[vince217]

I just have a random question... what is the point of a 335i without a sport package?

i can understand why other 3ers such as the the 328i and 335d are sold without sports packages... some people are more concerned with other things such as brand, fuel economy, 'luxury', ride quality, etc.

but I'm thinking people buy the 335i specifically for the increased performance. so why not make the sport package standard? is it to reduce the entry price of a 335i? are these just demo cars used for test drives / loaners? or did a buyer get suckered into paying for more car and performance than they needed from a shrewd BMW salesman?

it seems strange to me to see a 335i with no sports seats, regular suspension, and non-sport rims. i would much rather get a 328i w/ sport than get a non-sport 335i.

[Bingobimmer]

A lot of people just buy these cars because they are BMWs. In the same light a great deal of people who buy the 3er upgrade to the 335 so they can say they have the "bigger" engine. Personally I am more about the driving experience and I carry a strong aversion to these people who drive a BMW because its a BMW...

[135Pats]

Any time a car company can break apart things into “packages”, it equals higher net margins. There are a number of buyers who would turn away at a $54K sticker price, but a $35K sticker price with “packages” sounds much friendlier. On the demand side, there’s obviously a market for the 335i without that package, likely for city commuters who frankly don’t know or care much about cars, but would like to own the “upscale” Non-M E9x. It’s still a very nice car with more than enough sporting pretentions for 95% of the market.

[gzim335]

I bought my 07 e90 without sport package not knowing the diff at the time and ended up retrofitting seats and steering wheel,I also lowered the car.
seats alone r worth the sport package imo

[jt335i]

People like to have choices in what they want, unlike in the Matrix, so I'm sure that's what BMW is thinking.
I bought my 335i with the premium sport package because I like the ride and the look (cosmetically).

[benjlv]

eh, I own a 330i with sport package and i have been toying with the idea of going to a non sport package to make the car more comfortable. The roads are crap here in michigan and i also have a modified e36 m3 for screwing around in.

Generally speaking, most people aren't enthusiasts like those on this forum and they probably aren't going to go out carving corners all time. And even if they do, its not like the stock suspension performs poorly. Chrysler and GM sell plenty of high horsepower cars with soft suspensions, so there is demand for it.

[MGT81]

I agree with 100%. Of course, I also wouldn't have bought my 335xi without the manual either. I love the seats especially. Plus the wheels looks better and mine comes with the auxiliary oil cooler as well. The one thing I have heard from some people is that they find the sport seats uncomfortable.

[kfriceman]

My 335i xDrive came with a the premium and sport packages and as I have learned that the xDrives do not have the sports suspension component of the sport package which in hindsight is the way I like it. The car is plenty stiff and the handling abilities exceed my expectation with that I would not like to daily or long distance drive this car with a sport tuned suspension but I sure do like all the other amenities that the sport package has to offer.

-Kevin

[AzureHaze]

Well I'll tell you one thing. After being this forum for a while, I started regretting not shelling out extra for the m-sport package and that sweet LMB color.

[Mayuri Krab]

Mine didn't have sport pack, it was (I assume) a company lease car.

Only option added is the comfort acess as far as I can see (or is that standard equipment for a Australia delievered 335i I'm not 100% sure).

Otherwise it is pretty much a 'poverty spec' 335i.

[idrift4wd]

i dont have sport package.

only thing i really want is the seats. i dont need to go 135+MPH and i dont road race my car(no oilcoolers).

Def dont need sport package. just need the n54. 12 second daily driver is quite nice.

Put coils and wheels. made my own sport package.

[str8nm]

Originally Posted by vince217

I just have a random question... what is the point of a 335i without a sport package?

i can understand why other 3ers such as the the 328i and 335d are sold without sports packages... some people are more concerned with other things such as brand, fuel economy, 'luxury', ride quality, etc.

but I'm thinking people buy the 335i specifically for the increased performance. so why not make the sport package standard? is it to reduce the entry price of a 335i? are these just demo cars used for test drives / loaners? or did a buyer get suckered into paying for more car and performance than they needed from a shrewd BMW salesman?

it seems strange to me to see a 335i with no sports seats, regular suspension, and non-sport rims. i would much rather get a 328i w/ sport than get a non-sport 335i.

Get the 335iS...best car ever...imho

[BavarianFanatic]

If you have plans to upgrade everything yourself anyway - i.e. suspension, wheels, brakes, etc. why pay the extra for the package? I've done this myself numerous times on various cars. The dealers think you're nuts to skip all of those check boxes on the order form, but what's the point if it's all getting tossed anyway?

[djjasper]

Originally Posted by gzim335

seats alone r worth the sport package imo

^^^^ this

[Hoooper]

lower starting price gets more people in the door. Likely a lot of people who buy it because its faster dont really use it for that anyway so they dont care about the sport package.

[tony20009]

Well, mine has the sport package, but the story of how I came to have the car I do may give you one reason why. The short of it is: the dealer ordered the car that way and the things that mattered to the buyer didn't include the sport package being part of the car.

When I went to the car store back in '07 to buy this car, I had several requirements:
- the car had to have a red interior
- the car had to be a two door
- the car had to be a 3er
- the car had to be black, white, or grey (I didn't care what shade of grey)
- the car had to have Bluetooth, iPod connection, heated seats, a sunroof, xenons, Logic7 radio, and 6MT
- the car's selling price could not exceed what I determined I was willing to pay for a 328i having the options I noted, mainly because that's what I had in mind I was going to buy.

When I arrived at the car store, the car they had that most closely fit my requirements was in fact the car I have now, but it was a 335i (it still is) and it had the sport package, but that was the only point of departure from what I'd specified. I drove the car and liked it just fine and the dealer agreed to sell it to me at a price I'd determined was acceptable (albeit at the high end of my range of acceptability and expectations)to pay for the 328 I'd gone there initially to buy. So I bought it. If it didn't have the sport package on it, I'd still have bought it; I didn't want the sport package to begin with as goes the 328i I'd intended to buy.

Another reason to not have the sport package on some E9x cars is that the earlier vintages of the E92 came standard with sport suspension, so aside from wheels, a higher top speed limit, and some cosmetic bits, there wasn't -- IMO -- much point in paying for the sport package. The E90 didn't come standard with sport suspension at that time, and as far as I recall, it never did.

The final reason I will offer is that a buyer may know they want to go fast in a straight line, but not around corners. One doesn't need the sport package to do that.

Overall, however, even as a 335i owner, is why buy a 335i at all? I can see if one has a specific racing need why one might buy that model. Barring that, and just to drive on public roads, I don't really see the need for a 335i. I like mine just fine, if/when I replace it with another 3er, I will, as before, prefer the less powerful version because it will surely be more than adequately fast for everything I'm going to do with it.

[Mardio]

Yes it always depends on the drivers needs. In 06 my budget allowed me 325 sport or base 330. I love canyon runs so 325 it was.
My neighbor has a 2012 335... I commented on his nice sport package. He did not realize what it was till I pointed it out. He said he just wanted a loaded car, lol.

[toniostyle]

How about because people like to have options to choose from

[blacknbean]

sport seats are great for spirited driving and most days, but they SUCK for long distance. i drive 6+ hrs straight routinely and they are horrible. id rather drive my accord on any road trip as they are way too firm. i guess knowing that some ppl might prefer the non sport seats. i get the non sport seats on loaners and they are way more comfy. still wouldn't give up my sports seats though lol

[norsairius]

I don't know about the rest of the options, but the larger wheels and stiffer suspension would be hell in areas where the roads aren't as well maintained, especially in areas where they get messed up from snow/ice which leads to potholes and such.

I've noticed that those who preach you shouldn't have a 3-series without the sports package mostly come from areas that don't deal with the conditions I just mentioned and it really misses/ignores the bigger picture.

It's just a choice some of us have to make. Are the seats and appearance worth the less comfortable ride and the higher risk of flat tires/bent wheels? Or would we rather give up the seats and appearance and have a car that's more livable on a daily basis as far as covering ground on bumpy/crappy roads?

Me? I'm perfectly happy without the sport package. The seats have proven themselves to be comfortable on several 5-6 hour drives already. The suspension handles well enough for the spirited driving I do and even then is still stiff enough to toss me around a bit in the rougher parts of my urban commute. I've already gotten one flat tire and a bent wheel because of a pothole, I'd rather not have the sport package on my car help me get more, and I'm glad I don't.

[Dozhdbog]

I bought a non-sport 335i because, a) that was all the dealership could get me within the day at the time and b) I planned on doing some upgrades to the car anyway.

However, if I were going to do it all over, I would've gotten the sport package just for the paddle shifters and seats.

If you are not going to use the performance who the hell would want a 335i and it's inherent unreliability.