Review: BMW 335i
I recently had the chance to flog the newest BMW coupe, the 335i, around Pocono Raceway and I came away extremely impressed. Not only is the 335i coupe a handsome car-- the best design exercise from the Bangle gang to date-- the engine is a true masterpiece.
The first things you notice when walking up to the car are the terrific proportions of the coupe silhouette and the wonderful BMW stance. BMW has always done a great job of hunkering the body down over the car's chassis, despite the compromises that need to be made for various arcane government regulations and standards. The gaps between the tire and the wheel well are as tight as you can get this side of the Fast and Furious crowd. The front overhang is artfully disguised by the chamfering of the corners and the character lines that run all the way to the bottom of the fascia. Yes, the overhang is relatively short, but it’s made to appear even more so thanks to these styling tweaks. The smooth flow up and over the greenhouse and into the trunk is much more elegant in the coupe, especially when compared to its blocky sedan counterpart. The longish rear overhang is perfectly in step with the overall design. Even the upward swooping side lines that BMW is slapping on every new model seems to work well here. Yes I would prefer fewer of these lines in the overall design, but given the new BMW design language parameters, it does work.
The IP is lifted straight from the now familiar sedan, though the rest of the interior has upgraded details that make it a much more sumptuous place to conduct business. The seats in the sport package equipped test car fit this bum quiet well offering enough support for spirited everyday driving. For track duty I would prefer a less slippery seat material or better side bolstering, but that may be an unreasonable request considering most people will not be tracking the car to and from work everyday.
Hit the start button (one of the more annoying automotive trends of late) and you are barely made aware of the potential of this masterful power plant. Just a whisper quiet idle tells you the machine is ready for your input. With 300 hp and 300 foot-pounds of torque, you will be happy with the result. The engine pulls smoothly, and without any discernable turbo lag from idle to redline with a linearity heretofore never felt in a turbo engined car. The accompanying sounds from the engine when it is under full load are spectacular—this is the first modern BMW that actually sounds good straight out of the box.
The handling around the combination oval and road course layout at Pocono Raceway, where we were testing, is solid. Understeer is its failsafe mode, but you can squeak out the tail if you try. Hit a corner just right and it’s neutral all the way around.
The 335i is by no means an M3, which despite being down on torque feels quicker in almost every circumstance thanks to its less compromised state of tune. The new coupe is however, fast, much more sporting than an Infiniti, Lexus, or Audi, and very easy to live with. You could call it an M3 in velvet gloves—power in abundance, capable handling, yet easy to live with.