The last bastion of eco-subtlety has fallen. The one manufacturer able to resist plastering its machinery with EcoFLEXefficiencyBlueKINetic branding has succumbed to the “green” tide – and it’s a damn shame.
For years BMW has sprinkled its EfficientDynamics philosophy across its range, without feeling the need to shout about it. While other manufacturers affix “green”- sounding names to their highest mpg models, BMW has stood firm. It’s a given that its cars are among the most powerful as well as cleanest in their class.
But now we have a 3-series that wears its eco-credentials on its sleeve. In comparison to the standard 320d, Combined fuel economy has leapt by 10mpg to 69.8mpg, CO2 emissions have plummeted to 109g/km but there’s still a stout 161bhp and 266lb ft of torque ready to deploy – 50 per cent more than anything else in its CO2 bracket.
The 2.0-litre, four-cylinder turbodiesel has been minutely reworked to persuade you to use a higher gear more often. A splash of extra torque, plus a complicated dual-mass flywheel, irons out vibrations and noise at low revs. The idea is that we’ll all pootle around at 1,000rpm oblivious to the fact that we’re a handful of revolutions from stalling.
You’ll probably end up driving in much the same manner you always have because that’s no hardship in a 3-series. The 0-60mph sprint is covered in 8.2 seconds, just a second behind a VW Golf GTI.
There is the standard stop-start, brake regeneration and electric power steering fitted to all four-cylinder 3-series since 2007. Further economy-minded alterations include lowered suspension, longer gear ratios and reduced friction in the oily bits. A new, rotor-like 16in alloy improves aerodynamics, while Michelin EnergySaver tyres deliver low rolling resistance.
The BMW 320d EfficientDynamics Edition is powered by 2.0-litre four-cylinder power unit with its all-aluminium crankcase, turbocharging and the latest generation of common-rail fuel injection featured with various power stages also in the BMW 316d, the BMW 318d and the BMW 320d. The BMW 320d EfficientDynamics Edition develops maximum output of 120 kW/163 hp at an engine speed of 3,500-4,200 rpm and peak torque of 360 Newton-metres/265 lb-ft all the way from 1,750 to 3,000 rpm.
The BMW 320d EfficientDynamics Edition accelerating in fifth gear from 80-120 km/h in 9.6 seconds. Top speed is 225 km/h or 140 mph.
But if you can sense a difference between the way it moves and the existing 320d, you’re either a BMW test driver or a liar. It’s endowed with the same crisp steering, delicacy of movement and overall bullet-proof feel that makes a 3-series the default choice these days.
For the first time buyers are presented with a clear-cut choice between a slightly sharper drive and saving the planet – without cash entering the equation. OK, if you must have the granite-hard and garish M-Sport pack you’re forced to go for the standard 320d, but that really is your only excuse not to choose this car – although it won’t reach UK showrooms until March.
