Bruce
Kraftwagen König
- Messages
- 11,535
- Name
- Bruce McCulloch
AutoCar really likes it and so do i 
If you take just one thing from this road test, let it be this: never make the mistake of underestimating a BMW 335i. So you don’t forget, we’ll hit you with the numbers early: 5.4sec to 60mph and a scarcely believable 12.8sec to 100mph. To give that some perspective, a current E46 M3 is just a second quicker to three figures. Perhaps even more important in the real world are the in-gear times; this svelte, inconspicuous coupé will rip from 50-70mph in top gear 1.6sec faster than its M-badged brother. This is a sensationally rapid coupé.
The 335i's perfomance figures are important, because little about the styling of this new 3-series coupé suggests such potency. To say it is understated is an understatement. Does it possess the presence a coupé should? Perhaps not. Is it more attractive than the saloon? Immeasurably so. Unmistakably a BMW, it looks so much better in the metal than in pictures, which don’t do justice to the discreet crease lines. Inside, the experience is more familiar, the coupé changing little from other 3-series variants. There are different door linings and sculptured rear seats, but you’re more likely to notice the new robotic arms that offer forward the front passenger seatbelts. It’s hardly ground-breaking technology (Mercedes has had a similar system on its coupés for decades) but the execution is perfect and the integration seamless. The range for the moment starts with the £28,090 325i (cheaper four-cylinder models will arrive next year), is fleshed out with familiar 3.0-litre six-cylinder diesel and petrol units and is topped by two models wearing a 335 badge, one suffixed with an ‘i’ the other a ‘d’. At £35,475 it’s the diesel that’s more expensive, and with an uprated version of the much-praised 535d engine powering a smaller car, the 335d promises to be a firecracker. But it’s the 302bhp petrol version we’re most interested. The 335i is not, as the name might suggest, a 3.5-litre six or eight, but a 2979cc straight six with twin turbos, each feeding three cylinders and operating in unison. BMW’s thinking was never about outright power (the 335i offers just 30bhp more than the naturally aspirated 330i), but rather the balance of power, flexibility and weight. Against a similar-performing 4.0-litre V8 the blown six is 70kg lighter, benefiting both performance and handling, and usefully less thirsty.
Load the engine through the mid-range and you’re rewarded with a distant psuedo-V8 rumble. Stay committed beyond 5000rpm and you’ll find the turbos have done little to diminish the familiar straight-six purr. Even more impressive than the 335i’s test-track performance, where it steamrolled from rest to its electronically enforced top speed of 155mph in just 38 seconds, is how effortlessly fast it feels on the road, 295lb ft arriving from just 1300rpm with almost zero lag. So flexible and linear is the delivery that you can pull away from a standstill in third gear and just 21 seconds later be sitting on the rev limiter at 105mph. Fourth will take you from walking pace to 140mph. So broad-shouldered is this engine that it instils the 335i with the character of a bigger, more substantial car. Factor in the Three’s inherent refinement and the instant and seemingly bottomless urge available and the 335i makes a classic long-distance machine, covering over 400 miles between fills thanks to touring consumption of 32.1mpg. The coupé inherits the same chassis merits and foibles as other 3-series variants: excellent body control and an enjoyable degree of throttle adjustability but a fidgety ride on the run-flat tyres. The 335i and 335d coupés get sports suspension as standard, further sharpening body control at the expense of a firmer urban ride. This, along with an annoyingly short first gear and heavy steering, makes the city the 335i’s least favourable habitat. High-speed direction changes produce a fair amount of body roll. Equally, driven with gusto, the self-drying, soft-stop brakes wilt quickly with repeated use from high speeds, and the steering, though accurate, is a bit wooden, not transmitting the subtleties you crave. At least the gearchange improves in the higher ratios, becoming slicker. There is also the alternative of a new six-speed automatic (£1590).
It’s business as usual for the 3-series coupe – like its predecessor, the new coupe is upmarket, practical and desirable. A broad transmission tunnel means rear-seat accommodation is strictly for two, but nevertheless this is the most usable 3-series coupé yet. The rear seats are adequate for most adults, and memory front seats mean access isn’t difficult. Luggage space is also up by 20 litres over the previous model. The £33,420 price seems almost good value for the range and depth of performance on offer, and you can expect residuals to be as good as those of anything in the class.
BMW has done it again. Its first modern effort at a turbocharged petrol engine has it all: low-down punch, top-end zeal, deep-rooted character and decent economy. With this firepower, the 335i utterly nails the coupé criteria: stylish, practical, desirable and enjoyable. One of 2006's best new cars.
Specifications
How much?
Price when new £33,420
Price as tested £33,420
How fast?
0-30mph 2.2 sec
0-60mph 5.4 sec
0-100mph 12.8 sec
0-150mph no data
0-200mph no data
30-70mph 4.9 sec
0-400m 14/104.1 sec/mph
0-1000m 25.3/133.6 sec/mph
30-50mph in 3rd/4th 3.1/4 sec
40-60mph in 4th/5th 4.1/4.8 sec
50-70mph in 5th 5 sec
60-0mph 2.49 sec
Top speed no data
Noise at 70mph 69 dbA
How thirsty?
Test average 25.7 mpg
Test best/worst 32.1/11.3 mpg
If you take just one thing from this road test, let it be this: never make the mistake of underestimating a BMW 335i. So you don’t forget, we’ll hit you with the numbers early: 5.4sec to 60mph and a scarcely believable 12.8sec to 100mph. To give that some perspective, a current E46 M3 is just a second quicker to three figures. Perhaps even more important in the real world are the in-gear times; this svelte, inconspicuous coupé will rip from 50-70mph in top gear 1.6sec faster than its M-badged brother. This is a sensationally rapid coupé.
The 335i's perfomance figures are important, because little about the styling of this new 3-series coupé suggests such potency. To say it is understated is an understatement. Does it possess the presence a coupé should? Perhaps not. Is it more attractive than the saloon? Immeasurably so. Unmistakably a BMW, it looks so much better in the metal than in pictures, which don’t do justice to the discreet crease lines. Inside, the experience is more familiar, the coupé changing little from other 3-series variants. There are different door linings and sculptured rear seats, but you’re more likely to notice the new robotic arms that offer forward the front passenger seatbelts. It’s hardly ground-breaking technology (Mercedes has had a similar system on its coupés for decades) but the execution is perfect and the integration seamless. The range for the moment starts with the £28,090 325i (cheaper four-cylinder models will arrive next year), is fleshed out with familiar 3.0-litre six-cylinder diesel and petrol units and is topped by two models wearing a 335 badge, one suffixed with an ‘i’ the other a ‘d’. At £35,475 it’s the diesel that’s more expensive, and with an uprated version of the much-praised 535d engine powering a smaller car, the 335d promises to be a firecracker. But it’s the 302bhp petrol version we’re most interested. The 335i is not, as the name might suggest, a 3.5-litre six or eight, but a 2979cc straight six with twin turbos, each feeding three cylinders and operating in unison. BMW’s thinking was never about outright power (the 335i offers just 30bhp more than the naturally aspirated 330i), but rather the balance of power, flexibility and weight. Against a similar-performing 4.0-litre V8 the blown six is 70kg lighter, benefiting both performance and handling, and usefully less thirsty.
Load the engine through the mid-range and you’re rewarded with a distant psuedo-V8 rumble. Stay committed beyond 5000rpm and you’ll find the turbos have done little to diminish the familiar straight-six purr. Even more impressive than the 335i’s test-track performance, where it steamrolled from rest to its electronically enforced top speed of 155mph in just 38 seconds, is how effortlessly fast it feels on the road, 295lb ft arriving from just 1300rpm with almost zero lag. So flexible and linear is the delivery that you can pull away from a standstill in third gear and just 21 seconds later be sitting on the rev limiter at 105mph. Fourth will take you from walking pace to 140mph. So broad-shouldered is this engine that it instils the 335i with the character of a bigger, more substantial car. Factor in the Three’s inherent refinement and the instant and seemingly bottomless urge available and the 335i makes a classic long-distance machine, covering over 400 miles between fills thanks to touring consumption of 32.1mpg. The coupé inherits the same chassis merits and foibles as other 3-series variants: excellent body control and an enjoyable degree of throttle adjustability but a fidgety ride on the run-flat tyres. The 335i and 335d coupés get sports suspension as standard, further sharpening body control at the expense of a firmer urban ride. This, along with an annoyingly short first gear and heavy steering, makes the city the 335i’s least favourable habitat. High-speed direction changes produce a fair amount of body roll. Equally, driven with gusto, the self-drying, soft-stop brakes wilt quickly with repeated use from high speeds, and the steering, though accurate, is a bit wooden, not transmitting the subtleties you crave. At least the gearchange improves in the higher ratios, becoming slicker. There is also the alternative of a new six-speed automatic (£1590).
It’s business as usual for the 3-series coupe – like its predecessor, the new coupe is upmarket, practical and desirable. A broad transmission tunnel means rear-seat accommodation is strictly for two, but nevertheless this is the most usable 3-series coupé yet. The rear seats are adequate for most adults, and memory front seats mean access isn’t difficult. Luggage space is also up by 20 litres over the previous model. The £33,420 price seems almost good value for the range and depth of performance on offer, and you can expect residuals to be as good as those of anything in the class.
BMW has done it again. Its first modern effort at a turbocharged petrol engine has it all: low-down punch, top-end zeal, deep-rooted character and decent economy. With this firepower, the 335i utterly nails the coupé criteria: stylish, practical, desirable and enjoyable. One of 2006's best new cars.
Specifications
How much?
Price when new £33,420
Price as tested £33,420
How fast?
0-30mph 2.2 sec
0-60mph 5.4 sec
0-100mph 12.8 sec
0-150mph no data
0-200mph no data
30-70mph 4.9 sec
0-400m 14/104.1 sec/mph
0-1000m 25.3/133.6 sec/mph
30-50mph in 3rd/4th 3.1/4 sec
40-60mph in 4th/5th 4.1/4.8 sec
50-70mph in 5th 5 sec
60-0mph 2.49 sec
Top speed no data
Noise at 70mph 69 dbA
How thirsty?
Test average 25.7 mpg
Test best/worst 32.1/11.3 mpg
