BMW may not be among the first automakers you think of when you think of fuel efficiency—but maybe it should be. After all, the company put two different vehicles among the Kelley Blue Book (KBB) Top 10 Green Cars for 2010—just as many as Honda or Toyota.
The BMW 335d has been on sale in the U.S. for just two years and, with its 2010 honor, has now been named to the list in each of them. The team at KBB put it succinctly: “To most passersby, the 335d looks like any other BMW 3 Series. To the driver, however, the 335d is something truly special.”
That’s courtesy of BMW’s high-tech BluePerformance diesel engine, a powerful inline-six mill that delivers EPA ratings of 23 mpg city/36 mpg highway, along with 0-60 times of just 6 seconds. That advanced diesel is also among the cleanest engines in its segment. In fact, the BMW 335d emits fewer CO2 emissions per year than a V6 Toyota Camry.
Needless to say, the car is the most most fuel-efficient BMW passenger vehicle ever imported to the U.S.
Also named a Top 10 Green Car—for the third year in a row—was BMW’s MINI Cooper. The MINI was recognized by KBB for its ability to offer maximum fuel efficiency while still being “just as fun as anyone could expect.” The EPA numbers here: Drivers can achieve 28 mpg city/37 mpg highway in the “famously responsive” hatchback. And the MINI Cooper is cleaner than a Honda Civic in terms of CO2 emissions.
With impressive all-around performance like this, the 335d and MINI Cooper could be giving a whole new meaning to the words “Ultimate Driving Machine.”
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