[Russbmw]

Well, this is the e92 335s replacement.

Quite nice having:

a) an odometer that read 6 miles when I first got in it
b) V5 document that says "previous owners - none"

So, slimmed down version of the spec:

- 435 M sport
- Sapphire black with Oyster leather interior
- Electric heated seats
- Electric folding mirrors
- m-sport plus package (pro media, etc)
- Harman Kardon audio
- 2 tone 19" rims (these make the car, IMO)
- M-sport braking system
- Adaptive M-suspension

Here's a few pics













Modifications planned? None!

Namely because it's exactly how I wanted it specced, but also because I'm now officially skint!

Tell a lie - it'll be getting a few more coats of wax on it, I only managed to get one on when I got home from collecting it, as I wanted to play with it instead!

[RCUK]

Be very interesting to see how u think it compares to the 335i.

My 5 series was the same colour combo - think it really works well.

[Kerr]

They are very nice cars.

I'd really like to have seen rear wheels with concave though.

[makkan00]

Originally Posted by Kerr

They are very nice cars.

I'd really like to have seen rear wheels with concave though.

+1
Bmw has left concavity only for M cars now

Congrats Russ. Will be good to hear your comments re: comparing this to e92 335i.

[AlanYoro35i]

Likewise , would be great to hear how you compare to the 335i. I'm planning to move into 4 series sooner or later but it won't be the 435i. I either get a petrol monster M4 or a 428i for fuel economy lol

[pinco000]

Im jealous now m8! You have my next cars colour combo! Enjoy!

[scottc]

Very nice car, did you get a good deal on it?

[Brian mc21]

Lovely car. Health to drive.

[takumichinoku]

Congrats mate! I have one. 3 weeks old now.

Comparison wise to my old car I would say this new one is a more comfortable daily..the toys and just the new I drive feels so much nicer. Ie nav, interface etc. I'm running on performance 20inch wheels and it's still softer. Could do with a drop tbh.

Speed wise doesn't feel that much quicker(unsurprisingly) . A little but not a lot. I may have to get the PPK for it(340horses). Mines got the performance exhaust and carbon fibre bits but I do miss the steering on the old one. It just had more feel!

New one is a better daily, comfy, nice toys.

Old one is a better steer.

[takumichinoku]

Do love the burble on the mpe though

[richk84]

Originally Posted by takumichinoku

Congrats mate! I have one. 3 weeks old now.

Comparison wise to my old car I would say this new one is a more comfortable daily..the toys and just the new I drive feels so much nicer. Ie nav, interface etc. I'm running on performance 20inch wheels and it's still softer. Could do with a drop tbh.

Speed wise doesn't feel that much quicker(unsurprisingly) . A little but not a lot. I may have to get the PPK for it(340horses). Mines got the performance exhaust and carbon fibre bits but I do miss the steering on the old one. It just had more feel!

New one is a better daily, comfy, nice toys.

Old one is a better steer.

How do you find the gearbox compared to the DCT in your old one?

[takumichinoku]

Originally Posted by richk84

How do you find the gearbox compared to the DCT in your old one?

I've found it just as good so far. If anything it feels just like it albeit with 8 gears! Which is way too many! Lol. Very very smooth..coming from the DCT to the 8 speed ZF can't say I've had any complaints. The DCT dare I say felt maybe a tad faster but I could be wrong re shift times! ...I've only just hit 1k miles so not had enough mileage to really test it fully out yet and I'm sure the OP hasn't really given it the proper beans yet either seeing as he's on 6

[Russbmw]

So, after the weekend of driving it around, here's my thoughts:

The new Goodyear runflats are a lot better than the old ones supplied on the e92 (Bridgestone?). Far less harsh a ride and grip is better. the rears do still squirm about when you're really pushing on though, but not to the extent of the old ones. The e92 used to skitter about on the road if you were gunning it and hit some uneven surface along the way.

Adaptive suspension - aahh...this is brilliant! It can be set so selecting sport and economy modes can not only firm up or soften the damping, but it can also be linked in to the ECu sport/economy modes. So, I've got it set such that if I select sport of sport+ the engine management and chassis get set to the more responsive settings. I haven't quite figured out what the purpose of shifting the auto shift lever over to "sport" does in this instance, I mean, if it actually makes an difference to anything if it's already in "sport" mode for the drivetrain and chassis anyway. The car handles really well, which i'm sure in part is due to everything being brand new - so comparing it to my e92 which had 86k on the clock is a little unfair. The car does feel very nimble though, given it's dimensionally bigger than it's predecessor and the suspension is supple enough to not give the teeth rattling ride the e92 on sport suspension used to give, but firm enough that it has the same willingness to go wherever you point it that the e92 did.

The steering does feel a little disconnected from the road - but I was kind of expecting this anyway from various reviews. Again, the weight is something that is adjusted by the "sport" modes. SO when it's in sport, there is a bit more resistance, whereas tootle about eco-pro is like driving a new VW/Audi (ie: floaty light). So it has it's uses, and I'm not going to pretend I'm some trackday pro who really gives a shit about the steering being fly-by-wire, because there is a reduction in feedback from the road. Quite frankly, most of our roads are fucking dire anyway, so the less feedback to remind me of how our road taxes get used elsewhere, the better! Joking aside, it feels no different to any other new car really, and I quite like it.

I opted for the M-sport braking system, which is very good in my opinion Definitely seems more powerful, which is odd, as usually in automatic cars I've found it feels somewhat like the brakes are fighting against the rest of the transmission. Definitely not the case here at all. Again, whether it's just because it's all new or not is debatable, but the rear discs look larger than the e92 - the fronts still look massive, but the blue 4 pot calipers do look lovely behind the rims.

I can fully appreciate now why every review raves about this 8 speed ZF auto box, it really is fucking brilliant. Gearchanges are unoticeable when you're just cruising around, but in sport or manual, it's a lot of fun. Swapping cogs is virtually instant, and what I also like is that it also changes down through the gears automatically as well when you have it in sport mode, regardless of what the accelerator pedal position is. Standaing starts in sport+ and in manual are hilariously good fun, as the first few gears are so close together it makes the acceleration pretty impressive. It's quicker off the mark than my manual 335. There's a tiny delay/build up in power when you first nail the throttle, as you expect with any auto, but it really is fractions of a second - but once it's up an running it tears through the revs and gears with instant, sharp changes and no let up in either torque or power. It really is lovely. As an everyday car, I honestly don't know why anyone would bother with a manual when this option is available.

Sports seats are no better or worse than the e92, they've still got the same inflatable side bolsters - but heated this time, which will be nice in winter.

Steering wheel is a decent size, very comfortable size (chunky!), and the leather is really nice compared to the e92 - even thought that got fitted with a brand new sports wheel. Not sure what leather this new one is made of but it's nicer and doesnt' look like it'll go as shiny as quickly. Paddles for gear shift are just the right size, position and give a satisfying clunky click. The dashboard position must be a little different, as the steering wheel/column position feels like it's a lot further out that before.

This newest revision of the iDrive is really good compared to the business advanced (ccc based) I had before. A lot more intuitive, quicker, way more functionality - the handbook for it is practically the size thickness as the one for the car! A useful feature for me is that you can have 2 phones paired to the system, and it will switch automatically to whichever phone rings - which is good for me with my work phone and personal phone. I haven't yet been able to get the text messages to display on it, but I've heard it should do. Also, BMW's connecteddrive website is abysmal, which doesn't help in trying to set things up either.

The Harmon Kardon audio upgrade was well worth the money, and something I was a little apprehensive about given the quality of the gear I put into the 335. Happy to say though, that whilst it seems a little tame at lower volume levels, when you crank it up a bit, it really comes to life. Clarity and range is on par with what I had previously. You can't feel the bass quite as much as the Rainbow subs could put out, but this is offset by the fact the volume of the system can be turned up virtually full tilt with no distortion at all, by which point the subs are well and truly alive! I have a feeling the sound will improve over time as the speakers have settled in.

[mob17]

Wow Russ, you certainly got a great replacement. Looks great, but could do with some more pics a bit further out.

I had a 4 series as a courtesy car whilst my car was in for a service. I thought it looked ace.

I just wish they kept the electric steering as an option, so you could have heavier steering, but i guess that's the way cars are going nowadays.

Just dont put lowering springs on

[AdamC]

Congrats Russ. Great looking car. Would love a 4 series as my next car.

[Russbmw]

Thanks guys, I'm really happy with it.

[zltm089]

Good stuff!

Straight line speed, you reckon it's faster than the 335i?

[Russbmw]

Yes, the gearing makes the acceleration brilliant compared to the 6sp manual

[mob17]

I'm assuming you'll do ur magic and give it a full detail?

[Russbmw]

Originally Posted by mob17

I'm assuming you'll do ur magic and give it a full detail?

At some point mate, yes. As it stands , the paintwork is swirl free at the moment, so very little is needed. I'll give it a tart up prior to Gaydon though.

[old grey steve]

Originally Posted by takumichinoku

Congrats mate! I have one. 3 weeks old now.

Comparison wise to my old car I would say this new one is a more comfortable daily..the toys and just the new I drive feels so much nicer. Ie nav, interface etc. I'm running on performance 20inch wheels and it's still softer. Could do with a drop tbh.

Speed wise doesn't feel that much quicker(unsurprisingly) . A little but not a lot. I may have to get the PPK for it(340horses). Mines got the performance exhaust and carbon fibre bits but I do miss the steering on the old one. It just had more feel!

New one is a better daily, comfy, nice toys.

Old one is a better steer.

iI've driven a few new 3&4 series cars though not a 435i, but agree re the steering and ride comment the steering if it had more feel would make the car overall IMO close to complete.

But inside these are a nice place to be the cars slightly lower overall height wise than the E92 model it's replaced which until I saw them side by side I couldn't visually see, but they are a smart car or sure, inside there's more legroom tgats one thing I did notice everything's where you want it to be tech wise way ahead of my E92, makes it feel quite old in fact. Gearbox wise light years ahead of my 6 speeder as well.

Re yours Russ colour combos very nice, nice dark exterior with a very complementary lighter interior very smart indeed.

[Russbmw]

Thanks Steve