Photo: BMW
As long as gas prices remain relatively low and stable, there’s not much of a market for turbo diesel applications in the United States, with the obvious exception of the heavy-duty pickup truck class. Volkswagen’s Dieselgate mess-up didn’t help either.
But look at Chevrolet. As VW throttles back its diesel-fueled efforts in the U.S. to focus on hybridization and electric vehicles, General Motors picked up the challenge of offering diesel power in cars as small as the Cruze Hatchback. In the premium segment, BMW decided to take things up a notch by confirming to Car & Driver that the 540d Sedan is in the offing for MY 2018.
“Hold on a second. The European-spec G30 5 Series doesn’t have a 540d.” That’s spot on, dear reader, with the 530d xDrive being the second most powerful diesel engine in the lineup after the quad-turbocharged M550d xDrive Touring. For the previous-generation 5 Series, BMW North America used the 535d name.
Joining the likes of the oil-chugging 3 Series, X3, and X5, the 540d will make use of the B57D30 3.0-liter inline-six, which develops 265 PS (261 hp) and 620 Nm (457 lb-ft) over in Europe. Maximum torque is available briefly, though. That would be from 2,000 to 2,500 rpm.
Fuel economy, however, will be this derivative’s calling card. The old-gen 535d was capable of returning 30 miles per gallon combined (26 city, 38 highway), and sufficient to say, the 540d has plenty of room for improvement. It’s worth remembering that the B57 also happens to be a newly developed powerplant, whereas the N57 inline-six in the 535d is a nine-year-old motor.
Expected to be offered in both rear- and all-wheel-drive configurations, the G30 540d should go on sale later in 2017 for the 2018 model year. At the present moment, the U.S.-spec 5er is available in four flavors: 530i, 540i, 530e iPerformance, and the stinkin’ quick, 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8-powered M550i xDrive.
Pricing starts at $51,200 for the entry-level 530i Sedan, whereas the M550i xDrive kicks off at $72,100. In due time, an all-new M5 will be introduced, which will ship with xDrive from the get-go. Don’t worry, though, because in its most aggressive setting, the all-wheel-drive system sends the goodies exclusively to the rear wheels, just like the Mercedes-AMG E63 S 4Matic+ does.
“Hold on a second. The European-spec G30 5 Series doesn’t have a 540d.” That’s spot on, dear reader, with the 530d xDrive being the second most powerful diesel engine in the lineup after the quad-turbocharged M550d xDrive Touring. For the previous-generation 5 Series, BMW North America used the 535d name.
Joining the likes of the oil-chugging 3 Series, X3, and X5, the 540d will make use of the B57D30 3.0-liter inline-six, which develops 265 PS (261 hp) and 620 Nm (457 lb-ft) over in Europe. Maximum torque is available briefly, though. That would be from 2,000 to 2,500 rpm.
Fuel economy, however, will be this derivative’s calling card. The old-gen 535d was capable of returning 30 miles per gallon combined (26 city, 38 highway), and sufficient to say, the 540d has plenty of room for improvement. It’s worth remembering that the B57 also happens to be a newly developed powerplant, whereas the N57 inline-six in the 535d is a nine-year-old motor.
Expected to be offered in both rear- and all-wheel-drive configurations, the G30 540d should go on sale later in 2017 for the 2018 model year. At the present moment, the U.S.-spec 5er is available in four flavors: 530i, 540i, 530e iPerformance, and the stinkin’ quick, 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8-powered M550i xDrive.
Pricing starts at $51,200 for the entry-level 530i Sedan, whereas the M550i xDrive kicks off at $72,100. In due time, an all-new M5 will be introduced, which will ship with xDrive from the get-go. Don’t worry, though, because in its most aggressive setting, the all-wheel-drive system sends the goodies exclusively to the rear wheels, just like the Mercedes-AMG E63 S 4Matic+ does.
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