Edmunds First Drive: 2007 BMW 335i Coupe

[GTaudiophile]

Originally posted by: ballmode
Why not just put a bigger displacement n/a engine...

this thing is the supra bulletproof handed by god motor, probably can't handle boost...

Larger engine is difficult in this case since we're talking about an Inline-6. As it is, the engine is shoe-horned into the engine bay. A much larger/longer engine would requite a larger/longer car.

 

[Doboji]

300HP/295TQ from a TWIN Turbo I6.... I don't get it... I would have expected much much more.

-Max

 

[PricklyPete]

I hate that I don't like the look of the car...because I LOVE that engine. I definitely want to test drive one of these...but I don't ever see me getting past the looks. The current coupe looks LIGHTYEARS better.

 

[mk52]

what are people not getting here?
The current 330 has 255HP
The 335 added nearly 50hp with minimal size or weigth gain and with barely any turbo lag???

 

[JulesMaximus]

That actually looks okay to me. Much better than the sedan anyway. Too bad it has iDrive and that insurance rate hiking word "turbo" attached to it.

 

[Doboji]

Originally posted by: MelikK
what are people not getting here?
The current 330 has 255HP
The 335 added nearly 50hp with minimal size or weigth gain and with barely any turbo lag???

so ummm 50HP for ummm 15 grand... uhhh no thanx

 

[Nebor]

Originally posted by: AdamK47 3DS
300hp from twin turbos on a high compression V6? No thanks. I smell the work of a marketing department on this one. This works in BMWs favor though. Knowledgeable BMW owners are hard to come by and they'll eat this right up with words like "Twin Turbo" thrown at them. I dout it would have been hard for them to put an NA 300hp engine in it. It doesn't have the same marketing appeal though. Those turbos must be pushing at the most 4 PSI. lol

Read my post above for the specs, knuckle head.
First off, v6? You're an idiot.
Of course they could put a 300hp N\A i6 in it, a more powerful engine has resided in the M3 for years. But the smooth, constant torque of the turbo i6 is much more liveable and driveable than the thrashing the 333hp 3.2l i6 to it's 8000rpm redline.

The "twin turbo" is total marketing, IMO. They could have achieved adequate spool up, better top end power and a much less complicated setup with a single turbo. It's senseless to have twin turbos on an INLINE engine (I don't care if Supras came with it, look what Supra modders did with those twin turbos.) But BMW made this car the way they did so it would slot in where it does, so that's that.

 

[mitaiwan82]

Originally posted by: Doboji

Originally posted by: MelikK
what are people not getting here?
The current 330 has 255HP
The 335 added nearly 50hp with minimal size or weigth gain and with barely any turbo lag???

so ummm 50HP for ummm 15 grand... uhhh no thanx

more like $5k...but who's counting? (not you)

 

[theeedude]

G35 is going to have 300+ hp NA with 7500 rpm redline, and cost closer to the 325i. 335i needs to put out more HP to justify its pricetag.

 

[Strk]

Originally posted by: senseamp
G35 is going to have 300+ hp NA with 7500 rpm redline, and cost closer to the 325i. 335i needs to put out more HP to justify its pricetag.

BMW carries about a $10k premium, give or take a few thousand.

 

[Nebor]

Originally posted by: senseamp
G35 is going to have 300+ hp NA with 7500 rpm redline, and cost closer to the 325i. 335i needs to put out more HP to justify its pricetag.

BMWs don't need horsepower to justify their pricetag. They have a reputation backed by solid performance.

Besides, there's no way in hell the G35 will even come close to matching the 335's useable powerband or torque.

 

[mk52]

Originally posted by: senseamp
G35 is going to have 300+ hp NA with 7500 rpm redline, and cost closer to the 325i. 335i needs to put out more HP to justify its pricetag.

HP and straightline speed are waay overrated

 

[mk52]

Originally posted by: Nebor

Originally posted by: senseamp
G35 is going to have 300+ hp NA with 7500 rpm redline, and cost closer to the 325i. 335i needs to put out more HP to justify its pricetag.

BMWs don't need horsepower to justify their pricetag. They have a reputation backed by solid performance.

Besides, there's no way in hell the G35 will even come close to matching the 335's useable powerband or torque.

QFT

The problem is too many rich posers buy BMWs these days, which greatly distracts from the fact that they are great driving machines.

 

[GTaudiophile]

Back in like 2003, I drove an E46 330i back-to-back with an Infiniti G35. There is no comparison. The Infiniti is built and feels like a Nissan. The BMW feels like an athlete, capable of doing circles around the G35. I dare say the BMW is worth its premium.

 

[Dunbar]

Originally posted by: senseamp
G35 is going to have 300+ hp NA with 7500 rpm redline, and cost closer to the 325i. 335i needs to put out more HP to justify its pricetag.

It's fast but it won't drive like a 335i. I'll take the better handling and creamy smooth I6 of the 335 (if I could afford it ) If only BMW took the 255HP engine from the current 330 and stuck it in the 328, that would be a good deal.

 

[Nebor]

Originally posted by: MelikK

Originally posted by: Nebor

Originally posted by: senseamp
G35 is going to have 300+ hp NA with 7500 rpm redline, and cost closer to the 325i. 335i needs to put out more HP to justify its pricetag.

BMWs don't need horsepower to justify their pricetag. They have a reputation backed by solid performance.

Besides, there's no way in hell the G35 will even come close to matching the 335's useable powerband or torque.

QFT

The problem is too many rich posers buy BMWs these days, which greatly distracts from the fact that they are great driving machines.

I see tons of poor car enthusiasts driving BMWs like they were meant to be.


But sooner or later the police catch up with them and return the car to it's rich poser owner.

 

[Dunbar]

Originally posted by: GTaudiophile
Back in like 2003, I drove an E46 330i back-to-back with an Infiniti G35. There is no comparison. The Infiniti is built and feels like a Nissan. The BMW feels like an athlete, capable of doing circles around the G35. I dare say the BMW is worth its premium.

So true, I was considering the G35 so I rented one from Hertz for a week. It's fast but pretty uninspiring in every other respect. I also drove a few E46 330's and it's just a much better car period. The engine is lusty, the handling great and it doesn't beat you up like a sports car.

 

[dawheat]

Originally posted by: mitaiwan82

Originally posted by: Doboji

Originally posted by: MelikK
what are people not getting here?
The current 330 has 255HP
The 335 added nearly 50hp with minimal size or weigth gain and with barely any turbo lag???

so ummm 50HP for ummm 15 grand... uhhh no thanx

more like $5k...but who's counting? (not you)

uhh more like a couple K over the outgoing 330i, but who's counting. Also there's no question the engine is detuned - sucks for us but expect BMW to easily bump it up 20-25hp in a couple years during the model refresh or as needed to match any power improvements in the upcoming G or IS350.

 

[Doboji]

Originally posted by: mitaiwan82

Originally posted by: Doboji

Originally posted by: MelikK
what are people not getting here?
The current 330 has 255HP
The 335 added nearly 50hp with minimal size or weigth gain and with barely any turbo lag???

so ummm 50HP for ummm 15 grand... uhhh no thanx

more like $5k...but who's counting? (not you)

Is it 5k? I thought the 335i was going to start around 50K? 5K might be worth it...
-Max

 

[theeedude]

Originally posted by: Nebor

Originally posted by: senseamp
G35 is going to have 300+ hp NA with 7500 rpm redline, and cost closer to the 325i. 335i needs to put out more HP to justify its pricetag.

BMWs don't need horsepower to justify their pricetag. They have a reputation backed by solid performance.

Besides, there's no way in hell the G35 will even come close to matching the 335's useable powerband or torque.

Not true, VQ has excellent low end torque and a very wide powerband. Add to that a 7500 rpm redline, and you got one hell of an engine. Infiniti has reputation backed by solid performance too, and it's got reliability as well. If BMW didn't need horsepower to justify their pricetag, they would not be turbocharging their I6. Their I6 doesn't scale like the competition's V6's do, so they have to add turbos to keep up in the HP race, with both Infiniti and Lexus coming out with 300 HP+ V6s. I could see how a few years back, BMW could get away with being underpowered because of great interior and exterior design, but those days are gone. We have Bangled up exteriors, weird looking interiors, and i-drive. Nothing really to write home about.
http://www.nissannews.com/multimedia/concept/2007/800px/04_coupe_concept.jpg

 

[Dunbar]

Originally posted by: Doboji

Originally posted by: mitaiwan82

Originally posted by: Doboji

Originally posted by: MelikK
Is it 5k? I thought the 335i was going to start around 50K? 5K might be worth it...
-Max

Did you read the pricing guide posted? Base sticker is $41,295 with destination so figure $45-47k with typical options. The E46 330Ci starts/started at $38,565 w/ destination (just under $3k less.)

 

[fs5]

simple reason why the engine is rated at 300hp. They don't want it cannabilizing sales of the M3. They probably underrated the engine and it makes much more than 300hp.

 

[Nebor]

Originally posted by: senseamp

Originally posted by: Nebor

Originally posted by: senseamp
G35 is going to have 300+ hp NA with 7500 rpm redline, and cost closer to the 325i. 335i needs to put out more HP to justify its pricetag.

BMWs don't need horsepower to justify their pricetag. They have a reputation backed by solid performance.

Besides, there's no way in hell the G35 will even come close to matching the 335's useable powerband or torque.

Not true, VQ has excellent low end torque and a very wide powerband. Add to that a 7500 rpm redline, and you got one hell of an engine. Infiniti has reputation backed by solid performance too, and it's got reliability as well. If BMW didn't need horsepower to justify their pricetag, they would not be turbocharging their I6. Their I6 doesn't scale like the competition's V6's do, so they have to add turbos to keep up in the HP race, with both Infiniti and Lexus coming out with 300 HP+ V6s. I could see how a few years back, BMW could get away with being underpowered because of great interior and exterior design, but those days are gone. We have Bangled up exteriors, weird looking interiors, and i-drive. Nothing really to write home about.
http://www.nissannews.com/multimedia/concept/2007/800px/04_coupe_concept.jpg

The new VQ makes 310hp @ 7500rpm. Sadly, it only makes 217 ft-lbs of torque, and that doesn't show up until 6000rpm.

While the 335i makes 295 ft-lbs of torque @ 1300rpm (that's right, just off idle) and holds it all the way to the top.

Basically BMW has made a smoother motor for a more normal car, and Infiniti has made an attempt at replicating the M3 3.2l, but with a larger engine, less horsepower, and less torque. All in a heavier car. Brilliant.

 

[OS]

Originally posted by: Nebor
The new VQ makes 310hp @ 7500rpm. Sadly, it only makes 217 ft-lbs of torque, and that doesn't show up until 6000rpm.

While the 335i makes 295 ft-lbs of torque @ 1300rpm (that's right, just off idle) and holds it all the way to the top.

Basically BMW has made a smoother motor for a more normal car, and Infiniti has made an attempt at replicating the M3 3.2l, but with a larger engine, less horsepower, and less torque. All in a heavier car. Brilliant.

where are you getting your VQ numbers from?

2006 spec

260 to 270 ft-lbs at 4800 rpm

i seriously doubt the 07 VQ takes any step back let alone that much.

 

[Blazin Trav]

I'd rather just buy a Subaru WRX STI.