BMW e60 535i or 535d? Take part in a survey! Results in! :)
01-31-2008, 12:20 PM
#31
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My Ride: E46 330, E60 550 on order: Carbon Black/Natural Brown, 6MT.
Originally Posted by bruce_miranda' post='525228' date='Jan 31 2008, 04:50 AM
Not true. Diesel is almost always more expensive that Petrol in Europe. Its only in places like Asia and that too if the government decides to subsidise diesel it it cheaper.
01-31-2008, 03:48 PM
#32
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I can't complete your survey as I'm in the UK, but I've had a 535d Touring for 3 years and 60k miles. It's a stunning car and I've been thinking of what to get next so have been doing some testing / talking. Here's some points:
- BMW UK sales guys reckon the vast majority of cars sold will be diesel, including at 330 / 530 models and up
- They see the 535d engine as becomming the core engine in the executive sector and rave about the 635d sport
- I tested a 330d and a 330i to try and discount them as alternatives to the 535d
- The 330d was a very rapid car (tested it on twisty country roads) and it gains pace so easily. I would buy one
- By comparison the 330i felt "gutless" and slow, even though it could not have been. I would probably not buy one
- In the end, you just have to drive the petrol and diesel engines differently - and you would get used to each
- 3 years ago I struggled with the concept of moving from petrol to diesel and now I would struggle going back
Good luck with your work.
- BMW UK sales guys reckon the vast majority of cars sold will be diesel, including at 330 / 530 models and up
- They see the 535d engine as becomming the core engine in the executive sector and rave about the 635d sport
- I tested a 330d and a 330i to try and discount them as alternatives to the 535d
- The 330d was a very rapid car (tested it on twisty country roads) and it gains pace so easily. I would buy one
- By comparison the 330i felt "gutless" and slow, even though it could not have been. I would probably not buy one
- In the end, you just have to drive the petrol and diesel engines differently - and you would get used to each
- 3 years ago I struggled with the concept of moving from petrol to diesel and now I would struggle going back
Good luck with your work.
02-01-2008, 05:48 AM
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things have turned around here in austria and germany - obviously governments realizing how popular diesel are, tehy have started adding more tax on diesel (as in austria) which makes diesel parity with petrol... in some places in germany, diesel was more expensive than petrol a few days ago..
04-14-2008, 01:30 AM
#35
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Hey all
Hope you have had a nice start of spring!
As promised, I'm getting back with the results of my study for those of you who are interested. Its been a long way since I started this and it came to 47 pages, including cover and other appendices. For the survey that many of you (and some from Bimmerforums) participated in, I got 145 responses and the results were quite surprising.
For the main question that asked if you would choose the diesel 535d over 535i got 86% positive responses. When I set out to do this research, all the background information regarding diesels in the US pointed towards a completely different outcome. What also caught my attention was the driving environment vs. previous experiences with diesels. In Europe, people who drive mostly on highways usually either drives a diesel or has driven one. Even though 75% of all respondents indicated that they mostly have mixed environment (both urban and highway), the respondents that has experience on diesels only 5,4% drove mainly on highways, compared to 23,2% that mostly did their driving in urban environment. (the rest 69,6% was in mixed environment)
Considering about the age factor; younger respondents were more open to the diesel option whereas most opposition came from older age groups and this was in line with the initial expectations. Most responses came from California, New York, Florida, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas and Florida.
The amount of information that you can research on this is simply staggering.. There are a lots of viewpoints that can be looked at and keeping the contents within the subject was difficult at times, if not impossible. But it helps a lot if you're genuinely interested in the subject.
Here's the abstract of the whole thesis, in case you want to see the "big picture". There might be some changes to the content, but I expect them to be mostly superficial..
Again, for the 100th time, my heartfelt thanks to all of you who participated. Without you, I couldn't have done it!
Phew.
Hope you have had a nice start of spring!
As promised, I'm getting back with the results of my study for those of you who are interested. Its been a long way since I started this and it came to 47 pages, including cover and other appendices. For the survey that many of you (and some from Bimmerforums) participated in, I got 145 responses and the results were quite surprising.
For the main question that asked if you would choose the diesel 535d over 535i got 86% positive responses. When I set out to do this research, all the background information regarding diesels in the US pointed towards a completely different outcome. What also caught my attention was the driving environment vs. previous experiences with diesels. In Europe, people who drive mostly on highways usually either drives a diesel or has driven one. Even though 75% of all respondents indicated that they mostly have mixed environment (both urban and highway), the respondents that has experience on diesels only 5,4% drove mainly on highways, compared to 23,2% that mostly did their driving in urban environment. (the rest 69,6% was in mixed environment)
Considering about the age factor; younger respondents were more open to the diesel option whereas most opposition came from older age groups and this was in line with the initial expectations. Most responses came from California, New York, Florida, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas and Florida.
The amount of information that you can research on this is simply staggering.. There are a lots of viewpoints that can be looked at and keeping the contents within the subject was difficult at times, if not impossible. But it helps a lot if you're genuinely interested in the subject.
Here's the abstract of the whole thesis, in case you want to see the "big picture". There might be some changes to the content, but I expect them to be mostly superficial..
In Europe today, nearly two-thirds of new cars sold are diesel-powered. They are
considerably better in terms of fuel economy than their gasoline-powered counterparts in
average. In USA, which still is the world’s largest car market, the share of diesel models is
marginal and there are not as many brands offering diesel alternatives as in Europe. This is
due to strict emission regulations that in the US are state-specific. However, with the new
technological advances, the big European carmakers are soon able to bring their diesel
offerings to the US. Among these, BMW plans to introduce its newest achievement in
diesel technology, the 3.0 liter twin-turbocharged power plant that delivers high power but
with considerably better fuel economy.
This study looks at BMW’s core competencies in the US market. BMW’s US organization
has existed since 1975 and carries a strong brand value. Quality attached to the brand is
sportiness, since the company was first introduced in the US when their new model, the
2002 was introduced in 1968 which represented world’s first sports sedan.
Essential in understanding the situation the introductory part of this thesis goes through the
developments of US car market during the last century up until this date- events which
changed the buying preferences, may very well bear resemblance to the situation today.
Intent of this study is to survey the opinions of Americans towards BMW’s 5-series diesel
compared to gasoline-powered model. Survey was conducted online, using two BMWthemed
discussion forums as intermediaries getting “educated” responses. In addition to
asking whether the respondent would choose a diesel over gasoline-version, a follow-up
question charted the possible problems and pitfalls with diesel model that could be used in
possible future marketing planning.
As a surprising outcome, majority of the respondents showed interest in the 5-series diesel
instead of the ‘traditional’ model. Even though the number of declining responses was low,
there were consistencies. The biggest concern was the cost and availability of diesel fuel as
it is not available in every gas station in the USA. Most would still choose a diesel for its
better fuel economy but the technical qualities (superiorities) gained interest.
considerably better in terms of fuel economy than their gasoline-powered counterparts in
average. In USA, which still is the world’s largest car market, the share of diesel models is
marginal and there are not as many brands offering diesel alternatives as in Europe. This is
due to strict emission regulations that in the US are state-specific. However, with the new
technological advances, the big European carmakers are soon able to bring their diesel
offerings to the US. Among these, BMW plans to introduce its newest achievement in
diesel technology, the 3.0 liter twin-turbocharged power plant that delivers high power but
with considerably better fuel economy.
This study looks at BMW’s core competencies in the US market. BMW’s US organization
has existed since 1975 and carries a strong brand value. Quality attached to the brand is
sportiness, since the company was first introduced in the US when their new model, the
2002 was introduced in 1968 which represented world’s first sports sedan.
Essential in understanding the situation the introductory part of this thesis goes through the
developments of US car market during the last century up until this date- events which
changed the buying preferences, may very well bear resemblance to the situation today.
Intent of this study is to survey the opinions of Americans towards BMW’s 5-series diesel
compared to gasoline-powered model. Survey was conducted online, using two BMWthemed
discussion forums as intermediaries getting “educated” responses. In addition to
asking whether the respondent would choose a diesel over gasoline-version, a follow-up
question charted the possible problems and pitfalls with diesel model that could be used in
possible future marketing planning.
As a surprising outcome, majority of the respondents showed interest in the 5-series diesel
instead of the ‘traditional’ model. Even though the number of declining responses was low,
there were consistencies. The biggest concern was the cost and availability of diesel fuel as
it is not available in every gas station in the USA. Most would still choose a diesel for its
better fuel economy but the technical qualities (superiorities) gained interest.
Phew.
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