I have to admit--when I was invited overseas to check out the new BMW 335i coupe, I didn't expect to really like it a whole lot. I was afraid my performance impressions would be too pessimistic after experiencing the braking and handling of multiple E46 M3s, and too jaded from the monster power cars these pages have been seeing. Well, my premonition was way off. And to be frank, this car is flat-out spectacular.
The totally revamped 335i coupe is targeted to drivers consciously looking for a sporting and very active experience that cannot otherwise be experienced in a sedan, touring wagon, convertible, or SUV--and those who appreciate stylish looks, supreme quality, and a refined appearance for everyday traffic. When you see this car from any angle, you will definitely be able to tell it apart from its E90 saloon sister. It sits one inch lower, has a sportier bumper cover, larger kidney grilles, was blessed with a much sleeker profile, and boasts a drop-dead gorgeous rear end, featuring side-to-side exhaust tips and totally redesigned taillights that light up the night.
With a 50:50 weight distribution, a low center of gravity, and the most sophisticated suspension system in its class, thanks to an aluminum double-joint tie-bar spring-strut axle in the front and a five-arm axle at the rear, the 335i really provides the confidence under braking and turn-in that you'd otherwise only feel in a real sports car. The car begs to be pushed, but while I tried my best it was as if the car was laughing at me.
Carving up and down the Austrian Alps as quickly as my wits would allow was a smooth experience, thanks to the Active Steering system, which is not only precise but performance-friendly. At higher speeds, it lets you feel the car with minimal assistance, but at lower speeds the steering angles of the front wheels are kept optimum through a planetary gearbox integrated into the steering column. It's at these lower speeds that the Active Steering assist becomes evident, choreographing the dance through the Alps' numerous 180-degree hairpins to be a simple, quick, and delightful number.
We drove both transmissions--the six-speed automatic, as well as the manual gearbox. The automatic can also be manually shifted from paddles in the steering wheel or from the gear shifter. My only gripe about the whole car was in the paddles, which is nothing like BMW's SMG. First, they don't move with the steering wheel. Second, flipping either left or right paddles will shift up, and the thumb button on either side will downshift. Sure, it allows you to shift up and down using either hand, but it's very confusing if you're used to the SMG, or perhaps the paddle shifters on a Ferrari or a Lamborghini for that matter (hey, some rich people will want a 335 for a daily driver, too).
You would think the automatic tranny would be a performance deprivation from the manual, but this isn't so. With BMW's new innovative torque converter and hydraulic system, shifting times are an astonishing one-tenth of a second and downshifts actually skip gears with rev-matching for a truly high-performance experience. I actually think that, save for clutch slippage off the line in a drag race, the manual has no noticeable advantage over the automatic from a performance standpoint. It will be interesting to see what a chassis dyno reveals.
If there is anything that will really set aside the new coupe from its four-door counterpart, it's under the hood. Impressive enough, the base model 3 Series coupe to be released, the 325, will be powered by a 2.5-liter engine producing 218 bhp, while a 3.0-liter powerplant boasting 272 bhp will haul the 330 coupe. The car I drove, however, had the magnificent twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter powerplant found only in the BMW 335i. Rated at an impressive 300 bhp, its remarkable powerband twists the flywheel with 295 lb-ft of torque from 1300 to 5000 rpm, and still has the ability to average 29.7 mpg. BMW says it will do zero to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 5.5 seconds, but I think that's a bit conservative. In fact, the top end feels really close to the performance of an E46 M3. Unlike the M3, however, the 335i seems to lose very little performance at high altitude, thanks to its forced induction.
The 335i's engine features an all-aluminum crankcase--the first of its kind--keeping the rotating assembly light. The Piezo injectors in BMW's High Precision Injection system are positioned right in the middle of the four valves to ensure consistent and exact-metered injection in any situation. "With our High Precision Injection system, we are able flush out the residual gas, provide an early ignition [for optimum power], use a leaner fuel mixture due to the special metals in the turbo, and still be able to have a 10.2:1 compression," Albin Dirndorfer, the 3 Series Project Leader, assured us.