[Rando]

I just picked up my 335i (with sport package) last week, and I wanted to share some impressions to help would-be buyers... it's a long post, but I'll try to organize it. I used to have an 2003 E46 330i with Sport, so I will make some observations comparing them along the way.

Overall: Absolutely amazing car.

Engine: Really is as linear as they say... no change in torque from 1,500 to 5,000 rpm. Actually looking at dynos I should feel a little drop-off, but it's very subtle and haven't felt it yet. Really well done. If you're doing a strict soft break-in not exceeding 4,500 rpm as the manual suggests, don't even think about trying 1st gear. You're almost guaranteed to miss the 4,500 rpm shift the first time -- it revs like extremely fast.

Turbo Lag: It's there, but it's miniscule (lasts for ~500 rpm). You can feel it every time you start from a standstill. Especially 1st gear, or if you do 6th down to 2nd in prep for a turn (instead of going 6-5-4, then 4-3-2 as I suggest below). If you do 6-2 directly, you'll not have power ready right at the apex, but only slightly afterwards.

Auto Transmission: This was a major deal-maker for me. I test drove the G35, IS350, and A3 (with DSG) before buying the 335i. The auto is better than all except the DSG. But it is only like 10% worse than the DSG. Very very good, fast shifts (<200 ms each), and downshifts rev-match perfectly (no engine braking whatsoever). One tip: for a 6 to 2 downshift while braking, either shift 6-5-4 early and then 4-3-2 afterwards, or VERY QUICKLY floor the pedal to touch the button on the floor and then let off. (I haven't done the latter yet b/c break-in isn't done and I don't want to accidentally kick up to 6000 rpm.) This trick worked with my old 330i and should work here.

Steering: Heavier than a 2003 E46 330i Sport package. Steering wheel is just a little smaller and thicker, which makes it feel sportier. (Nice touch by BMW.)

Handling: the chassis is much more sophisticated than the E46 330i w/sport package. It really can take corners faster, brake harder, and obviously accelerate. But the biggest difference is for S-curves where the body changes direction rapidly -- it is SO composed and flat through those. Very impressive. And the ride is better too. (Though having new tires helps with that.) The car is mildly understeer biased, similar to the old E46. Perhaps it understeers a little bit more, but you can lift off the accelerator under load to rotate it, and you can also use the throttle to rotate it. Very nicely done.

Run-Flats: I thought people were crazy to complain about their "spines being ripped out" etc... until I encountered two real pot holes (fortunately there are FEW here in California). Run-flats are a complete shock for real pot holes -- the jolt you feel is extremely harsh -- never felt anything like that in a car before. If you're going to see a lot of pot holes, you probably don't want the very low-profile sport package with 18s.

That being said, the stiff sidewalls of the run-flats probably helps handling -- I would have to try Michelin Pilot Sport PS2s to really know the difference. (I had those on the E46 330i.)

Gas Mileage: There have been *so* many pointless mpg threads. If you want to know if your car is behaving properly in highway, cruise at 70 mph on a level stretch. You should get around 31 mpg @ 70 mph. Cruising at 80, you should get ~27 mpg. Any lower speeds in 6th you will get ridiculously high mpg. But controlling your foot to get that mpg is tricky. Every millimeter of pedal travel is about 5 mpg! Full acceleration in 2nd from 20 - 60 is like 6 mpg. This car drinks a lot of gas on open throttle. But I love that I have a choice.

Why did they remove the useful analog instantaneous MPG meter??? Digital is really bad for that type of thing... to drive efficiently, you need to know if your MPG is changing, and in what direction. The digital meter jumps around all over the place, making it a lot harder to parse than a good analog dial. It's like RPM -- no one should ever want that in digital form!

Engine Noise: I asked this question myself. It is a little muted vs E46 330i. But overall, I like it because cruise is VERY VERY quiet -- quieter than an E90 325i, but on open throttle, it sounds good and quite loud. A little more wouldn't be a bad thing on open throttle. But if I had to pick, the quieter cabin is better I think. Exhaust sound is quite nice.

iDrive: Before you buy, try entering in an address. It is a HORRIBLE experience. It is soooo slow and inept. I can't believe they cheaped out on the CPU... I only use voice commands -- they work very well (pretty much 100% success if you have an American accent). In practice, you don't need to wrestle with iDrive much after you set everything up -- but entering addresses will kill you for the life of the car. The navigation part really, really sucks. I heard you can spell stuff verbally -- I will try that and see if it helps. I imagine it will. In the end, the clean integration (it is VERY well placed) and ability to lower my music volume are what I got it for. The rest of iDrive (the idea of integrating many esoteric features into one interface) is okay. But man it needs to be faster.

Comfort Access: One of my friends convinced me to get it. It's neat. Combined with Bluetooth (comes with Premium Package), it's nice not to every have to take anything out of my pocket. Just walk in, press Start, and calls will now come to your car. Then you leave, touch the door handle, and it locks. Nice. Try it with groceries to appreciate it more.

Armrest: It's true! The E46 armrest was better -- the E90 armrest is too far back to rest your right elbow on when you drive! WTF!!!

Oil Cooler: Unfortunately I just missed it (mid Feb production). But after doing a stretch of mountain road, I'm pretty sure I will not be getting the temp that high -- there is just too much torque available everywhere to need to hold really high RPMs even on a good mountain drive. My temp is usually maxed at 240 - 250. I haven't gone over yet -- but we'll see after break-in is done. Since max HP is at only 5800 RPM, I don't think it will be a problem. So my advice to owners is this: don't waste emotional energy on the problem until you prove that it IS a problem for you. Just enjoy the car. (That said, BMW should immediately install the cooler for anyone who asks for it.)

Audio System: Top-notch. The old E46 system isn't as bad as people say... but this one is better. Having a full equalizer is very helpful so you can really tune the way YOU like it. You will also hear any problems in crappy MP3 or radio content. I do hate that BMW nickels-and-dimes you on all the options... $500 for HD radio, $500 for XM, $500 for CD changer, etc... lame when cheaper cars come with so much standard. I didn't get any of these options, relying instead on MP3 CDs, iPod line-in, normal CDs, and radio. Oh, and that engine + exhaust...

Air Conditioning: Max cooling feature is nifty. Dials for the temperature are VERY good. (Duh, every other car has had this forever, but the E46 330i did not. It was just idiotic to press the "Up" or "Down" buttons repeatedly to change the temperature.)

Okay, that's it for now. I hope these comments are helpful. If there's anything else you want to know, just ask.

Have a great weekend everyone!

[STE92VE]

Nice write up, enjoy the car!

[Ascension]

I just picked up my 335i (with sport package) last week, and I wanted to share some impressions to help would-be buyers..........but you didn't want to share any pics

[Rando]

Lol, it looks very similar to yours... Sapphire Black w/ Beige leather. I figure people will go search if they want to see pics of a black car with beige leather. (A wonderful combo BTW -- very warm and inviting.) Lighter leather makes your car *feel* bigger, just like lighter paint makes a room feel bigger. I used to have grey, and beige is more welcoming than that. Black makes things feel much smaller. But obviously these things are very personal decisions.

[M4TW]

Great well-organized review!!

I never tire of reading them. I'm with you on the oil cooler. I'm going to wait to see if it's a problem for me (assuming my car comes without) before worrying about it. What year was your 330?

[Raider]

When you gonna get that custom plate

RANDO335

[Rando]

Sparkplug: It was 2003 330i.

Raider: lol... nice one.

[Jay_328]

quit posting reviews without posting pics ...you should know better

[Raider]

Originally Posted by Rando

Sparkplug: It was 2003 330i.

Raider: lol... nice one.

Haha u remember that thread then huh?

[Dann902]

XM is now an option???

[Ascension]

Originally Posted by Rando

Lol, it looks very similar to yours... Sapphire Black w/ Beige leather. I figure people will go search if they want to see pics of a black car with beige leather. (A wonderful combo BTW -- very warm and inviting.) Lighter leather makes your car *feel* bigger, just like lighter paint makes a room feel bigger. I used to have grey, and beige is more welcoming than that. Black makes things feel much smaller. But obviously these things are very personal decisions.

Congrats bro, but I still wanna see some pics

[Rando]

Okay my car looks just like this:
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1277

Except for the 2 exhausts in the back.



I'll put up some real pix once the weather clears up. It's rather gloomy today.

But here are two pix:

That's a nice area I use for breaking the car in.


That's the beige + wood interior, which I really like.

Again, better pix will come once the sun comes out.

[tirana]

Why insist on pictures?? For the first few months of a new model, its fine but there are pics of just about every combination of every model on this site. These beasties are not exactly a rarity anymore. I think its much better to have posts with comparative reviews than car candy.

So: "This Thread Is Not Worthless Without Pics"

As for the RFT rigidity, I find I look out for road holes much more now. The side wall transmits everything. But, the convenience of an RFT when you do encounter a flat is significant.

[Rando]

tirana: i agree... they all look the same... unless you find some really nice location. (I'll try.

And, as you point out -- one major problem is that the RFT jolts encourage people to shorten their look-ahead distance (especially when other cars in front are covering potential potholes). That's a bad thing... I guess if you live in the city it's not a huge deal to do that.

[MadDog]

Originally Posted by Raider

When you gonna get that custom plate

RANDO335

CA is limited to seven characters.

[Raider]

Originally Posted by MadDog

CA is limited to seven characters.

inside joke from another thread


but yeah, i know this....

[Daya]

congrats on the car - nice write up.

The only thing I would add regarding iDrive, I have march production, so I got the updated NAV. It is very smooth and does not slow down and supposedly has updated graphics and more POI. It is faster than my old portable TomTom GPS.

Everything else is spot on!

[Rando]

If you could, take a photo of your nav screen so we can see if the graphics really are better...

[E90330iS]

Nice review and nice scenery! Where is that place the picture is taken at?

[iatacs19]

Are march production cars any better in term of iDrive CPU?

[Rando]

The picture was taken on an exit off of 101 (about 10 miles south of San Jose). There are lots of nice spots there. I'll be back on a sunny day for my real pix...

[Raider]

i drove through here before