The Lockdown series continues with me and my 2 driving buddies, Alfred & David, also sharing our experiences, comments and reflections of the different cars we have owned.

David’s 10th car, may be a surprise. It’s a diesel!  Does this go against the grain of a sports car enthusiast? Having a family sometimes means compromising your personal car driving experience.

However, the enthusiast always finds an angle to maximize the drive experience. Starting with a BMW always helps as the chassis & handling will satisfy the driving experience. Torque is god’s gift of pulling power. So, it seems the feeling of being pushed back into your seat when you press the accelerator is something no car enthusiast is going to reject. The diesel experience bound Alfred, David and I more than I would have imagined.

If this reminds you of a special car you have owned please share your experience or just name it or just “like” ours.

#mynextcarbuying #melbourne #automotiveadvocate #lockdown #carsweowned #bmw #bmw320d #diesel

2010 BMW 320d sedan
2 litre turbo diesel 6 speed auto
130kW 350Nm
0-100km/h in 8.0 seconds

The car that introduced me to the grunty joy that is a modern diesel engine. I had read about diesels in Europe at the time but was deeply sceptical. More efficient and economical sure but how could something heavier and lower revving be any fun to drive? I test drove the 323i and 320d back to back as they were identically priced and I was surprised to find I much preferred the diesel. Not only did the diesel feel much faster on the move but the mid-range torque made the throttle feel much more responsive. It even revved freely and happily to the redline with a sexy growl to the engine note.

At the time I thought why are people wasting their time with electric hybrids instead of just driving diesels? I know now that all diesels are not this good and I was being spoiled by what was probably the best diesel on the market.

The other thing about this car is that it introduced me to wonders of Teutonic engineering. Different nations really do impart different characteristics to their cars. Italians are great at making exhilarating, free spirited, “good time” cars that deliver a great driving experience but often give little regard to the practicalities of day to day life. The 320d on the other hand felt so well engineered with everything methodically laid out in a logical and intuitive way. The responsive drive train, comfortable driving position and excellent rear wheel drive dynamics meant the driver in me was well catered for. It also had up to the minute tech and general practicality meant it also served the role of family car very well. As Chris Harris said in a review once “does anyone need anything more than a 320d?” Interestingly I didn’t have a problem with the run flats and thought the car rode well with a good balance between sporting and comfort.

My only negative was that one of the reasons I moved from an Alfa Romeo to a BMW was that I was hoping to improve residual value and I did not find this at all. I’ve since learnt that the best value is to buy a good quality demo and sell privately.

Richard comment:

When I first met you David, in our basketball days, you had this BMW320d. A Diesel would not be my first preference for driving. I disliked the traditional diesel clattering and lack of revability. However, I have now driven a few diesels including the 2013 F30 BMW320d, VW v10 R50 Touareg, VW Amarok, Cx-5, Passat ,Kia Sportage GT-Line, SANTE Fe & Land Rover Discover. The torque and the better diesels now rev out smoothly to 5000 rpm and pull like freight trains. In fact, because they are less stressed can even be quieter, more refined and sounder undiesel like.

The 320d handled pretty well considering the natural heavier engine & front-end weight bias diesels can give. This is probably thanks to engine not actually being much heavier at all as still a 2litre and the turbo working it’s wonders. I’m sure Alfred will agree with your assessment as he highly rated his Xdrive BMW 330d wagon and loved the grunt of the torque filled 500nm giving V8 like shove. I agree with all the accolades of interior design, chassis engineering and the way everything comes together as a driving machine is spot on. As for depreciation, it does dive but make it can be your friend when it comes time to buy.

Alfred comment:

Rich mine was the 530d station wagon x-drive 2005 model. No one could tell inside the car it was a diesel, only at idle standing outside. It was 160kw / 500nm from about 1800rpm. 0-100kmph in 6.9 seconds and got 1000kms to the tank on the way to Italy for holidays even driving through the famous Swiss pass mountain roads as part of that journey. Still probably the best diesel BMW has ever produced.

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