BMW X5 xDrive35d Named 2012 Diesel Car of the Year

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BMW X5 xDrive35d Named 2012 Diesel Car of the Year

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BMW X5 xDrive35d 10 Year Edition

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This morning, the BMW X5 xDrive35d was named the 2012 Diesel Car of the Year by the readers of The Diesel Driver magazine.

The BMW beat the new Volkswagen Passat TDI, which placed second, and the VW Golf TDI, which garnered third place. Altogether, 13 passenger cars and light trucks competed for the award.

The award was presented at the New York Auto Show, which opened for two days of media-only previews today.

The magazine's readers also awarded Volkswagen the 2012 Diesel Car Manufacturer of the Year award. The German manufacturer, which offers diesel engines in several different models, received more than half the votes cast in the category.

“The BMW X5 xDrive35d combines exemplary fuel economy, superb handling and excellent passenger comfort in a single package,” said Jonathan Spira, editor of The Diesel Driver, in presenting the awards.

2012 Diesel Car of the Year and Diesel Car Manufacturer of the Year awards

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“Volkswagen has done an extraordinary job of positioning its diesel-powered automobiles in the U.S.," he continued, noting that more than one in five of VW's customers had ordered in a diesel vehicle over the past year.

Votes came from readers in more than 100 countries, though roughly two-thirds of them were cast by U.S. readers.

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Comments (5)

John Briggs Posted: 4/4/2012 10:47am PDT

As yes, 19 mpg city and ranks 13 out of 17 for diesel car efficiency. "exemplary fuel economy," not so much.

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Mark Bearing Posted: 4/5/2012 6:36am PDT

Agreed - I have an 2002 3.0 X5 and I can easily match that fuel economy.

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John Briggs Posted: 4/5/2012 8:29am PDT

Sounds like a great SUV, but the EPA shows.

2002 Gas 14 city 19 highway
2012 Diesel 19 city 26 highway
2012 Gas 16 city 23 highway
Also given the growing evidence that diesel owners routinely beat the EPA estimates by 12%, the X5 Diesel shows some improvement over the 10 year old gas version.
On the other hand, the diesel X5 is more expensive to buy, and the fuel is more.

As always, since you already own the 2002 X5, that is a big advantage, a bird in the hand ya know.

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Mark Bearing Posted: 4/5/2012 12:43pm PDT

Yes it's a huge $50,000+ advantage - but I would never spend that kind of money on a car again. I'm surprised at the ratings as I've owned the car since new and I routinely get 17 - 18 in mixed suburban chicago driving and on the open road I get 20mpg at a steady 80mph. I can hit 25mpg at a legal 65mph. Around here premimum gas now tops diesel by at least 10 - 15 cents/gal.
My daily commute is 20 miles and takes 30 minutes - I consistantly average 20mpg in that commute. The only time I ever see 14mpg is true downtown Chicago rush hour stop and go, or short winter season 1 mile jaunts to the store.

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John Briggs Posted: 4/5/2012 6:34pm PDT

Well done sir. Sounds like you are not one of the BMW drivers that accelerate hard an brake late. We have a few too many of them here in Boston.

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