012TL-GLM

I think the Genesis is a great car, but the elantra's, sonata's, and Kia's still have a long way to go in the lasting quality department

g37guy01

I think the tests are insightful if you are comparing 2010 model vehicles. But here in the year 2012, we are talking about m/y 2013 and 2014 on the horizon.

saturno_v

Well the user boss2K own a 2009 335 so he was clearly referring to the E90 3 Series not the current F30...

draph

I'm one who leased a 2007 335 E90 sedan 6MT rwd with sport package, premium package (mainly leather seats), comfort access (keyless entry and pushbutton start), and heated seats. In 2007 that 335 MSRP'd for over $45,000 and included Logic 7 premium sound. The price for the same equipment has steeply increased since (it is now well over $50K for same equipment, and premium sound is now an add on option).

I planned to buy the BMW after the lease if I liked it, but opted to buy a new 2010 SH-AWD 6MT instead due to the number of warranty issues I had with the BMW as well as concerns over how much oil and coolant it consumed (interestingly, the 2010 TL consumes almost as much oil).

So, in a nutshell, after now having driven both cars nearly 3 years, I still miss the broad torque curve of the 335, especially in high gear at highway speeds (TL in 6th from 60-80 is no match for 335). Hands down, however, the TL SH-AWD powers out of corners 1000% better - It should be a crime for BMW's choice of not even offering the M differential or any type of limited slip diff with the torquey twin turbo 6 rwd. The BMW kills the TL in acceleration from a stop only on straight and level pavement - in the real world on crowned public roads and oil drips at intersections, the TL would pull away as the 335 breaks a tire loose (lights it up with DTC off or kills power when DTC is on).

The spacing of the gear ratios of the TL, especially in gears 1 to 4, do provide some compensation for the TL's lower torque at lower rpms. Once the TL gets close to its power peak around 5000 rpm, it is pushing you back in your seat as much as the BMW, if not a little more, especially in the lower gears. If you go by Car and Driver, the E90 335 could hit 60 in perfect conditions in 4.9sec to the TL SH-AWD 6MT's 5.2.

The TL's brakes are "spongier" than BMWs, but I believe perform just as well. Feel is subjective - the BMW's felt more confidence inspiring. After nearly 3 years in the TL, I think I have as much confidence in my TL's brakes, however.

The TL's electric steering feel took a lot of getting accustomed to after the BMWs hydraulic unit. However, from reading the reviews of BMW's first attempts at electric steering, I believe Honda's earlier start on electric steering may have given Acura an advantage over today's BMWs. I believe Acura has traded light steering effort for some feedback, where BMW has chosen to keep the effort higher at the expense of feedback.

Finally, ELS is much, much better than the E90 3 series Logic 7 surround. I don't think Germans like base the same as Americans. The 2 inch "subwoofers" under the front seats are a joke.

kc1953

The 535i is quicker than the TL SH-AWD. I have owned both. I had a 2009 and I sold it and bought a 2012 535i. Maybe if you have the 6mt with the TL it might be even. But auto to auto, the 535i is a few tenths quicker to 60 mph. The 535i has a lot of low end grunt, whereas the TL SH-AWD has less torque and the 535i delivers max torque at much lower RPM.

SeismicGuy

It's amusing how much importance someone might attach to the fact that car X might be two-tenths faster to 60 than car Y. Even discounting the cost premium for achieving that, how many times in real day to day driving will it really matter (other than in your head)?

saturno_v

For automatic you are right....the F10 has a 8 speed transmission, the pre-2012 SH-AWD has only 5.....and yes the 535 has more low end grunt (where the 3.7 TL engine has quite longer legs at high revs)

The TL manual is faster (by a sliver) than the 535 8 speed auto, according to magazine tests.....

draph

After reading C&D's review of the 535, it sounds like it's a relatively slow porker with numb steering (ie you're not getting the "ultimate driving machine" over and above the TL 6MT). The 550 is still available with 6MT and comes with a limited slip rear diff...but that's way above my willingness to pay - and not sure if the steering is any better.

For my 2010 TL SHAWD 6MT replacement, I eagerly await the next generation...also the Holden based Chevy SS (Pontiac G8 GXP revival) to see if they are still offered with 6MT and stay in the low 40s MSRP.

saturno_v

I personally agree, for me going from a TL SH-AWD (especially the 6 speed manual) to a 535i is not upgrading in terms of sport sedan......the 550 it's be a different story....but in that case you are already in CTS-V territory money wise....

JM2010 SH-AWD

And also faster 6MT to 6MT. See C&D test data.