I'm about to take the plunge and wanted to know what people thought of the 328 vs 335. I will be getting the 6MT and sport package w/ nav. I've started to mellow a little with age and do not need a ton of power to have fun and the car will mostly be used for long haul trips and some around town stuff. Is the 335 worth the extra money, or will I have just as much fun with the 328? I will not be modding either car.

I'm about to take the plunge and wanted to know what people thought of the 328 vs 335. I will be getting the 6MT and sport package w/ nav. I've started to mellow a little with age and do not need a ton of power to have fun and the car will mostly be used for long haul trips and some around town stuff. Is the 335 worth the extra money, or will I have just as much fun with the 328? I will not be modding either car.

I went through the same process. I was a first time bimmer owner. I had decided to get the 328 and then I started reading all the rave reviews about the 335i. Test drive both. When I drove the 335i, it blew me away. The power is effortless, but acts tame in city driving. Decided I had to have one or be in envy.

I was having the same dilemma. Since I was getting Premium (leather) and the Logic7 sound system, the difference was under $3000. I drove both and felt "happier" driving the 335. I'm going to own this car for a while (I had my RX-7 convertible for 17 years). I didn't want to be kicking myself later for not getting the 335. NOTE: You can always ease up on the accelerator on a 335 but you can't get any more out of a 328 when it isn't there. I did opt not to get the nav system. It's gotten some mixed reviews and I have a Garmin Nuvi that works just fine when I do need some assistance.

i, too had the same question. test drove both.
but the 335 felt jumpy to me in regular traffic (no flames, please, it was my experience and you may not feel the same way!) and even though i was getting the premium pkg, and loads of other options, the difference was more than 3,000.
it was more like 5,000. i got a coupe, though, so perhaps that's why.

they're identical except for the engine (someone said the grilles are different, but mine is chrome, so it looks exactly the same as the 335 ...) an the power was plenty for me.
i haven't had a situation yet where i didn't have enough power.

but - of COURSE - it's totally a personal thing - if you test drive the 335 and love the power - you should get it if it makes you happy!

I'm sure the 328i would be a fine car for your situation. Remember, the 328i is lighter, too. I just had to spoil myself with the 335i. I love it.

The 328 is a nice car, quick to drive, excellent on the highway and if you value the creature comforts, such as Navi, among others its very good all around. I think the 335 is a very powerful car, so if that's what your looking for go for it. I think with the 328 MT you will get very respectable acceleration times. Its interesting because I have a very powerful sports car and I really don't miss the power when I drive the BMW. I really enjoy the smooth feel of the 328 engine and the feel of the car. Maybe I'm mellowing with age too, but I live in a big urban centre and even on the highway, you cannot drive aggressively. Good luck.

I have a strange feeling 328 owners will recommend the 328 and 335 owners the 335, weird! :shifty

I'm a 335i owner, but I'll recommend either the 328 or the 335. If you get either of them optioned out the way you would like, you'll really enjoy the car and will be very happy with it and no regrets. I spent a lot of time weighing the my options and comparing the 328 and 335 to make sure that I would be happy with which one I chose. I eventually decided that I had to have the 335 over the 328 only because it was so much quicker and the power is really something. Otherwise, if you've got the 6mt, you can have just as much fun. The in-line 6 engine is so smooth and linear with such a smooth low-end torque curve and power surge through redline that you'll just enjoy driving the ultimate driving machine whether it's the naturally aspirated 328 or the twin turbo, intercooled, direct injection 335. Seventy horsepower and about 90 FP torque are very nice to have over the 328 (not to mention that you can drop a few hundred $ on a tuner- SSTT, JBS1/2, Procede, ect. and get a lot more power), but if you just want a nice 3-series with PLENTY of power to enjoy the ride as a BMW should be, the 328i is definitely an excellent car in keeping with the BMW 3-series reputation.

It's like the decision between an E46 330i coupe and an E46 M3. If you don't think you need an M3 because you don't need to be revving the engine up to 8000 rpm, then you'll probably be very happy with that 328i.

i agree with bluestreek - it's not a matter of 328 owners recommending 328's or 335 owners going with a 335 - it comes down to the desire (and appreciation) of the extra hp and torque you get in the 335. simply a personal decision, no rights or wrongs in my book.

both cars are great - you'll end up with a great car, either way.

335 = 328 on steroids

Otherwise the same car; same driving dynamics, same ergonomics, the same look and feel.

More power is a good thing, as long as the chassis can handle it. And the 328's/335's can. It all depends on whether the extra cost will hurt you more than the extra power will please you.

I've seen figures of around $3k bandied about here--328 loaded vs. 335.

I test drove both the 328 and 335. To me, the 335 was a bit jumpy as well, but I loved the way it sounds (vroom! vroom!).

I'm leaning towards the convertibles, so in the end, I think I'm going to go with the 328 as it seemed to have plenty of power and performance.

I'm a little scared of the 335 in the long haul because of the twin turbos and direct injection, which is a relatively new tech that I feel needs more time to be refined.

I'm planning on keeping my car for 6 years, so I'm playing things a little safer. Also in LA traffic, I don't get many opportunities to open up on the throttle!

I bought my first BMW two weeks ago, and got the 328xi...I wanted all wheel drive, and decent gas mileage since I drive about 500 miles per week. I absolutely love the car...the power is great (but I came from a 168 hp Volvo 850, so 230hp would be great!) but it's got to be truly awe-inspiring to drive the 335.

If the 335xi got 30 mpg, I would have bought it instead...more power is always great!

Also got the 328xi. This is my daily driver; I shift at 3k, and simply put, I would rarely spool up the turbos, but admittedly it would be nice to have. For me the difference was $5,000+; if you are not going to use the power now, invest that money in the market towards your 500+HP M3 in 10 years.

I don't think you'll be sorry either way. Again, keep in mind that the 328 is very much like 325 of years past, and the 335 is similar to M3 of years past...

Oops, I meant that the 328 is very much like the *330* of years past (in terms of HP) and the 335 is very similar to M3 of years fast.

We opted for the 328i. We've owned a 300+ hp car and really have no practical need for that much power. This will be my wifes everyday driver.
If I was 25 years younger she'd be driving the 335i. Such is life. Get what suites you, and only you can answer that.

i'm in the same situation..
i've been debating over this the whole weekend in fact i just ordered a 328i sedan last wed. but after reading about the 335 & the power it has i'm calling the dealership first thing tomorrow morning and changing it to 335i, the new twin turbo engine @ 300hp sounds too good. I know i'll regret it later...

how about the 330i?

how about the 330i?

What about the 330i? If you're question is why not get that, the answer is simple. They don't offer it anymore on the 3 series. You can have a 328i, a 335i, a 328xi or a 335xi, in either sedan, coupe or convertible.

I'm with many here, while I chose the 335i just because I loved the sound and responsiveness of the engine, I'm sure I could have been quite pleased with a 328 as well. I could afford the difference, so it just didn't make much sense not to get it. But the OP should get what he feels meets his needs the best.

You can have a 328i, a 335i, a 328xi or a 335xi, in either sedan, coupe or convertible.

No 335xi convertible. Will they make one???

No 335xi convertible. Will they make one???

No, 328xi convertible either :)

Sorry, didn't mean to indicate there was a xi convertible. Doubt there ever will be one either.

If you are even thinking of a 328, then buy a 2006 330i. It is faster than the 328 and will run the long hauls just as good if not better. I crossed montana in mine at 110mph and got 31mpg with the A/C on. 6spd manual. sport pkg

hmm.. my salesperson told me the 2007 328 was actually faster than the 2006 330i. don't know if that's true, but they have to be pretty darn close. plus, the 2007 3 series (in my humble opinion!) is better looking, design wise.
also - there are features in the 07 3 series that i don't think are in the 330i.
but the bottom line: if you're in the market for a new car, your options are 328 or 335.
(not that the 330i isn't a fine car, but it's not gonna be new ...)

I'm about to take the plunge and wanted to know what people thought of the 328 vs 335. I will be getting the 6MT and sport package w/ nav. I've started to mellow a little with age and do not need a ton of power to have fun and the car will mostly be used for long haul trips and some around town stuff. Is the 335 worth the extra money, or will I have just as much fun with the 328? I will not be modding either car.

I have both and the 335 is better by far and not only that even with my Procede I get better gas mileage then the 328.

Today, I just picked up an '06 330i w/ sport and premium packages and 6spd MT. While it's a nice car, it's definitely lacking power and low end torque. The '01 330i I'm selling feels like it has more grunt and usable power throughout the rpm range. I also have an E36 M3 and it still wins on outright performance between my '01 E46 and '06 E90. I've heard the 335 TT delivers power like an M car. If the difference were only 5 grand, I'd absolutely go for the 335. I'd rather have the extra power and not need it, than want the extra power and not have it.

I chose the 328 with the comfort options. It has plenty of power. The 328 made more sense for me, since I plan to keep the car for years to come. Insurance costs and reliability.

The only drawbacks to the 335 I can find are: cost, weight (about 200 lbs), and possibly reliability of the direct injection fuel pumps.

We got a fully loaded 328 because it's primarily my wife's car and she didn't see the need for the extra power. If it were solely my choice, I'd go with the 335. In addition to the power, it has a little better brakes and bigger wheels.

If they had a direct injection 328 the decision would be harder for me since the gas mileage would be better than the 335.

I'm about to take the plunge and wanted to know what people thought of the 328 vs 335. I will be getting the 6MT and sport package w/ nav. I've started to mellow a little with age and do not need a ton of power to have fun and the car will mostly be used for long haul trips and some around town stuff. Is the 335 worth the extra money, or will I have just as much fun with the 328? I will not be modding either car.


If you want to trade off a small amout of sportiness for more refinement, you may want to consider the new Audi A5/A4 and MB as well. All three are great cars depending on what you are looking for.

The best thing to do is test drive both. Chances are you will be happy with the 328i, but if you are power hungry then perhaps the 335 would suit you better. Keep in mind that the insurance for the 335 might cost a bit more, and the car is more $. Either way, you will enjoy it.

Assuming we are talking about adults with relatively clean driving records the insurance difference is marginal. My 335i only costs a few dollars more per year than my 2004 330i that had 235 hp.

Thanks for the replies. I leaning towards the 335.