After a year, the 5 Series diesel-powered returns to America.
According to U.S. officials, BMW has been granted permission to sell the diesel-powered model 540dxDrive in the United States. This information has not been officially released by the manufacturer, but was brought to our attention TheCarConnection.
After a one-year break, the diesel 5Serie will be back in stock. This will allow for six more engines to be added to the existing engine portfolio of the sedan. The base 530i is currently available, as well as the six-cylinder V8 550i and V8 540i. There’s also the M5 which offers a range of performance, and the plug-in hybrid model 530e.
According to reports, the 540d xDrive uses a 3.0-liter turbo diesel inline-six turbo engine that produces 261 horsepower (195 kilowatts), and 457 pound feet (620 Newton-meters), of torque. This engine is identical to the one BMW uses in its 530d for international markets. It’s especially popular in Europe.
The diesel unit is connected to an eight speed automatic gearbox and provides a respectable 0 to 62 mph (0-100 km/h) acceleration time of 5.4 seconds. For improved traction, power is only delivered to the four wheels via the company’s xDrive system.
The EPA ratings of the model are 26 mpg city, 36 mpg Highway, and 30 mpg combined when all-wheel drive is used. The prices for the 5 Series will start at $62,995 including destination. This is slightly more than the 540i which starts at $60,500.
The price of the 5 Series diesel 5 Series is considerably higher than the BMW 530e iPerformance at $52,650, despite the fact the hybrid model being slightly more efficient due to its pure electric range of just 15 miles (24 km).
The new 540d xDrive will be BMW’s third diesel model when it goes on sale next month. It will be joined by the X5d with the same 3.0-liter diesel engine and the 328d which is powered by the smaller four-cylinder 2.0 liter diesel with 180 hp (134 kW).