Actually – I’m trading her in for the exact same car and color with three exceptions. It’s a 2008, it’s an automatic, and it has HD radio.

The 335i Coupé is two outstanding cars in one. Driven modestly, it is a quiet, smooth, undemanding and sophisticated delight. Tip into the throttle and a pleasant voice begins to tell you that it’s got another personality entirely. It sounds great (but thankfully not in your face) while delivering performance that it takes a V8 Vantage to match. Why did I pull the Vantage out of the blue? Because it’s the best looking automotive sculpture ever designed and while the 335i will never be as pretty, I can’t think of any normal 4 seater that comes as close.

After a 400 mile drive two days ago, part play, part enjoying the exceptional fuel economy – (I ended up seeing better than 27 mpg (US), or 32 mpg (Imperial) or 8.8L/100 kms (metric). My E 46 325iT could never quite manage that under any circumstances and while pleasant, it wasn’t the semi rocket ship this is.

Tonight I again went for a short drive, simply because I needed to, not to actually go anywhere. It’s that good. You just need to drive it because it puts a smile on your face and into your soul.

While driving, I pondered what I’d ask for to improve it. The list is VERY short and VERY picky.

Here goes:
- This car has electronic systems to do the job by smothering performance with brakes and fuel cutoff, but it really should have a limited slip differential.
- The headrests should be able to fold further forward to support the head without leaning back.
- The seatbelt “valets” are a clever idea, but aren’t likely to survive very long. They seemed to have broken early on, but happily have reset themselves to live another day, but not forever I fear.
The iDrive is as poorly programmed as all the reports suggest. For starters, a “go back” function is needed, but more importantly, BMW need to beg, borrow or steal a programmer from Apple to do this properly. It could work very well if only the interface were programmed intuitively. It is not.
- Run flats are a great concept but a disappointment (at least at this stage of their development). With their overly stiff sidewalls, they make the ride harsher than it needs to be on poor roads and causes the car to hop sideways on bumpy cloverleafs or sweeping turn like a 60’s pony car, something no current BMW should ever do and this one wouldn’t if only it had more compliant tires. Also, how far ahead are you when your tire will take you 100 miles or so to a gas station or even a town (other than major city) that won’t in a million years have the correct replacement? Might as well go with a regular tire and an emergency can of foam. Definitely, I’m going to take my chances with regular tires when these are done.
- The owner’s manual(s) – there are several, are nicely done and all fit into a very nice leather pouch that there’s absolutely no place in the car to put.
- In Canada, everything lower than a $5 bill is a coin and it’s easy to collect pounds of them in your pockets. The center console is very inventive with an MP3 connection, heated and cooled drink holder, but how about some kind of a space for loose coins so they’re not buried underneath everything else?

That’s it. There’s not much to ask for and most of it is very minor and I’ve overlooked the countless items and features that deserve praise.

I’ve owned several cars that I think were important, including a 240Z, a Lotus Elite V8, a Nissan 300 Twin Turbo, an NSX, an S4, several 3 series including a ‘97 M3 sedan, and I have to say this is not only the best (and fastest!) car I’ve ever owned, but the best I’ve ever driven. By far. And that’s not said lightly.

I can only wonder what BMW might invent for the replacement that I never knew I needed. This car already has a lot of those things. There’s also the BIG worry that Chris Bangle will spoil the single good looking BMW he’s ever created. If I had enough money, I’d buy another, simply to put away to replace this one when it’s finally worn out, because it can only go downhill from here.

I’ve had mine for almost a year now and I average 22 MPG around town and close to 30 on the highway

It is beautiful and great perfomring automobile, but the fuel mileage is a dismal 17 to 17.5 mgg after 500 miles, or so. My previous 530 got about 24 to 25 mpg for the three years I drove the car over the same commute.

These mgg are based on the in-vehicle gauge. Any other mileage experince reports on the 335 coupe?

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=198018

Cheers!

Kamikaze2b in Eugene, Oregon USA

I don’t like BMW because I feel like an old man or If I drive it I feel like I barrowed my parent’s car and BMW are not really fast.

So is the 335i Coupe really that good? Does it really meet the high expectations generally set up by Car and Driver, Road & Track, Automobile mag, Car (UK), Top Gear, etc?

Yup.

I agree with our friends across the pond that the 335i styling is nice and trim but not oh-my-God beautiful. There seems to be a great sense of relief that the Bangle butt and wild creasing (Bangle ass crack?) of other Bimmers is restrained on the 335i Coupe.

As a Z4 owner I actually like his styling direction. It is sheetmetal after all. If you want your automobile to ape a block of granite do yourself a favor and make your wife happy and upgrade your kitchen countertop instead. Cars are supposed to be styled!

Okay, back to the Coupe.

Acceleration – very strong, very linear, but again, not so powerful to make the next generation M3 moot. I don’t care what the car registers on the Dynos … you always want more. Still, I can’t complain. It’s fast and smooth and very responsive.

Steering – stiffer that I would have thought at low speeds. Yes, I realize that some buyers will go for Active Steering? But let’s agree to leave “fake but accurate” reporting to the New York Times . It reminds me a bit of my mother’s 1980s Benzs. I like it. Of course, at higher speeds: not fake, totally accurate.

Interior – I know some owners think the previous generation 3 series had a nicer cabin, but why start trusting lawyers now? Non-ambulance chasers know this interior is nicer the moment they plant their asses in the front seat.

Is it up to Audi level sophistication and quality? Of course not. Frankly, I’m getting a bit tired of Audi interiors. They’re always good, always high quality, but besides the matte-finish teardrop instrument pod, what else have they improved or changed in the last decade? Do Audi interior designers suffer from allergies? Give that team a case of Visine and tell them to get back to work. Audi interiors designers meet Porsche 911 exterior designers. Okay, naptime!

Ride – Why do the Brits think this car rides so harsh? Are they all cruising around London spending their hard-earned quid stuck in traffic? In and around Las Vegas the roads are good and car rides nicely. Taut.

In fact, you can go to town with T Words. Taut. Torquey. Tantastic (okay, I made the last one up).

Thumbs Up!

Jason Hirschman (Evinx)

To add perspective, previous BMWs include a 94 325i, a ‘97 M3 sedan and an ‘02 325iT. Non Bmws include several FF and FB race cars from the 70s, a Datsun 240Z, Lotus Elite V8(!), Nissan 300 twin turbo, NSX and Audi S4.

When the new generation was launched, I wanted to get a 3 series, well understanding how BMW keep raising the bar and inventing things I didn’t know I needed, but there’s no way I could live with the Bangle designed sedan, despite its functional goodness. Somewhat less ugly than the rest of the line, but when did less ugly justify writing what I consider to be a substantial cheque? (Instead, I bought a garage queen Audi S4.)

How then, can the 335i, supposedly of the exact same genes and bloodlines, be such an artistic triumph? It just goes to show what a brilliant designer can accomplish. If this is Bangle’s, keep him after all. Give him a raise if it’ll keep him on track. A few subtle changes and the car is totally transformed – Cinderella!

Shoemaker’s analysis is absolutely spot on. BMW still doesn’t know how to make a compelling interior. Acceptable, yes, but definitely not compelling. Check out an Audi, or better yet, an NSX and just copy it. But it’s not bad, just not up to the exterior or the dynamics. The window switches seem trivial and are, but why did they move them when they were just right in the last generation? I haven’t driven it enough to know if I’ll miss it, but wonder why there is no limited slip diff, especially with this much power. Maybe they think nobody will turn off the electronics. I’m sure I’m not the only one who buys rear drive to play. Let it snow, and please let’s not have the inside rear spinning.

The brakes are touchy at low speed and Jay neglected to mention how the clutch engages very low, but I don’t think those are negatives. I suspect that familiarity will only make it a sharper scalpel. The back seat has more room than any 3 series ever, but my dog isn’t going to appreciate the rear center console, even though if I were back there, I would.

But I won’t be back there. I’ll be treasuring every second behind the wheel of a practical, refined and almost Vantage looking, sensual delight. I knew it would be great to drive, but it’s even better than that!

In Canada, BMW rips us off by charging 15% more than in the US (trying to bury it in the exchange), but while I’m not at all happy writing the cheque, I can’t think of anything that more deserves it. But come on BMW, how about parity in pricing? Don’t our taxes push this far enough out of reach? If you can make a fair profit in the US, why get so greedy here?

Question marks are the run flat tires and a niggling concern over oil temperatures. A friend with the sedan saw the run flats used up in 10,000 miles (of gentle driving) with noise and harshness increasing dramatically as they wore – these being the Bridgestones – don’t know about others. A BMW salesman with another sedan confessed he threw away his run flats, risking a tow truck, but said the car was further improved – and that’s saying something as it’s hard to imagine it getting any better. The last niggling worry is reports of very hot oil temperatures even with gentle driving. Don’t want to start rumors when we don’t know if there are consequences, but…

My hope is that synthetic oil and regular changes makes this a non worry, because there’s no way I can live without one of these magnificent toys. It is simply too good to live without.

Anybody want a very nice 2000 S4?