Not Your Mother's Diesel

We do our best to be apolitical at The Checkered Blog. Politics, it’s just not our thing. Our "thing" of course is Checkered Flag and cars and our customers and community and subjects peripherally related to those things. I can’t help but think of certain hotly contested political contests though, when I listen to the current debate between the "Diesel" people and the "Hybrid" people. Both are advocating change, but with radically different strategies. Hybrid proponents have long had a leg up on diesel advocates due to the wild success of the Toyota Prius and the fact that most people remember diesels as loud, smelly 1970's cars and trucks that pollute. All of that is about to change we think, as more European manufacturers are attempting to test out American waters with advanced "clean" diesel systems.

I recently spoke with John Hall, general manager of Checkered Flag BMW, and he informed me that they are expecting two new diesels in the fall, the 335d and X5 xDrive 35d. Keep in mind, BMW hasn’t sold diesels in the U.S. since the 1970's! In Europe however, they account for a growing majority of the company’s sales. In order for the vehicles to meet EPA standards here, BMW created the Advanced Diesel with BluePerformance using a special ammonia based solution (AdBlue) that is injected into the exhaust converting some of the nitrous oxide into water vapor. There is also a fancy filter that further reduces emissions. The "straight talk" from BMW is that the 335d will come with a twin-turbo 3.0 liter inline six capable of 265hp. The ability to go 0-60mph in about 6 seconds and get quite respectable mpg (estimates are 23city/33highway) will surely pique some interest. And, the best part is that the 335d also delivers...wait for it...425 lb-ft of torque. This means that you’ll feel every bit of acceleration, but smoothly because you won’t have to shift gears as often.

The Checkered Blog isn’t inclined to take sides in this debate and we believe that consumers, who "vote" with their wallets, will ultimately decide the outcome and/or the power balance between hybrids and clean diesel. We will say, however, that it seems that having more choice is always a good thing!