Brits get to sample the BMW 635d, a high performance diesel GT!

The lucky dogs at the MSN Cars UK got to test BMW's new 635d coupe and came away mighty impressed. The key to this car is the "d" at the end of the model number. Propulsion comes courtesy of BMW's 3.0L twin-turbo inline six cylinder diesel which is rated at 286 hp and a mighty 427 lb-ft of torque. The almost electric motor-like torque of of the diesel means that this big coupe has more usable real world performance than the high-performance M6 model. The 635d hits 62mph from a standstill in 6.3 seconds which is pretty decent for a two-ton car. More impressive is the fact that it does all this while scoring 34 mpg (US) on the EU combined cycle. The best part is that this engine will be coming to the US in fifty state-legal form later in 2008 in the 5-series and the X5. Now if we can just convince GM to bring their new diesel V-6 to the US market CTS (and everywhere else it will fit!) GM could stop whining about new fuel economy regulations. In the meantime a 535d will be dropping into the ABG Garage in a few weeks so we'll be able to give you an idea of how good the real world mileage is.

[Source: MSN Cars UK, thanks to Limo for the tip]