi I wouldn't choose this as your standard car in New England. I have had a 335d for the past year and whilst its a great drive in the dry, its scary in the wet and absolutely useless in the snow (even with snow tyres). Haven't tried the 330XD but that could be a better option - or an audi. hope that helps.

[BIMMERPHIL]

@Nashuaam

we had no problems this winter with our chipped 730d 100% RWD :)

It was a very bad winter more snow and ice as usual here in germany, but with good tires and a forward-looking ride you wont have big problems

[Punisher2all]

so eco-friendly aside, which is better 335i or 335d?

[kagolko]

obviously d..

[BonbonneA4pattes]

335i : 0 to 100Km/h (=62.13 mile/h) in 5.6s and 5.5s with xDrive.

335d : 0 to 100Km/h in 6s.

[instantchow]

sweet ride, anyone notice the fuel cap said something like 85 percent biodiesel max? =) neato

[ms3bani]

you can still hear the diesel clatter... reduced, but you can still plainly and instantly tell it's a diesel from a distance.

[PJPHughes]

Great review! I watched this, went and test drove the car, and ordered a fully loaded 335d to replace a 335i. Got the $4500 eco credit, and it's cheaper than a comparable 335i. Now all BMW needs to do is market the car's performance and economy better. And then bring the 320d, and both versions in the wagon!

[maswastage]

BMW NA is offering a $4500 credit for purchases/orders of the 335d made before August 31, 2009. So you can get one of these extraordinary cars for a good price. I got quotes for a fully loaded 335d that were quite a bit under 50K, so you could easily get a moderately equipped one for less than 40K.

[ghostmaker9394]

i drive a 325d m-sport such an amazing car to drive and realy good on fuel

[malingroad]

I recently purchased a (2009) 335d. Zero options. Got it for $40k. UNBELIEVABLE automobile!!! Have been averaging 38 mpg. This car is the future, today. I honestly can say this is *the* best car I've owned in my 55 years!

[mpgomatic]

Congrats! I'd love to have one of these monsters in the barn. :) Did you happen to see our review video before you decided on the 335d?

[malingroad]

Yes - I did see your review and it was part of the reason I went for the test drive. Thanks "mpg-o" for posting your vid.

[mpgomatic]

Wicked cool! :) Thanks for posting!

[xdragosx]

@skyfir3s there is no 335xd .. only 335xi

[lsh3rd]

Diesels don't have a throttle.

[Camper1234599]

dot have a throttle body, correct, throttle - well yeah, they do.

[lsh3rd]

Technically speaking it would be wrong to call the accelerator pedal on a diesel a throttle. Diesels never throttle incoming air - you just add more fuel to go faster. Gasoline engines on the other hand throttle the air and meter fuel in proportion to the volume of air your right foot allows. I stand by my original statement.

[biscuitninja]

Downside is that it probably costs north of 55k. That's alot of extra money...

[Mondafied]

Just for that reason, I erased this BMW off of my list. It's not worth over 50k with the options I want.

[vetteslayer]

Base price is $44,725

[biscuitninja]

I have not seen one for less than 51k on floor. Add TTL (for here it is about 12%) and it goes to around 57k. A bit steep....

[vetteslayer]

I was just going off the BMW website.

[Camper1234599]

starts at mid 40's (this test mule) and can reach 54K if you option it out like I did. worth every penny.

[Josurf808]

very nice mini review. love the car. still stuck between this and the 335i sedan.

KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!!!!!

[BeTaFiShRkOoL]

43.9 mpg! That's amazing, especially considering the fact that you have 425 ft lb of torque at your disposal. How slow did you have to go to get THAT number?

[Bimo165]

u know what i like about your reviews Dan? I like the fact that you really put a lot of miles on the cars that u get your hands on to get an accurate mpg in the real everyday use and bring that information to us! one example is this car! 750 miles?!! just to review and get the real mpg? that's just awesome work!

[mpgomatic]

Thanks, Bimo! The goal for this one was 1000 miles ... fell a bit short there. :) The tank range on the 335d is enormous ...