BMW 330i. Photo by Nick Hall
Following on from our road test on the BMW 330i, posted yesterday, BMW is to launch an uprated version, the 335i. Due on the mainland in just over a year and in the UK six months later, it will feature a turbo-charged version of the 3.0-litre petrol engine found in the 330i. This boosts power by 72bhp to around 330bhp, which is just 13bhp short of the current 3.2-litre M3, and looks likely to get you to 60mph from rest in some six seconds.
The turbos will be fitted so that one works at lower engine speeds to boost low-end torque, while the other picks up higher up the rev range. Autocar speculates that it will be mated to a DSG-alike double-clutch gearbox, for seamless shifting.
According to this week's Autocar, which broke the story, it's intended to plug the gap between the 330i and the forthcoming M3, and will have a 4.0-litre powerplant shoe-horned in, along with a hefty price. That won't launch until 2007.