If you've been watching any TV lately, you've seen BMW's new marketing campaign that highlights its new clean diesels. One of the vehicles it's promoting is the new 335 diesel model, which has an MSRP of $43,900 and is advertised to get up to 36 mpg and go 580 miles between fill-ups. To see if BMW's 265hp, 425-lb-ft, diesel-powered 3 Series was up to the challenge, we decided to try and drive from Los Angeles, California, to Las Vegas, Nevada, and back to Lancaster, California, where we'd be attending a sled pull. Oh yeah, and we'd do the entire 500-plus-mile loop on one tank of fuel. Here's our story.
Day 1
10:03 a.m., 0 Miles
East Los Angeles, California
To make every last drop of fuel count, we decided to top off the tank in East L.A. The BMW 3.0L's immense torque made it fun to zip in and out of traffic, but our test vehicle's Sport Package meant the suspension was a little too stiff for Los Angeles potholes. The sequential turbo system was amazing and was quicker spooling than any diesel we've driven so far, new or old. BMW claims 425 lb-ft at 1,750 rpm from this six-cylinder, and we believe it! The smaller turbo is almost fully spooled by 1,500 rpm, and at around 2,500 rpm, the larger turbo takes over all the way to the 5,000-rpm redline. What a powerband!
11:29 a.m., 79 miles
Victorville, California
Our original plan to drive 65 mph to conserve fuel was quickly abandoned after a few semis nearly mowed us down. We bumped the cruise control to 68 mph, and then to 73 mph. Our fuel economy meter on the dash said we were getting 29 mpg and that we had more than 480 miles left until empty. Outside, the temperature was 103 degrees, but the dual-zone climate control kept the inside at a cool 67 degrees. The 335d was also so quiet you could hear a whisper in the car, even at highway speeds.
12:05 p.m., 110 miles
Barstow, California
We were 100 miles into the trip, going a steady 75 mph on the I-15 freeway. It was so far so good, as we'd only used about 1/8 of a tank of fuel. From there on out, it was mostly long, rolling hills until we reached Las Vegas.
12:57 p.m., 172 miles
Zzyzx, California
We pulled off the road a few times to do some impromptu acceleration tests, and the BMW felt quite fast, especially with the traction control turned off. On the S-curved onramp back onto the freeway, we hit 80 mph and the stability control kicked in around a corner, and told us to cool it. After fooling around for a bit, we were off to Vegas.
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