Photo Gallery:
2014 BMW 328d xDrive
Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4
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I have to apologize this week – that is snow you see in the pictures, and lots of it. In fact, when I picked up this week’s tester the roads were pretty darn awful. Welcome to Ottawa in December I suppose, although it is rare to be this snowed in this early. Thankfully, this week I’m driving a BMW 328d with xDrive and it is equipped with winter tires – bonus!
Hazard a guess as to what was the first thing I noticed when I stepped into the 328d was? A screen, plopped right down on top of the dash… where have I seen this before? Oh that’s right the 2014 Mazda3 I reviewed a few weeks ago – where everyone on the forums complained that the screen looks wrong – I wonder if they will complain again? For some reason I think not.
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If you aren’t aware the “d” stands for diesel on this model. Finally more options for us Canadians who seem to be increasingly asking for diesel engines as our tastes more closely mirror those of the European Union. And of course since displacement and numbers no longer line up at BMW, the 328d is obviously a 2.0L inline four-cylinder turbodiesel engine.
Output is low on the horsepower side for a luxury sedan at only 180 hp but torque is 280 lb-ft, which is substantial. But when you compare it to the gasoline 328i that offers up 241 hp and a nearly equivalent 255 lb-ft of torque it does make you scratch your head a bit… until you look at the fuel consumption estimates. The 328d is rated by Natural Resources Canada as a combined 5.6 L/100 km, even with all-wheel drive and a ton of luxury pushing curb weight to 1,642 kg (3 622 lb) – this is downright impressive.
With a price premium over the 328i xDrive of just $1,500, the diesel actually seems like a viable option for the 3 Series, although you are forced to go all-wheel drive and there is no manual transmission, Then again, this is how most BMWs are ordered these days anyways.
Pricing: 2014 BMW 328d
Base price: $47,700
Options: Sport Line – $1,500; Glacier Silver Metallic – $800;Driver Assistance Package – $1,350; Premium Package – $4,000, ConnectedDrive Services package – $850
Freight/PDI: $2,095
A/C Tax: $100
As-tested price: $58,345
Competitors:
Audi A4
Lexus IS
Infiniti Q50
Mercedes-Benz C-Class
Volvo S60
For more information on BMW and the 328d visit BMW Canada
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