peppernick
05-11-2006, 07:05 PM
Ok, it has to happen. The media hype, the very pushy BMW sales effort, the E92 335i is better than the E46 M3. I just have to see for myself :)
Scotthall Watford was my dealer of choice, just in case that I don't buy the car, it's a fair distance for them to hassle me :p .... whilst still not incovenient for me to get to them. Greeting me on Sat was a gleaming 335i coupe in Monaco Blue with black leather. I must say it looks very good in flesh, the sleek lines, the aggressive stance even on stock suspension (the usual gaping gap between the front wheel and the arch wasn't there to make me go ... eekkkkk!; even if it was there, the overall lines comouflage any significant indiscrepency, even to my 'modding' eyes). I've always thought the long boot made the E92 looked clumsy; but in reality, it compliments the long nose perfectly. I couldn't even remember the saleman's name, let alone his looks. Because the E92 had my full attention, even before I laid my eager palms on the leather clad steering wheel.
It was overcast, but I was able to notice the very neat door handle illumination. A very nice touch in the darkness. The door feels solid, yet unlike the E46, it doesn't feel clumsy. It shuts with an effortless and reassuring thud similar to the E39, which left me wondering how much sound deadening I needed on the door of my E46 coupe to make sure it shuts properly the first time, without having the give it a firm pull the second time, almost slamming the thing shut. More points nestled in my heart. The black leather suits the blue exterior very well, bias I supposed but unlike a cream interior, it takes away a lot of that 'lounge' perception, which is only appropriate for a sporty BMW coupe with twin turbos. I wasn't expecting it, but the seatbelt was handed to me by an electronic push rod. Gimmick? I call it attention to detail, given how far back the B-pillar is. Another point in the bag.
The cabin is very airy. I love the doorcards and storage compartment. Again, the design exudes class. It almost feel you're inside a luxurious Mercedes Benz, which is not always a bad thing, even to die hard BMW fans. The car I test drove is 6-speed manual, an aptly so for a manual M3 driver. The gear lever is easy to reach and light to operate, steering wheel postion is good. I can't understand the hype surrounding a 'driver focussed' dash. Older cars maybe but on a car like the E92 335i loaded with i-drive and the likes, the passenger must have some ease in operating the climate control, the rotary dial that controls most of the on-board electronics, let alone be able to see what is displayed on the VDO screen. The original BMW driving ethos gone soft? Not at all, it's adaptation to the modern way of life inside a car.
Firing up the FI staight six is a bit of an anti climax for the opening round. I had in my mind the experience of firing up a Garrett T/Ced Nissan Skyline RB26 straight six. The BMW six whirled into life and settled at a steady 500 RPM idle. I was tempted to ask the saleman if I was given the wrong car, perhaps the 325i but the soft whistling of the turbos when I prodded the throttle pedal told me otherwise, and the gargantuant pull from 1500RPM confirmed I wasn't shortchanged. 295lb/ft of torque is more than my M3, and what really surprised me was there is absolutely no turbo lag at all! The 335i is very eager in any gear this side of 4th from 2000RPM onwards, whereas my M3 would splutter a note of disapproval in 3rd at 2500RPM with the six individual throttle bodies flapping open hard to win back the owner's confidence. The 335i just does it so gracefully, with no hint of being under pressure at all.
This car has done 3400 miles, but still, being a demo car, it will be driven like one. Spinning the straight six all the way to 7000RPM was a joy. There is absolutely no hint of the two turbos there at all. If anything, the 335i pulled just like the 645ci, minus the weight generated momentum. Gear change is crisp and accurate. Gear ratio is fantastically spot on, unlike the very leggy E46 330ci. The lack of an LSD is very evident, with the inside rear wheels very eager to light up whilst powering out of a tight corner. The power is not brutal, nor is it zingy like a Motorsport six. Unlike certain high powered cars, the 335i allow you to know that you are travelling fast, the feedback is fantastic! When you feel like you're doing 80MPH, you are actually doing 80MPH. Yet, you are safely cocoon inside an airy cabin, watching the world outside shoots past you, with exceptional ease. The steering feel is not as direct as an M3, but still it's nowhere near vague. Reasonably weighted steering wheel with good chassis roll control at bends. Coming from my razor sharp E46 M3, I didn't spit a word of eekkkk!. Which is good.
However, the eeekkkk!!! did resurface with vengence when I tried stopping the 335i from 'spirited' driving speeds. Do bear in mind that I am used to the feel and stopping power of my StopTech from day one. I couldn't even remember what the stock M3 brake pedal felt like. So I don't think I am in the position to make good comparison here. Due to the limitations of our public roads, I was not able to elicit brake fade, which I am certain the 335i did breathe a sigh of relief. This demo car rode on 18"s, which I subsequently found out that the dealer has secretly swapped the standard run-flats for a set of Continentals CS2. Being an SE model, I am really surprised how well the chassis coped with the bends; the bumps are absorbed effortlessly. In a straight line, the 335i rides like a Mercedes E-Class. Around the bends, it's a BMW again. Now that's a very good thing!
So am I impressed? Well yes, and very! The E92 is a step above and beyond the E46. Is the 335i an E46 M3 challenger? Or is it better than the E46 M3? Former maybe, latter, no. They are still two very different cars, despite the generation gap. It's definitely an E46 M3 challenger as a usable daily high performance car, in fact I dare to day it's probably better as you don't have to work the gears so hard on the 335i. However, drive an E46 M3 hard and the 335i doesn't even come close, no matter how hard you drive it. It will never be as communicative as the M chassis, the turbocharged engine although a masterpiece in it's own rights, is still not as soulful as an S54 being worked hard.
Would I buy one? No. Tell you why. If the E92 335i is this good, just imagine what the E92 M3 is going to be! It's going to be mind blowing. If I am going to spend £40k on a new 3 series today, I'll save the cash and wait for the E92 M3. In the meantime, my ageing E46 M3 is the perfect bridge between now and my next ultimate driving machine :cool:
Scotthall Watford was my dealer of choice, just in case that I don't buy the car, it's a fair distance for them to hassle me :p .... whilst still not incovenient for me to get to them. Greeting me on Sat was a gleaming 335i coupe in Monaco Blue with black leather. I must say it looks very good in flesh, the sleek lines, the aggressive stance even on stock suspension (the usual gaping gap between the front wheel and the arch wasn't there to make me go ... eekkkkk!; even if it was there, the overall lines comouflage any significant indiscrepency, even to my 'modding' eyes). I've always thought the long boot made the E92 looked clumsy; but in reality, it compliments the long nose perfectly. I couldn't even remember the saleman's name, let alone his looks. Because the E92 had my full attention, even before I laid my eager palms on the leather clad steering wheel.
It was overcast, but I was able to notice the very neat door handle illumination. A very nice touch in the darkness. The door feels solid, yet unlike the E46, it doesn't feel clumsy. It shuts with an effortless and reassuring thud similar to the E39, which left me wondering how much sound deadening I needed on the door of my E46 coupe to make sure it shuts properly the first time, without having the give it a firm pull the second time, almost slamming the thing shut. More points nestled in my heart. The black leather suits the blue exterior very well, bias I supposed but unlike a cream interior, it takes away a lot of that 'lounge' perception, which is only appropriate for a sporty BMW coupe with twin turbos. I wasn't expecting it, but the seatbelt was handed to me by an electronic push rod. Gimmick? I call it attention to detail, given how far back the B-pillar is. Another point in the bag.
The cabin is very airy. I love the doorcards and storage compartment. Again, the design exudes class. It almost feel you're inside a luxurious Mercedes Benz, which is not always a bad thing, even to die hard BMW fans. The car I test drove is 6-speed manual, an aptly so for a manual M3 driver. The gear lever is easy to reach and light to operate, steering wheel postion is good. I can't understand the hype surrounding a 'driver focussed' dash. Older cars maybe but on a car like the E92 335i loaded with i-drive and the likes, the passenger must have some ease in operating the climate control, the rotary dial that controls most of the on-board electronics, let alone be able to see what is displayed on the VDO screen. The original BMW driving ethos gone soft? Not at all, it's adaptation to the modern way of life inside a car.
Firing up the FI staight six is a bit of an anti climax for the opening round. I had in my mind the experience of firing up a Garrett T/Ced Nissan Skyline RB26 straight six. The BMW six whirled into life and settled at a steady 500 RPM idle. I was tempted to ask the saleman if I was given the wrong car, perhaps the 325i but the soft whistling of the turbos when I prodded the throttle pedal told me otherwise, and the gargantuant pull from 1500RPM confirmed I wasn't shortchanged. 295lb/ft of torque is more than my M3, and what really surprised me was there is absolutely no turbo lag at all! The 335i is very eager in any gear this side of 4th from 2000RPM onwards, whereas my M3 would splutter a note of disapproval in 3rd at 2500RPM with the six individual throttle bodies flapping open hard to win back the owner's confidence. The 335i just does it so gracefully, with no hint of being under pressure at all.
This car has done 3400 miles, but still, being a demo car, it will be driven like one. Spinning the straight six all the way to 7000RPM was a joy. There is absolutely no hint of the two turbos there at all. If anything, the 335i pulled just like the 645ci, minus the weight generated momentum. Gear change is crisp and accurate. Gear ratio is fantastically spot on, unlike the very leggy E46 330ci. The lack of an LSD is very evident, with the inside rear wheels very eager to light up whilst powering out of a tight corner. The power is not brutal, nor is it zingy like a Motorsport six. Unlike certain high powered cars, the 335i allow you to know that you are travelling fast, the feedback is fantastic! When you feel like you're doing 80MPH, you are actually doing 80MPH. Yet, you are safely cocoon inside an airy cabin, watching the world outside shoots past you, with exceptional ease. The steering feel is not as direct as an M3, but still it's nowhere near vague. Reasonably weighted steering wheel with good chassis roll control at bends. Coming from my razor sharp E46 M3, I didn't spit a word of eekkkk!. Which is good.
However, the eeekkkk!!! did resurface with vengence when I tried stopping the 335i from 'spirited' driving speeds. Do bear in mind that I am used to the feel and stopping power of my StopTech from day one. I couldn't even remember what the stock M3 brake pedal felt like. So I don't think I am in the position to make good comparison here. Due to the limitations of our public roads, I was not able to elicit brake fade, which I am certain the 335i did breathe a sigh of relief. This demo car rode on 18"s, which I subsequently found out that the dealer has secretly swapped the standard run-flats for a set of Continentals CS2. Being an SE model, I am really surprised how well the chassis coped with the bends; the bumps are absorbed effortlessly. In a straight line, the 335i rides like a Mercedes E-Class. Around the bends, it's a BMW again. Now that's a very good thing!
So am I impressed? Well yes, and very! The E92 is a step above and beyond the E46. Is the 335i an E46 M3 challenger? Or is it better than the E46 M3? Former maybe, latter, no. They are still two very different cars, despite the generation gap. It's definitely an E46 M3 challenger as a usable daily high performance car, in fact I dare to day it's probably better as you don't have to work the gears so hard on the 335i. However, drive an E46 M3 hard and the 335i doesn't even come close, no matter how hard you drive it. It will never be as communicative as the M chassis, the turbocharged engine although a masterpiece in it's own rights, is still not as soulful as an S54 being worked hard.
Would I buy one? No. Tell you why. If the E92 335i is this good, just imagine what the E92 M3 is going to be! It's going to be mind blowing. If I am going to spend £40k on a new 3 series today, I'll save the cash and wait for the E92 M3. In the meantime, my ageing E46 M3 is the perfect bridge between now and my next ultimate driving machine :cool: