Road and Track reviews the only BMW 5 Series diesel available for sale in the United States. The 2014 BMW 535d went on sale this past fall and uses the same twin-turbocharged inline-six engine as the diesel X5.
The diesel banger produces 255 horsepower and a remarkable 413 lb-ft of torque. It comes paired only with an eight-speed automatic transmission, the base price starts at $57,525 (destination & handling included).
0 to 60 mph comes in just 5.3 seconds.
For another $2,300 more, you can buy the peace of mind when it snows, the xDrive system.
Here is an excerpt from the R&T review and our own review of the 535d:
Sam Smith, Executive Editor
Torquey, smooth, disappears underneath you in traffic. I’m still not sure why BMW didn’t follow Mercedes-Benz’s (clever) strategy of making its diesel models the entry-level option for each model—get the people who are there to simply buy any BMW, bolster sales, increase diesel market penetration and market acceptance—but hey, at least this car exists. Like most people who write about cars, I like diesels, even if they don’t sell as well as they should here. And this is a decent one, even if the car it’s based on isn’t as charming or involving as, say, the equivalent Mercedes E-class. (Wow, there’s something I never thought I’d type.)
PLUS:
Solid, torquey, satisfying diesel straight-six. Big sedan that doesn’t act like one.
MINUS:
Not cheap. Steering distances you from the road. Anodyne interior, even for a BMW.
