When you look at the car from the front, it looks good, a bit like a Lexus IS, but substianally enough to not be confused as one. The front is nice, not aggressive, but nice ... very smooth if you will. From the side, the wheels do a good job of filling out the wheels (if you opt for the 18" sport package). Behind the 18" wheels are some complex looking calipers... you can tell those are not ordinary. There is something there requires additional machinery. I'll talk more about the brake drying, rotor wear indicators and panic brake preparation in a little bit. When you look at the rear of the car, you can visibly see that the car is longer. From the back, the car looks subtle, but again, you can see the added length by the visible rake of the rear window and the rear exhaust tips protrude just a little bit too much from the rear bumper. Somebody is going to sue BMW because they will inadvertently get burnt.

As the big door swings open, it is evident that it has BMW heft to it. The front part of the dash looks just like any other E90 3 series. However, that's about it. The center console now stretches all the way from front to bank eliminating the possiblity of a fifth passenger in the rear ... which is fine, nobody should be back there anyway. The passenger comparement has been completely redesigned for accomodate larger adults in the rear seats. I'm guessing that is where the added length went to.

When you close the door, the car utilizes a little arm if you will to push the seat belt forward from the B pillar to the drivers hand without the need to stretch... nice nifty feature, but I see it getting broken easily. Seats are much more supportive over the E90 3series sedan... Lots of bolster to keep you in place.

Insert key, clutch in ... push button start and the engine fires to life. The first words that come to mind are buttery smooth. Tapping the exhaust pedal yields nothing as again it seems throttle response is lacking from idle. Don't know if this is a function of the turbos or just the way the engine is designed... who knows.

Now we are off... Acceleration from a stop is good, very brisk. If you didn't know anything about this car, you would never know it is turbo charged. Full throttle from idle yields plenty of power, but no where near as fast or as powerful feeling as the E46 M3. E46 M3 felt much more brutal. However, that being said, the car does pull strongly. Suprisingly, it'll hit 110 in 3rd gear with ease. The shifts are crisp, but with BMW smoothness. There is no doubt that you are in a uber saloon as you change gears. Each gear change is precise and crisp. Power is available in all gears at all ranges of the powerband. In 6th gear at 40mph, you can mash the go pedal and the engine will pull you forward ... can't really do that in a E46 M3. The more you downshift, the faster you accelerate... but again, feeling of power is better in the E46 M3.

Brakes are beefy. Remember earlier when I was talking about the brake calipers? Well this car comes standard with some nice new braking features. Panic brake preparation - when you snap your foot off the go pedal, it pre-pressurizes the brake system and brings the calipers withing 1mm of the rotor so when you stab the brake, you get INSTANT stopping power and during that time it will maximize braking power without triggering ABS. If you trigger ABS it'll continue to work. The brake system also supports a Brake Dry feature. When driving in the rain, with the windshield wipers active, the brakes will periodically lightly apply the pads to the rotors to dry the pads and rotors so when you need braking power, you won't have to suffer from rain fade on the brake pad/rotor.

When it comes to handling... the car feels good, feels very tight, However, mid corner bumps can upset the chassis giving it an uneasy feeling, not all bumps, but certain bumps sent the chassis into an see-saw effect where you feel a bit unnerved. Loads of grip are available though which provides for lots of driving excitement. Throttle induced oversteer as power is readily on tap. However, by default, the car will understeer if you approach corners too swiftly. Traction control is switch to step in and act if needed.

Basically, it's a nice car... feels great, but it is no M. When the M comes out, expect a review from yours truly.

I just test drove one a few minutes ago. I agree with most of your review. However, to me it felt faster than an e46 M3. Maybe it's just because I don't own one and drive it everyday, therefor my thoughts are a bit aged.

However, I should add, no turbo lag below 2000-2500. Above 3k the car just screams.

I drove an E46 M3 (32k miles) and the 335i back to back and, to me, the acceleration felt about the same from a stop. On the freeway in sixth gear the 335 was definately faster (and testing proved that). With that said, the acceleration on the M3 is much more visceral while on the 335i it's almost turbine like.

Regardless, great review Kevlar!

Agreed ... acceleration in higher gears in the 335i was no doubt much better than the M3 due to it having almost over 50ft-lbs more torque available from low in the powerband (gotta love those turbos).

I still believe the M3 is faster tho if the RPMs are up. The brute acceleration of the M3 is very apparent as the RPMs climb. To me the 335i felt as fast from a little over idle to just shy of redline. The power was seemless and constant the entire time.

I am still shocked that it pulled from idle to 110 in 3rd gear... with turbine like smoothness at that.

nice write up as usual :thumbup:

Cant wait for the 335iT:)

Cant wait for the 335iT:)
Agreed.

So is the top speed higher hten the E46 M?

That's hard to really say without adequate room and a delimited car to test with ... especially since you are taking speeds well into the 160-170 range.

So is the top speed higher hten the E46 M?
Right, there are not many places where you can SAFELY test those speeds; unless you are on a track.

Sounds like you're saying what everyone does which is that the new 3 series is more refined, which is always played out as great, but I think its a bit disapointing. To me the 3 always meant performance, a sporty character, a fun car, and the 6 more of a gt refined cruzer (save the m6). Now it seems the 3 coupe is just going to be a smaller cheaper version of the 6, which is a bit confusing. Wheres the 30k sport coupe of the e46 generation? And no I don't mean the z4 :P

-Spargo

Here's my mini review from my drive this evening:

I drove the 335i 6-speed auto with sport package (their manual demo didn't have the sport package).

That engine is like a controlled industrial explosive charge. My word, that engine felt as big as my S62 V8, but because this one was not a manual, it spurts to felonious velocities without giving you much notice... you lose count of the gears shifted because of the reduced involvement. We took off and within moments I was committing felony while spurting superlative expletives.

Then I did the lug test. Yes, it lugs without hesitation in sixth gear at 1200 rpm. Just the recipe for economy (and law-abiding status). Yet it was not a complete dog at 50 in sixth. Not bad.

Oh, and those paddle shifters work in the same way that the non-M SMG cars' paddles do. Either paddle will handle both upshifting (pull) as well as downhifting (push). Transmission response felt instantaneous compared to the 2006 E60 N52 525i auto I had today as a loaner.

The onboard fuel computer indicated that the cumulative average for that dealer demo car was 12.9mpg. Pretty good indicator of the ravishment it has endured thus far from prospective buyers and tire-kickers. But yet, not bad mpg considering it has spent most of its life near redline so far.

Handling? Typical 3-series taut and chuckable. Not much more than ginsu carving through traffic for me this time 'round.

The verdict? This car (and its motor) is so much fun that it doesn't matter what you think of its styling and interior ergonomics... it's still feels like "da bomb" behind the wheel. Buy it in gray so you'll stay off the cop radar!

I went by the dealer in Visalia to take a look to see if they had any of these in, and they had 2. Saw one in Hanford the other day, silver, and beautiful.

they had a black one and a space gray at the dealer. Space Gray is a hell of a color. absolutely beautiful on this car. No wonder their booklet uses the color inside. Very impressed with the car up close and personal. There was also a 330i next to it, white exterior, with a brown/brushed interior, and the interior combo was GORGEOUS.

If I was looking for a car to lease for a couple of years, the 335i coupe looks like it would be the perfect car. They had run one lease on one, and a salesman told me $3k down, $750 a month is what they gave the other guy.... which seems like a pretty damn good deal for a ~$45k ish car.

Cant wait for the 335iT:)
Doubt we will get it as they give us usually the smaller motor (328iT for `07). I'm feeling the 135i however :buttrock