2014 BMW 535d Diesel

2014 BMW 535d Diesel

A fine ambassador for diesel power.

When we pull into our driveways with various test cars every few days, our friends—the ones who know us well, not the acquaintances who assume we’re a lieutenant in a drug cartel—often pop over to ask about the latest. “What are we driving today?” asked one friend recently, pacing us into our parking spot. When the answer was a BMW 5-series, she followed us toward the Glacier Silver Metallic car.

“This one’s a diesel, and—” Before we’d said another word, the conversation was over.

“Oh, I don’t like diesel,” she said, before she turned and walked away. Just like that. As if the word “diesel” meant it was carrying the contagion that would zombify her family.

Had our pal hung around, she might have been in danger of catching a fever all right, but the one we have for the advantages of diesel engines. The challenges to her prejudice would have started with hearing—or rather, not hearing—the nearly racket-free startup of the new 3.0-liter inline-six turbo-diesel in this 2014 BMW 535d. Admittedly, you can detect mild clatter if you stick your ear or a microphone under the hood or close to the tailpipe. If she did the latter, our dismissive friend might have noticed that the exhaust didn’t declare its dieselness, either, and we could have assured her that Dr. Rudolf’s compression-ignition device has advanced into the 21st century with variable-vane turbocharging, common-rail direct injection, and urea-based exhaust scrubbing. (Of course, when proselytizing, we don’t delve too deeply into the ickier connotations of urea, and besides, the BMW dealer handles refills during oil changes, which are included free for four years or 50,000 miles.)

The 535d operates as smoothly and as cleanly as does any 5er, different only in that it doesn’t need many revs to generate thrust, delivering a big fat 413 lb-ft of torque from 1500 to 3000 rpm with a 255-hp peak at 4000 rpm. It’s even quiet at wide-open throttle (we measured 72 decibels, quieter than some cars at a steady 70-mph cruise). At the track, the diesel hit 60 mph in 5.6 seconds, a tick quicker than the gas-fueled 535i we had for a long-term test and as fleet as the gas-electric ActiveHybrid 5model. You won’t want to run for ecofriendly pinks, though: The diesel did the quarter-mile in 14.3 seconds at 97 mph, 0.3 second and 5 mph behind its 335-hp, electric-assisted doppelgänger. 

Specifications >

VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan

PRICE AS TESTED: $66,425 (base price: $57,525)

ENGINE TYPE: turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 24-valve diesel inline-6, aluminum block and head, direct fuel injection

Displacement: 183 cu in, 2993 cc
Power: 255 hp @ 4000 rpm
Torque: 413 lb-ft @ 1500 rpm

TRANSMISSION: 8-speed automatic with manual shifting mode

DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 116.9 in
Length: 193.4 in
Width: 73.2 in Height: 57.6 in
Curb weight: 4127 lb

C/D TEST RESULTS:
Zero to 60 mph: 5.6 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 15.2 sec
Zero to 130 mph: 30.5 sec
Rolling start, 5–60 mph: 6.3 sec
Top gear, 30–50 mph: 3.3 sec
Top gear, 50–70 mph: 4.2 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 14.3 sec @ 97 mph
Top speed (governor limited): 147 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 154 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.84 g

FUEL ECONOMY:
EPA city/highway driving: 26/38 mpg
C/D observed: 32 mpg

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