My 335i review & pics
#1
Burning Brakes
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My 335i review & pics
Hi, I am posting this for Crazy Sellout.
It will be long, there are cliff notes at the bottom.
So I picked up the 335i coupe, I am going to be as objective as possible. I am anal as hell when it comes to cars, being a detailer and all, so I nitpick a lot, keep that in mind.
Car was ordered sept 16, received dec 22nd. 3 months wait in canada, some folks are saying 2-2.5 in the US.
We picked up the car and it was in full shipping take as requested, no bumper holes were drilled. The car was in great shape, the dealer had only taken out the shipping blocks and programmed the idrive, it had 3km on it.
I took it home and first thing I did was performed my little "kevin-pdi", which is take all the tape off, wash, clay, seal, condition leather, seal wheels, etc. Which leads me to the first topic, material quality (interior and exterior).
BMW paint is soft, very much like Acura paint actually. It's annoying because it marrs easily when it's washed, however the plus side is it's easy to correct. e92's have a lot of orange peel, this bothers me. Interior quality is very good, it seems durable.
The interior is nice (imo), spartan but I like that, it's attractive but ergonomically it is not that great. It is geared very much to cater to the driver, which is fine, but at the same time issues like lack of space in the glovebox and center console, horribly placed cup holders, annoying steering wheel buttons, etc, make it kind of a pain until you get used to it. Luckily I am used to it. i-Drive, well, I actually like it, but most people hate it. I have to admit there are a lot of little things that were well-thought, like the fact that the dash lights are a shade that doesn't require eye dilation, and in the day they are white backlit so when the sun hits them they don't disappear. The three-blink turn single is smart as is the placement of the nav screen. Little things, I like that. The back seat is ok, actually it has more room than the new IS (hilarity, I know), but that doesn't make it large. It's tight if you're over 6 foot. Headroom in the rear is miserable. Room in front is fantastic. Trunk room is awesome for a coupe, and the rear seats are 60/40 fold down.
Drive? Well, I put 3,000km on one in Europe from 0ft to 11,161 ft elevation, through 4 countries. I love it; the torque is always on, it's sinfully smooth acceleration, very deceiving speed. Passing gears are just stupid fast; my only complaint is the acceleration can be rather "elastic", which is of course turbo lag. This car doesn't have much, but every once in awhile you feel it. A trade-off, I guess. The handling is typically awesome, the suspension is so compliant all the time, it has much less body roll than my G35, no over/understeer, and best of all no strafe (turns over undulations are sucked right up, never loses the line). Only complaint here is that run flat tires suck, and need to be replaced (imo) to increase ride comfort AND grip. The car will chirp through third on the stock rft's.
It sounds nice too, no whine but a pretty deep and respectful rumble. Some folks say it sounds like a V8, I disagree; it is not that deep, but it's close. I actually like it better than the G35, which is saying something since the G sounds so nice.
Lemme see, what else? Oh, the sound system is good. I got Logic7, I like it, way better than the Bose in the G. Not amazing good, but good enough. No 6 disc changer is annoying though. Luckily aux in the armrest = ipod.
Price? Eh, what can you do...
Oh, build quality. This one is funny. The car is really solid, feels solid, body lines are tight and there are no creaks, like no wind noise, everything has that german precision about it - one problem though, one of my fenders is misaligned by 4mm. Doesn't sound like much but it messes with that long body line in the side, so it looks funny. Dealer will be fixing it, that was my only real issue with this car in particular.
Overall I love it. It's quick, easy to drive, FUN to drive, and comfortable. I think right now it's the best money you can spend under $60k cad, but of course I am biased.
Mods I plan on doing = side marker delete, tint, clear bra, springs, and winter this week. In the spring, 19's with real rubber, probably a xede (xede = 335i's version of a chip, fyi...), *maybe* a front lip, that should be it.
Pic time.
And my retarded fender (its exaggerated in this pic, but you get the idea, just needs to move up exactly 4mm):
Cheers.
Whoops, cliff notes:
Pros:
Fast
lots of torque
looks good
comfortable
good suspension
m3 drivers keep trying to race me
cons:
mediocre paint
ergonomics inside stink
its expensive
m3 drivers keep trying to race me
It will be long, there are cliff notes at the bottom.
So I picked up the 335i coupe, I am going to be as objective as possible. I am anal as hell when it comes to cars, being a detailer and all, so I nitpick a lot, keep that in mind.
Car was ordered sept 16, received dec 22nd. 3 months wait in canada, some folks are saying 2-2.5 in the US.
We picked up the car and it was in full shipping take as requested, no bumper holes were drilled. The car was in great shape, the dealer had only taken out the shipping blocks and programmed the idrive, it had 3km on it.
I took it home and first thing I did was performed my little "kevin-pdi", which is take all the tape off, wash, clay, seal, condition leather, seal wheels, etc. Which leads me to the first topic, material quality (interior and exterior).
BMW paint is soft, very much like Acura paint actually. It's annoying because it marrs easily when it's washed, however the plus side is it's easy to correct. e92's have a lot of orange peel, this bothers me. Interior quality is very good, it seems durable.
The interior is nice (imo), spartan but I like that, it's attractive but ergonomically it is not that great. It is geared very much to cater to the driver, which is fine, but at the same time issues like lack of space in the glovebox and center console, horribly placed cup holders, annoying steering wheel buttons, etc, make it kind of a pain until you get used to it. Luckily I am used to it. i-Drive, well, I actually like it, but most people hate it. I have to admit there are a lot of little things that were well-thought, like the fact that the dash lights are a shade that doesn't require eye dilation, and in the day they are white backlit so when the sun hits them they don't disappear. The three-blink turn single is smart as is the placement of the nav screen. Little things, I like that. The back seat is ok, actually it has more room than the new IS (hilarity, I know), but that doesn't make it large. It's tight if you're over 6 foot. Headroom in the rear is miserable. Room in front is fantastic. Trunk room is awesome for a coupe, and the rear seats are 60/40 fold down.
Drive? Well, I put 3,000km on one in Europe from 0ft to 11,161 ft elevation, through 4 countries. I love it; the torque is always on, it's sinfully smooth acceleration, very deceiving speed. Passing gears are just stupid fast; my only complaint is the acceleration can be rather "elastic", which is of course turbo lag. This car doesn't have much, but every once in awhile you feel it. A trade-off, I guess. The handling is typically awesome, the suspension is so compliant all the time, it has much less body roll than my G35, no over/understeer, and best of all no strafe (turns over undulations are sucked right up, never loses the line). Only complaint here is that run flat tires suck, and need to be replaced (imo) to increase ride comfort AND grip. The car will chirp through third on the stock rft's.
It sounds nice too, no whine but a pretty deep and respectful rumble. Some folks say it sounds like a V8, I disagree; it is not that deep, but it's close. I actually like it better than the G35, which is saying something since the G sounds so nice.
Lemme see, what else? Oh, the sound system is good. I got Logic7, I like it, way better than the Bose in the G. Not amazing good, but good enough. No 6 disc changer is annoying though. Luckily aux in the armrest = ipod.
Price? Eh, what can you do...
Oh, build quality. This one is funny. The car is really solid, feels solid, body lines are tight and there are no creaks, like no wind noise, everything has that german precision about it - one problem though, one of my fenders is misaligned by 4mm. Doesn't sound like much but it messes with that long body line in the side, so it looks funny. Dealer will be fixing it, that was my only real issue with this car in particular.
Overall I love it. It's quick, easy to drive, FUN to drive, and comfortable. I think right now it's the best money you can spend under $60k cad, but of course I am biased.
Mods I plan on doing = side marker delete, tint, clear bra, springs, and winter this week. In the spring, 19's with real rubber, probably a xede (xede = 335i's version of a chip, fyi...), *maybe* a front lip, that should be it.
Pic time.
And my retarded fender (its exaggerated in this pic, but you get the idea, just needs to move up exactly 4mm):
Cheers.
Whoops, cliff notes:
Pros:
Fast
lots of torque
looks good
comfortable
good suspension
m3 drivers keep trying to race me
cons:
mediocre paint
ergonomics inside stink
its expensive
m3 drivers keep trying to race me
Last edited by JackieO; 12-24-2006 at 03:50 PM.
#3
Senior Moderator
Thanks JackieO
Nice review, you do seem anal which is what made reading it worth it. Didnt realize you just got it few days ago. Lucky bastard.
Also this is car talks of AZ, we allowed to talk about anything here. Bimmer talk and all.
Nice review, you do seem anal which is what made reading it worth it. Didnt realize you just got it few days ago. Lucky bastard.
Also this is car talks of AZ, we allowed to talk about anything here. Bimmer talk and all.
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#8
Senior Moderator
Nice review, sweet ride and congratulations on your purchase Crazy Sellout.
#9
Senior Moderator
Originally Posted by F23A4
Nice review, sweet ride and congratulations on your purchase Crazy Sellout.
umm he means that he was posting this for me since i asked him for a review of HIS 335i
#10
Senior Moderator
Originally Posted by Crazy Sellout
umm he means that he was posting this for me since i asked him for a review of HIS 335i
#12
Burning Brakes
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Thanks guys. Update on the fender - I fixed it myself. It was a loose bolt in the hood/fender area, I just pushed the fender in 3.5mm and tightened it, no prob.
As for the interior, ya you know I really do like it. I have never been a fan of really compliacted interiors, I dunno; I liked the G too so what the hell do I know?
As for the interior, ya you know I really do like it. I have never been a fan of really compliacted interiors, I dunno; I liked the G too so what the hell do I know?
#13
LOUD NOISES!!
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Christmas came a little early! I would LOVE to have one of those, my cousin is a head Tech for BMW USA, he always cruises by my apt in one of these on road tests, soooooooo nice.
#15
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I posted a little of this on another forum (e90post), to give you guys an idea of how this car compares relative to its competition. I owned a G35 for a little over 100k km and have put 21k km on an '06 S4 this year, so those are the cars I can accurately compare to.
The G, well it's an older model now. I loved that car, it was incredibly solid and reliable, but the engine was a little lethargic compared to the S4 and the 335i obviously. The major gripe I had with it was the body roll and most of all the really poor auto tranny. When in auto mode it was "ok", but in "manumatic" it was total shit. Now before the manual guys get all up in my grill yo, I will say my wife can't drive manual, so whatever. With the G it was like...1st gear, push up to go to 2nd, grocery shop, have a nap, WOOO 2nd gear. Really irked me. Otherwise it was a completely sufficient car, with a strong engine, large interior space (but a shite interior), but very durable. Was terrible on gas but oh well.
The S4 is more akin to the 335i in that the engine is strong, it has really precise steering and little body roll, it's also a very comfortable cruiser. Issues I have with it are that quattro (I might piss some dudes off here), while totaly 100% awesome sauce for daily driving, really nags the shit out of me when pushing the car. I don't know, it's almost TOO planted. Just me, of course. There is some understeer too, but what can you do right? Interior is awesome, the one I've been in is black/cf trim with white recaro's... god those seats are like heaven. Throttle response from the V8 is instant and gratifying of course.
The 335i compared to them is like, well, it handles small. It isn't a small car but it *feels* more nimble, more tossable, firmer, more precise...know what I mean? I *think* it's faster than the S4, though who really can tell without a track at the same time with the same skill of driver? It's close either way; the one downside of the 335i engine to the S4 is the elastic-y throttle response you get sometimes. The sport seats rock, but still arent as good as the Recaro's in the S4.
Of the three the 335i is my fav, but only because I like a car that feels smaller than it is, the engine will be more tunable which is nice, otherwise it would be a hard choice for me between it and the S4, mostly because quattro is so killer 99.9% of the time, and the interior of the S4 is so nicely designed it's really almost perfect (imo), from a style and ergonomic standpoint.
Exterior style, eh, it's subjective. I like both a lot. OK, dinner time: enjoy your Christmas guys!
The G, well it's an older model now. I loved that car, it was incredibly solid and reliable, but the engine was a little lethargic compared to the S4 and the 335i obviously. The major gripe I had with it was the body roll and most of all the really poor auto tranny. When in auto mode it was "ok", but in "manumatic" it was total shit. Now before the manual guys get all up in my grill yo, I will say my wife can't drive manual, so whatever. With the G it was like...1st gear, push up to go to 2nd, grocery shop, have a nap, WOOO 2nd gear. Really irked me. Otherwise it was a completely sufficient car, with a strong engine, large interior space (but a shite interior), but very durable. Was terrible on gas but oh well.
The S4 is more akin to the 335i in that the engine is strong, it has really precise steering and little body roll, it's also a very comfortable cruiser. Issues I have with it are that quattro (I might piss some dudes off here), while totaly 100% awesome sauce for daily driving, really nags the shit out of me when pushing the car. I don't know, it's almost TOO planted. Just me, of course. There is some understeer too, but what can you do right? Interior is awesome, the one I've been in is black/cf trim with white recaro's... god those seats are like heaven. Throttle response from the V8 is instant and gratifying of course.
The 335i compared to them is like, well, it handles small. It isn't a small car but it *feels* more nimble, more tossable, firmer, more precise...know what I mean? I *think* it's faster than the S4, though who really can tell without a track at the same time with the same skill of driver? It's close either way; the one downside of the 335i engine to the S4 is the elastic-y throttle response you get sometimes. The sport seats rock, but still arent as good as the Recaro's in the S4.
Of the three the 335i is my fav, but only because I like a car that feels smaller than it is, the engine will be more tunable which is nice, otherwise it would be a hard choice for me between it and the S4, mostly because quattro is so killer 99.9% of the time, and the interior of the S4 is so nicely designed it's really almost perfect (imo), from a style and ergonomic standpoint.
Exterior style, eh, it's subjective. I like both a lot. OK, dinner time: enjoy your Christmas guys!
#16
Burning Brakes
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Originally Posted by Crazy Sellout
That coke can better not be open in MY car
Oh and yes, I <3 Sparkling graphite. First car that wasn't black for me.
Oh, and M3s... seriously, what the hell? They are all over me on the highways. :/
#17
Walk the walk
Great pictures, I’m going to have to take a look at that color in person because that is really sharp. The 335 sedan and coupe are tremendous cars. Enjoy the great car, thanks for the comments. So if you get rid of the run flats, what do you do for the spare? Also how do you find the seat belt mechanism?
#19
Senior Moderator
Originally Posted by Shoofin
That fender is probably off a few mm's because you didn't let the dealer prep the car like they were supposed to have, IMO. You OK? it's only a car, you know...
meh, I would have done the same as JackieO. Having the dealer "wax" your car isnt worth it, rather do it myself. Less risk of any scratches being made by the dealer.
Nothing wrong taking really anal care of a $45-50k car. After all, most of us are enthusiasts
#20
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Originally Posted by Shoot2Thrill
Great pictures, I’m going to have to take a look at that color in person because that is really sharp. The 335 sedan and coupe are tremendous cars. Enjoy the great car, thanks for the comments. So if you get rid of the run flats, what do you do for the spare? Also how do you find the seat belt mechanism?
Oh, the seat butler; I used it for a couple weeks in Europe and now a few days here with no problems. It's a bit flimsy, but I think if you know that ahead of time you don't abuse it. Some guys take out a fuse to disable it (fuse 12 I think).
Originally Posted by Shoofin
That fender is probably off a few mm's because you didn't let the dealer prep the car like they were supposed to have, IMO. You OK? it's only a car, you know...
That's an Aston with 21km on it, straight from the dealer pdi. If an Aston dealership can't correctly wash and wax a car do you think a BMW dealership is going to? Those porters get paid $7.95 an hour, they wash the cars with the equivalent of brillo pads. I've seen Corvettes with paint burned by rotaries right off the dealer lot, Jags with touchup blobs, a Maserati with overspray on the entire car; so you'll excuse my lack of faith in dealership porters.
The car was mechanically PDI'd, in that everything was done aside from the exterior preparation (fwiw, the mechanical portion of a bmw pdi is removal of shipping blocks, setting the car out of transport mode, and programming the two key fobs, that's it), so yes the fender may have been tightened had I let them remove the shipping tape (or maybe not), it's something I am willing to live with: a fender off 4mm or a car covered in scratches? It's an easy choice for me.
I see where you're coming from, but given my job, I don't think it's hard to understand why I would rather do the exterior prep. Cheers.
Last edited by JackieO; 12-24-2006 at 06:12 PM.
#24
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Originally Posted by shayan
Looks vvery nice and I love the color. If you dont mind me asking, How much did you pay for it?
Anyway, I paid 64,956.73 for this one, thats with metallic paint, nav, comfort access, logic 7, auto + paddles, and sport. I got 3% off msrp, then of course 14% ontario tax (yay!).
For the same car in america you would pay $47,340, with 3% off you would pay $45,920 before tax. An IS350 equipped about the same is 44,820 (about 43k with the 3% discount). A new G35 would be $41,750 (41k with discount), and a new Tl would be $42,070 (41,500 with discount).
So ya, 335i with my options was about 2k more than the IS, 4k more than the G35 and 3k more than the TL. Cheers.
#28
mmmmmm....
^^ maybe I was expecting something more and better. I thought it was very boring, plastic left and right, no wood trim? I dont know..If I'm paying something near $40-50k car, I wouldn't that kind of interior. I still love the car for what it is but wishing that they could done better.
#29
Senior Moderator
Im not saying its a great interior but dont most cars have plastic everywhere? Everything does have a nice touch to it though. IMO
There is wood trim as an option also if you wanted it. But i think it looks tacky in a sports coupe.
There is wood trim as an option also if you wanted it. But i think it looks tacky in a sports coupe.
#30
mmmmmm....
Originally Posted by Crazy Sellout
Im not saying its a great interior but dont most cars have plastic everywhere? Everything does have a nice touch to it though. IMO
There is wood trim as an option also if you wanted it. But i think it looks tacky in a sports coupe.
There is wood trim as an option also if you wanted it. But i think it looks tacky in a sports coupe.
#32
mmmmmm....
Originally Posted by Crazy Sellout
Yea figured that since you been calling it a 335ci
Its just 335i coupe now. Its not faster than the M3 but it hangs really close to them, at least in the 1/4.
Its just 335i coupe now. Its not faster than the M3 but it hangs really close to them, at least in the 1/4.
#33
Yes, he did that
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That BMW interior looks much better than most interiors I have seen. I think it's the faux aluminum trim that sets it off (wood sucks).
#34
Senior Moderator
Heres the color combos i want.
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showpo...&postcount=119
Or with this interior. Saddle Brown leather is darker in person than in this pic though. Like thishttp://www.e90post.com/forums/showpost.php?p=473911&postcount=6 but i dont like the wood trim. I like black trim.
Oh how I love to dream.
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showpo...&postcount=119
Or with this interior. Saddle Brown leather is darker in person than in this pic though. Like thishttp://www.e90post.com/forums/showpost.php?p=473911&postcount=6 but i dont like the wood trim. I like black trim.
Oh how I love to dream.
Last edited by Crazy Bimmer; 12-25-2006 at 02:35 AM.
#36
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man, i had the chance to drive the 335i coupe about a month ago and after i got out, i would have pretty much offered them my kidney for it. that car is so amazing nice is every way possible. only one problem, Jackie0, YOU GOT A ******* AUTOMATIC?!?! why?!
#37
Originally Posted by daemonicus
only one problem, Jackie0, YOU GOT A ******* AUTOMATIC?!?! why?!
Now before the manual guys get all up in my grill yo, I will say my wife can't drive manual, so whatever.
#38
Senior Moderator
Originally Posted by JackieO
So ya, 335i with my options was about 2k more than the IS, 4k more than the G35 and 3k more than the TL. Cheers.
Why buy one of the imitators whey you can get the real deal for a few bucks more...
#39
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Originally Posted by SeCsTaC
Well... since we're dreaming i'll take one in black/black with aluminum trim, navi, HK audio, prem package, sport package, and of course the paddle shifters =D.
Originally Posted by S14 n Tsx
^^ maybe I was expecting something more and better. I thought it was very boring, plastic left and right, no wood trim? I dont know..If I'm paying something near $40-50k car, I wouldn't that kind of interior. I still love the car for what it is but wishing that they could done better.
So ya, the interior isn't Audi-quality, but it is decent. The materials themselves are very good, I am extremely picky about that.
Originally Posted by Lister00169
That BMW interior looks much better than most interiors I have seen. I think it's the faux aluminum trim that sets it off (wood sucks).
Originally Posted by S14 n Tsx
see the thing is, I dont know much about bmw's anymore. I dont even remember when was the last time I stopped by bmw dealer. As you can see from my two post earier asking about 335ci being faster than m3, don't know shit about them.
Originally Posted by daemonicus
man, i had the chance to drive the 335i coupe about a month ago and after i got out, i would have pretty much offered them my kidney for it. that car is so amazing nice is every way possible. only one problem, Jackie0, YOU GOT A ******* AUTOMATIC?!?! why?!
So here is the thing, I am not going to defend my choice by saying "the auto is really great", I know nothing can replace a manual. I've driven manuals my whole life. That said, this auto *is* extremely fast. I thought I would be un-happy with it, but you need to drive it to see what I mean. It will hold a gear, rev match, shifts as quickly as a DSG gearbox (for real), and even faster downshifts. No, it doesn't have the user input of a manual, but it's a really great gearbox.
Merry Christmas guys.
#40
101 years of heartache...
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Originally Posted by Crazy Sellout
Heres the color combos i want.
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showpo...&postcount=119
Or with this interior. Saddle Brown leather is darker in person than in this pic though. Like thishttp://www.e90post.com/forums/showpost.php?p=473911&postcount=6 but i dont like the wood trim. I like black trim.
Oh how I love to dream.
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showpo...&postcount=119
Or with this interior. Saddle Brown leather is darker in person than in this pic though. Like thishttp://www.e90post.com/forums/showpost.php?p=473911&postcount=6 but i dont like the wood trim. I like black trim.
Oh how I love to dream.