[StevenX94]

Hi all

I feel like most of the videos/reviews and forum posts are about the 330i and the M340i. The 320d comes in second with a decent amount of reviews and a few forum posts. When it comes to the 330d, there are very few videos/reviews and forum posts related to it. And there are no sub-forums on BimmerPost for the Diesel engines.

Are petrols that much more popular than the diesels in the G20? Or is it that people haven't yet got their diesels to review them? If it is just that petrols are much more popular, are there big reasons to this or just that petrols are more preferred?

[Burrcold]

Could have to do with North America not getting any of the diesel models. It's a big market...

[StevenX94]

Originally Posted by Burrcold

Could have to do with North America not getting any of the diesel models. It's a big market...

Oh..could surely be one of the reasons. Did not know they dont get diesels there.

[joselrl]

Lots of markets don't get diesels anymore due to low demand, so they aren't as talked about

Also lots of bad publicity about diesels, so people who used to go for diesels are going for petrols or hybrids

EDIT: just to add some more info, for example, Portugal is one market where diesels still sell strong, diesel is @10 cents cheaper than petrol, companies can get VAT from diesel, but not from petrol (some recent exceptions to PHEV), and we have even a 318d as a cheaper entry points for corporate cars, still, the seller at the stand I boughty 330e said the 330e is selling better than the €10k cheaper 318d. People still have the VW diesel scandal in their minds, DPF makes them terrible cars for mainly city driving, and with the upcoming ULEZ to city centers diesels are losing favouritism

[eluded]

Diesel is on the outs.

[StevenX94]

Oh I get it then. Here in Sweden the diesel sells pretty good so I thought it was about the same thing in the rest of the world.

It is a bit sad to hear that diesels are dying out, they excel at the fuel consumption part compared to the petrols, but I guess not at the driving experience part.

[37b]

Originally Posted by StevenX94

Oh I get it then. Here in Sweden the diesel sells pretty good so I thought it was about the same thing in the rest of the world.

It is a bit sad to hear that diesels are dying out, they excel at the fuel consumption part compared to the petrols, but I guess not at the driving experience part.

And the whole particulate matter thing

[StevenX94]

Originally Posted by 37b

And the whole particulate matter thing

True that as well. Could be expensive in mantainence as time goes..

[37b]

Originally Posted by StevenX94

True that as well. Could be expensive in mantainence as time goes..

Expense aside, most Americans are pretty lazy when it comes to car maintenance. They want to put fuel in and have someone else change the oil and that's about it. Constantly refilling AdBlue is a lot to ask for these people .

[StevenX94]

Originally Posted by 37b

Expense aside, most Americans are pretty lazy when it comes to car maintenance. They want to put fuel in and have someone else change the oil and that's about it. Constantly refilling AdBlue is a lot to ask for these people .

Haha, opposite of here..diesels sell way more

[37b]

Originally Posted by StevenX94

Haha, opposite of here..diesels sell way more

Not to hijack this thread, but I think about this stuff a lot (sorry).

I think another reason diesels don't sell that well here is diesel fuel costs about the same as petrol (sometimes more) and the initial vehicle cost is usually a few thousand dollars higher. It doesn't make economic sense unless you drive a lot.

[StevenX94]

Originally Posted by 37b

Not to hijack this thread, but I think about this stuff a lot (sorry).

I think another reason diesels don't sell that well here is diesel fuel costs about the same as petrol (sometimes more) and the initial vehicle cost is usually a few thousand dollars higher. It doesn't make economic sense unless you drive a lot.

This applies here as well, but in the long run diesels do benefit people say.
Also, more torque

[BimmerMat135]

For Diesel Bmw in Canada you could break even after only 55000kms. Really happy with mine i would like to get another one but Bmw kill the diesel and the wagon in North America thanks USA . A G21 M340d would be a perfect car for my taste.

[NewM3driver]

I tried one BMW diesel. It was a 2012 530. The engine had smooth spots and rough spots. I HATED it.

After 3 months I went to the dealer and told them I wasn't willing to live with it for three years. The very next day they let me spec out a brand new gas 530 and swapped it out.

The gas car was HANDS down better than the diesel in smoothness and refinement.

[StevenX94]

Originally Posted by NewM3driver

I tried one BMW diesel. It was a 2012 530. The engine had smooth spots and rough spots. I HATED it.

After 3 months I went to the dealer and told them I wasn't willing to live with it for three years. The very next day they let me spec out a brand new gas 530 and swapped it out.

The gas car was HANDS down better than the diesel in smoothness and refinement.

I guess the G20 diesels are much more refined than a 2012. I test drove the 320d, it was smooth but I felt that if you take your foot of the brake and even gently try to roll the car forward, it doesnt really roll good. Then you naturally try and gas a bit harder and all of a sudden you feel like blasting forward. So that was not so great in roundabouts.

Havent drove the petrol yet, though I guess it would not be like this.

[agentorange]

The US market for diesels has always been funky.

First off, the American public just cannot seem to forget when General Motors built diesels in the 1980s that were an unmitigated disaster.

There was also a perception that diesels were slow and noisy. BMW, VW/Audi and Mercedes got that licked, but the purchase cost and the cost of diesel here became the factor. In many states, diesel is more expensive than premium. Where I live it is only a little more than regular. The volatility of gasoline prices in the US mean that this is all liable to change over night, and Americans get very cross if they are not using the cheapest fuel. You can show them the math, but every time they see a higher number on the diesel pump, they get unhappy.

Then VW/Audi decided to take a dump in the pool and mess up the market entirely.

The REALLY stupid thing is that much of the US West of the Mississippi is ideal diesel territory. Long distances are involved, and much of the West is at altitudes above 3000 feet where turbo diesels are in their element. Perfect example, I ran from Vegas to Long Beach and back last year for a 3 day getaway. Chalked up just over 600 miles and never bought fuel in California! Our 328d returned 45.7 mpg, tank fill to fill. I doubt any gas powered competitor would get close to that number.

To be fair, the typical 220-250 hp 2.0 turbo motor has really closed the gap on diesels. The 280 ft lbs of torque in my 328d is almost matched by the 2.0 gas motor in my wife's GLC 300. Mind you, I don't know of a 3.0 gas motor that gets anywhere near the 420 ft lbs+ you can get in a 535d or ML 350 Bluetec.

[brissim]

Even here in Australia, diesel for cars and wagons are literally on the nose. After only being introduced last year, BMW Australia has apparently dropped the 320d sedan from their 2020 lineup which means we have no 3 Series G20/G21 diesels at all now. Diesels are mainly limited to SUVs in the BMW Australia's lineup.

Tony