[quote=ucodegen]Interest Popular Mechanics article.. but one of the things I noticed, is that their driving techniques:
Since fuel economy is so dependent on driving style, we accelerated as smoothly and consistently as possible in both tests. Our general rule was to accelerate from each stop with just enough throttle to be as quick as the slowest car leaving the light. This, we believe, best approximates the driving style that an average consumer would adopt with fuel economy as a main priority.
actually worked against the Jetta TDI. With turbocharged vehicles, efficiency goes up with boost pressure. Boost effectively increases the compression ratio of the engine (by increasing working pressures). If you feather the pedal on the Jetta TDI, the turbo never spools up.
How about testing the BMW 335d… !!
Should add a mileage category for mountain driving .. up to Big Bear, Laguna.. those types of areas ;-P[/quote]
The 335d is nice. I had a loaner once with it…But screw the 335d or x5 35d…. What I need is the M550d
We grin because BMW has dropped a tri-turbo (yes, three turbochargers) 3.0-liter inline-six diesel engine under hood. With a lot of boost, the N57S engine is rated at 376 horsepower and an astounding 546 pound-feet of torque. Mated to an eight-speed automatic, the 5 Series will crack the 60-mile-per-hour benchmark in 4.7 seconds and run to an unrestricted 185 mph top speed (BMW electronically caps it at 155 mph). Permanent all-wheel drive, in the form of BMW’s xDrive, ensures the torque shreds all four tires equally. The surefooted driveline also makes the 37-mile-per-gallon oil-burning sedan the perfect all-weather friend.
Why are we sobbing? As of today, BMW has no plans to offer this magnificent machine to the North American marketplace
