km : Daily Driver

Earlier this year, in the dead cold of a Chicago winter, our sister publication MWerks.com took delivery of a new 2009 3-series sedan. An all-wheel-drive 328i with Blizzaks would have been a welcome sight, but instead what showed up was a ground-stomper with 425 lb-ft of turbocharged torque and ultra-high-performance summer tires on its 18-inch wheels. A modified 335i, perhaps? Nope. A new M car then, certainly? Not with that much torque! The newest car in the company car park, it turned out, was the first diesel-powered BMW in the US in more than 20 years, the 335d sedan.

As part of the Clean Diesel Class of 2009 that also included various Audis, Benzes and Volkswagens, the 335d not only marked BMW's return to diesel power, but also its effort to redefine the diesel engine as a true performance alternative. With 265 horsepower and 425 lb-ft, the 335d certainly seemed to have the goods to deliver not only traditional BMW performance (we've recorded 0-to-60 mph times of 5.7 seconds on ours), but also still return close to 30 mpg. All without spewing so much as a speck of soot.

In the time since we've had the car, we've already logged more than 16,000 of our own miles, in day-to-day driving as well as a couple road trips. All the while we've been keeping meticulous records of its fuel usage and the comparable cost of premium fuel to examine whether there is a real financial benefit to all this fuel- and planet-saving technology.

We've added the BMW 335d to the Kilometer Magazine fleet for the remainder of its stay with us. We'll update you here with a monthly progress report, or you can also check out weekly updates on Project335d.com. There you'll not only be able to view the car's virtual logbook and read blog entries, you'll also be able to take advantage of our national fuel price widget.

Our experience so far has been overwhelmingly positive, as you'll see in the blog posts. The 335d is absolutely impressive for the way it moves through traffic, and many a friend and neighbor has been dumfounded by its uncharacteristic silence. We've so far been averaging close to 28 mpg in mostly suburban commuting, a far cry from the 19-21 mpg we got out of our previous BMW, a135i coupe. All the while, diesel fuel prices (in our area anyway) have largely remained a bit lower than premium gasoline, saving us so far more than $500 in total fuel costs over a comparably equipped 335i sedan.

In that same time, we've been in for one scheduled service and had the Diesel Exhaust Fluid (urea) tank topped up twice, all at no charge to us. The only real out-of-pocket expense has been replacing a punctured tire at a cost of nearly $400.

With the Midwestern fall now upon us, we'll soon be turning our attention to the demands of winter driving—but not just yet. For now we'll be out on a winding country road kicking up fallen leaves and enjoying the last throes of our short but glorious autumn.