BMW 335d & X5 xDrive35d U.S. Pricing Announced

Wow, pay $4000 more for a diesel 3 series, get $900 back in tax cuts, then pay 50% more for each gallon of fuel, save 30% from MPGs, pay almost double for regular service intervals... That hardly sounds like a "deal" to me!

oh to be able to buy a 335d for $52 grand...

Is Diesel really 50% more expensive the Petrol in the US? No wonder diesel cars are so unpopular!

Just when you thought BMW could not get any uglier... That front end... Ugh. And yes, in the US, diesel is that much more expensive than regular petrol. No reason given as to why that is, but low supply of diesel it is not. This car is not even worth anywhere near 40 grand. $28K I can see. Not $40k. Pitiful BMW, pitiful.

ShinyG. All new BMW cars come with 4 years included maintenance. Buying it, I agree does not make sense but a lease would: Diesel cars have better resale value than their "petrol" counterparts, so their leases are better since thats what a lease is based on. Also, since most leases end in 2-4 years, you would never have to pay for service. nurchus. The reason that diesel is so expensive in the US is because of the Trucking industry. Pretty much everything is transported by big diesel trucks in the US, and therefore its a great way for the government to make money. In reality, diesel only costs about a dollar or so per galon, the rest is all taxes. Agricultural diesel is not taxed, but it uses a non removable dye so when a transport or private diesel engine uses it, it stains the whole fuel system, which makes it detectable. If caught, its a very heavy Federal offense. I think with the onset of more and more diesel vehicles coming to the US, its going to eventually bring the price down because demand will be so high. After all the hybrid owners realise they have to spend 4 grand to replace their batteries in 7 years, people will turn around and re-think the plusses of buying a hybrid, and they will switch to diesel. Besides, a lot of the Japanese manufacturers are bringing diesel to the states too. Honda is releasing their Accord diesel next year. Eventually, we will have diesel hybrids, which in my opinion will be the most fuel efficient and economical options out there.

Ducati_Bart. Diesels are more sensible in Europe, not in the USA (unless you have a long daily commute). Second, diesel powered anything (VW, BMW, Mercedes) may have "better" resale value, but not anything significant. Besides, a four year old BMW with expired service/maintenance will cost a lot out of your own pocket, which would make a car like the VW more sensible (unless you really want the status of owning a BMW). As far as hybrids, maintenance is low, and the batteries should not set you back 4 grand (unless you buy a Ford or GM hybrid SUV, which has 2 batteries). As far as diesel-hybrids, they better offer some serious MPGs to offset the price.

I'm surprised that people discuss diesels (and hybrids) purely as a cost proposition. What about consumption, or the wonderful torque and durability of a diesel, not to mention the lower greenhouse gas emissions? No one complained when BMW offered a 325 and a 330 a few years ago with the same 3-liter engine, only tuned in one model for a few more hp at a $5000 premium. When fuel was over $4/gal in the US, the monthly fuel cost approached the lease payment, meaning the savings of better mpg came about much faster than most people realized. And if you're getting out of an 11mpg SUV, whose resale value sank like a stone, you can do a lot worse than getting into a 335d for overall costs of ownership. Face it, $50k (US) for a well-equipped 3-series, C-Class or A4 (with a 2.0L four!) is a lot of money, regardless of engine. But that's why they call it a luxury car, I guess. Sensibility comes in different forms...

I have often wondered about the diesel/hybrid combination. The Chevrolet Volt is technically an electric vehicle with a generator that rides along for when it is needed. It seems a smaller diesel (as opposed to gas) engine would be superior in this configuration because the engine isn't propelling the weight of the vehicle or running the accessories and the extra torque makes the diesel ideal as a generator. This setup is the fist choice for large ships and railroad locomotives due to the efficiency but I wonder how well it would scale down. The cost of the diesel engine combined with the hybrid system is no doubt the main stumbling block.