335i test drive

So I went to Joe Duffy's on Saturday to take a look at the new 335i and see if it tickled my fancy at all. I had already had a good look around the cars on the Nurburgring trip and had a fair idea of the performance, but theres nothing like driving one yourself. One of the great things about owning an E46 M3 is that it gives you test drive credibility There is virtually nothing they won't let you test drive.

Anyway, Joe Duffys have a 335i in Sapphire Black Met, with the 19" wheels, beige leather, and the dark grey poplar wood trim & professional nav which is pretty close to the spec I would order if I wanted one of the cars.

Looks
The car looks good in Black but IMO is by no means a fully resolved design. It really is lacking in something. From the front it looks exactly like an E60 and I think if you saw one in your rear view mirror you would be hard pressed to tell them apart. There is something about the rear that I can't put my finger on that doesn't do it for me. The 19" wheels suit it, because the arches are enormous. 20" wheels will not look wrong on the car. I think it will look great once the M pack comes out........just as it transformed the E60. I think that once the side skirts are concave rather than convex (have I got that the wrong way around ) it will look super. Also the aero kit on the accessories brochure look much better than the standard car. Its also noticeable that the 335i comes 20mm lower as standard compared to the lesser models in the range.

Interior
A nice place to be. Period. The light coloured leathers really suit the E90 style interior IMO and the flat dash makes a lot more sense when the nav screen is there. Seats are comfortable and all told, the cabin felt nice and airy and a place you could spend a lot of time in. The seat belt holders (the arm that hands it to you) didn't work when we got into the car, and I have heard already that they are very flimsy and causing problems. Not sure if Joe Duffy had disabled them on purpose. No real complaints here except the ones I would apply to all modern BMW's. i.e. the Idrive is a bad interface and poorly executed. I am sure you could get used to it but when you see what can be accomplished so easily with touch screen lcd's these days you realise what a wasted opportunity it is. My garmin nuvi has a far better interface than the iDrive and is much easier to use. The start button is also a bit pointless in the context of a car without comfort access and smacks of typical BMW stingyness.

Performance
The car was an auto which really suits the diesel-like torque of the car. Its incredibly smooth, and the car will be a fantastic mile muncher. Interestingly however, it just didn't feel as fast as I expected it to and I gave it foot-to-the-floor welly a number of times. I know what the numbers say but it doesn't feel as fast as my own car. Maybe its the refinement (it is lovely and smooth with no hint of the turbos) and the muted engine note inside the cabin but it really didn't excite me that much. This truly is a Junior GT rather than a sports coupe IMO.

The big disappointment here was the paddle shift system. You pull either paddle to change up, but annoyingly you push either paddle (with these thumb buttons) to change down. It just didnt feel as intuitive as most smg/f1/dsg systems where you tug one paddle to change up and tug the other to change down. The gear shifts are really quick for an auto, but why they ditched the paddle shift system from the SMG is beyond me. I found myself in the wrong gear several times although thats not too major a problem considering the low down torque of the car, but irritating nonetheless. I guess you would get used to it.

Ride
I had heard really bad things about the runflats before I tried this but even on 19" wheels I felt the ride was excellent. Obviously its a liitle on the firm side but its a BMW not a mercedes and nothing to worry about. Its not as stiff as an E46 M3 for example.

Handling
No complaints here. I got the chance to throw it around a few roundabouts and the turn in is extremely sharp, grip is excellent and the steering is very direct. The game has definitely moved on from the E46 coupe. Obviously it was raining so I didn't get the chance to find the limits but I don't think you will find a finer car in this price range for handling.

Overall
I was very impressed with the car but almost gladly, I was happy getting back into my M3. I went to the test drive expecting to really want one of these cars, but came away with respect for it rather than a desire to own one. It is handsome, has great performance and is very comfortable inside. I would wait for the M pack before considering it though and altogether came away looking forward to the M3 version rather than feeling like running home for the cheque book.