Pie4Foo

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(For those of you living under a rock, this is BMW's new twin-turbo, inline-six coupe and sedan.)

The 335is started arriving in dealerships over the weekend, so I scheduled a test drive with my local dealership yesterday. After the salesman complimented my S4 with the "fatties" (BBS RXIIs), we walked over to a Space Gray 335i coupe with a six-speed.

<b>Exterior</b>

The 335i coupe looks better in person than it does in the press pics floating around the Internet, although it comes across as if BMW's designers penned the lines after taking a hit of estrogen (an 83-year old grandma bought the first car the dealership got). The coupe's body is very curvy from the front quarter on back, and the RS6-like wheels were familiar and attractive to me. The curves do flow nicely into the tailights, where they end abruptly at the trunk - that was botched. Unfortunately, the front-end was atrocious.

<b>Interior</b>

First impression - "wow, great seats." They're extremely supportive, well-bolstered, and generally comfortable. The steering wheel was thick and perhaps a touch smaller than the S4's, but the steering felt lighter. The rest of the interior was typical BMW 3-series so I didn't bother with any of it during my drive.

<b>Driving</b>

Since trying to rag the car out like a high schooler would only make me look like a no-talent assclown, I didn't set out to find the limits of the car during this test drive. I spent the first couple of miles getting accustomed to the shifting, clutch, and steering before really punching it. The clutch is extremely light, especially compared to an S4 or even BMW's E46 M3. While it led me to wonder about its staying power under heavy use, I had no problem feeling the engagement point or making quick, confident shifts. As I mentioned earlier, the steering was lighter than my S4, but turn-in wasn't as crisp because the suspension was definitely cushier than my PSS9-equipped S4. However, it is a better suspension than what's found on stock S4s and was about what I expected from a luxury coupe. The biggest disappointment from the handling was probably the 3700 pound curb weight, which took its toll in the quick U-turn and fast sweeper I took. I'm surprised BMW has made this coupe such a portly car; I always remembered 3-series cars as being svelte things.

Now, the power. The twin-turbo inline-six has been <a href="http://www.automobilemag.com/features/news/0609_2007_bmw_335i_dynamometer/" target="_blank">dynoed at 275whp/300wtq</a> on a DynoJet, 1/4 in mid 13s, so on paper it should be faster than a stock S4 (like mine). It is faster than my S4, but only marginally so, and definitely not in the realm of a Stage 1 S4. The torque shove we all love about the S4's 2.7t is certainly present, so I don't want this post to come across as disappointing in that regard. The 335i's engine is fantastic and a clear successor to the S4's 2.7t. I don't have the knowledge to comment on the construction, compression, or other engineering facets of the engine to determine if it can make the Stage 3 POWAH of an S4, but I know the potential is there, and at least in stock form, it's already fantastic.

The 335i can be driven exactly like an S4; the boost spikes to ~10psi early on in the rev range and tapers off toward the redline, so it pulls hard through the midrange with just a faint hint of turbo lag. I sensed there was a little more power up top compared to the S4's engine, which is why I believe it to be faster. The Bimmer's engine revs fast and predictably, so I was heel-and-toeing my downshifts with near perfect precision after just five minutes behind the wheel (the salesman was impressed when I nailed a 45mph downshift into second approaching a corner). Which brings me to my favorite part of the car: the transmission. The shifter is deliberate, nicely weighted, and finding my way through the gates was a snap. BMW is using a special, short-ratio Getrag transmission here (1:1 is 5th in the 335i) and I was once again reminded at how much I need to install a short shifter in my S4.

<b>Engine</b>

After the drive, I popped the hood and took a quick peek in the engine bay. The layout should be familiar to most S4 owners, but I was struck at how much more room there appeared to be in the engine bay. The intake runs from the front grille towards the driver's side before disappearing underneath some plastic coverings. The telltale heat shielding gave away the location of the Mitsu turbos underneath the engine, and the piping led me to the side-mounted intercoolers.

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<b>Subjective comparsions to my S4</b>

Engine: a draw in stock form, S4 wins in modified form
Transmission: 335
Seats: 335
The new-with-a-warranty-and-no-expensive-maintenance-factor: 335
Chassis: unknown
Modding potential: unknown
Suspension: S4 (thank you PSS9s)
Interior: S4
Looks: S4
Car I want to drive home today: S4
Car I wish they made today: a new S4 with the 335i's new engine and tranny

<b>Overall</b>

As an S4 owner, I immediately loved the 335i's engine. The transmission, seats, and steering wheel were all big pluses, while most everything else about the car (rear-wheel drive, lack of an LSD, too much electronics) fell into the "meh" category. The feminine styling is a definite negative, but I could see myself living with the 335i in sedan format. The $45k price tag for an "appropriately" equipped 335i sedan is, IMO, a reasonable price for a luxury-oriented sedan with this kind of power.

Conclusion? If my S4 were to meet an untimely demise and a replacement S4 was out of the question, I'd pick up a 335i sedan the next day (no 2.0T for me). In the meantime, the S4's platform has far more performance/modding choices, community support, and overall appeal to me.

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PS: I hijacked the photos from <a href="http://www.e90post.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=3" target="_blank">E90Post.com</a>, which has a nice collection of user-submitted pics and vids.

EE:OutofBounds

is the Twin-Turbo power plant.....to us Turbo/TQ freaks here anyways

S4Poor/deux@Curbside

Good read. Thank you!

vonSol::kinkS4

Very nice write-up. Thanks for the input

TwinTurboTerror

Nice review. But how do you figure it's got a 3700 lb. curb weight? BMW specs say 3500.

Shap

Great review.... thanks!

Funkdariaa

Depending on which turbos they have on there stock the easy upgradeability might be anywhere from wow to holly ****. Unless mitsu turbos are different now. If they have the same flange as old school stuff lots of people (us) are in trouble. Of course with a car that expensive it will be a few years before the power potential begins to be seen in them and a decent aftermarket offering is seen. Basically how much power they could make is dependent on the engine, fueling, software, and drive terrain. They won't be nearly as limited as we are by the turbos and their turbos should be cheap.

Does anyone know anything about the stock turbos? I know a BMW tech at one of the local BMW dealerships. He was telling me they have two demo cars there and was saying I should go test drive one.

ClemS4

Great write-up! Thanks.

'Nova more S4

impressive.

spartanS4

Such as block material, no forged internals, etc. I don't know a lot about that kind of stuff but that seems to be what i keep hearing. Funny how BMW has gone the route of the turbo.....