BMW Made The World’s First Quad-Turbo Diesel Car, And It’s Still On The Roads Today
A long, long time ago (around the year 2000), and way before electric vehicles were being rolled out as the solution to everyday motoring, not just getting down the fairway, diesels were the next big thing. These engines were always efficient and frugal; they just weren’t particularly fast.
But, thanks to progress (and turbochargers), the diesel engine went from living mostly in trucks, to being pioneered in rare German models in the ’80s, to becoming as quick as most gas cars. Skoda even made a diesel hot hatch in the form of the original Fabia VRS, and suddenly, oil was cool, as well as being cheap and useful for getting a long way on one tank. Diesel became the motoring world equivalent of the latest TikTok super influencer, with the world falling at its feet, and opportunities landing in its lap – the world was diesel’s oyster. But like many celebs, after the adoration came the scandal and fall.
While the technology was there to move them away from the black-smoke-belching tractors that they once were, the diesel couldn’t quite escape the past. This was when “Dieselgate” hit, and generally, consumers started to realize that an electric car offered much the same things as a diesel, including cheap miles and plenty of torque, just without the monster autobahn-crushing range. With the sun setting on diesels, one manufacturer launched the most powerful six-cylinder diesel engine ever for those devotees left. This mill was fitted in a luxury sleeper car that even today could demolish sports cars in a straight line – and it just doesn’t give a damn.
HotCars used official manufacturer data to look at this model and the other fastest diesel production cars on sale in the last few years. We used independent reviews and manufacturer’s claims for performance data.
The BMW 750d xDrive Introduced The World’s Most Powerful Six-Cylinder Diesel Engine
After many consumers lost interest in diesel, this fuel and its technology became refined to a maverick bunch of outsiders – let’s call them sales reps and CEOs – who still burned the oily candle for this type of fuel. These people still demanded powerful cars that could sail down the autobahn at insane speeds, but with good economy and a huge range. The manufacturers soldiered on, making ever more powerful and advanced diesel engines for those who still wanted that derv hit, but the cars became more and more niche. This is when the world’s first quad-turbo diesel appeared – a true monster of an engine that would go down in history, if anyone could actually remember it.
The 7 Series Got Not One But Four Turbochargers In Its Engine Bay
BMW’s latest TwinPower Turbo technology was unleashed in the new BMW 750d xDrive and BMW 750Ld xDrive models in 2016. You didn’t need to dig too deep into the press pack to know that this was a seriously advanced bit of kit, especially for the world of diesel. The new 3.0-liter six-cylinder in-line engine featured multi-stage turbocharging with four turbochargers – something that used to be the claim to fame of the Bugatti Veyron – and further developed common-rail direct injection.
The output figures were eye-watering, especially considering this was almost ten years ago. The engine develops a maximum output of 400 horsepower and a peak torque of 560 lb-ft. That’s the kind of torque figure you will see in a V12-powered, 214 mph Pagani Zonda F. The 750d has combined fuel consumption of 47.9 to 49.6 mpg and a likely range of between 750 and 850 miles. That means that, in theory, you could drive from Berlin to Munich and back without having to fill up once.
The 750d Is A Super Fast Sports Car Wrapped Up In An Exec Sedan Body
The only problem is, it might be hard to resist slamming down the go pedal a few times in a 750d xDrive. It may look like a car that belongs in the airport drop-off fleet for a five-star hotel, but the big 7 Series is a wild sleeper car. The diesel range-topper will hit 60 mph in 4.6 seconds (BMW 750Ld xDrive: 4.6 seconds) and power on to a limited 155 mph top speed.
A Closer Look At The BMW 750d’s Engine And Tech
The new multi-stage turbocharging system in the 7 Series included four turbochargers in place of the previous three, allowing boost pressure to be built up at lower engine speeds and enabling better throttle response. The cylinder head and crankcase are manufactured in a special high-pressure compression process, with a hot isostatic pressing (HIP) to ensure the aluminum castings are incredibly strong. Other special features of the monster diesel unit include the now five-layer cylinder head gasket, pistons made from an aluminum/silicon alloy with remelted bowl rims, and cylinder bores with a twin-wire arc-sprayed coating and bronze liners in the pin eyes.
The latest generation of common-rail direct injection technology supplies the fuel, using piezo injectors with a maximum injection pressure that has been increased to over 2,500 bar. Emissions had also been reduced, with both a diesel particulate filter and NOX storage catalytic converter built into the exhaust system, as well as an SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) system with AdBlue injection. The diesel six-cylinder engine is mated to an eight-speed Steptronic transmission, and the power is sent to all corners thanks to intelligent all-wheel drive.
How The BMW 750d xDrive Stacks Up Against Other Mighty Diesels
The G11/G12 7 Series diesel is seriously quick – fast enough to take on some incredibly quick machinery, and we’re not just talking other diesels. For example, the V8 gas-powered Mercedes-AMG SL55 has the same 4.5-second sprint to 60 mph.
You could also drag race a 1990 Chevrolet Corvette C4 ZR1, a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X, and a 2015 Ford Mustang GT Premium, and still stand a chance of winning. It’s worth remembering, all these cars are gas-powered too, which makes the BMW 7 oil-burner even more impressive.
The 750d Is One Of The Quickest Diesels Ever Made
When it comes to other diesels, the 750d is undoubtedly one of the fastest ever to go on the market. One of the few cars that could beat it also comes from BMW. The BMW M550d xDrive features the same B57 mill and was sold as both a Sedan and a Touring model. These cars have the same 400 horsepower and 560 lb-ft of torque spread between 2,000 and 3,000 rpm from the quad-turbo six, but the sprint to 60 mph was down to 4.3 seconds for the sedan, with the estate arriving 0.2 seconds slower. Experienced bimmer fans will know this car launches to 60 in high threes on dry pavement.
The 550d is even faster than a 414-horsepower E92 BMW M3 fitted with a 4.0-liter naturally aspirated V8, which hits 60 mph in 4.4 seconds. In 2016, Porsche released the new Panamera 4S with a V8 diesel, which came fitted with a permanent all-wheel drive system and a new eight-speed Porsche dual-clutch transmission (PDK). This mill is good for 422 horsepower and 627 lb-ft of torque, and, equipped with the Sport Chrono pack, the 4S Diesel can hit 60 mph in a BMW M550d xDrive-matching 4.3 seconds.
Source: BMW.
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