BMW 335i Touring: PH Carpool
RS4 too pricey this week's PHer fell back into the welcoming arms of BMW...
Car: BMW 335i M-Sport Touring (Manual)
Owned since: February 2013
Previously owned: Vauxhall Astra Mk2, Peugeot 405 Diesel, BMWs - 320i and a much missed 330ci sport - and a not-missed Volvo V50 diesel.
A family wagon that inspires early morning blats
"When I found out we were having a baby I panicked. Not about the baby but the car, which led me directly to a Volvo V50 diesel because it seemed safe and sensible. This feeling lasted about a week until I realised that the blingy 18-inch wheels made the turning circle horrific and the sport package (seemingly a slightly wobbly strut-brace in the engine bay) was just a jiggly ride.
"When I got a new job I decided to change and when I worked out that even if I could afford an RS4 (I couldn't), I wouldn't be able to run it, so as ever the Munich roundel drew me back. Initially I had my heart set on a 330i Touring in blue but couldn't find a manual one anywhere and then my car popped up at a BMW dealer. At 13K it was about £2,000 more than I wanted to spend but as soon as I drove it, felt the laugh out loud power, watched as the steering wheel actually took me round corners and then opened the window and dropped a gear I was smitten."
What I wish I'd known:
"Research was fairly extensive on 330is. I test drove it back to back with diesel and even an automatic - which put me off despite the ubiquity - and was seduced by the engine howl. However, once the 335i came up the process happened relatively rapidly - it made even the 330 seem a bit slow! It was only afterwards I realised that I hadn't asked about replacement turbos or any of the other things guaranteed to keep me awake at night following the warranty expiring next year.
"These cars also seem fairly susceptible to wheel balance issues which came up about 100 miles from the dealership with a pronounced wheel wobble at motorway speeds. Following a very unhelpful call with the supplying dealers I took it to my trusted mechanics at Brian Robson in St Albans who sorted the wheel wobble (weights all over the place) and swapped off the Nankang 'ditch finders' which had been put on the car by the dealer."
Original owner specced gangster black...
"Rather a lot! This car fulfils a dual role in ferrying around my family but also taking me out on Sunday mornings. Not once in 18 months was I ever compelled to do so in the Volvo but I'm up to about six early morning weekend blats so far. The engine is immense - you can't tell the turbos are working really so it feels almost naturally aspirated and builds up speed like a turbine. Overtaking is faintly savage, and it is enormous fun keeping Imprezas and Evos honest. The noise is far more guttural than I had imagined, especially compared to the creamy 330, but it howls at the top end. More surprising things are how good the iDrive is and the seats which are a lot more comfortable than the Volvo on long journeys. Mainly though I love pressing the DTC button and feeling the back end move and the throttle note go a bit feral."
Things I hate:
"Not a great deal. Black is a pain to keep clean and this car is very black with the previous owner opting for partial gangster spec kidney grills and privacy glass. Only niggly things like Drive not taking full postcodes are annoying really - the honeymoon continues!"
Costs:
"I am braced for high running costs but so far, tyres aside (non-runflats were cheaper and ride better so far) it has been good as gold. On long steady motorway runs I am seeing up to 34mpg on the computer but on quicker stuff this drops to the low 20s which is less good. Insurance was fine once I shopped around. There is still that nagging feeling that the phenomenal engine might need some costly turbo work at some stage..."
...and the manual gearbox that sealed the deal
"So far we've done the round trip from St Albans to Edinburgh - the route across the Northumberland national park (A696/68) was truly epic with the windows open and the sun rising at 6am - and a schlep down to Brittany for a family holiday was dispatched with ease. I've also done a trip to the Peak District and a lot of local exploring in the early morning."
What next?
"No plans on selling this one. I still can't afford that RS4 and this one fulfils perfectly the dual role I need, given that I can't justify a second car. That doesn't mean I don't have plans to find a 964 in the next few years but this one is staying for a long time."
Want to share your car with PHers on Carpool? Email us at carpool@pistonheads.com!
Great car in the touring body, a real sleeper.
My only real misgiving is the steering, though. It's well-weighted but has a slightly odd, synthetic resistance to it. Nice to place but bereft of any genuine feedback as such.
The quality of the thing gives rise to a slight problem...what on earth to replace it with...? Alpina B3 is currently leading the race.
Surely the point of a manual car is using the gearbox-not driving everywhere in 5th?
An e46 m3 (if driven using the gears) would just disappear up the road. Use 2nd gear at 40mph-not 5th. Then you will see which is 'considerably quicker'.
After 2 E90s and an F30 I am very nervous of modern BMW reliability though. Currently, none of the things that fail cost me anything, and my employer drops the keys to a replacement car at my desk if I need it. In private ownership and out of warranty, it's my problem. OK, two of mine have been diesels, but with one exception, none of the issues I've had on the diesels has been drivetrain related.
Really hope it works out for you. One of these could still tempt me.
Only thing concerning me is the aforementioned reliability issues as I recall hearing some stories of common turbo failures or associated parts on these engines.
Does anyone know more about this?
I was at a BMW dealer the other day and asked about it but the salesman was in 'company mode' and feigned ignorance which was a bit annoying. No car is perfect and it won't neccessarily put me off, just be honest with me!
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