Review: 2008 BMW 335i
02-17-08, 05:43 PM
#46
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
Nice review mmarshall.
I haven't been around this forum very actively recently but this thread caught my eye when I was browsing through this evening.
I agree with the majority of your review based on my impressions of my 335i that I've had for the last 4 months or so (20 months left on the lease).
A few things that come to mind, commenting on your comments:
-Did you play with sport mode and the paddle shifters (assuming it had them)? The transmission on the 335i is neat as the torque converter stays fully locked up almost the entire time, and it rev matches on down shifts... closest feel to a manual transmission short of the Audi DSG system, IMO.
-The keyless ignition thing is a $500 option on all 3-series cars and even the 5-series though I think for some magical reason it's $1000 instead on the 5!
-I was really expecting you to be harsher on the ride quality of the 335i w/ sport package (mine is equipped extremely close to your tester, including sport/prem without nav). I find it to be borderline too stiff for my tastes on rough roads. Pot holes will really get your attention in this car.. almost feels like something might have been damaged in some cases. But I guess that may be the price paid for the insane handling and chassis dynamics. I have done some flat out incredible things with this car on winding back roads.
-The stereo is actually very good in terms of imaging and acoustics when tuned properly using the EQ. I was unimpressed with it as well when I first heard it, but after tuning it sounded far better - aside from weaker (but cleaner) bass, it is superior to the Nakamichi system I had in my 99 GS400, IMO.
-If I owned this car I'd see if I could get rid of the run flats. Too stiff of a ride and too expensive to be replacing every 20k miles. But the lease terms require that I replace runflats with runflats...
-Did you notice the dynamic lights? Those are nicer than I thought they'd be on dark winding roads at higher speeds.
-Did you notice the 'rest' button? Push it when parked and the car brings in heat from the engine to keep the cabin fully warmed up for up to 45 minutes or so of being parked in the winter.
-Yes this car takes longer than any car I've ever owned for the temp needle to even begin to budge. I'll be 8 miles down the road from my house before the needle is even close to where it tends to stabilize.
-A couple other complaints I have are the strange to reach window switches (too far forward and sloped down, ergonomically awkward), and the fact that the car doesn't beep when locked, and only flashes the lights the first time you lock it, so OCD people like me can't receive any form of confirmation that the car is locked without unlocking and locking again...
Anyhow... thanks again for the review.
I haven't been around this forum very actively recently but this thread caught my eye when I was browsing through this evening.
I agree with the majority of your review based on my impressions of my 335i that I've had for the last 4 months or so (20 months left on the lease).
A few things that come to mind, commenting on your comments:
-Did you play with sport mode and the paddle shifters (assuming it had them)? The transmission on the 335i is neat as the torque converter stays fully locked up almost the entire time, and it rev matches on down shifts... closest feel to a manual transmission short of the Audi DSG system, IMO.
-The keyless ignition thing is a $500 option on all 3-series cars and even the 5-series though I think for some magical reason it's $1000 instead on the 5!
-I was really expecting you to be harsher on the ride quality of the 335i w/ sport package (mine is equipped extremely close to your tester, including sport/prem without nav). I find it to be borderline too stiff for my tastes on rough roads. Pot holes will really get your attention in this car.. almost feels like something might have been damaged in some cases. But I guess that may be the price paid for the insane handling and chassis dynamics. I have done some flat out incredible things with this car on winding back roads.
-The stereo is actually very good in terms of imaging and acoustics when tuned properly using the EQ. I was unimpressed with it as well when I first heard it, but after tuning it sounded far better - aside from weaker (but cleaner) bass, it is superior to the Nakamichi system I had in my 99 GS400, IMO.
-If I owned this car I'd see if I could get rid of the run flats. Too stiff of a ride and too expensive to be replacing every 20k miles. But the lease terms require that I replace runflats with runflats...
-Did you notice the dynamic lights? Those are nicer than I thought they'd be on dark winding roads at higher speeds.
-Did you notice the 'rest' button? Push it when parked and the car brings in heat from the engine to keep the cabin fully warmed up for up to 45 minutes or so of being parked in the winter.
-Yes this car takes longer than any car I've ever owned for the temp needle to even begin to budge. I'll be 8 miles down the road from my house before the needle is even close to where it tends to stabilize.
-A couple other complaints I have are the strange to reach window switches (too far forward and sloped down, ergonomically awkward), and the fact that the car doesn't beep when locked, and only flashes the lights the first time you lock it, so OCD people like me can't receive any form of confirmation that the car is locked without unlocking and locking again...
Anyhow... thanks again for the review.
And I enjoyed this one.Yes, I used the shift paddles (I wouldn't have done the transmission write-up if I hadn't). They aren't marked (+) or (-) for up or downshifts......you have to learn how they work by feel.
And, again, yes, the ride, like on most modern sports sedans, WAS a little stiff for my tastes too, especially with the 35-series Sport Package run-flat tires, but I made it clear in the review that, in this case, I did not consider the sacrifice in ride comfort a big deal compared to its excellent overall ride/comfort compromise. The level of chassis engineering, with its resultant ride/handling compromise, in the 335 is superb...more so, IMO, than the much stiffer M3, which IMO is more a car for the track than the street. The M3, yes, would probably outdo the 335 on a skidpad or slalom, but for all-around general street use, it's really tough to beat the 335's steering and chassis if it's a sports sedan you want.....and the 335 is also cheaper than the M3. Just how much cheape, though, is the subject of debate (see my posts above with rai).
So in a nutshell, yes, the ride is borderline stiff.....but not excessively so, considering the superb steering and handling that goes with it. And you know I generally don't like stiff rides....so for me to say something like this is quite unusual.
02-17-08, 09:09 PM
#48
Threxx, that is because the temp needle is oil temp and not your conventional water temperature. As you probably know, oil takes quite awhile longer to reach temperature than water does.
02-17-08, 09:10 PM
#49
Guest
Posts: n/a
The BMW situation is similar to Harley-Davidson motorcycles; much of their market is for those that don't really know that much about cars/bikes, but they know that BMW/H-D represent the best, whether they actually do or not is immaterial. There are still many enthusiasts for both brands, but also many customers who have 'dumbed down' some of the true enthusiast feel and pride of ownership. Unfortunately that is how many businesses have to run these days to continue churning out better and better product at reasonable cost. It is a double edged sword.
02-18-08, 05:13 AM
#50
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
Still, oil does not necessarily take longer than coolant to warm up. I suspect that in this case, it is probably the oil coolers that come with the turbo.
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