My 335iC test drive
 

335iC auto was amazing, and my sales guy was even amazing-er. He let me wind it out to 130 and was pushing me to floor it in a couple very tight turns to feel the DSC kick in and stop the car from spinning out (I kid you not). I did not do it but the sales guy did and the car backed off the throttle just as it broke loose, it applied a little brake and kept going (all this time he sales guy was not letting off the throttle). My E46 would have gone around with what he did. This guy was nuts, but with that kinda test drive he sells a lot of those cars :) .


The paddle shifting was really FAST, better than SMG IMO and crisp. When they hype is over I will order one. Sport/prem/nav PDC will set me back 44750.00 sticker and I can only get 1000.00 off right now. In 6 months I think I can get 1000.00 over invoice.

I saw one on the NJ turnpike last Sunday, it was pulling hard too.

that car definately hauls ass

Well, I didn't get that level of excitement. Agree it is an amazing car. I just drove a 335 coupe with a manual, with approx 4000 km on it, just starting to be broken in. The dealer had only the two demos on the lot, one each auto/manual, every other 335 coupe is sold through January. This is the largest dealer in Canada.

Good room inside, nice shifting (and the clutch had no CDV nonsense that I could detect), good steering feel. Great torque in traffic. 19" tires didn't feel harsh at all, but I will need four other wheels and snows. I am thinking Space Grey (maybe Arctic), jade leather (love the two tone, but it will be a special order with Space Grey), sport, 19", premium, phone prep, PDC, no nav. That will be $63k CDN plus taxes, less any courtesy discount.

The X5 would go, the 325xi would go, the Z4 would go on a trade, and we would pick up a 2007 silver X3 with the 260 hp 3.0, manual, black leather, PDC, no other options, at the same time. That will give one very useful sport utility vehicle for my wife (smaller than the X5, manual), one fun to drive to work vehicle for me, and two insurance bills instead of three ($2000 to $2500 annually for each vehicle, no accidents). Thinking of pulling the trigger after the hype dies down, probably spring.

Hadn't considered the auto, I want the involvement of shifting. Maybe I should try one just to see.

I think they are going to sell a lot of these.

Not waiting past the first year to assure any early quality/reliability issues are somewhat worked out? :) ..

I guess that's one 335ic that won't be needing a break in period.

I figure 6-9 months should reduce some of the pain downstream. The car has E90 components for the most part, so it is really the engine, and the assembly process, in my mind.

Took my parents to the dealer today to drive the 335ic, manual trans. To simply put it, this car is monumental, esp for this price range. All three of us were left very impressed.

The torque is beyond immense with a great exhaust note. There's quite a bit more space over the E46, esp rear legroom. Even though this car is larger than teh E46, it feels more nimble and more planted. The large wheels could have something to do with that. That seatbelt feature of it pushing forward seems like something waiting to break. Otherwise, fit and finish is first class. What surprised me the most was improvement with the clutch and shifter. Clutch was easy to modulate even in traffic and the shifter didn't have the rubbery slop I remember BMWs having from even recent years; not quite at Honda precision/tightness, but it's much better than before.

Our E53 will be gotten rid of by the end of next summer before it gets to 90k and there's a strong possibility of this being the replacement. Seems like the consensus for color combo was Space Grey/ Red. An E70 would join the 335 in, probably 08.

One reason I'm about ready to ditch a 335i sedan in favor of a 328i sedan next summer for ED is cuz of the potential first year bugs. This being the first turbo gasoline engine in a while, plus the fact its new, makes it a bit sketchier than usual. While I'm sure the majority of the engines are fine, I've read enough threads on Bimmerfest to worry about first MY reliability.

I fully understand the concerns over first year reliability. I break it down into the turbo, engine, and vehicle issues. The turbo part doesn't particularly worry me, apart from any software issues related to the specific power output of this model (and they will get those issues worked out). The Mitsubishi turbos themselves are proven technology. The new engine would worry me more with the N53 and the new alloy block, than with the N54 which has gone back to aluminum for the block. The vehicle being all new is what would worry me the most. The biggest set of problems will be assembly-related, not design-related, IMO. I would not buy the first run of an all-new design (E60, E90) but the E92 is based largely on the E90 chassis.

BMW is using the E90 and E92 to ramp up the twin turbo 3.0 engine. By March of 2007, that engine will be in the 5 series, and likely soon after in other models (X, etc) I figure that they will be watching the early issues with the E90 and E92 335 closely.

Also, and this is not a slam on US assembly workers in any way, I take more comfort in the E92 being built in Europe. That is simply because the manufacturing plant is closer to the design centre. The design and production teams will be able to work more closely. With early problems on the E53 X5 years back, BMW was dealing with a new product, in a new factory, many time zones from the design teams. As the factory was in the US, it is likely that many suppliers of pieces were as well. Those are the factors that make it all more painful.

So, my conclusion was that 6-9 months of production would be fine, just long enough for the early-adopters to pay full list. And I could be completely wrong.

Jeff

The more people I talk to, the more I hear the same comments. Torque, shifter, clutch, torque, interior room, torque. What does the red interior look like? I figured Coral would have some orange in it. 18" or 19" rubber on the one you drove?

Jeff

The Crimson Red in Space Grey is breath-taking. It's just a bit darker than the imola red interior that's been offered by BMW in the past. The resulting effect is one of sportiness and elegence at the same time; it's not at all gawdy like those imola red interiors. Our car had the Gray Poplar Wood. It's really dark gray, almost black and very glossy. Looks fantastic with the red interior. I should mention that only the seats, door panels and arm rests were red, so it's by no means overwhelming.

The wheels were 18", same as these. Sport package equipped.
http://www.xoutpost.com/other-bmws/20...highlight=335i

Side note: the car we took out was a pre-owned 335ic with only 200 miles on it- all options except Nav and Comfort. If anyone's considering a 335i Coupe, def take a look at this one since you'll save bunch on what is basically a brand-new, taste-fully optioned car. It is at Motorwerks in Barrington, IL. Too bad it's about 9 months premature of when we'd be looking to make changes in the stable..

In Canada the red interior is Coral, not Crimson. I haven't seen one in RL yet. I will look for one. Crimson is an exterior colour option....

I like the two-tone interior design. The jade grey is the same concept as the red, in that it is half grey with black carpets and kick panels.

If you thought the 18" rubber was planted, you should try the 19". Nicer wheels, IMO, and easy to clean.

Ahh, I'm sorry...after looking at bmwusa I realize that what I meant was Coral Red. It def is a beauty of an interior with it.

What people say is correct. The exterior color really makes/breaks the overall look. I also saw a black one on the lot; it really did look bland. That bright blue color looks pretty cool. What's wierd is that it's the color of the car on the main page of the 335ic on bmwusa, but not it's not available to 'build your 335i' with. Must be like Platinum Bronze, available in early 07.

I think that is Montego Blue, which is available on the build site.

You're right. This inattentiveness on my part is getting silly.

Hey, what else is there to do at midnight (here on the left coast, which must be later there). :rofl:

Go enjoy your XBR :nanana:. I'm at home for the weekend..not much goin on here at 3am. Could I be studying instead?...absolutely :rofl:.

I don't think the base 3.0 liter engine changed much from last year to this year. In fact, it may still be considered the N52 (??) since it was only a +15hp and lb/ft gain. For all practical purposes, I don't consider it a new engine. The Magnesium/Aluminum block was introduced last year in the 325i sedan, so its not new either. Charging an extra $1500 more for a 328i versus a 325i sedan with almost no changes is quite a ripoff IMO, but not like we can do anything about it..........:rolleyes: If anything, the 335i is more worth the +$2100 price increase cuz of the Direct Injection, power gain, etc... (but we dont have that kind of money..........a 328i SP is better than a 335i non-SP)

Drive them both. If I had to choose, believe me, I'd rather have the 335i non-sp.

I have driven a 325i (sport and non-sport) and a 335i. The ZF auto unit in the 335i is excellent no doubt, but the power is superfluous. I like revving up the engine a bit to get speed; I dabbed the gas halfway, revved 4500rpm in 3rd, and was already going WAY over the 40mph limit in the 335i. As silly as it sounds, I like being able to redline 3 times and still be going a reasonable speed (85mph). Plus the 3-series is one of those cars that really needs sport suspension, and the stock seats on the E90 are :thumbdown.

Believe me, it's a difficult predicament deciding which one I should recommend to my parents for ED next year. However, it will not be my car. So far it's:

328i: automatic, rear sunshades, split folding rear seats, xenons, sport package, and metallic paint.

335i: automatic, rear sunshades, split folding rear seats, metallic paint.

Wild card options: Active Steering, nav, bluetooth, heated seats, CA.

We don't need the massive power of the 335i. But optioned up as listed, the prices are about $2000 apart. Then again, we will sorely miss sport package. But the 335i uses more fuel, and its a new engine.

Yea, very confusing as to which model. If my parents want nav, then I'll be on the 328i sedan boat for sure. College is coming up next year and we aren't made of money (who here is?).