BMW 335i Convertible Review

Jay Shoemaker
by Jay Shoemaker

between

When the BMW dealer handed me the plastic fob, he insisted I drive the 335i Convertible with the top down. Despite the cool, foggy San Francisco weather, I held the plipper’s unlock button down and watched the show. As the hardtop began its elaborate three part dance into the trunk, I felt that old familiar flutter. The feeling was born when I started driving lessons in my Dad’s 1963 Chevrolet Impala rag top, survived my first car (a 1962 VW Beetle convertible) and lead to my current stable of drop tops. Would the 335i live up to its predecessors?

The 335i Convertible’s roof design preserves its tin top twin’s clean lines. The drop top's rear deck provides the main visual difference between the two models; the convertible’s is significantly larger and thus, more handsome than the sedan's. Other than that, the convertible’s got a chrome strip outlining the retractable roof, a sat/nav dingus on the trunk lid (it wouldn’t survive roof origami for long) and panel gaps on the rear roof pillar. Both vehicles offer such an aesthetically elegant design that they almost seem, dare I say it, Italian.

I intended to drive with the top down for a few blocks. A few blocks turned into a few miles and before I knew it, I’d driven 60 miles, moving from the city fog to Napa Valley sunshine. The 335i Convertible’s windshield is pushed well forward; you feel quite exposed to the elements. Luckily, the air movement in the cabin is well controlled– to the point where I eventually noticed that I was driving lethargically. So I installed the roof and prepared to attack the back roads.

Exploring the gizmology, I became convinced that Bimmer’s boffins have decided to make it as difficult as possible to make adjustments, so that iDrive seems better by default. For example, I wanted to adjust the turn signal so that it winked thrice when lightly touched. The manual doesn’t explain this procedure, so I will.

First, the vehicle must be running but not in motion. Next, push down twice on the toggle switch located on the front of the turn signal stalk. Then engage another switch at the tip of this same stalk. Flip the first switch five times and the one at the tip once. Flip the first switch once and then the one at the tip again and be quick about it; if you take more than eight seconds, it reverts back to the original display and setting. Done.

Thankfully, I only had to go through this one time; iDrive owners face a lifetime of questioning (did you really intend to change this radio station? Of course I did, you electronic ninny, why would I push the button in the first place?).

Anyway, with the roof in place, the 335i Convertible’s body integrity is luxuriously outstanding. Many retractable hardtops creak and groan on rough roads. Although footwear differences between the two models may account for the aural disparity, I swear the 335i Convertible is quieter than the 335i Coupe. The tin top dished all the silence I needed to fully enjoy the Bimmer’s superb sound system and my easily paired Bluetooth compatible phone.

Which was just as well: BMW could have phoned-in the 335i Convertible’s dynamics. All its controls and responses felt heavier and more remote than the coupe’s. Turn in wasn’t nearly as crisp. Braking seemed far less immediate. Worst of all, the convertible’s tardy throttle response evoked an unreasonable facsimile of turbo lag. In the 335i coupe, simply thinking about the go-pedal brings immediate satisfaction. In this application, you have to step on the pedal like you mean it.

From a pure performance standpoint, the convertible is 85 percent of the coupe. Some of the difference can be attributed to the smaller wheels on my tester, which lacked the sport package. On the positive side, the softer tire setup muted all harshness from road blemishes and provided an astonishingly unruffled ride. I missed the paddle shifters, only available with the sport package, but the 335i Convertible’s magic carpet composure sang its siren song to my inner geezer.

My tester included BMW’s much maligned [optional] active steering. I admit that it takes time to get used to the helm’s abrupt turn in, but I appreciate how the wheel-by-wire system improves navigating at low speeds in parking lots. The price for all this technology: $57k MSRP. That's only $3k more than the previous drop top. Not bad for a brace of turbos and a retractable hardtop.

Has BMW built the ultimate convertible? If you’re a prestige convertible shopper who values comfort over performance, or someone who wants to schlep the kids al fresco without risking interior defilement, that’s a yes. If you’re looking for a no compromise wind-in-the-hair thrill ride, the new M3 convertible is bound to be all that.

Jay Shoemaker
Jay Shoemaker

More by Jay Shoemaker

Comments
Join the conversation
2 of 52 comments
  • Slonewall Slonewall on Dec 29, 2007

    I've read many negative comments abt the idrive because it is hard to use, counter-intutitive or distracting. I have an 03 745 with an earlier generaiton idrive but it's simple to use once you take the time to learn the basics and it is a very useful feature of the car. No pain no gain?

  • Bryes Bryes on Feb 25, 2008

    No room for your golf clubs? Maybe the golfers here should play tennis. Country club communities with golf courses are having a rough go and the number of foreclosures are up. Generating enough income has been a problem. If BMW stylists are spending countless hours worrying about where the golf clubs will go, I think they can worry about other things. From an environmental standpoint golfing in the future may have a rough go, too. I can honestly say that I would most likely not buy a convertible due to the increased risk of developing skin cancer. I have blonde hair, so I would never put the top down during the day. At least BMW moved the windshield forward, which is a plus when you own a convertible. It's not a plus in terms of skin cancer risk, but it's a plus in terms of being exposed to the elements. I've ridden in convertibles and generally the windshields are so far back you don't even know you're in a convertible. What's the point of owning a convertible if you're not exposed to the elements? When you're sitting in the back seat that's fun, but when you're sitting in the front seat it's not so much fun.

  • Lorenzo Heh. The major powers, military or economic, set up these regulators for the smaller countries - the big guys do what they want, and always have. Are the Chinese that unaware?
  • Lorenzo The original 4-Runner, by its very name, promised something different in the future. What happened?
  • Lorenzo At my age, excitement is dangerous. one thing to note: the older models being displayed are more stylish than their current versions, and the old Subaru Forester looks more utilitarian than the current version. I thought the annual model change was dead.
  • Lorenzo Well, it was never an off-roader, much less a military vehicle, so let the people with too much money play make believe.
  • EBFlex The best gift would have been a huge bonfire of all the fak mustangs in inventory and shutting down the factory that makes them.Heck, nobody would even have to risk life and limb starting the fire, just park em close together and wait for the super environmentally friendly EV fire to commence.
Next