Wow, that’s smoking. BMW, yet again raises the bar.

Raising the bar??? heh

Wake up.

Nice car though

not really raising the bar but impressive nonetheless

Not bad at all.

Competition means the consumer wins.

i already drive a car that does all those stats, its called the IS350. good for BMW catching up..

gsh, you’re right, BMW is behind again. But if you want a real car, drive a Chevy.

Yeah GSH – but this one actually has the handling to go with the stats.

They have this car geared wrong intentionally. Just to keep the ///M car ahead.

300 lb/ft should take the M3 in 0-60mph.

This car should have the the killler roll ons though.

Look for some freaky tuner version of this motor.

It also indicates that the upcoming ///M3 will be unreal.

Too bad the IS350 can’t do that.

It’s really decent numbers. But it is pricy too. I’d get a slightly used M3 over what the estimated price for this thing.

good luck with that, even an M3 with 30,000 miles goes for 50k. as for handling, please, nothing that 2k cant solve. its not like you can spend 2k on a 330i to get 50hp..

The IS350 can’t do that? Did you not read Car and Driver’s sport sedan comparison? The 350’s numbers are 5.2/13.7 which is pretty much identical to the 335 but for much less money.

http://www.caranddriver.com/comparisons/10390/2006-lexus-is350.html

“But if you want a real car, drive a chevy.” HAHAHA jesus fuking tap dancing christ, what a joke. Chevy are real ****ty cars, so “if you want a real POS, drive a chevy.”

Sorry, Don… much less money?

Have you TRIED to buy a IS350?

We’re talking an easy $45k. Sorry, but that’s not really a bargain.

And, it still doesn’t handle like a 3-Series, or even like an S4.

I was reading an article with STEVE DINAN saying he will have a package for this car that will take to 400 h.p. rather easily.

The seven speed by Mercedes is still faster but the 3.5 will have less bhp. With direct injection (CGI) it will be around the 300bhp mark but will only be available next year. So till then BMW will be the leader.

I mean available in the new C-class next year

Stuart, the new C-Class will continue to drive like the old C-Class, which drives like a freaking boat. Drive an M3 and then drive a C230 (or even a C55 AMG) and there’s no comparison. Like driving a tricycle and then a gokart.

this 3 series is so ugly and poor quality interior,the previous version was much better

Why is anyone even comparing Lexus to BMW? Everyone knows Lexus has no soul. While BMW certainly makes good profits, it exists as a company passionate about its engineering and about its products. Lexus, on the other hand, exists just to make money. The reason, you ask? Lexus isn’t even Lexus in other countries (I know you know this, it’s just my point). Therefore, they don’t care about ****. Just an image to sell cars. I would never buy a Lexus, ever. BMW for life.

GO KEVIN. I BACK YOU UP 100%.

Yeah, that IS350 is great until you hit a corner. What a boring, one trick car…

The BMW 335i uses the worlds first i6 with twin turbos, fuel injection, and aluminum crankcase. It puts out 300 hp out of 3.0 liters, therefore getting 100 hp per liter.
Also it gets near 50:50 weight distribution. It has a double pivot front suspension with leaf springs made entirely of aluminum with five link suspension in the rear.
I’m suprised it has leaf springs in the front. The numbers are pretty good. The engine and components are made as light as possible (part of the reason why they chose a twin turbo i6, it’s lighter than a comparable 4.0 liter V8) which is part to blame for it’s good acceleration.
This is a great car. I don’t see why everyone thinks BMW’s are the ultimate driving machine, though fun they’re not the fastest or the best. I’ve considered buying a BMW myself, but haven’t (yet).
Otherwise they are of great quality, fun and comfortable cars for the most part.

I’ll sell my 2003 M3 in anticipation of the next one (based on the 335, it should be amazing). Any takers? It is topaz blue with black leather, has 22,500 miles, 6 speed manual, xenons, premium and cold weather packages, Harmon Kardon sound, 19 inch wheels and under warranty until 2009. I’m offering it at $41,000. Email me at newmark@cboe.com.

the Lexus IS350 might cost less than this car, but then this is a coupe and, oops, Lexus doesn’t have a coupe. The 2007 335i SEDAN, which competes with the IS350, is $2000 less than the 335i COUPE, and as such is priced more in line with the IS350. And yeah, it still costs a little more than the Lexus, but it’ll be faster, and handle better, and be more fun to drive, and comes with free maintenance. Basically, it’ll be a BMW, and cost a little more, which is what a BMW is supposed to be compared to a Lexus.

Jay–”I’m suprised it has leaf springs in the front.”

I am too. I’m pretty sure BMW uses MacPherson Struts in the front. Always have, always will.

rdsx ,

I couldn’t agree more! The E46 was perfect, whereas the E90 / E92 is crap…

Jon.

I can’t believe people would even think about comparing a Lexus IS350 to this car. That’s insane. These cars are worlds apart. There aren’t any BMW owners out there that would even remotely think about buying a IS over a 3 series. Wake up people. Maybe Mercedes, but Lexus, Mann please. This **** is funny….

Yeah, because the IS is so different than the 3er…lets see:

Both have RWD, both have the engine behind the wheels, both have 6-cylinder engines with high compression, both are available in stick or auto, both have the same price range. However, the IS has a better made interior, better made UI, and better dealer service standards.

Buyers shopping for a 3 will also cross-shop the IS. Why else do you think BMW called its 3.0 liter, twin turbo car the 335i (ahem, IS350) rather than calling it the 330ti?

Jon.

^ I’m sorry, was that an attempt at using English? If so, you failed. Miserably.

Jon.

Jon – You’ve listed the “spreadsheet” version of how the 3 series and IS are similar. Which is exactly the argument BMW enthusiasts are making – Lexus builds a great car on paper, but when driven its just not the same as a BMW. As far as the driving experience, the only thing the IS has that can compare to or better the BMW is raw acceleration. The steering is numb comared to the e90, and the things rolls in the corners – just a boring experience overall for a “sports” sedan. The new IS is also a letdown inside – cramped and the materials are not up to Lexus standards. I had expected better looking at the pics, but in person I was let down by the new IS. Even the center console electronic stack seems to be mushed into the console itself, with a weird inteface between the that hardly lives up to the “Lexus” reputation.

Quit comparing IS350 to BMW. Lexus is for boring, unimaginative, characterless people. BMW is “the ultimate driving machine” and will always be the choice of automobile enthusiasts.

Chris,

Just FYI: I don’t own a 3er or an IS, but I did cross shop them before I decided on my A4. My point is that most people tend to buy cars based on a lot of the ‘spreadsheet’ similarities. Of course a Lexus will not drive the same as a BMW, the same way a BMW will not drive like an Audi. Sure the S4 and the M3 are comparable, but they are two different beasts, each with its own personality and traits. The IS serves its purpose well: it accelerates quickly and can handle curves when it needs to. Can it do it as well as a 3er with the sports package? No. But again, no one assumed that it could.

Regarding the interior the E90 is horrible compared to the E46; seriously, it’s a crime against humanity to go form the E46’s interior to the E90’s. Not only has the quality gone down, but also the design is horrible and badly achieved. Everything is geared towards the damn iDrive and less towards what you would call ‘the ultimate driving machine’. The E46 was built like a driver’s car: good quality materials, dash raked towards the driver a-la jetfighter ****pit, simple but effective controls, NAV was off to the side and only there if you wanted it (basic controls, A/C and audio system could be used WITHOUT the use of the on-board NAV / computer screen), no run flats, the body was the perfect size for a ‘sports sedan’, etc…

Whereas the E90 is the opposite off all that. It got bloated; the ride became really harsh with the run flats (suspension is STILL not tuned into the run flats), they added options like the iDrive which make the car feel more like ‘the ultimate electronics machine’, completely changed the design of the dash to curve AWAY fro the driver (seriously, what genius thought that was a good idea?), and made the car look a hell of a lot uglier than before. I have always been a BMW fan, up to the Bangle-era. I wish that I could have bought a new E46 if they were still in production at the time I bought my car. But, alas they came out with the E90 and turned me off the 3er.

Jon.

^I would like to add that the inside of the IS when it comes to metatarsals is comparable to the ES, in both look and quality.

Jon.

^ And that’s fine, to each his own. Again, people will cross-shop the cars and BMW knows this.

Jon.

Jon, Ironically enough, I also own an A4, but its getting old (2000), and I’m seriously shopping for its replacement. As much as I like it (and I really like it – 7 years in a car is a record for me), I need to get something different just for variety’s sake. I was hoping the new IS would be a blend of BMW-fun-to-drive with Lexus reliability, but I was very underwhelmed when I drove it. And I guess we’ll just disagree here, but I was not overly impressed with the interior quality. Ergonomically it was fine (although cramped), but the dash material was too hard and the center console struck me as awkward in person. As far as the drive experience, it left me bored/uninterested. I agree to some degree that the E90 interior is not ideal, but the guage cluster and sport seats are great; the manual transmission is nice too, and I would never consider iDrive. The fun flats are also a downer IMO, but I do see the car overall as an improvement over the e46. Along those lines, I had considered a used e46, but the prices are outrageously high. Far too high compared to a brand new e90…

^Materials* yet again, I cannot spell.

Jon.

Chris, wait a bit more for the B8 A4. Trust me; it’s going to be a knockout. The engine is going to be placed 4 inches further back than it is now, allowing for the car to have almost or 50/50 F/R weight distribution, you are going to be able to get it with either the 6-speed manual or a 6-speed S-tronic (what a retarded name, what was wrong with ‘DSG’?), which is the best automatic gearbox in the world, Quattro is going to have a more RWD basis to them, rumors are 40/60 FWD/RWD distribution.

The base 2.0T is being upped by at least 10 horses (some rumors say 20 horses, which would up the engine to 220 bhp). And of course, you will still get the class-leading Audi interior, and oh, yes it won’t be as bad-looking as the bangled 3er.

Jon.

Jon – What is the time frame on the B8? For some reason I’m thinking next fall – is that right? My A4 is still going strong at 117k miles so it could easily last another year.

That second rc collins was an imposter. hey, i have owned both makes, I owned a lexus es, it was given to me as a graduation gift, before purchasing my bmws. my statement though crude was not unsupported by my own experience.

The Lexus IS350 is NOT available with a manual tranny. Autobox only. You want to row your own gears, you must get an IS250

Also the IS350 is a V6 now.

Inline-6, Manual Transmission, superior feel, superior brakes. Also it is a cooler car to be seen in.

Advantage BMW. Its the friggin benchmark for like forever.

Chris,

The latest time table I heard has been Fall 2007 as an 08’ model.

Jon.

Renton,

I’m sorry, but how do you justify that a V6 is somehow worse than an I6? Both Audi and MB use V6’s. Also, the best 6-cylinder engine in the world is flat, not Inline (Porsche’s flat-6 ‘boxster’* engine).

*It’s the name of the engine as well as the car, the ‘boxster’ engine is used in all the Porsche cars except for the Cayenne.

Jon.

I would not say the V-6 is worse than the inline 6, but I would say that they typically feel much smoother throught the rev range, and the delivery of power is greater

^ It all depends which company made the V6. Audi’s V6 is insanely smooth; MB’s isn’t too bad either. Now, if you’re talking about a Chevy V6, that’s a whole other story…

Jon.

i think the feeling of smoothness is more related to the transmission, not how the cylinders are aligned =/

Wow people are actually having good conversation on this forum… the haters must all be somewhere else because we are all getting along!

LOL if your talking about a Chevy V6 it’s a whole different story… they do not do as much testing and don’t care about their consumer as much that is why.
I have seen I6s getting 100+ hp per liter (like on this car, the 335i.
It has a twin turbo I6 that puts out 300 hp, out of a 3.0 liter engine. Therefore it gets 100 hp per liter.
But I have not seen many V6s out there getting 100+ hp per liter. Of course I haven’t seen many I6s or V6s getting 100 hp per liter.
But OF COURSE ( ) A porsches flat 6 is much better than the competition, putting out well more than 100 hp per liter.
This is an amazing car, like BMWs slogan “the ultimate driving machine”

I’ll just wait and see what Car & Driver gets out of the 335i.

Jay,

When speaking of the impressiveness of a cars HP to liters ratio, motor heads usually speak of NA engines and not compressed (turbo / supercharged) engines. What makes a Ferrari F430 so damn impressive is that from its 4.3 liter V8 it gets 483 hp, which amounts to 112.32 hp per liter, without the use of compression. In a compressed engine however, you can always get more power by: upping the boost, using a better blowout valve, getting a bigger intercooler, using more heat resistant / lighter blades, etc…

Regardless, of course BMW’s engines are amazingly impressive, the M3’s 333 hp 3.2 liter I6 is a work of art; I don’t think anyone will deny this. However, if you read by beefs with modern-day BMW none of them are regarding their mechanical aspects. It’s the design / electronics / interior material quality that really puts me off.

Jon.

Jon– I disagree that the best engine in the world is Porsche’s Boxter motor. Where did you read that? That last great Engines of the year were Honda’s S2000 motor, BMW’s corporate I-6 and Subaru’s STI motor. I mean its a great motor and all but Its no S54 from the ///M3.

V6s are built out of compromise. The company can share parts with its V8s, and it is shorter and can allow for more saftey equipment.

The only smoothness in a V6 is due to counterrotating balance shafts. I-6s are inherently balanced and insanely smooth. That is why BMW refuses to get rid of them.

They are the engine of an enthusisast.

You folks need to go out and drive a BMW inline six and get on it. Then we can talk.

Actually, the Porsche flat 6’s don’t get 100hp per liter. For example, the Carrera is 3.6 liters w/ 325 hp, and similar specs w/ the Carrera S. But the Turbo and GT3 do get 100+ hp per liter.

Subaru’s STi engine is a flat-6, and it’s designed off the Porsche boxster model. The flat-engine configuration creates the least amount of friction of any engine.

I disagree with the S2000’s engine being that smooth or great, sure it once got engine of the year because it made 240 hp from a NA 2.0 liter 4-cylinder but it’s an insanely ‘revvy’ engine which needs to be pushed close to its 8250 rpm redline to start to really kick in all those 240 horses; which makes it a flawed engine for day-to-day highway and city driving (if I recall something like only 25 or 30% of the engines power is available at 3000 or less). Whereas of course, BMW’s I6 is a lot more impressive.

Jon.

Subaru’s STi motor is a >Boxer

I meant a 4 cylinder Boxer…

Jon,
if you’d know BMW history, then you wouldn’t say that 335i was called because of “fancy Toyotas” IS350. The reason behind 335i being called that is it’s a turbo engine. In late 70’s and early 80’s when BMW released it’s second turbo car (firs being 2002 Turbo) it utilized the same capacity (3.5-liter) as regular car (being E23 735i), so they decide to call it 745i. This car was officially available only in Europe. Because this new engine has the same capacity as normally aspirated 3-liter, to differentiate them BMW is calling turbocharged version 335i. Same as 535d has 3-liter capacity, but has also twin turbo [different setup of turbo, then in petrol engine] (not available in North America).Why not 330ti? Because “t” in 318ti meant “touring” and not ‘turbo”, besides from 2006 BMW got rid of any letters in model names other then “i” – injection, “d” – diesel and “L” – long wheel base. They dont call Coupe anymore “…Ci” they call it as a Sedan “…i” (example: 650i replaced 645Ci).
My other point is that “IS-series” of “fancy Toyotas” was created to compete with 3-Series BMW (world known benchmark in this segment), hence first generation of IS had RWD, inline 6 and was available with manual gearbox. Europe had IS 200, where North America had IS 300. Many car manufacturers looking up to BMW 3-Series. Even SAAB named their models 9 3 and 9 5 (3-Series and 5-series).
If anyone interested in BMW’s (Classic and new) I highly recommend (beside this site) independent BMW magazines from UK: “BMW Car” and “Total BMW”.
-=Bimmer=-

No, you’re right it is a flat-4, but it is based on a Porsche design.

Jon.

Ok here to contribute to this argument about the smoothest engine (LOL) here’s something that I would like to add:
In my opinion inline motors recieve the least resistance, and are considerably smoother than V formations.
Inline motors recieve less resistance because gravity is not pushing it against the cylinder walls. In a V formation gravity and the weight will push it against the cylinder walls creating more friction.
And because of less friction they are considerably smoother.
I would also like to add that even though the S2000 motor puts out 120 hp per liter with normal aspiration, think about those 240 hp’s as “skinny horses”. This car doesn’t get that much torque (153 ft-ibs of torque at 7500 rpms) , and you have to rev it 7000 RPM+ to start recieving all that hp and torque. I like the S2000 because it doesn’t have a huge engine, it’s revy and it’s not heavy.

Oh yeah I forgot to add it seems the three year olds are all gone we are getting along

i dont know why all these bmw freaks are clamoring about the inline 6. soon all but one the M models will have the V configuration. if the inline 6 was so great and this and that, the M models should be the epitome of that greatness.

gsh,
the current generation of S54 in M3 CSL was as far as BMW could take I6 performance wise, without use of forced induction. That’s the reason why new generation of M3 will have a V8 under a hood.

The new 3 coupe is really growing on me. They shaved a lotta ugly off of the sedan to make the coupe.

speaking of the s2000 though, how cool would that be for a tesla-style electric conversion, eh? same peak power, much more torque, available anywhere. On second thought, use a miata. the drivetrain is the best reason to get an s2000, chassis second.

Damn, the 3-series is looking good.

Wait. Does this have iDrive? Puke.

WTF is wrong with touchscreens anyways, you could always have a ‘wipe screen’ button that lets you get rid of any smudging.

I drove everything, and I mean everything, even comparable. Lexus, Infiniti, Corvette, Mustang GT (great car for the money!) etc. Other than the Porsche Cayman S, nothing is even close to the overall driving experience of the BMW. The Porsche was incredible also but a 2 seater for $20k more…. I couldn’t do it. Sorry to the Nissan and Toyota guys but the Infiniti’s, Lexus’ and Acura’s just don’t even compare as far as handling and driving. I don’t know how the Germans do it but every BMW I drove felt like it knew where I wanted it to go and anticpated my moves. You could argue the Japanese give you more bang for the buck, for that matter the 400 hp corvette was no slouch for $45k, but I am getting this car to drive. I’m not cruising to impress people, put spinners on it or blast the 13 speakers with my windows down. All of those are nice cars, the lexus styling is very nice and build quality is incredible but if you haven’t driven a BMW in years you really should, if you like ot drive. Even knowing their reliability will be less than a Toyota (I had a great Highlander) or Honda and knowing I am paying too much of their profit, I ordered one anyway. When I go to the mountains of NC and VA and drive the Dragon’s Tail, skyline drive, etc. I will have a huge freaking smile on my face. When I haul the kids to soccer in my SUV I’ll be wishing I was driving the Bimmer.

this is an interesting site, lots of informative posts sprinkled with the occassional ass. not at all like e46 or e90 fanatics, where everyone is an ass, usually.

the i6 configurations in my knowledge (which is very limited) tends to be more effient than v6’s, im not sure about the flat or “boxer” 6…but i know theyre harder to make effiecient and quiet.

so I guess all in all, its about costs. its easier to R&D a good v6 but the “best” (for lack of a better word) engine types will be the i6 or f6, just look at the international engine of the year awards or porsche and subaru’s success.

as for the 350 vs. 335i thats been beaten dead already, we own a is350, which is fast…but is uber lazy around the corners, and a 330i, which is a much nicer all around car.

im going for the 335i whist my older brother (who is also my business associate…awwww!) is going for the e92 m3. cant wait!

can anyone tell me the differance between the 335i coupe and 335i sedan besides the four doors? hoursepower? I am also wondering why the sport package makes a diiferance on the 150 top speed?

i currently own a bmw, and love it but have decided to go for the new is350, i think its a great car….i think you lose some with buying the lexus vs the bmw “handling,feel” but i feel there are more gains than losses…for the money i will get alot more options, its alot more comfortable, i can take the service dept off my speed dial…. i just dont see the point in bashing anyone

To the guy with the is350:

I found this article on it http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/FullTests/articleId=106607. If you look at paragraph 5 you will read this:

But as capable and solid as the car feels when tearing along Angeles Crest Highway, I’m left with an undeniable impression — I’d rather be driving a BMW 3 Series.

So lexus is the one who needs to catch up.