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- YSSMAN
In the interest of doing something fun, I've decided to quickly throw together another "Best Car" thread series with the intent of focusing on green cars and trucks that are quite literally coming out of the woodwork as we speak. The idea was spurred by the coverage of this year's Geneva show, everyone putting out some kind of hybrid, diesel, electric, whatever car to bring new buyers into showrooms, and to peak interest in their brand on the whole. This is where we honor them.
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The first thread will focus on diesel power, and the various models that are using this old-school powerplant to drive fuel economy through the roof, all at a limited cost to the consumer when checking the option boxes. Here in the US, diesel power is slowly beginning to creep into dealer lots, while in much of the rest of the world, its more common than regular gasoline-powered cars and trucks.
The main requirements:
- Must be a 2009 or 2010 model
- Must be diesel powered
- No limit on model type, style, power output, etc
(Please) Do not:
- Make this a referendum on fuel prices
- Poor choices made in a given country
- Attack diesel as a poor performance choice
There will also be later threads on Hybrid setups, electric setups, and "other" (which will likely include Hydrogen, solar and highly modified gasoline vehicles).
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My personal nomination for "Best Diesel Car:"
The 2009 BMW 335d
Okay, its expensive. At over $44,000 it certainly costs a pretty penny, more than the "regular" 335i as it is. But, when we're talking about 425 lb-ft of torque, and an as-tested average of 28 MPG from even C&D's leadfoot, thats an impressive feat. Not to mention that it can handle just as well as most sport sedans in its class, keep pace around a track, and run all the way back home on the highway pulling down 36+ MPG on the highway.
But putting all that aside, the 335d is important for several reasons:
1) Its the first diesel car that BMW has sold in the US since the '80s
2) For BMW to be doing it, that's HUGE (outside of HD trucks, only VW and Mercedes offer diesel vehicles in the US)
3) Should the idea catch on for diesel-powered 3-series models, my guess is that there won't be any reason for any company to not have the same successes placing a similar powerplant in their own cars and trucks (BMW is offering a diesel X5 as well).
So, in the end, I'm nominating the car that can change things. There are more obvious answers out there, and I likely should have chosen them, but considering how little fanfare has been given out for this car, I think it deserves a bit more attention.
GTP "Top Green Car 2009"
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
The first thread will focus on diesel power, and the various models that are using this old-school powerplant to drive fuel economy through the roof, all at a limited cost to the consumer when checking the option boxes. Here in the US, diesel power is slowly beginning to creep into dealer lots, while in much of the rest of the world, its more common than regular gasoline-powered cars and trucks.
The main requirements:
- Must be a 2009 or 2010 model
- Must be diesel powered
- No limit on model type, style, power output, etc
(Please) Do not:
- Make this a referendum on fuel prices
- Poor choices made in a given country
- Attack diesel as a poor performance choice
There will also be later threads on Hybrid setups, electric setups, and "other" (which will likely include Hydrogen, solar and highly modified gasoline vehicles).
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
My personal nomination for "Best Diesel Car:"
The 2009 BMW 335d
Okay, its expensive. At over $44,000 it certainly costs a pretty penny, more than the "regular" 335i as it is. But, when we're talking about 425 lb-ft of torque, and an as-tested average of 28 MPG from even C&D's leadfoot, thats an impressive feat. Not to mention that it can handle just as well as most sport sedans in its class, keep pace around a track, and run all the way back home on the highway pulling down 36+ MPG on the highway.
But putting all that aside, the 335d is important for several reasons:
1) Its the first diesel car that BMW has sold in the US since the '80s
2) For BMW to be doing it, that's HUGE (outside of HD trucks, only VW and Mercedes offer diesel vehicles in the US)
3) Should the idea catch on for diesel-powered 3-series models, my guess is that there won't be any reason for any company to not have the same successes placing a similar powerplant in their own cars and trucks (BMW is offering a diesel X5 as well).
So, in the end, I'm nominating the car that can change things. There are more obvious answers out there, and I likely should have chosen them, but considering how little fanfare has been given out for this car, I think it deserves a bit more attention.
Powersmoke will probably annoy the hell out of others. 
