On Mon, 3 Aug 2009 13:35:47 -0700 (PDT), bfd wrote: : This is from a car for clunker thread on another BMW forum : (bimmerhead): I was considering trading in my 1990 E34 535i, 5spd, : 124K miles but the only new BMW that qualifies for the program is the : E90 335d, both in price - its base price is under the $45K limit and : mpg its rated at 27mpg or 5 more than the 22mpg limit. Since my car is : rated at 16mpg, there's an 11mpg difference and I would have qualified : for $4500 credit. : : The incentives on the diesel are great - $4500 from the program, PLUS : another $4500 from BMW (Eco Credit) AND you get a $900 tax credit, : that basically $10K before any negotiations! However, for some : reason, BMW only offers the 335d with an automatic tranny ?! So, why : doesn't BMW bring over its 335d with manual trans? There's a manual : for just about every other 3/5 series, why not the diesel? : : BMW Master Tech Brett Anderson noted that BMW does not have a manual : transmission that can handle the torque, reliably. Too bad, as I like : the diesel. However, since there are so many horror stories about BMW : autos, I'm passing. :( :
I cannot answer your very good questions and look forward to what others post in response. I've had the 335d for about 2 months and having a blast with it. The torque is shocking - once you're in motion. It feels like of the 6.0s standstill to 60 almost 1 second of it is spent waiting for the engine to spin up and the little turbo to kick in. It's not anywhere near that long but that's how it feels, timing one's self into traffic from an intersection. When it kicks in it's like lighting off a pair of solid rocket motors. This real annoyance could be completely resolved with the human foot in a standard transmission config :( I'd probably still get have to pick an auto so Mrs hgoldste can drive it.