Road Test
Full Test: 2007 BMW 335i Coupe
The case for M-power just got a lot weaker
The data doesn't make any sense. We're tearing our collective hair out trying to determine why the track-test numbers from our 2007 BMW 335i test car are so far off.
Our freshly minted 3 Series twin-turbo coupe has not only eclipsed BMW's own impressive performance figures — by a ton — it's also smoked those of the 2005 BMW M3 Competition Package, a car we called "The Best M3 Ever Sold in America." And while that admittedly turbo-deprived car had been a six-speed manual, the Arctic Metallic 2007 BMW 335i Coupe cooling in the driveway is but an automatic. Nothing about our Austrian First Drive of the car prepared us for this.
More than half fast
Consider the facts: This 2007 BMW 335i test car blazed from zero to 60 in 4.8 seconds. BMW says the new coupe mit twin-turbo engine and Steptronic six-speed autobox should make that trip in 5.5 seconds. Seven-tenths of a second quicker? That's 13-percent better than BMW's claim. Folks give aftermarket tuners wads of cash for that kind of performance bump, especially when a car starts out in the mid 5s to begin with.
Our 335i similarly scalded the quarter-mile in 13.3 seconds at 105.9 mph. For comparison, our 2005 M3 Competition Package used up 5.5 seconds getting to 60 and finished the quarter-mile in 13.7 seconds at 105.4 mph — close, but still a rearview-mirror performance. We almost beat the all-powerful 2007 Audi RS4, too. Despite a 120-horsepower advantage and all-wheel-drive launch superiority, it just nicked our 335i's 0-60 and quarter-mile times by a paltry 0.1 second each.
Something's up. Could BMW be soft-pedaling the output and performance numbers to leave marketing headroom for a more outrageous 2008 M3 V8 to come? Did the luck of the draw or some other means provide us with an overachiever? We've gotta check into this.
Dyno hum
There can be no doubt that BMW's new twin-turbo 3.0-liter straight-6 engine, complete with direct injection and a high 10.2:1 compression ratio, is impressive. Two smaller snails were assigned to only three cylinders each so they'd spin up faster, reducing lag and increasing torque at low engine speeds. Boy, does it work, as this beastie is rated at 300 hp at 5,800 rpm and 300 pound-feet of torque spreading from 1,400-5,000 rpm. In a rear-drive coupe weighing in at 3,579 as-tested pounds, that sounds about right — for 5.5-second 0-60 bursts, that is.
In order to see what she's really putting out, we've brought our 335i to the chassis dynamometer at MD Automotive in Westminster, California. And since chassis dyno figures are always lower than manufacturer ratings because the former includes drivetrain losses and the latter does not, we've secured the help of an alert reader who has volunteered his month-old 335i for comparison. Steve Harrison's identically equipped 335i automatic is fresh off a trip up the California coast and all broken in. We should be able to tell if our press car's performance is unique or not.
After a short time, two sets of fresh numbers sit before us. Steve's car produces 272 rear-wheel hp at 5,970 rpm. Considering drivetrain losses, he's easily seeing the promised 300 horses at the flywheel, probably more. Our test car produces a similar 273 at 5,970. But wait, there's more: While Steve's motor gently tapers off as rpm exceeds six grand, our mill continues to make more power until it tops out at 279 at 6,295 rpm, at which point Steve's 335i lags 19 ponies behind. Notably, our car maintains its advantage for the remainder of the rev range.
So what's up?
A comparison to BMW data shows that Steve has nothing to be worried about, as his 335i's rear-wheel output curve looks about right when compared to factory flywheel data. Our car is simply stronger in such a way that makes our pavement-melting 4.8-second 0-60 more understandable. But why?
We're glad you asked. MD's dyno can also measure turbo boost during runs. It turns out that at any given rpm in the disputed region between 5,000 and 6,500, our car consistently makes about 0.5 psi more boost. Subtle, but a little goes a long way. Is this mere production variation? We can't dig deep enough to know for sure. If anything, this exercise underscores the potential of aftermarket chip tuning. Ain't electronically controlled turbo engines fun?
For the record, during a desert freeway assault to Vegas at an average speed we don't care to print, the 335i achieved 25.9 mpg, compared to a 29-mpg EPA highway rating. With a lot of city and freeway stop-and-go thrown in, the overall average drops to 20.3 — just above the 20-mpg EPA city rating. With less lead in the shoes, the EPA figures actually seem attainable.
Enough already
Even though the motor is the main thrust of the new 335i, we're sure some of you want to know about the car it sits in, the E92 3 Series coupe. Track and dyno numbers are all well and good, but what's it really like?
In highway cruise mode, such as our L.A.-to-Vegas dash, stability and on-center steering feel are autobahn-grade, as the coupe tracks straight and true while giving copious feedback through a fixed-ratio 16-to-1 steering gearbox. We're not certain how the $1,250 active steering option, absent here, could make it much better.
Contorted canyon roads are no match for it either, as the E92 slices cleanly through corners like a Ginsu knife and sticks like Super Glue, as evidenced by our 68.4-mph slalom run, the best 3 Series number we've recorded recently, M or otherwise. The dual-pivot front strut suspension is certainly at work here, as is the 335i coupe's standard sport suspension, uniquely tuned to suit its more athletic persona.
Yes, the 0.88g skid pad figure lags slightly behind the M3 Competition's 0.92g, but we're chalking that up to the 335i's lack of a limited-slip differential, which the M3 had along with bigger-still 19-inch high-performance tires. And it's hardly worth mentioning that stopping distances from 60 mph are 2 feet longer as well. Who's gonna complain about 114 feet with a rock-solid pedal and excellent feel?
Despite the firmer springs, larger stabilizer bars, half-inch-lower ride height and optional 18-inch Bridgestone Potenza RE050A performance run-flat tires — part of the $1,000 Sport Package — it rides at least as smoothly as our long-term 2006 BMW 330i sedan. Road coarseness is nicely filtered out most of the time, but some sharp edges periodically come through. Still, compared to the soon-to-be-replaced M3, a car this one can run with, the 335i Coupe is a much more livable daily driver.
Inside job
That six-speed Steptronic transmission, a $1,275 option, is quite a nice piece. Not only are shifts firm and positive, but when commanded manually, they happen right now, with the throttle blipping up to match revs during downshifts. Manual control is available by slapping the shift lever to the left and flicking it forward for downshifts and back for upshifts. Steering wheel paddles that do the same are a worthwhile $100 upgrade.
Inside, where all of the above happens, is a welcome place indeed. Our 6-foot-2-inch tester had no trouble settling in behind the wheel, which tilts and telescopes like the one in the 3 Series sedan. More seat travel than he needs is available, and headliner and hairdo stay a respectful distance apart. The aforementioned sport package also includes substantially bolstered sport seats that clamp one in firmly, but don't confine or annoy.
Hurting our wallet, but not our backside, is the $2,450 premium package, which adds adjustable lumbar support and sumptuous black Dakota leather to those seats, along with Bluetooth and other electronic gadgetry. Navigation system aficionados who fork over another $2,100 will get on-screen traffic updates, which are a godsend, and iDrive, which still isn't growing on us. At least it's not compulsory here.
About the only miss in an otherwise impeccably trimmed interior is the apparent flimsiness of the robot arm that delivers the seatbelts to front-seat occupants. A neat idea, but our passenger-side unit came apart. It took a couple of tries to get tab A to snap back into slot B, but once accomplished, everything worked OK.
If you have the means…
For the base price of $41,295, or even our 335i coupe's optioned-up price of $49,195, you'd be hard-pressed to find a sport coupe with this combination of outright speed, handling prowess and sophistication. A similarly optioned 2006 M3 coupe with the Competition Package costs over $57 grand, will be more brutal to drive and is no faster.
And whether our car's muy rapido 0-60 performance was anomalous or not, the random customer car we dynoed should easily match, and perhaps exceed, BMW's impressive-in-their-own-right performance figures.
Leaving all that aside, there's no doubt that this car is an excellent piece of work. It's not an overstatement to say that the 2007 BMW 335i is a significant milestone in the storied history of BMW's 3 Series. Until that 2008 V8-powered M3 comes out, that is.
The manufacturer provided Edmunds this vehicle for the purposes of evaluation.
Our freshly minted 3 Series twin-turbo coupe has not only eclipsed BMW's own impressive performance figures — by a ton — it's also smoked those of the 2005 BMW M3 Competition Package, a car we called "The Best M3 Ever Sold in America." And while that admittedly turbo-deprived car had been a six-speed manual, the Arctic Metallic 2007 BMW 335i Coupe cooling in the driveway is but an automatic. Nothing about our Austrian First Drive of the car prepared us for this.
More than half fast
Consider the facts: This 2007 BMW 335i test car blazed from zero to 60 in 4.8 seconds. BMW says the new coupe mit twin-turbo engine and Steptronic six-speed autobox should make that trip in 5.5 seconds. Seven-tenths of a second quicker? That's 13-percent better than BMW's claim. Folks give aftermarket tuners wads of cash for that kind of performance bump, especially when a car starts out in the mid 5s to begin with.
Our 335i similarly scalded the quarter-mile in 13.3 seconds at 105.9 mph. For comparison, our 2005 M3 Competition Package used up 5.5 seconds getting to 60 and finished the quarter-mile in 13.7 seconds at 105.4 mph — close, but still a rearview-mirror performance. We almost beat the all-powerful 2007 Audi RS4, too. Despite a 120-horsepower advantage and all-wheel-drive launch superiority, it just nicked our 335i's 0-60 and quarter-mile times by a paltry 0.1 second each.
Something's up. Could BMW be soft-pedaling the output and performance numbers to leave marketing headroom for a more outrageous 2008 M3 V8 to come? Did the luck of the draw or some other means provide us with an overachiever? We've gotta check into this.
Dyno hum
There can be no doubt that BMW's new twin-turbo 3.0-liter straight-6 engine, complete with direct injection and a high 10.2:1 compression ratio, is impressive. Two smaller snails were assigned to only three cylinders each so they'd spin up faster, reducing lag and increasing torque at low engine speeds. Boy, does it work, as this beastie is rated at 300 hp at 5,800 rpm and 300 pound-feet of torque spreading from 1,400-5,000 rpm. In a rear-drive coupe weighing in at 3,579 as-tested pounds, that sounds about right — for 5.5-second 0-60 bursts, that is.
In order to see what she's really putting out, we've brought our 335i to the chassis dynamometer at MD Automotive in Westminster, California. And since chassis dyno figures are always lower than manufacturer ratings because the former includes drivetrain losses and the latter does not, we've secured the help of an alert reader who has volunteered his month-old 335i for comparison. Steve Harrison's identically equipped 335i automatic is fresh off a trip up the California coast and all broken in. We should be able to tell if our press car's performance is unique or not.
After a short time, two sets of fresh numbers sit before us. Steve's car produces 272 rear-wheel hp at 5,970 rpm. Considering drivetrain losses, he's easily seeing the promised 300 horses at the flywheel, probably more. Our test car produces a similar 273 at 5,970. But wait, there's more: While Steve's motor gently tapers off as rpm exceeds six grand, our mill continues to make more power until it tops out at 279 at 6,295 rpm, at which point Steve's 335i lags 19 ponies behind. Notably, our car maintains its advantage for the remainder of the rev range.
So what's up?
A comparison to BMW data shows that Steve has nothing to be worried about, as his 335i's rear-wheel output curve looks about right when compared to factory flywheel data. Our car is simply stronger in such a way that makes our pavement-melting 4.8-second 0-60 more understandable. But why?
We're glad you asked. MD's dyno can also measure turbo boost during runs. It turns out that at any given rpm in the disputed region between 5,000 and 6,500, our car consistently makes about 0.5 psi more boost. Subtle, but a little goes a long way. Is this mere production variation? We can't dig deep enough to know for sure. If anything, this exercise underscores the potential of aftermarket chip tuning. Ain't electronically controlled turbo engines fun?
For the record, during a desert freeway assault to Vegas at an average speed we don't care to print, the 335i achieved 25.9 mpg, compared to a 29-mpg EPA highway rating. With a lot of city and freeway stop-and-go thrown in, the overall average drops to 20.3 — just above the 20-mpg EPA city rating. With less lead in the shoes, the EPA figures actually seem attainable.
Enough already
Even though the motor is the main thrust of the new 335i, we're sure some of you want to know about the car it sits in, the E92 3 Series coupe. Track and dyno numbers are all well and good, but what's it really like?
In highway cruise mode, such as our L.A.-to-Vegas dash, stability and on-center steering feel are autobahn-grade, as the coupe tracks straight and true while giving copious feedback through a fixed-ratio 16-to-1 steering gearbox. We're not certain how the $1,250 active steering option, absent here, could make it much better.
Contorted canyon roads are no match for it either, as the E92 slices cleanly through corners like a Ginsu knife and sticks like Super Glue, as evidenced by our 68.4-mph slalom run, the best 3 Series number we've recorded recently, M or otherwise. The dual-pivot front strut suspension is certainly at work here, as is the 335i coupe's standard sport suspension, uniquely tuned to suit its more athletic persona.
Yes, the 0.88g skid pad figure lags slightly behind the M3 Competition's 0.92g, but we're chalking that up to the 335i's lack of a limited-slip differential, which the M3 had along with bigger-still 19-inch high-performance tires. And it's hardly worth mentioning that stopping distances from 60 mph are 2 feet longer as well. Who's gonna complain about 114 feet with a rock-solid pedal and excellent feel?
Despite the firmer springs, larger stabilizer bars, half-inch-lower ride height and optional 18-inch Bridgestone Potenza RE050A performance run-flat tires — part of the $1,000 Sport Package — it rides at least as smoothly as our long-term 2006 BMW 330i sedan. Road coarseness is nicely filtered out most of the time, but some sharp edges periodically come through. Still, compared to the soon-to-be-replaced M3, a car this one can run with, the 335i Coupe is a much more livable daily driver.
Inside job
That six-speed Steptronic transmission, a $1,275 option, is quite a nice piece. Not only are shifts firm and positive, but when commanded manually, they happen right now, with the throttle blipping up to match revs during downshifts. Manual control is available by slapping the shift lever to the left and flicking it forward for downshifts and back for upshifts. Steering wheel paddles that do the same are a worthwhile $100 upgrade.
Inside, where all of the above happens, is a welcome place indeed. Our 6-foot-2-inch tester had no trouble settling in behind the wheel, which tilts and telescopes like the one in the 3 Series sedan. More seat travel than he needs is available, and headliner and hairdo stay a respectful distance apart. The aforementioned sport package also includes substantially bolstered sport seats that clamp one in firmly, but don't confine or annoy.
Hurting our wallet, but not our backside, is the $2,450 premium package, which adds adjustable lumbar support and sumptuous black Dakota leather to those seats, along with Bluetooth and other electronic gadgetry. Navigation system aficionados who fork over another $2,100 will get on-screen traffic updates, which are a godsend, and iDrive, which still isn't growing on us. At least it's not compulsory here.
About the only miss in an otherwise impeccably trimmed interior is the apparent flimsiness of the robot arm that delivers the seatbelts to front-seat occupants. A neat idea, but our passenger-side unit came apart. It took a couple of tries to get tab A to snap back into slot B, but once accomplished, everything worked OK.
If you have the means…
For the base price of $41,295, or even our 335i coupe's optioned-up price of $49,195, you'd be hard-pressed to find a sport coupe with this combination of outright speed, handling prowess and sophistication. A similarly optioned 2006 M3 coupe with the Competition Package costs over $57 grand, will be more brutal to drive and is no faster.
And whether our car's muy rapido 0-60 performance was anomalous or not, the random customer car we dynoed should easily match, and perhaps exceed, BMW's impressive-in-their-own-right performance figures.
Leaving all that aside, there's no doubt that this car is an excellent piece of work. It's not an overstatement to say that the 2007 BMW 335i is a significant milestone in the storied history of BMW's 3 Series. Until that 2008 V8-powered M3 comes out, that is.
The manufacturer provided Edmunds this vehicle for the purposes of evaluation.
Add A Comment »