[Trelos]

Hi all,

I currently drive an 08 328i 6MT RWD
purchased in Nov of '07 after owning 2 Jetta TDI's

I really miss the torque and drivability of a Diesel, but the Automatic only thing was the main reason I’ve stayed away from the 335d.

However I'm seriously considering 2 different CPO 335d's and wanted to get a fuel economy comparison to see if it's really worth sacrificing the manual transmission.

I've kept track of my average MPG (according to the OBC) over the past 9 months, resetting about every 3 months and here's what my car gets.

Since new the car has had the BMW performance Exhaust and Intake

April-June
18" wheels staggered with Michelin Pilot sport's
26.2 MPG

June-September
18" wheels staggered with Michelin Pilot sport's
Had ECU reflashed with Active Autowerke tune (wow BTW!)
26.8 MPG

September-November
18" wheels staggered with Michelin Pilot sport's
27.2 MPG

November - Now
16" wheels 205/55 Pirelli winter 210's (btw these stink)
28.2 MPG

Does anyone get similar or better MPG's

I would say my driving is a 60/40 split between city and highway.

I live in northern NJ so I get stuck in traffic often and drive into NYC at least once per month.

Thanks for the help!

[Concentric190]

my stock 335d sport pack is averaging about 31mpg with a 60/40 highway split and getting traffic here and there. And that's not with a light foot either, with light traffic averaging 75+mph. I have no doubt that if I cut out my putzing around town and drove conservatively I could average 35 a tank.

[MrPig]

I don't do any highway driving, but for what it's worth I get 22-25 mpg with 100% city driving. Bone stock. I didn't notice much of a difference when I switched from my stock 18" summer wheels to 17" winters.

[cssnms]

You're getting pretty good mileage as it is. I average around 23-26 90/10 city/highway travel w/heavy foot. This most recent tank I am seeing 21 mpg's. If you are easy on the accelerator I imagine you will see low 30's avg w/60/40 ratio.

The biggest problem with the diesel is keeping your foot off of the accelerator, in which case you might see high 20's at worst.

[Trelos]

Originally Posted by cssnms

The biggest problem with the diesel is keeping your foot off of the accelerator, in which case you might see high 20's at worst.

That was my problem in the TDI's
especially my first one.

I had the ecu chipped, downpipes, a bigger euro spec turbo, and some other mods.

So much torque I couldn't keep traction in the 1st 2 gears.
I blew the differential out it was so bad.

But it was fun!

And I still averaged about 40 MPG with a very heavy foot.

As far as my 328i is concerned I certainly don't baby it and I will get on it quite often. It’s just that after driving a diesel stick for 5 years you learn how to accelerate quickly, but shift up often to maximize the MPG's

I know from experience in 328i loaner automatics that I can't even come close to matching the mileage I get in my car.

So that's my big worry,
Given my driving style the auto might be a hindrance to me.

I would hate to lose the stick shift if I’m only seeing a 10-15% MPG improvement.

[Concentric190]

Originally Posted by Trelos

I would hate to lose the stick shift if I’m only seeing a 10-15% MPG improvement.

Honestly I barely ever miss it.

[cssnms]

Originally Posted by Trelos

I would hate to lose the stick shift if I’m only seeing a 10-15% MPG improvement.

That is the reality. The question you need to ask which only you can answer is; Despite improved fuel economy and stump pulling torque, will you be happy driving around in an automatic?

The best thing you can do at this point is try to spend as much time driving around in a 335d as possible then decide if the pluses out-weigh the minuses.

[MrPig]

I love the car, but I miss the 3rd pedal terribly. So much that I'm considering getting a 5/6MT car for the summer weekends. Time to start looking for an e30?

[hotrod2448]

Originally Posted by Concentric190

Honestly I barely ever miss it.

This. Every car I've owned before this was a stick and I never thought I'd be happy with an auto but, honestly it suites the d perfectly. Maybe it's just because there is no temptation to down shift a cog or two when passing and hear the engine.

[taibanl]

Originally Posted by hotrod2448

This. Every car I've owned before this was a stick and I never thought I'd be happy with an auto but, honestly it suites the d perfectly. Maybe it's just because there is no temptation to down shift a cog or two when passing and hear the engine.

+1

But. It has recently been noted that short trips on cold weather have a larger adverse effect on diesel mpg than gas

[nhinnhuckyduc]

I avg 29MPG and that is 100% city and when im on the highway for my long trip from NC-NY i avg around 38-42MPG At speed ranging from 80-100mph. I have a DTUK Stage 2 Chip in it at 10%

[Thud]

Originally Posted by hotrod2448

This. Every car I've owned before this was a stick and I never thought I'd be happy with an auto but, honestly it suites the d perfectly. Maybe it's just because there is no temptation to down shift a cog or two when passing and hear the engine.

Same for me, I've owned manual transmission corvettes and a 135i 6MT, but the torque converter in this tranny perfectly suits the D.
Launch in 2nd gear and the motor just leisurely hangs at 3000rpm thrusting you forward like the start of a roller coaster.

Passing rarely involves downshifting, the motor just grows a pair of balls and surges you forward in whatever gear you're already in. In fact that's far more satisfying because if you do downshift to around 3500, there's a bit more lag since it takes longer for the bigger turbo to build boost.


Anyway my average at the pump is usually 28 or 29mpg, with 50/50 mix. I've only been using Chevron. I haven't done any mileage comparison between brands of diesel.

[Kaylin032]

32 mpg combined city/hwy and 46 mpg highway. I generally stay on track to get at least 580 miles per tank.

I can't relate to the manual transmission fetish. I secretly think they're for people who have control issues, as evidenced by the anger in the M3 threads by the 6mt crowd towards the dct which is faster and more efficient. If you can't win, yell.

Many expect $4-$5 gas real soon. Expect the resale on non-diesel cars to drop accordingly.

[GreekboyD]

Originally Posted by Concentric190

Honestly I barely ever miss it.

So true. Living in Toronto, I don't miss my manual at all!!!

[DnA Diesel]

I get 30 mpg with about 60% city, 40% hwy...and that's with a very heavy right foot...lighter foot, I average 33 combined.

I have a Jetta TDI as well, with a 5-speed, and the only reason I drive it instead of the 335d is because it has the hitch for my utility trailer. Manual transmission notwithstanding, the Jetta is not nearly as fun as the 335d.

As cssnms said, try driving a D to see if it's even a player for you, given the AT.

Regards
D.

[Julesandtrish]

I drive 70 miles round trip to work each day. 70% hwy/ 30% city. 50k miles so far and no issues with. Lovin every minute of it. I have the jbd tune at 100% (been that way for 10k+ miles and no codes). I consistently get 34.5 mpg each week. This D Dominates! Like others have said, test rive it for yourself to decide. Good luck!

[Trelos]

Thanks everyone for the advice.

I will be test driving the 335d sometime this week.

Btw my mpg average just jumped to 29.4

[maswastage]

Before my 335d, I had a 328xi. I drive about the same commute now as I did then (about 66%% highway and 33% city), with maybe a bit more city than I used to. The 328 used to get 23-25 mpg, while the D gets 34-36 in the same conditions.

[F32Fleet]

Originally Posted by taibanl

+1

But. It has recently been noted that short trips on cold weather have a larger adverse effect on diesel mpg than gas

True. Idling diesels run cooler and less efficient. Short tripping in cold weather delays warm up. Cold diesels pollute more as well. This is probably why we may never see diesel hybrids in passenger cars.

[Trelos]

Speaking of warming up,

one more question...

On average how long does it take your 335d to heat up in the winter?

I Remember in my TDI's it would take a good 8 to 10 miles before it blew any sort of hot air out the vents on the colder days.

[Concentric190]

the 335d has a separate electronic heating element that starts pumping out hot air in less than 2min of driving even in freezing temperatures, its fantastic. I love this car.

[GreekboyD]

Hey Trelos,

Checked your profile. How scarce are 335d vehicles in Northern NJ? I did a random search here for Toronto on autotrader and 7 of them came up. One was a 2009 with only 3,900 kms (2,400 miles) going for $49,000 before taxes!

P.S. Are you Greek? Your username means "crazy" in Greek...lol.