Quote:
Originally Posted by RL18
It has nothing to do with economy. An X5d gets worse economy on the highway if you drive above 75mph, which most people do. It has to do with performance and strain on the engine/transmission. And towing would only exacerbate it. It would of course still do it, it has diesel torque, but that doesn’t mean it’s good for the powertrain.
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I was just kind of thinking out loud (and still am), but definitely has nothing to do with real world economy. I was talking rated economy (meeting government standards and marketing purposes). US ratings top out at 80mph but the highway cycle only averages 48mph apparently. EU highway cycle maxes out at 120kmh or ~75 mph. So they are both in the sweet spot for a shorter final drive ratio.
Performance/drivability while towing makes more sense than strain/wear to me, especially since first gear is so damn short. A lot of people set xhp to start in 2nd on flat surfaces.