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2011 BMW 335i Coupe

2011 BMW 335i Coupe

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Written by John Birchard / Birchard Photos
Wednesday, 07 July 2010
Want a good-handling car with impact? Well, this is just the one you were looking for! Not too many years ago, the idea of owning a BMW had become something of a joke. Yuppies had taken to Beemers in a big way, transforming the brand into just another fad, like Tommy Hilfiger clothes or certain brands of vodka or cologne. If this year, it was “in”, next year for sure it would be “out” as the madding crowd moved on to the Next Big Thing. As we get older, something like this hand-over gizmo makes sense. Thanks, Ma'am! BMW, to their credit, didn’t let the Yupsters have undue influence on the course of the car company. The folks in Munich kept turning out better and better automobiles whose appeal goes far beyond the famous blue-and-white rondel on the hood and the prestige that accompanies it. BMW has no-nonsense instrumentation! BMWs perennially make nearly all the Top Ten lists of most desirable cars. They do it, not by bribery or extortion, but by constantly improving and refining their products. If it’s not actually The Ultimate Driving Machine -- one at least gets the feeling that they’re working toward that goal. Case in point: the 2011 BMW 335i Coupe. On paper, the 3-series Coupe is not a whole lot different from other carmakers’ coupes. The engine is in the front and the driving wheels are in the rear. A manual transmission is offered. A variety of electronic gizmos make it more difficult to get in trouble defying the laws of physics. There’s leather this and power that and automatic doodads galore. There is no easy access to the rear seats and not a whole lot of room in the trunk of many of them. The BMW 335i Coupe, besides being powerful with loads of performance, just looks right! It’s in the execution of these features and qualities that the BMW stands out. Take, for example, the power driver’s seat. It is, of course, adjustable in its height, seat angle, lumbar support and its memory of settings for individual drivers. But the Beemer seat also will widen or narrow the side bolsters to make you snug and well-supported for hard cornering. And if you’re not getting the proper thigh support, you can extend or shorten the leading edge of the seat bottom until you’re truly comfortable. The seats on the test vehicle were upholstered in cream beige Dakota leather, which complemented the exterior finish of Crimson (also known as “Hello, Officer”) Red. The eternal beauty of a coupe is that it comes with a trunk . . . and that's a valuable asset. The wood trim is not plastic, it’s dark burl walnut. The clutch pedal action is not abrupt, but smooth and progressive. It’s the look, the feel, the sound that -- added together -- make the 335i an eminently desirable ride for so many enthusiasts. And it’s the performance. Choose a gear, press the accelerator and good things happen quickly. The 335i Coupe with the 6-speed manual sprints from 0 to 60 mph in 5.3 seconds, according to the company. Top speed is electronically limited to 130 mph. Fuel economy figures from the EPA indicate 19 mpg in the city, 28 on the highway are achievable. The cockpit is functional . . and luxurious. A word about the engine: Is there an in-line six anywhere that is better than BMW’s? They have been massaging this line of powerplants for years and the result is an extraordinarily smooth and exhilarating collection of hard- and software under the hood. For 2011, the engine is equipped with a new single turbocharger, Valvetronic and double-VANOS steplessly variable valve timing that combine for 300 horsepower and 300 foot/pounds of torque over a wide range, 1,200 to 5,000 rpm. The Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price for a 335i Coupe is $42,650. The Crimson Red paint job, the walnut wood trim, power moonroof and sport suspension are included at that price. On the test car, the options were as follows: leather upholstery ($1,450), Sport Package consisting of 18-inch alloy wheels and sports seats ($1,550), Comfort Access keyless entry ($500), iPod and USB adapter ($400) and a destination charge of $875, which brought the total to $47,425. You can order all-wheel drive and/or the 6-speed automatic transmission for additional bucks. The side view is perhaps not the best angle, but it's still attractive. German luxury cars are notoriously expensive to maintain, but BMW eases the pinch with their four-year, 50,000-mile full maintenance program, in which you get oil changes and other periodic maintenance, plus such items as windshield wiper inserts and brake parts at no charge. The vehicle itself carries a four-year, 50,000-mile limited warranty and a 12-year warranty against rust-through. And you get the company’s four-year, unlimited mileage Roadside Assistance Program. THINGS I LIKE ABOUT THE BMW 335i COUPE -- Smoooooooooooooth power! -- Exquisite handling -- The “handover” gizmo that extends the seat belt into your grasp THINGS I DON’T LIKE ABOUT THE BMW -- Do BMW engineers ever sit in the back seats of these cars? Maybe as punishment.... -- This car didn’t have i-Drive, but tuning the radio STILL is incomprehensible to me When all is said and written, it’s the driving that remains the outstanding feature of the 2011 BMW 335i Coupe. Slide behind the leather-covered steering wheel, punch the start-stop button and as the engine springs to life, an electric gizmo hands you your seat belt, another of the little touches that separate Munich’s products from the herd. The illustrious BMW logo is a reminder of spinning propellers and an ancient past! A flick of the wrist and the shift lever clicks into first gear. The delicious murmur of the in-line six begins to assert itself and you move up briskly through the gears. The freeway entrance lane is cramped and brief. Make short work of it with a punch of the accelerator. Even in the bumper-to-bumper congestion of a too-crowded highway, the BMW’s cabin is serenely quiet. The ride is firm and the handling sharp. It goes where you point it without complaint. It’s a car that converts the hum-drum of the homeward commute into a welcome adventure. It is a driver’s car, plain and simple. Do you suppose they’d let me keep it? Darn, I didn’t think so!
Last Updated ( Wednesday, 12 January 2011 )

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