[maswastage]

This past weekend the girlfriend and I drove from DC to Knoxville to visit family. My car is well out of warranty now, and as with any BMW the cost of maintaining it is starting to weigh on my mind. For a short while I was even considering selling it. But this road trip was just the thing to remind me why I love the car so much, and why I could never part with it.

We drove 500 miles each way, through the mountains, speeding along at 75-85mph. We had a car laden with about 50 lbs of luggage. And despite the weight and the high speeds and the mountainous terrain the D sipped fuel at just over 40 mpg. All while getting us there in luxury and comfort. It really is a marvelous piece of engineering, completely one of a kind. There's not a single car out there that comes close to combining all the qualities that make it exemplary.

So if any of you are having doubts about the diesel, I suggest you take a road trip and rekindle that fire. Cheers

[maswastage]

Woops, meant to post this in the diesel section. That's what I get for trying to do it on my phone.

[mob17]

I made a 2500 mile round trip through Europe a few months ago, going through some of the most beautiful roads in the world, such as the Alpine passes. It took me over 2 weeks and not once did i tire from driving. Really suprising.

I think of that trip every day

[Zero.7]

Nice read! Glad to hear you reconnected with your car. Couldn't agree with you more.....the BMW 3 series is so well balanced in every way. There's a reason why it has always had a huge target on its back

[Pete Schweaty]

I agree. Went from Baltimore to New York this past week. (GO YANKEES!) Loved every second of it.

[Speedwagon]

Originally Posted by maswastage

This past weekend the girlfriend and I drove from DC to Knoxville to visit family. My car is well out of warranty now, and as with any BMW the cost of maintaining it is starting to weigh on my mind. For a short while I was even considering selling it. But this road trip was just the thing to remind me why I love the car so much, and why I could never part with it.

We drove 500 miles each way, through the mountains, speeding along at 75-85mph. We had a car laden with about 50 lbs of luggage. And despite the weight and the high speeds and the mountainous terrain the D sipped fuel at just over 40 mpg. All while getting us there in luxury and comfort. It really is a marvelous piece of engineering, completely one of a kind. There's not a single car out there that comes close to combining all the qualities that make it exemplary.

So if any of you are having doubts about the diesel, I suggest you take a road trip and rekindle that fire. Cheers

Good read, I spent 20 years of my life about 100 miles north of Knoxville that is some beautiful country there!
I looked to the left when I read 40mpg then I seen the D. If there was one thing that I could change on my ride it would be, more mpg. I will never drive around like grandma to get better mpg, never!

[andrew_b]

If you went near Asheville, be sure to check out at least a section of the Blue Ridge Parkway. There are quite a few ways on/off it around Asheville, and it's worth the slight side trip.

if you get on (or off) it well north of Asheville, the 20 or so miles of winding roads into the mountains to get to it will keep you quite busy in second and third gear

[Blackhawk36]

I did 500 miles each way from Baltimore to Toronto for a funeral two weeks ago. The 335i drove so nice through the mountains of PA and NY it helped me forget about the purpose of the trip. Great car, beautiful fall foilage. I have had this 2007 335i since new (10/2007) and it has 80K miles on it. It is the first long trip I have taken it on. Miles per gallon was 29.5 for the trip. Most driving was 70-75 mph. Most road trips are in the wife's Suburban with her and the 3 kids.

I had a 335d loaner. It was awesome. Awesome torque throughout the entire rpm range and very fast. I would definitely buy one if they were available with a manual transmission.

[upstatedoc]

I'm so happy for the both of you.

pics of girlfriend.

[gds52]

Originally Posted by maswastage

This past weekend the girlfriend and I drove from DC to Knoxville to visit family. My car is well out of warranty now, and as with any BMW the cost of maintaining it is starting to weigh on my mind. For a short while I was even considering selling it. But this road trip was just the thing to remind me why I love the car so much, and why I could never part with it.

We drove 500 miles each way, through the mountains, speeding along at 75-85mph. We had a car laden with about 50 lbs of luggage. And despite the weight and the high speeds and the mountainous terrain the D sipped fuel at just over 40 mpg. All while getting us there in luxury and comfort. It really is a marvelous piece of engineering, completely one of a kind. There's not a single car out there that comes close to combining all the qualities that make it exemplary.

So if any of you are having doubts about the diesel, I suggest you take a road trip and rekindle that fire. Cheers

Wow thats cool.
I've never driven Diesel BMW but I had diesel cars before.
The feel of a refined diesel engine is awesome !!
More torque at low RPMs feels really good.

[maswastage]

I just made this same trip again this past weekend. To make sure the last time wasn't a fluke, I tracked my speed and mpg pretty closely. On the way there it was mostly smooth sailing - we got 42 mpg at an average speed of 75 mph. On the return trip, our speed was lower due to traffic but we still got about 44 mpg at 67 mph for the first 120 miles up route 81 coming out of Knoxville.

Almost immediately afterward we hit heavy stop and go traffic. It was stop n' go for about 2 hours. Nevertheless, at the end of the return trip I hand calculated a confirmed 41 mpg. The trip computer showed 39.2, which is consistent with my experience over the last 60000 miles of ownership (my trip computer reads 1-2 mpg lower than actual).

Overall, I remain pretty much floored by the fact that this 425 lb-ft beast of a car can return over 40 mpg at speeds well in the 70's. And driving uphill through the mountains too! For context, this car and driver article (http://www.caranddriver.com/features...40-mpg-feature) shows that even dedicated econo-boxes struggle to return 40 mpg when driving in the 70's.

[KwlAznKid]

i test drove a e90 335d before i bought my e92 335i, it wasa great car! i just wish they made em in e92s i would have got it for sure

[e92oholic]

Originally Posted by upstatedoc

I'm so happy for the both of you.

pics of girlfriend.

right on pics of gf or ban

[kdbryce]

nothin like a road trip in the bimmer.

always fun no matter how long the drive

[Aguas]

i bought my car on nov 12/12 just over 2 weeks ago & it had 64051 miles on it it was used of course, since then i have drove around 1500 miles just going around the beltway (DC) & some curvy roads i know in this area.

I have always wanted a BMW & it took me a while to be available to get one & now even know is used & it has the HPFP failure signs, i don't really care; just knowing that such of machine is under my power is a pleasure & yea it may cost a lot if something bad happens to it but hey !!!! I'm happy & at the end is all it matters! so i understand were you come from, if something makes you happy why let it go?