2009 BMW 335d

Prepare to have your prejudices shattered and your perceptions altered. Prepare to relearn everything you thought you knew about performance cars. Prepare to drive the 2009 BMW 335d.

The 335d spearheads a freshened 3 Series range for North America that will be unveiled at the Los Angeles show next month. Key changes to the 3 Series for 2009 include a new hood with dual character lines leading down to a broader, chrome-ringed double kidney grille. There are new bumpers front and rear, new exterior rearview mirrors, plus new headlights and taillights. The front track has been increased 6 mm, while the rear has been pumped out 24 mm. Six new wheel designs are available.

Inside are mild upgrades to the interior, including a smattering of classier new materials, revised instrument graphics, and the latest-generation iDrive system, featuring the new controller and button cluster from the just-released 7 Series and the same glitzy, high-resolution graphic interface.

The big news is under the hood, however. The 328i and 335i drivetrains continue unchanged for 2009, but they are joined by BMW's first 50-state-legal diesel, a twin-turbo, 3.0L straight-six that delivers 265 hp at 4220 rpm, and a thumping 425 lb-ft of torque between 1750 and 2250 rpm. Driving through a six-speed automatic transmission, BMW claims this engine will propel the 335d from 0 to 60 mph in 6.0 sec while delivering 23 mpg city and 36 mpg on the highway.

It sounds too good to be true -- sport-sedan performance with econo-car mileage. But after our first drive of a U.S. spec 335d in Europe, it appears to deliver on the promise. After 120 miles of stop-start Munich traffic, flat-out autobahn blasts (we can confirm that cruising at 120 mph the 335d's engine is turning a lazy 3100 rpm, and that the U.S.-spec version is limited to an indicated 134 mph), and 80 mph cruising on Austrian motorways, the trip computer on our tester showed it was averaging 30.9 mpg.