The Road to Bratislava – Driving the BMW 535d Sedan
CROSSING THE BORDER WITH THE BMW 535d
We crossed the border into Austria near Walserberg shortly after 3 p.m. and continued on the Austrian Autobahn A1 (the German Autobahn A8 terminates at the border) in the direction of Vienna. 
The A1 is the oldest and most important Autobahn in Austria, connecting the capital city of Vienna on a east-west axis with the cities of Linz and Salzburg. Once in Austria, we took a short detour to enjoy the marvelous scenery of the Mondsee (Moon Lake) area. We also noted the 535d’s fuel consumption. After 174 km (108 miles), the 535d used 8.4 l/100 km (27 mpg). Our average driving speed was 102.6 km/h (63.7 mp/h).
We rejoined the A1 at the interchange near Mondsee and headed towards Vienna. After 100 km (62 miles), we passed Linz, the third-largest city of Austria and the capital of the state of Upper Austria (Oberösterreich), where Sunday afternoon traffic was light on the expanded six-lane Autobahn. The speed limit in Austria on most highways is 130 km/h (80 mph), 
although one can drive a bit faster without setting off the photo radar. We used the cruise control extensively here so we wouldn’t go faster than 150 km/h (93 mph), but we also noticed a problem with the Speed Limit information that the car was displaying. Despite a speed limit of 130 km/h, the car displayed an incorrect maximum speed of 80 km/h (50 mph). It seems that the system’s camera recognized the maximum speed limit for trucks (80 km/h) and thought that it would also be applicable for cars.
Near the Knoten (interchange) Steinhäusl, after having followed the A1 for more than 270 km (167 miles), we switched onto the A21 (the A1 leads directly into the city of Vienna). 
Via the A21, also called “Wiener Außenring Autobahn” (Vienna outer ring highway), we passed Vienna to the south and changed onto the S1 at the Knoten Vösendorf. The S1 (Schnellstraße 1) connects the southern part of Vienna with the eastern part, including Vienna InternationalAirport in Schwechat and the Autobahn A4 (Ost-Autobahn).
At the Knoten (interchange) Schwechat, we joined the A4 in the direction Bratislava and Budapest, and continued there for the next 53 km (33 miles) before leaving the Autobahn near the Slovak border. In view of the fact that we had only a Vignette (highway toll sticker) for the Austrian Autobahns, we decided to drive the last 13 km (8 miles) on Slovakian country roads so we would not have to purchase a separate Vignette for the Slovakian highways. 
Approximately 15 minutes after crossing the border, we reached our destination, the Kempinski Hotel River Park along the Danube River.
Exactly 4 hours and 52 minutes had passed since we left the Maximiliansstraße in Munich and pulled up at the hotel in Bratislava. We found that the 535d’s fuel economy had improved significantly once we were no longer stuck in traffic as compared to fuel usage for the first portion of the trip, prior to crossing the border. We drove a total of 528 km (328 miles), mostly on German and Austrian Autobahns, and our fuel consumption was an incredible 7.1 l/100 km (34 mpg) – with an average speed of 111 km/h (68.9 mp/h).
THE DRIVE TO BRATISLAVA – PART I
THE DRIVE TO BRATISLAVA – PART II
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[...] The Diesel Driver had the opportunity to test drive the new 535d in Europe. Here is an excerpt from their review: [...]
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[...] (in order of appearance) the 530d, the 550i, the 535d Touring (wagon) , and, most recently, the 535d Sedan. When a diesel 5er finally arrives on these shores, it will have been worth waiting [...]
Is the 535d coming to the States this year?
Nothing has been announced. A lot of people hope it will.
Not to be overly critical but your article reads like a travelogue. What about the car? Did I miss any commentary about how Dynamic Drive affects the ride? The fuel consumption over the first portion of your trip @27 MPG is not too impressive, given that in the U.S. diesel fuel is fast approaching almost $4.00 per gallon. Even at 34 MPG, the premium cost of diesel fuel and the added cost of the diesel model erodes any economy to be afforded by the 535d.
Perhaps your target demographic are hypermilers who know Germany and Austria like the backs of their hands. Most readers really want to know if this car accelerates like a beast and if that feeling is appreciably different than what the 335d offers. Also, not one comment in your article about how the car accelerates at speeds above 90 MPH! Surely you had a brief run above your self-imposed limit of 93MPH.
You guys are a tease! The fact that you get to drive these BMW’s for free without really telling potential BMW consumers much more than what roads you drove and the fuel mileage you acheived, you have not whetted any appetite for driving. You should stick to the VW, because that is more likely your hypermiling, non-fun loving driving audience.
Isn’t the fact that BMWNA has set up JSpira with the car obvious? It’s coming!!!
We report on a lot of diesel-powered autos that are not sold in the U.S., in part to help stimulate interest (both among auto buyers and importers) for such models. BMW NA has not announced a timetable for bringing the 535d into the U.S. at this time and it does not appear to be on the launch list for 2011.
Thanks for your feedback. This particular feature is a travelogue – it is in our Diesel Grand Touring section. We are also preparing a more detailed look at the car from a more traditional review standpoint as well and it will address the points you mention as well as others. Regarding the fuel usage, while we do note the car’s fuel economy after the first leg of the drive, it is really the overall fuel economy that one must focus on, which at 33 mpg, was quite impressive in our opinion.
Just to be fair, I think the first portion’s mpg included the snail-paced / detour laden local traffic. It is kind of similar to NYC traffic, especially for someone coming from east crossing Manhattan into NJ. From many experience on my E60 530i, I could do 23mpg to 24 mpg in similar situation. In a sense, 27 mpg is not bad but not great.
Overall average of 34 mpg & 68.9 mph in 328 miles is very good. My car never manages 34 mpg in 68.9 mph. It does 27 mpg to 28 mpg at best, mostly likely 23 mpg to 25 mpg. That is almost 170 miles difference. Folks, don’t forget that cars in Europe generally travel a little faster on the autobahns than on our interstates. Of course, the EPA estimate is highly inaccurate. Those MPG estimate can only be achieved driving speed limit.
Now Diesel-Driver, please provide more comments on the driving performance aspect of the car. As you try to stimulate the diesel interest in US, can you also stimulate BMW’s motivation bring more diesel cars to US. Audi is doing it. It intents to offer diesel in the entire line-up. BMW should do the same.
Hi,
I just came across this site and have some comments which maybe are helpful. I own a new 530d, same engine, but only one turbo. This car will accelerate very quick until 240 km/h and then takes it a bit slower until it reaches the 250 km/h limit. The 535d will only be better
The fuel consumption is very impressive, especially when you take in account that the southern german and austrian highways run over hills etc. On the flat dutch highways my 530d consumes 6.7 l/ 100 km at 100 km/h.
To help achieve this BMW fitted the car with fuel saving tires. The handling is still very good, but if you really want the old BMW feeling, the optional dynamic drive or different tires are a good idea.
M
Nice description about the way to Bratislava. Is this a travel guide? What about the car?
“… which takes 6.0 seconds to cover the same distance.” The cars do not travel the same distance if they need different times to reach 60 mph.
Actually, in this case, yes. If you notice, this is a ,,Diesel Grand Touring“ article, so the focus is on the touring or drive. We will have a detailed look at the 535d in an upcoming issue!
If anyone is interested, Motortrend also posted its review on 535d. It was impressed as well. in Stop-and-go traffic, it averaged 23+mpg covering 67 miles. The car ultimately covered 1032 miles with 30.2 mpg. If your area is charging $4/gallon, you will be paying a little over $120 for 1032 miles. How many cars with 300 bhp can do that?