335d/435d or 535d

[Welshbeef]

cslwannabe said:

I wouldn't say you are missing out by not having the ECO pro option mind welshbeef!

Our 640d goes back at the end of this month - it's been a fabulous car. Probably averaged 40mpg over 40k miles (belongs to SWMBO so I rarely check the mpg properly but generally 42ish on the OBC) and ticked the service pack option so only £400 in servicing costs and still on the original brake pads (70k remaining for fronts and 17k for rears according to iDrive).

Yes the steering feel is poor and the stupid recess in the alloys is infuriating when cleaning the car but apart from that I have no complaints.

Checking my idrive I have 23k miles to go on brake pads (they have done 60k so far...).
Discs from visual and running my finger over them indicate no lip at all no scoring and full contact on all inside and out. From my previous BMW experience discs in my usage seem to last at least 130k miles! Wouldn't bother with anything but OEM given that excellent.

Looking at my idrive servicing needs I need nothing this year (expect it to be March-May 2016) car bought Oct 2014 so only MOT this year . Brand new rubber on purchase too .
Next year all I have is oil inspection and bi annual brake fluid - guessing that will be what £300-350?

[cerb4.5lee]

Welshbeef said:

cerb4.5lee said:

I tend to agree and I think if its only returning around 34mpg then maybe it is better to go with a petrol and ours is returning 40mpg but I still question if it is worth it in some ways, because surely its worth throwing a few more quid at fuel to get more reward and enjoyment from an engine that is more smooth and far more enjoyable to listen to in the long run possibly.

One pleasing thing is range - the fact you waste so much less time as the fuel station filling up. Time is tight for most people and fuel station fill ups waiting for free pumps waiting them to pay etc all dead time so a valid upside

Yes I agree and less fill ups and a decent range are very good upsides.

[Soov535]

cerb4.5lee said:

Welshbeef said:

cerb4.5lee said:

I tend to agree and I think if its only returning around 34mpg then maybe it is better to go with a petrol and ours is returning 40mpg but I still question if it is worth it in some ways, because surely its worth throwing a few more quid at fuel to get more reward and enjoyment from an engine that is more smooth and far more enjoyable to listen to in the long run possibly.

One pleasing thing is range - the fact you waste so much less time as the fuel station filling up. Time is tight for most people and fuel station fill ups waiting for free pumps waiting them to pay etc all dead time so a valid upside

Yes I agree and less fill ups and a decent range are very good upsides.

I've just done 620 miles on the last tank. Considering I used to get 230 out of the RS4 that's really impressive.

[335d]

Welshbeef said:

Next year all I have is oil inspection and bi annual brake fluid - guessing that will be what £300-350?

Brake fluid has gone from every 2 years to every 3 years with recent BMWs. I'm not aware that the fluid itself has changed. Part of the thinking is probably so they only have to do it once within the 5 year Service Pack. I guess you could choose to delay that for a year.

[cerb4.5lee]

Soov535 said:

cerb4.5lee said:

Welshbeef said:

cerb4.5lee said:

I tend to agree and I think if its only returning around 34mpg then maybe it is better to go with a petrol and ours is returning 40mpg but I still question if it is worth it in some ways, because surely its worth throwing a few more quid at fuel to get more reward and enjoyment from an engine that is more smooth and far more enjoyable to listen to in the long run possibly.

One pleasing thing is range - the fact you waste so much less time as the fuel station filling up. Time is tight for most people and fuel station fill ups waiting for free pumps waiting them to pay etc all dead time so a valid upside

Yes I agree and less fill ups and a decent range are very good upsides.

I've just done 620 miles on the last tank. Considering I used to get 230 out of the RS4 that's really impressive.

That is really good going and a massive contrast.

[Soov535]

cerb4.5lee said:

Soov535 said:

cerb4.5lee said:

Welshbeef said:

cerb4.5lee said:

I tend to agree and I think if its only returning around 34mpg then maybe it is better to go with a petrol and ours is returning 40mpg but I still question if it is worth it in some ways, because surely its worth throwing a few more quid at fuel to get more reward and enjoyment from an engine that is more smooth and far more enjoyable to listen to in the long run possibly.

One pleasing thing is range - the fact you waste so much less time as the fuel station filling up. Time is tight for most people and fuel station fill ups waiting for free pumps waiting them to pay etc all dead time so a valid upside

Yes I agree and less fill ups and a decent range are very good upsides.

I've just done 620 miles on the last tank. Considering I used to get 230 out of the RS4 that's really impressive.

That is really good going and a massive contrast.

Wasn't really trying to be honest - didn't bother with ECO PRO mode and was mostly motorway running at 90 leptons.

Could have eked it our to 650 using ECO PRO but not a huge incentive to as work pay for all my fuel!

I think this tankful I will try to megamile it and see how much I can get!

[Welshbeef]

Soov535 said:

cerb4.5lee said:

Welshbeef said:

cerb4.5lee said:

I tend to agree and I think if its only returning around 34mpg then maybe it is better to go with a petrol and ours is returning 40mpg but I still question if it is worth it in some ways, because surely its worth throwing a few more quid at fuel to get more reward and enjoyment from an engine that is more smooth and far more enjoyable to listen to in the long run possibly.

One pleasing thing is range - the fact you waste so much less time as the fuel station filling up. Time is tight for most people and fuel station fill ups waiting for free pumps waiting them to pay etc all dead time so a valid upside

Yes I agree and less fill ups and a decent range are very good upsides.

I've just done 620 miles on the last tank. Considering I used to get 230 out of the RS4 that's really impressive.

Exactly - and in winter standing freezing cold or getting wet with the little ones in the back makes it so so much easier.

Heck I'd love to run a silly fast petrol all the time but there are a number of negatives which actually spoil the whole experience.

[Fox-]

I still can't make up my mind whether I am happy with the fuel consumption my 530d offers or not. It'll do up to about 50mpg a long steady Motorway run and low 40's on a cross country trip. I took it to Cologne and back at Christmas - 1200 miles - and it did 42mpg mostly at legal Motorway speeds with a bit of fun on the Autobahn.

I have just returned from Switzerland where I rented an F30 320d Auto which did 55mpg overall across a total of 900km - this was a mix of Swiss motorway, mountain road and German autobahn (Where I drove at 170-200kmh whenever traffic allowed, ie I didn't hang about). At a sustained 180kmh it averaged 48mpg over 100km or so. It was even as high as 64mpg on one Motorway trip at about 70mph.

For me that is the sort of economy that makes diesel worthwhile. I know my 530d is more powerful and as an engine it's far more pleasant than the thing in the 320d but I'm just not sure the fuel economy benefit is worthwhile over a 6 cylinder petrol.

I was particularly disappointed with my 42mpg average to Cologne and back - the majority of that trip was with the cruise set to 70-75mph and only brief spurts of Autobahn fun. By contrast I drove my old 530i 3000 miles around Europe a few years ago including mountains and 155mph and that averaged bang on 35mpg...

Perhaps the power/mpg compromise of the 535d is more compelling - I would imagine it offers the same fuel economy as my 530d but with more power - but right now I'd trade my 530d for a 535i if I could find a nice one.

[Wills2]

My 335d xdrive has averaged 38mpg over the last 10,000 miles but I have a heavy right foot.

Today I did 40 miles of urban/rural driving in and around Leeds a mixture of city centre and dual carriage and b roads in eco pro mode and got 40mpg (I was really trying), on the 400 mile run I did on Monday I got 44mpg.

If you really want 50mpg+ motoring then something like a 320d is what you need.

[Welshbeef]

Thing is fox so few were ever sold that to find one in the min spec and colour you wanted will be hard unless your looking very new they will be out of main dealer network so even harder to find.

[drmark]

Fox- said:

I still can't make up my mind whether I am happy with the fuel consumption my 530d offers or not. It'll do up to about 50mpg a long steady Motorway run and low 40's on a cross country trip. I took it to Cologne and back at Christmas - 1200 miles - and it did 42mpg mostly at legal Motorway speeds with a bit of fun on the Autobahn.

I have just returned from Switzerland where I rented an F30 320d Auto which did 55mpg overall across a total of 900km - this was a mix of Swiss motorway, mountain road and German autobahn (Where I drove at 170-200kmh whenever traffic allowed, ie I didn't hang about). At a sustained 180kmh it averaged 48mpg over 100km or so. It was even as high as 64mpg on one Motorway trip at about 70mph.

For me that is the sort of economy that makes diesel worthwhile. I know my 530d is more powerful and as an engine it's far more pleasant than the thing in the 320d but I'm just not sure the fuel economy benefit is worthwhile over a 6 cylinder petrol.

I was particularly disappointed with my 42mpg average to Cologne and back - the majority of that trip was with the cruise set to 70-75mph and only brief spurts of Autobahn fun. By contrast I drove my old 530i 3000 miles around Europe a few years ago including mountains and 155mph and that averaged bang on 35mpg...

Perhaps the power/mpg compromise of the 535d is more compelling - I would imagine it offers the same fuel economy as my 530d but with more power - but right now I'd trade my 530d for a 535i if I could find a nice one.

You should be happy with that. Impressive. Most of us - excluding the Eco-pro lovers - get mid to late thirties in mixed driving. We can all get over 40 but only with concerted effort. If it's mpg you want go for 520d. But I reckon the difference in mpg for the big sixes is well worth the difference. Never tried a 335i in a 5 but they may be worth the penalty too - though the torquey diesels works so well with the 8 speeder I am not tempted. I get my petrol kicks elsewhere

[Fox-]

I guess the problem is that I never wanted mpg anyway and bought the 530d because if you want a used F10 then 99% are diesels. Having done so I guess I then looked for magic fuel economy figures to make me feel better about picking up the black pump

[JNW1]

Wills2 said:

My 335d xdrive has averaged 38mpg over the last 10,000 miles but I have a heavy right foot.

Today I did 40 miles of urban/rural driving in and around Leeds a mixture of city centre and dual carriage and b roads in eco pro mode and got 40mpg (I was really trying), on the 400 mile run I did on Monday I got 44mpg.

If you really want 50mpg+ motoring then something like a 320d is what you need.

+1

Having done about 7k miles in my F31 335d my feeling is that although it's a very nice car the fuel economy advantage over the petrol equivalent isn't really enough to compensate for the inferior refinement; perhaps I'm just not doing enough long runs to get the benefit from the diesel but personally if I was looking at a new F31 now I would without doubt wait a month or two and order a 340i. If you want a significant improvement in economy and range over the petrol I agree you probably need to be in a 320d!

[tjlees]

Glad to see that l'll probably get the best part 100k out of the brakes on mainly motorway miles. The current status is giving 21k for oil change but only 40k for brakes.

If you are that bothered by economy, you should buy a golf bluemotion 1.6d or bmer i8. On a £45+k car 38 or even 44mpg makes little difference, given it will be worth £21k on trade three years later. I think my main gripe is to date I've usually exceeded the combined mpg with ease - but not with the 335d - it around 20% out on country roads regardless of how hard I try.

However the confidence on twisties, noise on full acceleration and performance more than make for this.

[JNW1]

tjlees said:

If you are that bothered by economy, you should buy a golf bluemotion 1.6d or bmer i8. On a £45+k car 38 or even 44mpg makes little difference, given it will be worth £21k on trade three years later. I think my main gripe is to date I've usually exceeded the combined mpg with ease - but not with the 335d - it around 20% out on country roads regardless of how hard I try.

However the confidence on twisties, noise on full acceleration and performance more than make for this.

Speaking personally the main motive for wanting the improved economy was the benefit in range and reduced visits to the filling station rather than any cost saving. In an ideal world and with better garaging accommodation I'd probably have a Golf GTD for everyday use and something like a Caterham or an Elise for fun but faced with one car to do a multitude of tasks an F31 seemed a good compromise; I still think it is but on reflection I may (for me) have specced the wrong engine!

[Welshbeef]

I've found that the x35d engine gets up to temp much quicker than I had expected (guess it has the grill that shuts when cold and opens gradually to ensure operating temps are there ASAP for max economy and also enabling the driver to get full power quicker - for those who have mechanical aympathy.


I'm hitting 600miles every single refill best (though I filled up way before I needed to was expecting to be mid 700's which for a 1.8 tonne exec car with 313bhp 19" wide rubber and all the kit most would ever need seems fantastic.

Only drawback is BMW keep upping the ante each LCI/new model the engine just gets better and better in every way!!

[JNW1]

Welshbeef said:

I'm hitting 600miles every single refill

Distinct advantage with the 5 series is the bigger tank (70 litres against only 57 in the 335d); the F31 actually has a smaller tank than the E91 it replaced and hence any improvement in fuel efficiency isn't really reflected in an increased range. Can't believe I didn't check this before ordering but never occurred to me that BMW would give a bigger, heavier, car a smaller tank....

[cslwannabe]

640d has an oil temp gauge and yes it takes a bit longer to get to normal temperature than coolant temperature in other diesel cars I've owned but not a lot. The mpg really plummets when it's cold though, even when driving gently.

Went up to Scotland up for new year in convoy with a friend and sat at 75 leptons instead of more usual 80-85 leptons and despite the very cold ambient temperature it was 45+ mpg for the week on the OBC instead of the usual 42ish so easy to get circa 10% improvement in economy by a pretty small adjustment to driving speed.

[Welshbeef]

cslwannabe said:

640d has an oil temp gauge and yes it takes a bit longer to get to normal temperature than coolant temperature in other diesel cars I've owned but not a lot. The mpg really plummets when it's cold though, even when driving gently.

Went up to Scotland up for new year in convoy with a friend and sat at 75 leptons instead of more usual 80-85 leptons and despite the very cold ambient temperature it was 45+ mpg for the week on the OBC instead of the usual 42ish so easy to get circa 10% improvement in economy by a pretty small adjustment to driving speed.

5 is oil temp too no water temp.

I'd say this is the more sensible gauge to have in a car owner delays full throttle until properly warmed up - though R&D no doubt tests the situation of 25 years of full throttle minus 5 starts full load etc without any damage/they build in enough tolerance.

[Welshbeef]

I think the E and C class has an optional much bigger fuel tank - talking 100ltr style over the 57/63ltr tanks - if I were buying new I'd certainly spec that makes a huge difference from a how many days/weeks do can you drive when commuting without a fill up.