BMW Group Indonesia is promoting diesel-powered passenger cars with its latest model, the BMW 320d Modern.

Around 35 percent of all BMWs sold in Indonesia hail from the 3 Series, making it a gold mine for the German automaker. So to the uninitiated, it may seem risky to introduce a diesel engine into an already successful premium sedan.

However, with diesels comprising around 12 percent of BMW’s total sales so far this year, the company is confident that this market is growing.

BMW Group Indonesia recently invited a number of journalists to come to Bali and learn more about the car. Five BMW 320d cars were waiting for us, and at first glance they looked quite similar to other models in the 3 Series. A badge on the back offered the only indication that it was a diesel.

The 2-liter TwinPower Turbo engine purred like a kitten — well, a loud kitten — but you couldn’t tell it was a diesel making the noise. At idle it ran gently and there were no loud rattles and clunks like an old-fashioned diesel-powered vehicle.

BMW is taking diesel to the masses, and I didn’t experience any slowness or bellowing smoke, which many people associate with commercial diesels, on the drive from Denpasar to Seminyak.

Why should a sedan use diesel? Many people don’t want to stand in line with the trucks and pickups watching lesser cars get filled before them. Well those people should take another look at what carmakers are offering in terms of diesel technology.

The BMW Advanced Diesel technology definitely made me a fan of what diesel can do. Its high torque at low revs is intoxicating. Consider, the BMW 320d makes around 184 horsepower at 4,000rpm and has a maximum torque of 380Nm, which is delivered between 1,750rpm and 2,750rpm.

Just a little tap on the gas pedal and the car just goes. No lagging, it’s straight off to the horizon leaving the rest in your wake.

Combined with the eight-speed transmission, the BMW 320d accelerates and drives smoothly and seamlessly. Even on Eco Pro mode, which is the setting to allow for optimum fuel efficiency, acceleration is smooth — a perfect marriage between high efficiency and the petrol-head’s desire for “look at me” dynamism and sportiness.

It’s a total change from its predecessor, the BMW 3 Series E90, which had a much harder suspension setting and shorter wheelbase.

Even sitting in the back of this new model or any BMW 3 Series is comfortable. No touching the front seats with your knees or kissing the driver’s head rest when a family on a motorcycle pulls out in front of you.

After Tanjung Benoa, we headed to Blue Point in Uluwatu to enjoy one of Bali’s famous sunsets. The road was a never-ending procession of sharp bends, but the large Bimmer (as BMWs are affectionately known by their legions of fans) took it all in stride.

The generous 2,810-millimeter wheelbase is nevertheless able to handle the tight turns of Bali’s winding roads.

With a price of Rp 659 million ($67,000), it could be considered competitive to other brands .

You get a combination of an efficient and dynamic premium sedan combined with a BMW service-inclusive plan of five years. All you need to do is fill the car with diesel and away you go.