Few things in life are as pleasing as a comfortable pillow, a hot shower and a great car. Seeing as I have already managed to obtain the first two, I will draw my attention to the latter.
What makes a great car? Well, I guess it’s a matter of personal taste really. If you are young, you’ll probably want something that’s fast and will cause young girls to flock around you. If you are a successful middle-aged man, you will probably want a comfortable cruiser.
But what if you want something that can do both? And that brings me to my point. There are very few vehicles that are comfortable, good-looking – yet discrete, and when need be, fast with great handling.
Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce to you the BMW 335i Coupe.
The 335i is the two-door coupe version of the current 3-series BMW, and has been given a bit of an update in the form of a minor facelift and an engine modification.
Styling wise, the Coupe has received a remodeled front bumper, and the headlamps have been squared off a bit more than before. The real change occurs under the bonnet, where BMW have replaced their renowned 3,0-litre, straight-six twin-turbo petrol engine with a single turbo unit.
Inside, the Coupe is typical BMW. Comfortable, everything is wrapped in leather and the fit and finish is flawless. The entertainment is fathomable, and you find what you are looking for where you expect it to be.
Start the engine and there is the slightest burble before the engine settles into a quiet idle – hinting at a naughty side.
The drive really is pure rear-wheeled driving pleasure, and with nice meaty steering is top notch. My biggest concern is the Coupe has 18-inch run-flat tyres and I was bracing myself for an incredibly harsh ride, but alas, it never came. On the contrary, the ride is very comfortable. The breaks are brilliant and the seven-speed automatic gearbox is smooth.
Then there is the engine, which has lost its two turbos and is now fitted with a single one. Even though this sounds like a bit of a step backwards, the single turbo unit produces an identical 225 kW and 400 Nm (which is the exact same torque figure as the M3) to that of the twin-turbo.
This is all good and well, but the twin-turbo setup was introduced to alleviate turbo-lag and surely going back to a single turbo will reintroduce the problem? Well, there’s no reason to beat around the bush. I haven’t had the opportunity to drive the twin-turbo, and yes, there is a bit of turbo-lag, but not enough to make an issue of it. This engine is fantastic.
And then to top it all off, there is a little button behind the gear-selector with the word ‘Sport’ on it and paddles behind the steering wheel. Push the Sport button, push the selector into Manual and tug the left paddle once or twice. Doing so brings out the 335i’s naughty side.
Running the rev-counter to the redline brings with it a constant surge of power and an iconic BMW six-cylinder shriek, two of the world’s most addictive things. Fly into a corner and the Coupe maintains its composure the whole way through, even hinting at a bit of over steer (held back by traction control). And the best thing is, even after a ‘naughty’ drive, you don’t feel battered and bruised like you would in other sports cars. Dare I say you almost feel revitalised.
I’m going to put my head on a block here and say the 335i is probably one of the greatest all rounder’s money can buy.
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