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I considered the Diesel but shied away from it for a couple reasons. I usually drive very short distances. Not only can that potentially lead to an expensive particle filter replacement from what I understand, I also will never take advantage of the better fuel economy as the Diesel engine doesn't become as fuel efficient as it can until it's been running for some time as I understand it. Diesel gas costs more than premium and diesel engines require more maintenance. This is all based on the research I did and speaking to people so correct me if anything is wrong/debatable. For this reason, if I wanted a 35 I would have chosen the 35i.
The performance of the 35i is still what should be compared to the 35d anyway as you will never make up $12,000 in fuel savings over the life of the car. It would actually take a couple years to make up even the $1500 premium vs the 35i. 35i/35d are more similar in price and performance and consumption. The M50D if it were an option in North America, would be comparable to the 50i and would win on the consumption challenge handily but there are some practical issues with diesel that cannot be overcome so it would still be a non-starter for some. I would suspect more people would choose M50D over 50i than with the 35 models due to the much wider gap in fuel economy.
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