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2007 BMW 335i Coupe Road Test Review
Who needs practicality?
The 2007 BMW 335i Coupe isn't the most practical of automobiles. After
all, it has no rear doors, making the rear seat useless to all but the slim and
limber. Who needs that when BMW has a perfectly acceptable 3-Series sedan? I
mean, really, where’s the logic in that?
But then, if logic leads to happiness, as sure
as someone surely must have said some time or another, then why does the 2007
BMW 335i Coupe feel so good? Because, dear reader, that is the purpose in life
of the BMW 335i Coupe. And anyway, logical it is. Straddling the complete
hedonism and selfishness of the BMW Z4 Coupe and the—at least from a BMW point
of view—the sensibleness of a 3-Series sedan, the BMW 335i Coupe and it smaller-engined
stable mate, the BMW 328i Coupe and that car’s all-wheel drive companion, the
BMW 328xi Coupe, the 2007 BMW 335i is a paragon of practicality.
 A
car of its own
Starting with the 3-Series platform, however, BMW makes the
335i Coupe a car of its own. Although it is instantly recognizable as a BMW with
its unmistakable twin-kidney grille, it shares no panel with the 3-Series sedan,
nothing in fact, other than the door handles. The hood is lower than the
sedan’s, with more prominent character lines which are also reflected in the
contours of the 3-Series’ sides.
Bi-Xenon headlamps also permit a lower front end. The result is that the BMW
335i looks significantly different from the 3-Series sedan, unlike the previous
generation that was different but didn’t look it. This time around, BMW figured
if one is to spend a linebacker’s fistful of manufacturing dollars on expensive
tooling, the customer ought to at least be able to see it.
Perhaps more significant than the external appearance of the BMW 335i Coupe,
however, is what lies beneath that cleanly sculpted hood. The 335i Coupe has a
completely new engine, BMW’s first turbocharged gasoline engine since the
legendary BMW 2002 Turbo of the early ‘70s and the 745i of 1981.
BMW has avoided the turbocharged engine because
the technology wasn’t ready, as indicated by the three letter word that became
associated with turbocharging, lag. Turbocharged engines notoriously were weak
at low rpm before unleashing a rush of power as the turbo starts making boost.
It’s entertaining…for a while.
Two into six
It only took BMW thirty years to solve that problem: two turbochargers for the inline six-cylinder engine. They’re in parallel, the front turbo pressurizing cylinders 1-3, the rear turbo
cylinders 4-6. As a result, they can be relatively small, and with less mass,
they can spin up to speed faster, cutting turbo lag.
 Indeed,
the “N54” engine reaches its 300 lb-ft torque peak at 1400 rpm and stays there
until 5000 rpm. Peak horsepower arrives at 5800, and though it revs well beyond
that, there’s no need to go sniffing about redline. With that kind of a bottom
end, there’s no penalty for short shifting.
The BMW 335i’s engine makes twisting,
gollywiggling roads like those of Marin County, California, where BMW introduced
the new BMW coupe, easy to drive. There’s no worry about falling off the torque
table, wide as it is, and there’s no need to flail it through corners to be able
to launch it down the next straight. Not that the N54 won’t rev smoothly. The torquey six is just all the more relaxed, if a charge from 0-60 in 5.3 second is
the way you relax.
Hey, Sport
Equipped with the Sport
package, the 335i’s electronically-limited top speed is raised to 150 mph. The
Sport package includes higher speed-rated tires on 18-inch light alloy wheels
and bun-hugging sport seats, all for a very worthwhile $1,000, a minimal charge
against the $40,600 base MSRP for the BMW 335i.
The BMW 335i’s 6-speed ZF Type G gearbox comes
with a numerically lower final drive ratio than the 330i, thanks to the beefy
torque curve, which allows the car to reach higher speeds in each gear. Fifth gear
is 1.00:1, and sixth gear is overdrive. In addition to the six speed manual, a
paddle-shifted Steptronic automatic transmission is available.
The BMW 3-series fully independent suspension
is new on the 2007 models, with a “double pivot” front suspension already used
on 5, 6 and 7 Series models. Without getting overly technical, through the magic
of geometry the two lower suspension arms have a virtual intersection point that
provides better steering feel and control, plus better straightline driving
stability and room to fit bigger brakes. The 335i’s five-link rear suspension
provides a similar effect at the rear of the car.
Active Steering is available as an option but our test drive BMW 335i was not
so equipped. The option provides a variable steering ratio that’s unnerving to
newcomers, making parking easier without upsetting control at higher speeds. We
have sincere doubts whether the benefits are worth the cost and added
complexity.
Not fade away
BMW provided the 335i with
massive brakes capable of prodigious stopping, but when coming to a full stop,
we found them touchy and difficult to modulate. New features have been added for
2007, however, including the ability to counteract any brake fading at extremely
high brake temperature by increasing brake pressure.
 Another
brake system trick: Lifting off the gas suddenly moves the brake pads closer to
the discs for quicker application. Another piece of standard equipment, Brake Drying,
periodically wipes the discs clear of water by lightly applying the brakes. Another neat brake system feature is Start-Off Assistant. It momentarily applies
the brake to stop rollback on uphill starts. Unnecessary for experienced drivers
such as ourselves, perhaps, but it quickly spoils one when driving somewhere like
San Francisco, where our test drive began and ended.
Neat enough, the 2007 BMW 335i Coupe would be
entertaining enough just on technical merits, but we must award style points for
the interior. It’s efficient in a BMW way, and there’s no iDrive to confuse or
distract the novice, but as indifferent as we are towards the use of lumber as a
styling element in automobiles, the wood accents in the 335i Coupe glowed in the
sun. Two cheers for Light Poplar Natural wood trim. (Note: the car in the
photos has the optional aluminum trim which eliminates the wood)
Our only complaint about our time in the new 2007 BMW 335i Coupe is that the
roads of Marin County are narrow, frequented by bicyclists and posted at speeds
slower than one would want for flogging a 335i Coupe, particularly in the
knowledge that the local constabulary is aware of journalist-driven BMWs in the
vicinity.
No doubt we’ll get another crack at the BMW coupe at a later date, perhaps
the all-wheel drive BMW 328xi as a winter mount. Perhaps the traction action of
the BMW 328xi will win some practicality points, but we’re really not concerned
about practical, not at the moment. Not when impractical feels so good.
Philbert J Thrombockle comments: BMW
seems to agree with our assessment of the practicality of the 3-Series coupe,
expecting it to appeal primarily to pre- or post-family buyers, or in other
words, people who don’t have to worry about fitting a child safety seat and then
a child into the back of a two-door car. The asking price of $40,600,
pre-options, will limit the market to buyers with a median household income of
$150,000. Unless, of course, the pre-family types are already putting something
aside for an Ivy League education or two.
BMW says two-thirds of buyers will get the Sport package. That’s not
surprising, considering the psychographics of the BMW coupe market. BMW does not
offer a special sport suspension for the 3-Series Coupe. The coupe’s suspension
is sporty enough, apparently, at least until the next M3 Coupe arrives.
The BMW 335i Coupe we drove had a base price of $40,600. Monaco Blue
Metallic, an optional dark blue shade, added $475. The Premium Package,
including auto-dimming interior and exterior mirrors, lumbar support (this is
extra on a $40k car?), universal garage door opener, mirror compass and BMW
Assist with Bluetooth, added another $2,450.
The aforementioned Sport package goes for
$1,000 and heated front seats $500. Dynamic cruise control, automatic air
conditioning, moonroof, Logic 7 sound and a “ambient light package” are all
included at no extra charge. The latter consists of mini-LEDs around the cabin,
including the door panel, that add subtle illumination. Largely gratuitous, but
cool. BMW charges $695 to deliver the car to the dealership for a grand total of
$45,720.
Because so many people had trouble reaching over their shoulders for the seat
belt in the last coupe, the 2007 BMW 3 Series coupe has a “seatbelt presenter,”
a little arm that pushes the seat belt forward so it’s easier to reach. That’s
just something else to break or get broken, we say, and it adds useless weight
and costs money to put on the car. If you can’t reach the seatbelt, you don’t
deserve to ride in the 2007 BMW 335i Coupe. So there.
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