BMW Oz green-lights 330d

BMW Australia said back in September the government’s revised luxury car tax regime would allow it to pursue a stronger business case for the fast but frugal 330d four-door - and now it has confirmed the six-cylinder turbo-diesel version of this month’s facelifted 3 Series sedan will go on sale here in the second quarter of 2009.

The 330d is powered by a new-generation all-aluminium high-output turbocharged inline diesel six offering 180kW at 4000rpm and a walloping 520Nm of torque between 1750 and 3000rpm. It will be available here only in six-speed automatic guise.

More importantly, it returns just 6.8L/100km on the combined fuel cycle, qualifying for the higher LCT threshold of $75,000 before the 33 per cent tax is applied, thereby significantly lowering its pricetag.



Pricing is yet to be announced, but expect a sticker price that’s commensurate with the fact the 330d produces more torque than any other 3 Series, including the twin-turbocharged petrol 335i, which tops the range at $107,290.

On sale since November 22, the new-look 3 Series sedan range opens with the 320i Executive at $54,500, while the 320d Executive, powered by a 125kW/340Nm 2.0-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder, costs $57,500.

The 330d sedan’s straight-six diesel engine improves upon the outputs delivered by the 160kW/480Nm 3.0-litre turbo-diesel that powers the 530d sedan, the price of which was reduced by about $5000 to $75,888 as a result of the new LCT, as well as the X3 3.0d and (160kW/500Nm) X5 3.0d models.

It is enough to propel the mid-sized 330d sedan to 100km/h in a sports sedan-like 6.2 seconds and on to an electronically-limited 250km/h top speed, but average combined CO2 emissions are just 180g/km.

However, it fails to match the performance of the twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder diesel that motivates the 200kW/565Nm X5 3.0sd or the X6 xDrive 35d, in which it stretches its performance envelope to an impressive 210kW and 580Nm.

“The new BMW 330d Sedan gives our customers the opportunity to mix V8 engine performance with four-cylinder fuel economy, but at the same time delivering the tangible delights of our highly-acclaimed straight-six cylinder engines,” said BMW Australia marketing general manager Tom Noble.

“BMW in Australia has been selling increasing volumes of diesel-engined vehicles each year. Our customers really appreciate the benefits of these high-torque, low-consumption engines.

“Now we can offer a truly muscular diesel performance option in our most popular body style. It’s a mix we are certain will be extremely popular in this segment of the market,” he said.

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