With great fanfare, BMW introduced the sixth generation 3 Series at the BMW plant in Munich with a white 320d EfficientDynamics Edition sedan leading the way.

In quick succession, driven by apprentices at the BMW plant and paraded past thousands of cheering BMW employees, we saw seven cars in total including a grey 328i, a grey 320d, a black sapphire 320d, a blue 320d, a Melbourne red 328i, and a glacial silver 335i.

The new 3er features 50-50 weight distribution, a driver-oriented cockpit, and four versions will be available at launch, namely the 320d, 320d EfficientDynamics Edition, the 328i, and the 335i.

The 320d and 320d EDE are powered by an updated 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder diesel engine and each develops 380 pound-feet of torque.  The 320d has 184 hp and the 320d EDE has 163 hp with longer gear ratios, reduced friction components and revised electronics allowing it to get 57 mpg (4.1 l/100 km) emitting just 109 g/km CO2.

In the fall of 2012, the BMW ActiveHybrid 3 will join the 3er lineup.  It uses the N55 six-cylinder gasoline engine with BMW TwinTurbo technology and a specially-designed eight-speed automatic transmission with integrated electric motor.  The motor can, for limited periods of time, increase power by up to 55 hp (40 kW), making the maximum combined output 335 hp (250 kW) with 330 pound-feet of torque.  Average fuel consumption in the EU cycle is rated at 36.7 mpg (6.4 l/100 km).

Most models will be available in Sport, Modern, and Luxury versions, each with unique design details.

Three additional models will be available approximately one month later, namely the 316d and 318d diesels, powered by 116 hp and 143 hp variants of the 2.0-litre diesel engine respectively, plus the 320i, powered by another version of the 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine.

All versions of the 3er will feature a variety of new technologies that make for more fuel-efficient driving.  It is 3.7” (93 mm) longer and .25” (6 mm) narrower than its predecessor and has more interior room for passengers and luggage.

Drive Performance Control will be standard.  DPC allows the driver to switch between four driving modes, namely Eco Pro, Comfort, Sport, and Sport + (Sport + is included on Sport models only).  In Eco Pro, the throttle mapping is changed to encourage a more economical driving style by requiring the driver to push harder on the accelerator pedal than normal modes require.  Eco Pro also changes where the shift points occur as displayed by the car’s Optimum Shift Indicator.  On models with an automatic transmission, the shifting pattern is changed and Eco Power also adjusts power consumption of features such as air conditioning and heated seats and mirrors.

All cars get Auto Stop-Start, regardless of transmission or engine type, as well as Energy Regeneration, on-demand control of engine ancillary components, and tires with less rolling resistance.  Depending on the model, the car’s weight has been reduced by up to 110 pounds (50 kg ).

The new 3er features a drag coefficient (Cd) as low as 0.26 and a streamlined underside, Aero Curtain air channels up front, and covers that create a diffuser effect at the rear of the vehicle.

BMW kept electromechanical steering in the 3er but developed a system that consumes no energy when the car is being drive in a straight line or in steady-state cornering.

All of the latest safety and convenience features will be available as options on the new 3er, including the full-color head-up display, blind spot detection, lane departure warning, collision warning.  Comfort (keyless) access will also allow the driver (with key in pocket) to open the trunk with a simple foot movement when standing at the rear.

The new 3er will go on sale starting in February.

“No need to stop for refueling,” Paul’s notes read.

How many other cars with 425 pound-feet of torque can you say that about?

Contrast this with the same drive taken with a BMW 335i sedan at the same time, similarly equipped with automatic transmission.  That car used 9 l/100 km (26 mpg) for a total of 72 l (19 gallons).  One refueling stop was required.  The 335d only used 48 l (12.6 gallons), delivering over 33% better fuel economy.

Since picking up the BMW 335d at the BMW Welt a little over six months ago, I continue to be amazed at how quiet the car can be, even at very high speeds.  Driving the car at 220 km/h (137 mph) for extended periods of time simply reinforced this observation.

Despite the 86 kg (191 pound) weight penalty compared to the 335i sedan, BMW maintained a front-to-rear weight distribution of 51-49.  Turn-in is excellent and the handling and control don’t seem to suffer at all from the additional weight.

The unique combination of sports-car acceleration with exemplary fuel economy was something we noted in our Three-Month Review and this sets the BMW 335d apart from the other diesel-powered autos available in the U.S. We expect, however, that the 335d will have some company within the next eight to ten months.  BMW of North America will soon import a 5er Series diesel and, if it’s the 535d, as many suspect, it will join the 335d in providing this unique type of Freude am Fahren.

Indeed, the 535d goes from 0-100 km (0-62 mph) in just 5.7 seconds (faster than the 335d, which travels the same distance in six seconds) and uses just 6.1 l/100 km (38.5 mpg) in the European combined test cycle (less fuel than the 335d, which uses 6.7 l/100 km (35 mpg) in the same test).

Comparing for a moment the two 335 3er Series, the 335i is definitely a bit quicker off the line: 0-60 mph is 5.6 seconds, while the 335d takes 6.0 seconds to travel the same distance.  The 335d, however, produces 425 pound-feet of torque between 1750 and 2250 rpm compared to the 335i’s 300 pound-feet between 1400 and 5000.  The 335d’s massive amount of torque is available for overtaking on demand and can propel the car to from 80 km/h (50 mph) to 130 km/h (80 mph) in what feels like a split second.  Click here to continue to Page 2.

The 335d does this by combining sports-car acceleration with exemplary fuel economy, and then adding in comfort and attention to detail.  Indeed, this very combination may be the forerunner of a new breed of luxury-performance sedans.

The 3er Series was first introduced in 1975 as the successor to the 2002, the car that first defined the sports sedan.  Since then, the BMW 3er Series has continued to define this genre and it is the car that other car makers try to emulate.

The 3er doesn’t attempt to pamper the driver and passengers; instead, it focuses on a driving experience that is unlike any other.  One can recognize a 3er Series driver: he’s the one who is grinning from ear to ear after every trip.  The 335d driver is grinning even more as he knows how much fuel he saving with every trip.

The 335d was launched in the U.S. in 2009 as a four-door sedan in conjunction with a mild redesign of that body style. As a result, the 3er Series sedan bears a much stronger familial resemblance to the new 5er and 7er Series sedans.  The front looks wider and sports new headlights and a bolder bumper/spoiler. More prominent longitudinal hood lines frame the hood’s power dome. New taillights and a more pronounced character line complete the look.

The 335d’s three-liter six-cylinder inline twin-turbo diesel engine with common-rail, high-pressure direct fuel injection with piezo injectors and two-stage turbo charging produces 265 hp and an incredible 425 pound-feet of torque. To put the car’s power into perspective, the M3 generates a mere 295 pound-feet of torque.  There’s so much torque that BMW had to use electronics to keep the rear tires from spinning out of control.

BMW designed the 335d’s turbocharger system to negate turbo lag by using one fast-and-small turbocharger for initial acceleration with a second, larger turbo that takes over as engine speed rises. As a result, there is no noticeable turbo lag.

The BMW 335d is also the most fuel-efficient cars BMW of North America has ever sold and can travel almost 40% farther on a tank of fuel than its gasoline-powered sibling.   I’ve gone several weeks without having to fill the tank and I could drive from New York to Washington, D.C. and back (round trip 750 km or 466 miles) without having to stop to refuel.

So after three months and several thousand kilometers (keep in mind that the car spent a month in transit getting from Munich to New York), how does it drive?  Suffice it to say that the 335d is the most sought-after car at The Diesel Driver and the driving experience combined with fuel economy is simply unparalleled. Click here to continue to page 2.

Diesel (as well as gasoline-electric hybrid) automobiles are typically sold at a higher price point than their petrol-only counterparts with the difference typically being several thousand dollars.

For example, the BMW 335d’s list price is $43,950 while a similarly-equipped 335i is $41,975.  The diesel-powered BMW X5 Sports Activity Vehicle (BMW parlance for SUV) has a sticker price of $51,300, while its petrol equivalent costs $47,600.

The price-leading Volkswagen Jetta TDI is $22,830 while the entry-level Jetta is a mere $17,775.    The Audi Q7 TDI lists for $50,900 (petrol version $46,900), making the Audi A3 TDI a relative bargain at $29,950, only $1200 more than the gasoline version.  Mercedes-Benz sells its diesel ML350 SUV at a $4000 premium over the $45,700 petrol version but, in the GL-Class, the diesel GL350 is actually the price leader at $59,950, while the larger displacement petrol version starts at $60,950.

In the hybrid world, the Honda Civic sedan starts at $15,665 while the Honda Civic Hybrid starts out with an $8145 higher price tag, although the hybrid model does include more standard equipment.

It’s clear that, for most of these vehicles, drivers would need a decade or more of 15,000-mile annual driving before seeing any savings.

As a result, sales of diesel-powered automobiles remained tiny compared to their petrol brethren.  When BMW launched the diesel X5 in December 2008, the percentage of buyers choosing the diesel powerplant remained in the single digits.

That is, until last July, when BMW’s Eco Credit arrived.

According to Dave Buchko, manager of Advanced Powertrain communications at BMW of North America, the pricing for diesels wasn’t arbitrary.  Rather, it was based on how much more the car – with diesel powerplant – was going to cost.

A diesel engine, compared to its petrol equivalent, is more expensive given the level of technology in the engine.  It runs at much higher pressures, requires more robust components and, in the United States, needs additional emissions controls.

In addition, BMW put a great deal of thought and effort into reengineering the 335d for the U.S. market.  Engineers repositioned rocker arms in the engine to make it quieter (an improvement that eventually made its way to non-U.S. engines) and moved the catalytic converters closer to the exhaust manifold so they can heat up faster.

While European engines have particulate traps, only the U.S. version has the urea system that scrubs the exhaust.  In addition, U.S. cars have more sound deadening material, resulting in reduced noise levels, and auxiliary heating, to allow the interior to warm up faster (diesels don’t  run as warm as gasoline engines and many drivers still remember how long it took the interiors of 1970s and 80s Mercedes and Volkswagen diesels to warm to a comfortable level).

Of course, what no one could predict was where the U.S. diesel market was heading and what buyers were prepared to pay.

What BMW and other automakers found out is that, especially with lower fuel prices, only a handful of individuals were willing to pay a premium for a diesel.

Enter the Eco Credit.  Timed to start with the launch for the U.S. government’s cash-for-clunkers program, BMW offered buyers of its diesel-powered automobiles a $4500 credit starting in July 2009.  Indeed, according to Buchko, the amount of the credit was partially influenced by the cash-for-clunkers rebates.

Since the Eco Credit started, BMW’s diesel sales have climbed significantly.  Diesel-powered X5s reached 25% of all X5 sales last November and 33% in December.  3er Series diesel sales hit a high of 366 units in December.  Audi, Mercedes-Benz, and Volkswagen are also reporting significant increases for their diesel lines.

In Europe, over 50% of new car registrations are for diesel-powered autos.  However, despite the recent gains in the U.S., the U.S. figure remains in the single digits.  But change is on the horizon.  The 2009 and 2010 Green Car of the Year awards went to diesels whereas earlier recipients were all hybrids.  Indeed, with the 335d, BMW has demonstrated that a diesel (with 425 pound-feet of torque) can appeal to enthusiasts as well as eco-conscious consumers.

With the Eco Credit, which BMW has no immediate plans to eliminate, the 335d actually costs $2225 less than the petrol-powered 335i before the IRS tax credit of $900 is even considered.  Better fuel economy, lower emissions, massive torque – who could turn down a deal like this?