BMW 328d launched in the USA: a renamed 320d

usa-bmw-328d-0003

The BMW 328d is not a new variant in the F30 range developed specially for the US market, but is in fact the BMW 320d ‘renamed’ specially for the US market. There could be many reasons for this. At first we thought perhaps the ’20’ engine range is foreign to the US market in this segment, since most cars there in this segment begin with a 2.5 litre engine and upwards from there, but we checked BMW USA’s website and found the 320i for sale. So why rename the 320d to 328d for the USA?

My bet is on pricing issues – pricing hasn’t been announced yet but it could be that BMW wants to price the US market 328d closer to the 328i compared to the 320i, instead of how it is in Malaysia, where the 320i and 320d are priced pretty close together. Or it could also be an image or perception thing, who knows?

The stats are the same – 180 hp and 380 Nm of torque, available from just 1,750 rpm, mated to an eight-speed transmission. You’ll find a picture of the diesel fuel cap in the gallery below – the blue cap next to it is for AdBlue, a urea solution which is used in the exhaust system to improve emissions.

Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.

Certified Pre-Owned - 1 Year Warranty

10% discount when you renew your car insurance

Compare prices between different insurer providers and use the promo code 'PAULTAN10' when you make your payment to save the most on your car insurance renewal compared to other competing services.

Car Insurance

Paul Tan

After dabbling for years in the IT industry, Paul Tan initially began this site as a general blog covering various topics of personal interest. With an increasing number of readers paying rapt attention to the motoring stories, one thing led to another and the rest, as they say, is history.

 

Comments

  • its perception n ego thing…bigger numbers means higher specs n power…imagine telling people u r driving a 320i vs 328i…. it matters… heck why not just call it 335d…or 340d or 350d……u get the point…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 8 Thumb down 3
    • M series shall be named as X99 from here onwards. E.g. 399, 499, 599, 699.. Lelong lelong..

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
    • Actually in real world performance, the 320d and the new 328i are very similar. Both are more powerful than the 320i. So in US where powerful diesels are still not widespread, the numbering scheme of 328d makes sense.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 1
      • Sorry but I couldn’t get it. As I know, 320d and 320i have same horsepower which is 184. They both have 2.0 liter engines. One is petrol, other diesel. BMW 320i is getting 0-100km/h in 7.3 seconds and 320d is doing same thing in 7.4 seconds! If you talk about torque, yes 320d is absolutely better. (320d has 380Nm and 320i has 270Nm) But in 320d maximum torque starts at 1750rpm and 320i starts to give max torque at 1250rpm. That’s why in normal life they are almost same. Thanks to turbo and ZF 8 speed-automatic!

        By the way, I think that naming 320d as 328d is really rubbish thing. Next year 325d is going to be launched. So how will that car be named in U.S.? Is it gonna be 335d?? It is funny actually. U.S. people, and their love of BIG NUMBERS.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • Jimmy on Apr 02, 2013 at 10:25 pm

    I have not seen anyone who has a lot of money and yet refused to buy any luxury cars. You don’t buy simply because you cannot afford, don’t use all sorts of excuses; RM500K seems to be too big to you. You are very calculative because you are not there yet, a bit of rusty seat frame already berheboh-heboh, come on lah. You have not seen big snakes passing out stools.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 2
  • Our 320d here carries the AdBlue?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Hahahaa!! in the US 2 litre is presumed to be low power and considered to be entry level. Ironically, Conti 2 litre turbo is always powerful than US 2.5 and 3 litre car. in the US, they dont care about torque. All they car is about HP and high engine capacity.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
    • I think you got a point there. I believe they used 328 instead of 320 because they want to remind others that the 328d is a comparable alternative to the 328i. (Which doesn’t make sense because 328 has 240hp)

      I guess it’s just makes it easier for sales person to say to the uninformed: “if you think 328i is expensive, why not a 328d, they are similar, with a lower price.”

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 1
    • tishaban on Apr 03, 2013 at 10:58 am

      While it’s true about 2l being entry level, you’re a bit out of date on the power/torque side of things. There are plenty of entry level turbo cars particularly from Ford and GM with their Ecoboost and Ecotec turbo engines that are competing directly with European cars in Europe under Ford and Opel guise and are very well received there as well. The big 3 may not be great on handling, engine, fit/finish before but they’re catching up fast.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • tishaban on Apr 03, 2013 at 10:48 am

    320d to 328d. That’s inflation for ya. :D

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • Larry Ratcliff on Apr 05, 2013 at 2:48 am

    I say call it what ever you like…. I have been chomping at the bit to upgrade from my ’09 jetta tdi to the 32Xd since I heard rumor it was coming. I almost got the 335d but they stopped making it by the time I was ready to buy. The 32Xd should be a great seller in the US no matter if its a 0 or an 8.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Doug Harvey on Jun 02, 2013 at 9:57 pm

    MPG, Mpg, mpg, need to meet the new Federal Mandated MPG requirement. With X1 going away in USA, BMW need to improve their average MPG in order to meet the new federal mandate.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
 

Add a comment

required

required