335D: Merry Xmas to Me!

[Guest heightsgtltd]

The only thing that would make me like it more would be the inclusion of AWD and a wagon

[SLegacy99]

According to every test I've read the 335i and 335d both stomp on the regular A4 pretty hard where performance numbers are concerned. The last comparison test in Road and Track pitted the 335d against the A4 3.2, the A4 was not even in the hunt compared to the BMW diesel.

 

http://www.roadandtrack.com/tests/comparison/2009_audi_a4_3.2_quattro_vs_2009_bmw_335d

 

I dunno, I would assert that the S4 and 335xi would be a valid comparison. The 2.0L TFSI A4 is lighter, more efficient, and has more torque than the discontinued 3.2L. Obviosuly the 3.2Ls werent selling for a reason, perhaps price. I don't disagree that the 335d would be faster and I surprised that both vehicles in the article were as fast as they were reported to be. However, an official rating of 23/36 MPG for the RWD Bimmer and 22/30 for the AWD Audi demonstrates just how good the new A4 is. Not to mention its $10k cheaper. I'm not trying to derail the thread here, just pointing out that Audi has a much better foe to the 3 series than perhaps the IS, C class, TSX. I think that the 335d is an impressive vehicle, but the cost bothers me. Now if you could get a deal on one, that would be worthwhile.

[Mungo]

I had my first two drives up to LA this week and they both went smoothly and comfortably. Made 38 mpg on the first one and 39.5 on the second. I got around 550 miles on that first tank of gas.

 

Also, and I didn't know this already, diesel pumps are really drippy and messy! I'm going to have to keep some disposable gloves and rinse in my trunk.

[Penguin]

I had my first two drives up to LA this week and they both went smoothly and comfortably. Made 38 mpg on the first one and 39.5 on the second. I got around 550 miles on that first tank of gas.

 

Also, and I didn't know this already, diesel pumps are really drippy and messy! I'm going to have to keep some disposable gloves and rinse in my trunk.

 

Unfortunately most Semis do not have tanks that lend themselves to automatic shutoffs, so the fuel nozzles really get covered in overflow.

 

Nice to hear you are beating mileage estimates handily. What were your traffic conditions and cruising speed?

[Mungo]

No traffic and I was going between 70 and 80. I was so excited on both days that I woke up an hour before the alarm went off. I was on the road by 4 AM which is optimal for beating traffic around here at least.

 

My experience seems to be a little abnormal. Most folks don't his those averages until they have broken it in a lot more. I have a very light foot though... I also suspect that the onboard mpg calculator isn't completely accurate. But it sure makes me feel good!

 

Another surprise is that the infamous brake dust problem has not manifested. Don't know if they have changed pad compounds on the new models or what, but I was expecting it to be an issue. Yet the brakes are amazingly grippy -- especially coming from a Legacy.

[Penguin]

No traffic and I was going between 70 and 80. I was so excited on both days that I woke up an hour before the alarm went off. I was on the road by 4 AM which is optimal for beating traffic around here at least.

 

My experience seems to be a little abnormal. Most folks don't his those averages until they have broken it in a lot more. I have a very light foot though... I also suspect that the onboard mpg calculator isn't completely accurate. But it sure makes me feel good!

 

Another surprise is that the infamous brake dust problem has not manifested. Don't know if they have changed pad compounds on the new models or what, but I was expecting it to be an issue. Yet the brakes are amazingly grippy -- especially coming from a Legacy.

 

Your mileage is not all that odd to me, if you can drive a reasonable speed with the cruise control set and not have to slow down and speed up all the time your mileage will usually beat EPA estimates. As for the brake dust, most people that really notice it are those doing a lot of stop and go driving or really hard frequent braking.

[SLegacy99]

Your mileage is not all that odd to me, if you can drive a reasonable speed with the cruise control set and not have to slow down and speed up all the time your mileage will usually beat EPA estimates.

 

So the EPA runs their tests on all diesels and hybrids and rates them. Do we know if they do their tests on brand new vehicles or broken in vehicles?

[Penguin]

So the EPA runs their tests on all diesels and hybrids and rates them. Do we know if they do their tests on brand new vehicles or broken in vehicles?

 

As far as I know they test new vehicles for their rating systems. Testing a "broken in" vehicle leaves too many variables up in the air such as maintenance, how hard the car has been driven, etc. There is already enough variability in people's driving habits throwing off their results from the vehicle's potential mileage. Throw in the variances in how a vehicle has been maintained on top of that and you add in too much variability that is out of the testers ability to control for accurate results.

[SLegacy99]

As far as I know they test new vehicles for their rating systems. Testing a "broken in" vehicle leaves too many variables up in the air such as maintenance, how hard the car has been driven, etc. There is already enough variability in people's driving habits throwing off their results from the vehicle's potential mileage. Throw in the variances in how a vehicle has been maintained on top of that and you add in too much variability that is out of the testers ability to control for accurate results.

 

Ah, touche, I didn't think of that. ...and it that would provide some insight as to how my LGT rated 27 MPG (Hwy) is capable of 34 MPG.

[Penguin]

Ah, touche, I didn't think of that. ...and it that would provide some insight as to how my LGT rated 27 MPG (Hwy) is capable of 34 MPG.

 

Your driving habits must be pretty conservative, and the state you live in also has low speed limits on the highways. Also as a vehicle is used, as long as the mechanical parts of the car are maintained well, often times better mileage can be had.

 

As the engine wears in and the moving parts mate to one another and all the bearing surfaces get their final work hone; friction will be reduced and so will parasitic drag. This is really noticeable on engines that are made to super tight tolerances. For example on BMW M cars the first 1200 miles of operation are restricted to lower RPM's to allow the engines moving parts to begin getting a final seating/honing. So at the first scheduled maintenance at 1200 miles the oil is changed and the RPM limiter is then removed.

 

Other high tolerance engines are known for the same type of behavior, in particular diesels have in the past displayed this trait. Since most diesel engines are held to tighter production tolerances by design they take some time to break in. Diesel engine makers have been holding those tight tolerances for a long time now, so users of these engines have been aware of the phenomenon for some time. Many diesel owners don't expect really good mileage or performance until they have around 500 hours or 30K miles on the motor. They're just too tight up to that point. Of course the upside to that precision is a very long life of the parts since there is no slop or excessive play in how they fit together.

 

Not that it would mean much to you but the same type of functional production tolerance phenomenon can be found in the world of high end firearms. Many custom match pistols and rifles have to have 500 to 1000 rounds run through them before they loosen up enough to run correctly. However, if the gun is well made after break in it will run correctly and accurately for much longer than a more run of the mill gun ever would.