Wednesday 15th February 2012

Driven: BMW 335i

Is BMW's range-topping 3 Series a good choice? We find out via a cross-Europe road trip

---

The much-loved BMW straight-six is under threat. With the unending hunt for greater efficiency cylinder counts in 'prestige' cars are getting lower and lower. Traditionally cylinder count equalled status. But the days of V12s for the CEO, V8s for the directors, sixes for the managers and four-cylinders for the corporate grunts are over. Heck, the three-cylinder 3 Series looms.

The obligatory petrol station shot

This is not necessarily a bad thing. BMW now musters 184hp, 0-62mph in 7.5 seconds and 61.4mpg from its 320d, while the 2.0-litre 328i turbo petrol gives you 245hp, 0-62mph in 5.9 seconds and 44.1mpg in manual guise. The 3.0-litre N55 twin-scroll turbocharged six therefore has to really sing for its supper as the (for now) range-topping engine choice: 306hp, 0-62mph in 5.5 seconds and 39.2mpg combined isn't half bad, but is it enough? Can the six-cylinder 3 Series justify itself?

To answer that question, and to find out what the F30 3 Series is like in general, we took the first right-hook 335i to be released from the UK press launch in Malaga all the way back to PH HQ. After all, there's nothing like a road trip to really get to grips with a car.

Spanish sun replaced by winter snow

Friday, 12:30pm: Malaga airport
I've been in the car for some 15 minutes now, adjusting, fiddling, and inputting a sufficiently interesting route into the sat-nav. Initial impressions are good: the cabin design feels like the conceptual lovechild of the current generation 5 Series and the E90 3 Series.

There's a centre console canted towards the driver (nice), and a slightly self-conscious design language that 'links' one area of the interior to another (a bit forced), but the overall feel is that this is a car you know well, even after the first 30 seconds of acquaintance. Things are where you want them to be, and work largely in the way you expect, provided you've been in a few recent BMWs, that is.

Friday 2pm: a twisty Spanish motorway on the way to Granada
That immediate sense of familiarity continues on the move. We've only been driving for a short while and yet I'm already entirely comfortable with the way it behaves.

Spanish roads not the best quality...

That's partly a result of the evolutionary nature of the F30, partly the fact that this is a very familiar engine. And a very lovely one. That twin-scroll turbo engine has an elastic flexibility to its delivery that allows it to play relaxed cruiser one moment and lunging overtaker the next. It's helped by the new ZF eight-speed auto, too, which feels beautifully matched.

It's not all peaches and cream, however. The new fully electric steering rack might have made gains in efficiency (it uses no power at the straight ahead or in steady-state cornering), but it does feel more than a little aloof. There's also a soupy feel to the wheel that the sweeping curves of Andalucian motorways only serve to highlight.

Friday, 4pm: a back-road detour
The quality of asphalt rapidly deteriorates when you take to the quieter backwaters of Spain's road network, and a 'shortcut' I'd picked out to get a chance to play with the adjustable chassis and powertrain settings and explore the 335i's country road handling characteristics turns out to be more of a challenge than I could possibly have imagined.

Where are we again?

We like to moan about the state of B-road Britain, but the road I find myself on (the C-22 to the north west of Lorca) is a genuinely astonishing piece of tarmac. Ostensibly straight and well sighted, the road hides more than a few sudden chicanes as it snakes along, with very little in the way of warning signs. It also serves up an amazing array of potholes, sudden dips and damper-destroying ripples. It is, in short, the sort of road that keeps chassis engineers awake at night.

Overall, the 335i copes pretty well - even in 'comfort' the suspension keeps body roll largely in check in corners and holds back heave and float over lumps and humps, while the gearbox does a reasonable job of keeping you in the right gear.

Wind up to sport mode and things are even more tightly controlled. The Spanish road of chassis death does reveal the car to be a smidge under-damped, however, while that steering proves vaguely recalcitrant in quick direction change situations - which is quite a disappointment and dulls the edge of an inherently sharp chassis.

Saturday 7am: north of Barcelona

Gearbox is a joy

Figuring a rapidly driven Ford C-Max must be a local and up to speed on where the police hang out I decide to tag on to his tail and wind up the pace a bit. The 335i naturally proves thoroughly comfortable at these higher speeds (its autobahn cred would be shot if it wasn't) and the cruise control proves usefully responsive.

There is a lot of wind noise, but I can't decide whether it's because there's very little tyre, road or engine noise, whether it's the blustery side wind making it worse, or whether the car just generates a lot of wind noise. Jury's out on that one.

Saturday, midday: Perpignan to Foix
The D117 is one of those roads we fondly imagine criss-cross the continent; it mixes sweeping bends, straights and hairpin passes with a sweet, smooth surface. Best of all, it's pretty much empty.

The 3 Series is in its element here, feeling much more progressive and assured when not asked to change direction so swiftly or over such bumpy terrain as in Spain.

It's here that I also explore the manual elements of the eight-speed auto. BMW has been using this gearbox for a while now, and Munich's engineers seem to have finally got a proper handle on it. And in manual mode it's brilliant. It takes you a while to get used to the idea of so many ratios, but it shifts smoothly and, crucially, gives you a gear when you want it, a trick the Mercedes 7G-Tronic transmission could do well to learn. It's also a small thing, but it's nice to have a sequential lever with the 'proper' pull to shift up, push to shift down configuration.

Saturday, 6.30pm: north west of Limoges

The old N147 from Limoges to Poitiers, the last leg of my journey (ignoring the dull schlep up to Calais - because you don't want to read about that), is an exercise in old-fashioned lorry overtaking.

The 335i is, of course, a master of this sort of thing, and it's a great chance to hear the growling straight six in its upper ranges one final time this evening. And to muse on whether there's still a place for the six-cylinder 3 Series.

My conclusion? It pains me to say this, but the Twinpower six is feeling a bit old these days. Its four-cylinder petrol and diesel brethren are so efficient, and sufficiently powerful, as to make the big six almost an irrelevance, especially on a long trip like this, where even a perfectly respectable 28-and-a-bit mpg just seems a bit too thirsty. Unless you really crave that six-cylinder yowl, it's hard to make a convincing logical case for the 335i.

All is not lost for the six-pot 3er, mind - the forthcoming hybrid version will use it, and add a suitable chunk of power and economy in the process. Should be interesting...

---

BMW 335I
Engine:2,979cc inline-6
Transmission:6-speed manual/8-speed auto, rear-wheel drive 
Power (hp): 306@5,800rpm
Torque (lb ft): 295@1,200-5,000rpm
0-62mph: 5.5 seconds
Top speed: 155mph
Weight: 1,585kg
MPG: 39.2 (35.8 manual)
CO2:169g/km (186 g/km manual)
Price: £37,025 (£49,860 as tested)

[E38Ross]

interesting read. overall a pretty good car then?

i think (personally) there is still a place for the 6 pot 3er, but for sure it won't be as common as it has been. it's nice they do still at least offer it.

the interior looks like a nice step up from the E90; whilst i like the idrive on the E90, as a whole i preferred the E46 interior design.

£50k seems very expensive though, must have been fully specced!

what's the verdict.....IF you're buying a brand new car (please, no new vs 2nd hand comments!!) what else would you consider riggers? do you think the new 335i is good as a whole then?

[goron59]

So, a nice, if dull car, sloppy steering, OTT engine and 50k ? Struggling to find the positives here.

[g3org3y]

What's the advantage of an electric steering rack over the traditional (more feelsome) type?

[Harris328i]

Interesting conclusion. For me the signature 6 pots died when the last one became blown anyway, the fact they were NA was as big a part of the experience as the cylinder count. Also interesting how the view on the steering is slightly different to Sutcliff's.

Enjoyed reading that though, very good review . Aesthetically much like the F10 I wasnt sure at first but its certainly growing on me. I hope they do better styling wise with the M3 this time though, a well specced E92 coupe looks far better than its M3 equivalent imo.

[T16OLE]

£50k wow

[Vladimir]

g3org3y said:

What's the advantage of an electric steering rack over the traditional (more feelsome) type?

Not a lot AFAIK.

Only the 335d and 335i had "proper" steering in the E9* range (and the M3 of course). The rest had electric steering which really spoilt the feel of the car.

[goron59]

T16OLE said:

£50k wow

To be fair, any car with ~ £13k of options is going to be a nice place to be on a road trip.

[Vilhelm]

g3org3y said:

What's the advantage of an electric steering rack over the traditional (more feelsome) type?

It doesn't rely on a hydraulic pump to work -> less load on engine -> more fuel economy.

It is possible to have an EPS setup with good feedback - read reviews of the Range Rover Evoque and the Toyota GT86. However, German manufactuers don't seem to have figured out how yet. The Porsche 991 is another example of this.

[Cupramax]

T16OLE said:

£50k wow

Thats just rediculous... even more so than a £40k Golf R.

[Riggers]

E38Ross said:

what's the verdict.....IF you're buying a brand new car (please, no new vs 2nd hand comments!!) what else would you consider riggers? do you think the new 335i is good as a whole then?

Oooh that's a tough question.

I've not driven it, but I hear the latest Audi S4 is pretty sweet, and a very similar price.

Can't really think of anything else that could compare. Let me mull it over and I'll get back to you with a less predictable alternative

[va1o]

Sounds like we have a new class leader

[steve_n]

doogz said:

Electric systems free up a bit more space in the engine bay as well.

For what? There was never a problem with space in a 3 series.

I'd rather have hydraulic and 2mpg less any day but the emissions regulations seem to be strangling anything conducive to fun.

[Captain Muppet]

article said:

There's also a soupy feel to the wheel...

Heinz tinned tomato soup, watery minestrone from a packet of powder or rich lumpy home made vegetable soup with a steak pie floating in it?

That sort of thing tells me far more about the person writing it than it does about the car, and I'm not interested in people, I'm interested in cars.

Edited by Captain Muppet on Wednesday 15th February 14:03

[Luca Brasi]

article said:

It pains me to say this, but the Twinpower six is feeling a bit old these days. Its four-cylinder petrol and diesel brethren are so efficient, and sufficiently powerful, as to make the big six almost an irrelevance, especially on a long trip like this, where even a perfectly respectable 28-and-a-bit mpg just seems a bit too thirsty.

Very sad to read this on PH. More cylinders = better (imo). And 28mpg seems perfectly reasonable to me. I had a quick go in a brand new 328i at my local dealer last week, yes it's quick and drives like a BMW should but I'd take a 335i over a dull 4-pot turbo any day.

Thank god there are still a lot BMs with proper engines available in the classifieds.

[angusc43]

"It's also a small thing, but it's nice to have a sequential lever with the 'proper' pull to shift up, push to shift down configuration."

I'd second that. I just can't get the hang of the left and right movement on the 7G in my Merc. It's counter-intuitive.

[steve_n]

doogz said:

Dunno. Whatever.

2 turbos and a stload of pipework maybe?

I wasn't defending BMW's choice here, just an observation about electric PS systems.

Furry muff.

[DJ_AS]

steve_n said:

I'd rather have hydraulic and 2mpg less any day but the emissions regulations seem to be strangling anything conducive to fun.

Electric power steering is a big dissapointment in every car I've driven thats equipped with it and a real step-backwards in terms of driver enjoyment. Perhaps things will improve with time as engineers understand how to tune the systems better.

[angusc43]

Luca Brasi said:

article said:

It pains me to say this, but the Twinpower six is feeling a bit old these days. Its four-cylinder petrol and diesel brethren are so efficient, and sufficiently powerful, as to make the big six almost an irrelevance, especially on a long trip like this, where even a perfectly respectable 28-and-a-bit mpg just seems a bit too thirsty.

Very sad to read this on PH. More cylinders = better (imo). And 28mpg seems perfectly reasonable to me. I had a quick go in a brand new 328i at my local dealer last week, yes it's quick and drives like a BMW should but I'd take a 335i over a dull 4-pot turbo any day.

Thank god there are still a lot BMs with proper engines available in the classifieds.

"Unless you really crave that six-cylinder yowl, it's hard to make a convincing logical case for the 335i."

But that IS the case, surely.

[Martin 480 Turbo]

Okey, now I see what the "proper" review reads like and it sounds
much more balanced to my ears than the blog entries. So fair enough,
thanks Riggers for serving that one:

riggers said:

The new fully electric steering rack might have made gains in efficiency (it uses no power at the straight ahead or in steady-state cornering), but it does feel more than a little aloof. There's also a soupy feel to the wheel that the sweeping curves of Andalucian motorways only serve to highlight.

You held back that critizism as icing for the review cake and I understand it. But it is of
importance to critizise the failure of the electric steering system idea, while the German car
press ignores the matter... The electric assistance makes only sense, if you really save fuel. You
can only save fuel, while the steering servos are deconected on straight line and kick in when the wheel is turned. The slight eye twitching moment, the systems need for kicking in, ruins your backroad experience. (Very much so in the F10.) The alternative is doing what Toyota does with the GT; having the electric assistance "on" almost every second, thus not saving much fuel over a hydraulic system.

In the end the electric steering system in a non electric car turns out to be a twisted arm in a turn to meet emissions regulations.

End of rant...

Martin 480 Turbo

P.S.: I'd expect the wind noise in the F30 to be high if someone forgot to spec the extra thick glazing on that press car. The E90 never was a quiet car, too. Is the windscreen wiper movement still transmitted to the brake pedal via the cowl hinges?

Edited by Martin 480 Turbo on Wednesday 15th February 14:13

Edited by Martin 480 Turbo on Wednesday 15th February 15:24

[Riggers]

Captain Muppet said:

Heinz tinned tomato soup, watery minestrone from a packet of powder or rich lumpy home made vegetable soup with a steak pie floating in it?

That sort of thing tells me far more about the person writing it than it does about the car, and I'm not interested in people, I'm interested in cars.

Edited by Captain Muppet on Wednesday 15th February 14:03

Fair enough, Captain.

I'd say Heinz tinned tomato, on balance.