2007-2008 BMW 335i

Pros :
- Understated styling.
- Excellent handling.
- Magical new turbo engine.
- Great braking performance.
- Enough headroom for tall people.

Cons :
- Understated styling.
- Mightily expensive.
- Limited rear legroom.
- Simplistic interior design.
- Not much else wrong with it.

Interior :

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Press Coverage :
With a totally new engine, the new BMW 335i once again sets the benchmark for elegant design, luxury and value. In true BMW tradition, it also establishes a new standard of performance and driving dynamics with the introduction of an exceptional engine: the first inline six-cylinder with twin-turbochargers, high-precision fuel injection, and an all-aluminum crankcase.
The performance potential of this new 300 horsepower engine ensures that the 335i offers a significant improvement in performance while maintaining a level of efficiency for which the BMW 3 Series is renowned.
In addition to the standard six-speed manual, it will be offered with an available six-speed STEPTRONIC automatic transmission. Designed for responsiveness, the new automatic enhances driving dynamics without sacrificing fuel efficiency.
The emphasis on individual style, dynamic performance and exclusivity continues within the interior. Horizontal lines dominate the surfaces on and around the instrument panel which blend with the lines of the center console and door panels to give the interior a light but dynamic feel. In true BMW fashion the instrument cluster and key controls are angled toward the driver. Controls for the climate control as well as the audio and navigation systems are within easy reach of the front passenger.
An elegant ambience is created in the interior by special lighting and switches with a premium look and feel. The light contour edge on the door and side panels, which runs from the door pillar all the way to the rear passenger area, creates a particularly warm, indirect lighting effect. Controls and switches used frequently by the driver and passengers such as the door handles and gearshift are finished in high quality metallic trim for an elegant appearance as well as a premium tactile experience.
The first inline six with twin turbos is the most powerful engine within BMW’s wide range of inline six driving machines that does not wear an “M” badge. This brand-new version develops maximum output of 300 hp in US-spec from 3.0 liters and generates peak torque of 300 lb-ft for powerful acceleration in any situation.
The combination of turbocharging and direct gasoline fuel injection offers a new dimension to efficient dynamics. Featuring high-precision fuel injection, the engine boasts a highly sophisticated and advanced direct fuel injection system. In true BMW fashion this results in outstanding performance combined with a significant reduction of fuel consumption.
A further advantage of turbocharging is that this is the most economical option to boost engine power and performance. For example, the turbocharged inline six weighs approximately 150 lbs less than an equally powerful eight-cylinder displacing 4.0 liters. And this lower weight means a significant advantage not only in fuel economy, but also in balancing the weight distribution of the overall car.
This new high-performance engine gives the light, aerodynamically sculpted Coupe truly outstanding acceleration and flexibility on the road. The twin turbo powerplant in the BMW 335i develops its power and performance much more spontaneously than a turbocharged engine of conventional design. Thanks to their lower inertia, the two small turbochargers build up pressure much faster than a single, large turbocharger, thus eliminating even the slightest turbo “lag”.
At the same time the new engine offers all the smoothness and refinement which has made BMW’s award-winning inline sixes so admired. Last but certainly not least, the impressive increase in power on the twin turbo engine versus a conventional normally aspirated six-cylinder comes without any significant increase in fuel consumption.
Featuring two turbochargers each supplying compressed air to three cylinders, the new turbocharged engine offers a new standard of spontaneity and responsiveness. Peak torque of 300 lb-ft comes smoothly and without delay, extending over a wide speed range from 1,400 – 5,000 rpm. This sense of urgency continues all the way to the electronically-limited top speed of 150 mph, when equipped with sport package.
This extremely efficient increase in power and performance is attributable in large part to gasoline direct injection. The high-precision fuel injection concept developed by BMW ensures a measurable advantage in fuel economy, without limiting the dynamic qualities of the engine.
The model comes standard with a six-speed manual gearbox for the pure driving enthusiast. For those who prefer an automatic a six-speed STEPTRONIC automatic is available. When ordered with the available sport package on the 335i, steering wheel mounted shift paddles are included, maximizing the sporting potential of the automatic.
The new six-speed STEPTRONIC automatic uses an innovative torque converter and enhanced management software to improve shifting responsiveness. The response time of the automatic transmission on the new BMW 3 Series Coupe is down by approximately 40 per cent compared with a conventional automatic transmission. While fast, responsive gear changes can make driving more fun, the optimized selection of the appropriate gear for all driving conditions helps to reduce fuel consumption.
Traditional rear-wheel drive and a near 50:50 front-to-rear weight distribution give the new BMW 3 Series ideal qualities for optimum driving dynamics. This, in combination with the high-tech suspension, enables the driver to convert the power and performance of the engine into an exhilarating driving experience. Boasting a double-pivot front suspension with spring struts made almost entirely of aluminum in combination with a five-link suspension at the rear, the new BMW 3 Series has the most advanced and sophisticated suspension in its class.
Reinforcement and support elements on the underfloor of the car serve to optimize the stiffness of the chassis which enables the suspension to work with the highest possible degree of precision. Interacting with the low centre of gravity and the specific set-up of the shock absorbers, the chassis and suspension work in perfect balance.
BMW’s rack-and-pinion steering has been widely praised for its precision and feedback and the steering in the new 3 Series Coupe is no exception. For the ultimate balance between agility at lower speeds and stability at higher speeds, BMW’s innovative Active Steering will be available. By adjusting the steering ratio, steering angle and power assistance to the speed of the car, Active Steering enables the driver to maneuver the 3 Series Coupe with minimum effort when parking and keep the car precisely on track at higher speeds.
The high-performance brake system requires 17-inch wheels to match the larger diameter of the brake discs which ensure outstanding stopping power and deceleration. Brake performance is further enhanced by BMW’s latest Dynamic Stability Control. Introduced on the 3 Series Sedan, BMW’s latest DSC incorporates several new functions. For example, DSC works to counteract the slightest brake fading effect even at extremely high brake temperatures by increasing brake pressure accordingly. This ensures maximum brake power even under the toughest conditions, without requiring the driver to exert any higher pressure.
Brake Standby positions the brakes closer to the discs after sudden lift off of the accelerator pedal to further reduce stopping distances in an emergency. Dry Braking, in turn, optimizes brake performance in the wet by using the brake pads to periodically dry the brake discs. Dynamic Brake Control automatically maximizes brake pressure whenever required in an emergency stop. Start-Off Assistant briefly holds the car when setting off on an uphill grade. In a 3 Series Coupe equipped with Active Steering, DSC helps keep the car stable and under control when applying the brakes on surfaces varying in their frictional coefficient. DSC corrects the steering quickly and precisely for optimum control.
Dynamic Traction Control is another feature of DSC. Activation of DTC raises the threshold for intervention by the brakes, enabling the driver of a BMW 3 Series Coupe to set off smoothly on low friction surfaces such as snow. A benefit of DTC for the enthusiast is that it allows slight, easily controllable slip on the drive wheels even on a dry surface.
Of course, as in all BMWs, the driver also has the option to completely deactivate DSC in the new 3 Series.
The new BMW 3 Series Coupe is light, strong and stable at once. Its structure is tailored to improve agility, safety and comfort while also contributing to overall vehicle efficiency. Low vehicle weight and a high standard of torsional body stiffness is also crucial to the car’s agility. In the event of a collision, the use of high-strength steel in critical areas, together with the exactly defined deformation zones, ensures effective absorption and, respectively, transfer of forces acting on the body of the car.
The list of comfort features boasted as standard equipment in the new BMW 3 Series is just as long and impressive as the list of safety elements. Particularly in the area of top-quality audio, navigation and telematic solutions, BMW offers optional high-tech concepts originally developed for the most outstanding luxury performance cars.
BMW USA

The secret is under the hood, which shelters a twin-turbo version of the 3.0-liter inline six. With both turbos generating max boost—about 8.5 psi—the six twirls up a robust 300 horsepower and 300 pound-feet of torque.
Paired with the standard six-speed transmission, this is sufficient to propel the 3616-pound 335i to 60 mph in 4.8 seconds, with essentially no turbo lag—the tiny hesitation between the time the driver punches the throttle and the onset of full boost. That’s a tenth quicker to 60 mph than was the slightly lighter 335i coupe, an advantage the sedan held through the quarter-mile (13.5 seconds at 106 mph).
There’s no question that the 335i sedan carries forward the class-leading dynamic standards established by the 330i—smooth ride quality, right-now responses, laser-precise steering, powerful, fade-free braking—amplified by a superb new engine that generates big horsepower and, arguably more significant, an abundance of torque delivered over a curve that’s as high and flat as a mountain mesa.
Car and Driver

BMW's standard close-ratio six-speed manual comes with a hill-hold function--shades of Studebakers and Subarus past. BMW says that the optional six-speed manu-matic shifts as much as 50 percent faster than its predecessor, thanks to remapped control software and a new hydraulic control unit and torque converter. It changes up or down in just 100 milliseconds, whether the driver has called for a gear one or several cogs away. Paddle shifters make the business of gear swapping that much snappier.
The 335i with a manual transmission that we drove had a lighter clutch action than previous 3-series models, with take-up lower down in the pedal's stroke. The gearbox was noticeably less notchy, if still not perfection itself. While I could drive the manual model with considerably more smoothness, it still required a bit more concentration, luck, and patience than I'd like.
The large disc brakes dictate standard seventeen-inch wheels and 225/45HR-17 tires (eighteen-inchers with the sport package). We Americans are saddled with the dreaded all-season run-flat tires, which in our experience are more trouble than they're worth--the weight they add and the harsher ride they provide more than outweigh the convenience and lack of a spare.
Automobile Magazine

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History:
2006-2007 BMW 330i
2,966 cc / 255 hp / 220 lb-ft / 3417 lbs / 0-60 mph 6.0 sec.