Car And Driver is currently conducting a long-term road test of a BMW 328d xDrive sport wagon, and they posted their seven-month update last week. So far, they have really enjoyed putting miles on it; they have already topped 16,500! Here are their thoughts so far:
What They Like
As you would assume, they have really enjoyed the diesel wagon as a road trip vehicle as the fuel economy and interior room are ideal for long treks. Erik Johnson had this to say about it, "Our diesel 3-series wagon has proved desirable for long trips, with logbookers praising the car’s comfortable ride and large range". And with all those miles being rolled over on the odometer, he is also, "digging the free scheduled maintenance included with our wagon; the oil change, inspection, and refill of AdBlue diesel-treatment fluid performed at 10,000 miles cost us nothing".
What They Don't Like
There is always one in the crowd, and I guess there is one at Car And Driver too. One of their staffers had this to say about the wagon, “Once you get past the ‘cool, it’s a diesel wagon’ factor, you see that it’s loud and not as fun to drive as a gas engine.” But Erik went on to say that it may be due to the stop-start system as "the shutdown and startup are unacceptably harsh for a luxury vehicle, and they’re particularly annoying in stop-and-go traffic."
Here are Car And Driver's stats so far:
- Months in Fleet: 7 months
- Current Mileage: 16,457 miles Average Fuel Economy: 35 mpg
- Fuel Tank Size: 15.0 gal Fuel Range: 525 miles
- Service: $0 Normal Wear: $0 Repair: $0
- Unscheduled Urea-Solution Additions: $0
You can read the entire update on the Car And Driver website.—Nate Risch
[Pictures by Michael Simari of Car And Driver]
