X5 diesel now outselling X5 xdrive30i

[JSpira]

The May BMW sales figures are in and the X5 diesel is outselling the equivalent gasoline-powered X5.

See a complete analysis in the article below:

Diesel Economics 102: More Buyers Choosing Diesels

1 June 2010
A new analysis by The Diesel Driver shows that diesel sales are not only on the upswing but, in some cases, are exceeding those of the petrol-powered equivalent model
In Diesel Economics 101, we looked at …

[chuck92103]

Good to see diesels making a come back.

Any reason why only in May the diesel out sold the gas engine and even then by a huge margin?

[JSpira]

No idea. I was speechless when I saw the figures last night.

[chuck92103]

Originally Posted by chuck92103

Good to see diesels making a come back.

Any reason why only in May the diesel out sold the gas engine and even then by a huge margin?

Maybe income tax refund checks coupled with a BMW incentive was enough to trigger an avalanche.

[GOLFFRR]

we cant keep the diesels in stock! there super hot right now

[Vintage]

I own a 35d and it is amazing - I will never buy an X5 petrol now because the 35d gets great gas mileage and has tons of acceleration to boot. This thing has won me over big time and I was a little worried about it when I first drove it home last November since I had never owned a diesel. We are talking an honest 28+ mpg when doing 70 mph on the highway - it really is ridiculous. That is a long way of saying, "I am not surprised that the diesel is outselling the 30i."

[pmeloche]

Originally Posted by GOLFFRR

we cant keep the diesels in stock! They're super hot right now

Fixed.

[chuck92103]

Originally Posted by VintageBMW

I own a 35d and it is amazing - I will never buy an X5 petrol now because the 35d gets great gas mileage and has tons of acceleration to boot. This thing has won me over big time and I was a little worried about it when I first drove it home last November since I had never owned a diesel. We are talking an honest 28+ mpg when doing 70 mph on the highway - it really is ridiculous. That is a long way of saying, "I am not surprised that the diesel is outselling the 30i."

I would like the diesel to get better mileage. It is not enough to sway me.

On the highway, I can reach 24MPG in my 3.5 X6.

I would rather have less HP and higher mileage if I went with a diesel.

To me 40MPG city is good mileage. Anything lower is bad mileage. Few cars can get 40MPG city. It has been that way for decades. Probably due to corruption.

We can put a man on the moon, but we can't get MPG up any better than it was 40 years ago? A VW rabbit diesel got 50MPG in 1975. Today it is the same.

[M4Mafia]

The only reason its selling more (for the month of May only, but look at all the rest of the numbers, LMFAO) is because of the $4500 credit. Without this boost, it will not sell half as well. Its like dude, they are selling these TVs like hot cakes man...... but dude, they are giving people a huge discount......... duh.

I take the twin turbo six with the new 8 speed tranny and be a few MPG lower any day over the diesel. If I remember correctly the residual of the d is at 58% whereas the i is at 62%. Who are we kidding here, jspira? Nice campaign on the internet to boost the d though.

[chuck92103]

Originally Posted by M4Mafia

The only reason its selling more (for the month of May only, but look at all the rest of the numbers, LMFAO) is because of the $4500 credit. Without this boost, it will not sell half as well. Its like dude, they are selling these TVs like hot cakes man...... but dude, they are giving people a huge discount......... duh.

I take the twin turbo six with the new 8 speed tranny and be a few MPG lower any day over the diesel. If I remember correctly the residual of the d is at 58% whereas the i is at 62%. Who are we kidding here, jspira? Nice campaign on the internet to boost the d though.

I did not realize the article was funded by BMW. doh!

I need to stop clicking on random links.

[Cinnamon]

Good to know so in 2013/2014 I can buy a used 2009! LOL! Seriously......

[BrunoT]

Originally Posted by M4Mafia

The only reason its selling more (for the month of May only, but look at all the rest of the numbers, LMFAO) is because of the $4500 credit. Without this boost, it will not sell half as well. Its like dude, they are selling these TVs like hot cakes man...... but dude, they are giving people a huge discount......... duh.

I take the twin turbo six with the new 8 speed tranny and be a few MPG lower any day over the diesel. If I remember correctly the residual of the d is at 58% whereas the i is at 62%. Who are we kidding here, jspira? Nice campaign on the internet to boost the d though.

The residual is a percentage of the MSRP. If the vehicle sells for a net cost of maybe $9,000 below that (discount off msrp plus rebate plus tax credit) then that's about 18% off. So even with the lower "residual" 5 years later that diesel will have lost a little less value than the new 6 cylinder, which will sell much closer to msrp. Doubly so if gas prices skyrocket by then, as many are forecasting to happen once the economic downturn stabilizes and world demand for oil heads back up.

The new 6 is very close in performance and fuel economy, but the diesel is not a bad choice if one wants to reduce their initial cash outlay. For those who can't really afford one making payments or leasing, the difference may not matter. Personally I find worrying about fuel economy when one doesn't have enough money in the bank to live 6 months w/o a job, much less write a check for a $50,000 purchase, to be laughable.

[richard in NC]

Besides the diesel rebate, don't forget that the 2011 X5 is out. The 3.0i is replaced by the 3.5i. The 3.0i sales went to nothing making it look like the diesel outsold it in May but they didn't count 3.5i sales.

[Vintage]

I own a 35d and it is great; drove the new 2011 35i and it is also awesome - what a transmission; at the $60k range, just buy what you want

[bimmerlover]

May sales figures only include a slight few of the 2011 models..
that's most of the reason why the diesel sales are up.. along with
the $4500 credit..

I would say the diesel is not worth it... I know now because I've owned
one for about 3 mos.. tops in the USA is about 23.5-24 mpq on the hwy when
driving 78 mph... NOBODY drives just 70.. that's the speed limit.. the only way to get the rated 26 mpg is with little luggage, 2 people driving with a tail wind
and cruise control @ 72mph!

And yes the torque is nice but there is a huge turbo lag when driving around town.. it goes from none to 425lbs torque on stop/go driving.. it sounds like a smooth v8 from 1700 rpm to about 3000 rpm then it's a rough sound beyond..

On a sample drive of the new 8 speed 35si.. there is no turbo lag and it's actually slightly faster with a more progressive smooth feel.. the penalty
is only 2 mpg less city and 1 mpg less hwy.... and btw diesel costs about
$3-8 more per tank! On top of the occasional inconvenience of finding a diesel station..

If a software engine mgmt change could make it more smooth and with an 8 speed.. yes, it might be worth it

[pmeloche]

Originally Posted by bimmerlover

And yes the torque is nice but there is a huge turbo lag when driving around town.. it goes from none to 425lbs torque on stop/go driving.. it sounds like a smooth v8 from 1700 rpm to about 3000 rpm then it's a rough sound beyond..

The xDrive35d diesel engine has turbos?

[ronald_adi]

Yup all BMW diesels have turbos and the 35d has two of them. I disagree that the turbo lag is huge. i think its quite small and if you put it in sport mode then it disappears all together.

[Vintage]

I think the diesel is worth it but the new 35i with the 8 speed transmission is awesome. This makes it a close call - however, the 40d will be out soon with a little better power (not that the 35d needs it) and the 8 speed transmission. Once this happens, the MPG gap from the 35d to the 35i will increase again significantly. Afterall, the MPG improvement from the 30i to the new 35i is all transmission baby. I would guess the 26 mpg highway rating will go to 28 mpg or better.

BTW, I was on a 600 mile trip last Tuesday and 75+ mph the whole way yielded a 25.4 mpg rating - impressive for a 5,400 lb. 4 wheel drive SUV/SAV.

[pmeloche]

Originally Posted by VintageBMW

the 40d will be out soon with a little better power (not that the 35d needs it) and the 8 speed transmission.

The 40d is slated for the european market only. I don't think BMW will be offering two diesel engine options for the X5 in NA, so it's going to be the 35d. I hope they switch to the 40d soon.

[Vintage]

thanks, I know it is Europe only now - but models always improve and in a year or two the 40d will be stateside (since it is made in SC already) with that 8 speed transmission. that only makes sense - the same transmission for all X5 models. when that happens, the mpg will be ridiculous for a heavy SAV

[halfclue]

I have owned a 35d for one week short of one year. In that time, I have taken two good trips...one from Philly to far-northern Maine, and one from Philly to Great Smoky Mt. National Park in Tennessee.

On both trips, I averaged 31 mpg. I did not obey the speed limits either. In fact, on the Maine trip, I had a fairly good segment where I exceeded 100 mph with a couple BMW sedans on a piece of I-95 north of Boston.

The trip mileage was figured from doorstep to doorstep. I used the numbers generated by the computer in the vehicle which were reset at the beginning of each trip.

I think this is a great vehicle: It is quick, it is fast, it handles well for 5000+ lbs, it gets great mileage (31 highway, 23.5 in town), and it is green, it handles very well in the snow too, plus it is fun. It has been completely reliable. I just turned 15,000 miles, and no problems. So, what's not to like?

I like it so much, I am thinking of buying the sedan as well, along with an R 1200 GSA BMW Motorcycle (I know, it's not a diesel).

I have been sold on BMW.

I particularly enjoy blowing the doors off the teen- or 20-something kids with with their Subaru WRXs and their Honda Civics all hopped up complete with a big, ugly-sounding muffler.

There is a large hill nearby, on a fairly main route, where two lanes merge into one shortly after a stoplight. The youngsters (I am 54), always take the right lane and try to zip out in front of everyone. Maybe it's childish, but I enjoy it when I am in front...I stay just even with them all the way up the hill to where the lanes merge, then, they either have to slam on the brakes or drive off the road. Is it safe? No, not particularly, but the rude little buggers deserve it.

Anyway, back to the 35D. You may get the idea I like it. I hope you can all get similar performance and enjoy yours as well.

I am not at all surprised that the 35D is outselling the 30I. The word is getting around. Our local dealer is having a tougher time keeping them on the lot.

Cheers,

Mike

[JSpira]

Originally Posted by halfclue

I am not at all surprised that the 35D is outselling the 30I. The word is getting around. Our local dealer is having a tougher time keeping them on the lot.

See my next article in the Diesel Economics series. The diesel take rate is increasing dramatically and I have detailed figures for BMW and other manufacturers in the article.