Comments on: Review: 2009 BMW 335i sedan

By: zasyatkin

zasyatkin — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 23:42:40 +0000

I went to an Audi Drive event where they let us drive an A4 3.2 Quattro and compare against an IS 250, C230, and a 328. Audi should not have allowed us to drive the Beemer because I went home hooked on the beemer. There was something so special about how it floated around corners and how its power felt so linear. (The Lexus and Mercedes provides to be horrible when cornering in tight parking lot track. The A4 was great but just didn’t have that special something like the 328.)

By: bmwmpower

bmwmpower — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 15:56:14 +0000

BMW=DRIVING DYNAMICS

“The suspension must always be faster than the engine.” – BMW

By: bmwmpower

bmwmpower — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 15:53:45 +0000

To TSX boy: Your TSX does not perform 90% of the 335i. More like 25%. You drive an Accord 4-cylinder, fool. GTFO of here with that. As far as Audi boy, your Audis are nice but even an S4 can’t totally compete with the 335i in terms of performance, let alone an M3. (Ever see the 5th gear comparo?) The S4 understeers like a pig, is heavy like one, and drinks gas like one. Further, 300hp/tq on the 335i is way underrated by BMW on purpose. The motor makes about 350-360 crank in reality.

Oh to TSX boy again, reliability? Again talking out of your @$$, I’ve owned 7 BMWs and all of them have been rock solid reliable–even more so than past NEW Hondas I’ve owned which include a 6th Gen accord, 7th Gen civic. Both of those cars had starting issues w/ their immobilizers and numerous squeaks and rattles. Don’t even come in here trying to compare your wannabe luxury-Accord 4 cylinder to a $50,000 refined German sports sedan. GTFO out of here.

By: e46Ne90

e46Ne90 — Sat, 30 May 2009 20:54:07 +0000

audi a4 is based on the front wheel drive architecture,so is a6 and a8. I love the looks of Audi and its interior is nothing short of best in the industry but it still drives like a fwd car! Im not a big fan of new 3 series design but the reason why I own one is it drives the best in its class period. After one test drive I took the car home. I am not hateing on Audis but if I am in a shop for FWD german vehicles I would just buy VW rather than paying 10k+ premium for Audis

By: jackjimturkey

jackjimturkey — Sat, 30 May 2009 20:09:09 +0000

The Benchmark.

“Both revered and despised,”

truthfully

“The most hated on pof all those who say they get hated on ….’

The only real rival is the G37. CTS is a whole different car.

leave the Audi A4, The Saab, the C-Class and the Rebadged Alteeza out of it.

I was reading Motor Trend Thursday and some dolt sent a letter to the Ed wondering why the pub picked its five favorites in eight different segments and didn’t include a sigle ride from Toyota’s faux-luxury division. Maybe he didn’t realize that MT staffers ACTUALLY DRIVE he cars.

AxeHead: Your civic costs 20k less. it’s immesurably cheaper.

TornadoGTI: I love Audis, but except for the R8, There’s always a BMW I like more.

02WRXPSM: Q7 is very nice. It’s less a clone of the Tuareg than the Topaz was of the Tempo, or the “RX” is of the Highlander.

By: nickkop

nickkop — Sat, 30 May 2009 17:45:25 +0000

some greek its not turbocharged, it is supercharged. yes, the S4 3.0T is supercharged… look into it..

By: SomeGreek

SomeGreek — Sat, 30 May 2009 08:01:50 +0000

There was a test few months ago on a greek magazine. I refere to the turbocharged S4 in comparison with the 335.

By: bigp

bigp — Sat, 30 May 2009 04:47:13 +0000

one thing i can say is that i love this car in this form…
the only problem is price…
maybe an ecoboost powered fusion or preowned

By: idrinorbarsaku

idrinorbarsaku — Sat, 30 May 2009 02:06:21 +0000

02WRXPSM,
oh I know! You can find some sweet deals here too. I’m just not too sure about their reliaility because I don’t know what the previous buyer did to it. There was a blue m3 with the sharper cut, newer m3 wheels from the older version, and smg for only 24k with just over 40k miles. I love m3’s in blue!!!

By: idrinorbarsaku

idrinorbarsaku — Sat, 30 May 2009 01:45:18 +0000

SomeGreek,
according to who?? because obviously your factual opinion is only an opinion. The 4.2 has always gotten many praises from drivers and reviews all over the world. Although the new m3’s v8 is awesome, the 3.0tt 335 would be noting but a 228’s engine without it’s turbos. Saying that the 4.2 is bad is like saying breasts on a female are the worst thing imaginable!!

By: SomeGreek

SomeGreek — Fri, 29 May 2009 22:35:16 +0000

BMW’s engine is better than the S4’s. Both performance and and quality.

By: A4

A4 — Fri, 29 May 2009 16:08:29 +0000

(the 4.2 is crap)

By: A4

A4 — Fri, 29 May 2009 16:07:52 +0000

S4 3.0T Supercharged FTW.

By: 02WRXPSM

02WRXPSM — Fri, 29 May 2009 15:29:03 +0000

idrinorbarsaku, the want ads here are full of e46 and e93 M3s used, some for < $22k — it is very hard to resist…

By: 02WRXPSM

02WRXPSM — Fri, 29 May 2009 15:24:11 +0000

RS5 > M3?? Q7 > X5?? Wow, again, no offense intended here, but you seem to be slipping into fanboy status. I haven’t driven either, but the RS5 really isn’t on the radar in any of the car magazines I read, while the M3 is constantly being cited and compared to, and the Q7 is a Toureg underneath, one of the worst-reviewed and most-fixed cars of all time (not to mention massive and porky compared to the X5). I do like the looks of several of the Audi lineup (Q5 and Q7 NOT being on that list, they look inflatable) and I do have a big soft spot for the Quattro series, but the idea that Audi has a lineup that absolutely cancels out BMW’s lineup is an opinion that puts you in the serious minority.

By: idrinorbarsaku

idrinorbarsaku — Fri, 29 May 2009 14:00:51 +0000

In all seriousness, I would pick the s4 of the 335, even though i like the 335xi. The audi has the look that appeals to me, and apparently lots of other people. Or possibly the new supercharged 3.0 S4 that I have been hearing about. I find the exterior of the 3series gets boring real fast. The only thing that makes it look nicer is by adding the sports package which adds more money and summer tires….I need an s4!!! I’m not worried at all about 0-60, or anything like that. I don’t race my cars, i take care of them and keep the clean, not abuse them. S4 is the car for me. I would take a used (new) m3 4 door though!

By: TornadoGTI

TornadoGTI — Fri, 29 May 2009 13:39:56 +0000

@02WRXPSM – The weight that Audi typically carries is what makes the car a better daily driving proposition. It is more solid and has a far nicer interior. I agree that the BMW may be better at the track but 50% of the owners (ME) of either S4’s or 335’s aren’t seeing track time. I believe you that the E46, ON THE TRACK, is a good car, however, when I test drove one, on the streets, it felt slow. The E92 coupe that I drove was VERY slow compared to my GTI. It felt heavy. 230 hp in that car is not enough, 300 is.
I like the BMW and if/when I am in the market for a $40k sedan (which will be my next purchase) it is a car that I would consider. But as of right now, the Audi does it for me in all their models. A4 > 328, S4/S5 > 335, RS5 > M3, A6 > 5-series, A8 > 750, Q5 > X3, Q7 > X5. The only cars that BMW has that I like are the 6-series and X6, but that is because Audi doesn’t offer a counterpart.
I have nothing but respect for BMW but this current line-up doesn’t do it for me.

By: Fletch

Fletch — Fri, 29 May 2009 09:46:31 +0000

I would love to have one, sedan with sport package over the coupe. Waiting for the price to come down in the $20k’s… Going to at least stage 1 is a no brainer.

By: AutoCritical

AutoCritical — Fri, 29 May 2009 05:59:22 +0000

TornadoGTI-
I wouldn’t say this car is bland looking. Sure, there are plenty of them around, but their surface language quite striking! (’flame’ surfacing). That fast line/spear along the side of the car is quite forceful, and the resolution of connecting surfaces around the rear fender/decklid is quite interesting. At the same time, I’m speaking in terms of when I first saw the car, I guess now, it still holds itself well, but it is getting on a bit..(quite excited to see what they have next!)

By: 02WRXPSM

02WRXPSM — Fri, 29 May 2009 05:50:30 +0000

I have driven the S4 and S5, and they are extremely heavy and slow. The transmissions and traction are not up to par with the 335i. I’m not going to argue about the looks, you can see that I said the car makes an ideal sleeper. My personal bias against Audi has to do with the reliability but also the fact that a 5mph crash in an A6 cost almost $4,600 to repair for a co-worker of mine. He had to eat $1,000 of that as his deductible and it took the dealer almost 2 months to fix. That grille up front is tin and wax, and the crumple zone is actually in the freaking SIDE PANELS so you need new sheet metal all the way back to the doors for even a minor hit.

100hp per liter is not the measure of the motor in the 335i, the dyno chart is. Have you seen one? They are unreal — DEAD FLAT torque from 1,000 RPM on, absolutely pure power all the way to redline. None of the normal valley-peak-drop off a cliff of most turbo engines (including VW motors, which I have extensive experience with). And like I said above, the motor is severely detuned, not even at 1/3 of its potential. The classic inline six in the 5-series and M-series was the basis for this motor, and those can be taken to 800hp with many stock components intact.

If you drove an e46 and were not impressed by the driving dynamics then — no offense intended — you don’t know what to look for. I’ve had one out on Buttonwillow, and only my WRX (with a heavily modded suspension, admittedly) feels more planted and solid at 120mph among the cars I have driven at speed. The Elise I drove scared the **** out of me, man that thing is jittery as a beestung horse.

AxeHead, you are smoking some serious grass there. I own an RDX myself and am a big Acura fan, but a TSX is an Accord, it can not even get to 40% of what the 335i can do.

By: AutoCritical

AutoCritical — Fri, 29 May 2009 05:47:13 +0000

To 02WRXPSM,
I agree with you about how good it is that BMW has ‘developed’ the car over time.

From a styling point of view, I like their corporate face. From model to model, it does change, but in essence, its still BMW. Even the lines along the side are kept to remind us that it is a BMW. At the same time, again from the styling point of view, the Porsche, in my opinion, although it is a design that is being refined over time, I can’t help but feel impatient for something that is different, but still the same…like how BMW do it.

By: AxeHead

AxeHead — Fri, 29 May 2009 05:09:11 +0000

No thanks, I’ll keep my TSX, may only perform 90% of what this can do but it’s 20k cheaper and will last twice as long and I get 40 mpg.

Besides, I hate the exterior styling, boring, except the traditional BMW classic grill.

By: TornadoGTI

TornadoGTI — Fri, 29 May 2009 02:52:11 +0000

@02WRXPSM – I do think the S4 is a better car than this. At least as far as I am concerned. 40 more hp, AWD, and looks FAR better inside and out. And does so for close to the same cost.

Besides that, I think that the 3-series is a bit bland. They are EVERYWHERE where I live. They may be an emotional drive but they are certainly not emotional to look at. The interior has been seemingly unchanged in the last 10 years. Seeing as how you spend more time looking at the interior than the exterior, you think that would be important to its buyers, which i might note are mainly women (from what i can see).

BMW has a nice car here but as far as the best, that is a bit of a statement that I cannot get behind. I am also partially biased by Audi seeing as every BMW I have driven (only e46 325i sedan, e92 328i coupe, and X3 3.0) They have not impressed at all.

P.S. – My $26k VW acheives 100hp / liter. Just about every VAG (Volkswagen Auto Group) car does.

By: 02WRXPSM

02WRXPSM — Fri, 29 May 2009 02:44:33 +0000

The 3-series is a perfect example of what you get when you iterate and develop a car over 20+ years, paying very careful attention to every single part of its development. Even with long-standing stablemates like the Mustang and Corvette, American engineers can’t resist changing the car drastically (usually to cut costs) every generation and generally screwing things up in the process — remember the Stingray, such a huge fall from the split-window? The 335i is overweight and expensive, but that motor/transmission combination can’t be beat — and for tuners, you can take this car up to 550 HP with the stock internals, stock EXHAUST (no loud fartcans) and stock 91 octane and have a sleeper capable of crushing Aston Martins and Maseratis, not to mention any domestic junk you might come across.

I will mention that I think the 2-door variant of this car looks like a bar of soap left in the sun — melted and too slippery to even pick up. In proper 4-door trim in gunmetal gray, it is absolutely invisible to cops and a wicked sleeper ready to bust the chops of S4 Audis and the like.

By: idrinorbarsaku

idrinorbarsaku — Fri, 29 May 2009 01:01:10 +0000

i love this car, but i think it’s over priced!

By: Borat

Borat — Thu, 28 May 2009 23:58:35 +0000

Covering cost of 2 Ivy’s does not allow me to indulge myself in this, but body of mine has pity on me and let me drive his 335 coupe often and for a long periods of time. On highway it does over 30 mpg easy. In burbs even with traffic it’s mid 20’s. Acceleration, handling, sleek 6 speed, light clutch – as good as sex (or maybe better since it’s all safe). Handling is like sex with Catherina Zeta Jones, perhaps sloppy second after Michael Douglass, but amazing nevertheless. You can toss car and always will recover it. Nothing made by domestics compares to this, in my opinion. Everything else may have more brute force, but none of this car finesse.

By: 6ix

6ix — Thu, 28 May 2009 23:20:16 +0000

MUCH better looking for 2009. I was originally thinking that I’d get a 5-series, but now might just save the money and get this instead. In black, of course.

Thanks for the review! Very informative!

By: iluvamcars

iluvamcars — Thu, 28 May 2009 22:23:24 +0000

Its been out for four years! Yet it is still in this news all the time.