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The only diesel available in Canada is the 28d. It's vastly inferior to the 30d available in Europe. It's pretty slow (0-60 takes 7.8 seconds, according to Car And Driver) and many journalists have complained that the engine feels unrefined in the car. I test drove it, and while the low end torque was ample, and I'm sure the mileage is better, when you really put your foot down you're met with pretty seriously turbo lag and almost no top end power.
The 28i (the one I ended up buying) is pretty good on the highway. At 110 km/h I can maintain about 27 US MPG (about 8.7 L/100km). City/suburban driving uses more gas (I get 12L/100km, or 10.5 if I drive in eco-pro like a grandmother). The 28i can also do 0-60 in 6 seconds flat (according to a recent review of the 2015 28i xDrive in MotorTrend) and has a lot more passing power at highway speeds. These are very respectable numbers for a 4200 lb vehicle.
In the end, though, you're talking about a $50k++ SUV. I wouldn't take the diesel over the gas model for a small savings in fuel. It will take you a long time to make up the $1700 difference between the 28i and 28d models. The 28i is a much faster car with a quieter engine and far less (almost no) turbo lag. It's engine (N20) has been called one of the best 4-cyl engines on the market and I really think it's the sweet spot for value-meets-performance for North American X3s.
(On the other hand, if I lived in a country where it's available, I'd take the 30d or the 35d in a heartbeat).
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