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BMW 320D: Sleek, modern diesel sedan
(Courtesy of BMW Indonesia)With its modern and powerful appearance, the BMW 320d modern sedan traverses the road with agility and vigor, raising doubts about whether it truly has a diesel engine under the hood
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(Courtesy of BMW Indonesia) (Courtesy of BMW Indonesia)
(Courtesy of BMW Indonesia)
With its modern and powerful appearance, the BMW 320d modern sedan traverses the road with agility and vigor, raising doubts about whether it truly has a diesel engine under the hood.
The 320d is rather environmentally friendly, rolling on a 2.0-liter BMW TwinPower Turbo four-cylinder diesel engine, promising stable strength through cost-efficient performance.
Equipped with an eight-speed automatic transmission, it delivers 163 hp at 4000 rpm and maximum torque of 450Nm at 1500-2500 rpm, while still achieving a CO2 emissions value of 109 g/kg.
During a recent test drive from Surabaya, East Java, to Denpasar, Bali, the sedan smoothly took its passengers both on the Surabaya city highway and through the winding and challenging lush country road along Baluran National Park in Situbondo.
The car treads a fine line between dynamic and luxurious.
Boasting a chassis with double-joint tension-strut front axle and five-arm rear axle, it provides perfect support along with the longitudinally mounted engine, rear-wheel drive, balanced axle load distribution and body with high torsional strength.
On start up and idle times, the sedan's diesel rattle is audible from under the hood, but as it rolls on the road, the diesel noise is hardly noticeable, creating the false notion that the passengers are in a silent gasoline engine car.
The 320d's eight-speed automatic transmission helps with soft changes and also reduces background noise at high speeds. The transmission also helps with fuel efficiency.
Changes throughout the gears are barely discernible thanks to small rev intervals between the finely graduated individual gears.
The 320d offers an optional Sport automatic transmission for more agile gear changes. It also provides two gearshift paddles on the steering wheel and a shortened gear change for more dynamic driving.
BMW Indonesia recommends DEX ' state-owned oil company Pertamina higher quality diesel fuel ' which meets the Euro 3 emission standard.
BMW Indonesia Product Planning manager Dennis A Kadaruskan said that customers did not need to worry about finding gas stations that sold DEX.
'The 320d is efficient enough to travel 800 kilometers on a full tank,' Dennis said.
The 320d claims to be able to travel 24.4 kilometers per liter of fuel. During the trip from Surabaya to Denpasar, one of the tested cars recorded a 20.3 kilometer per liter consumption rate, which is a no mean feat.
The car relies on its a re-tuned engine, aerodynamically optimized five-spoke wheels, tires with reduced rolling resistance as well as lowered suspension to minimize drag.
In the energy savings department, the 320d also uses a Brake Energy Regeneration system, which uses otherwise wasted energy to charge the battery as soon as the accelerator pedal is released or the brake is applied. The system decreases the load on the engine, reduces emissions and saves fuel, which also means there is more power available for acceleration.
The Auto Start-Stop function also switches off the engine when the vehicle temporarily stops, automatically saving fuel. In automatic engine stop mode, drivers only need to engage the clutch to start up the engine again, resulting in less fuel usage and fewer emissions.
To further save on fuel, 320d drivers are encouraged to select the Eco Pro mode, which optimizes shift points, the accelerator pedal and gearbox parameters. The car's Control Display shows drivers the technological innovations being employed to improve efficiency.
Inside the cabin, the 320d's design places essential controls within the driver's reach. The center console is asymmetric with a decorative surface and grain visually highlighting the driver's section. Also conveniently accessible to passengers is the iDrive button ' which controls all of the car's functions, from the navigation system to the Electronic Owner's Manual ' in the middle part of the central console.
