Review of the new BMW 335i

Quite why BMW attracts such a purist following is easy to grasp. The inherent rightness of the front engine, rear wheel drive layout is part of it. Then there's the elegance of a 50:50 weight distribution and the purity of a high revving naturally aspirated petrol engine. Although the most dogmatic BMW fans will have a fit at the prospect of a turbocharged petrol engine, one drive in the revised 335i is enough to convert all but the most entrenched opinions.

Of course, BMW enthusiasts will know that this isn't the Munich company's first foray into the realms of forced induction with a petrol engine. The almost legendary 2002 turbo from 1973 signalled its intent with reverse-stencilled turbo lettering across its front spoiler and was afflicted with turbo lag that could be measured with a sun dial. Less well known is the 1979 745i turbo, largely because it was launched in European markets and was unveiled to coincide with the oil crisis. Their third attempt looks set to be the most successful yet.

For a car that boasts 306bhp under its bonnet, the 335i doesn't draw attention to itself. That power output is considerably more than the old E36 generation M3 started life with but there's no M badging, no 'look-at-me' spoilers or door mirrors and precious little to differentiate the 335i saloon from its lesser brethren. If you're after the ultimate subterfuge, badge delete is a no cost option. If you know what you're looking for, the exhausts, the wheel and tyre combination and the slightly hunkered down stance might give a few clues, but nothing that will swivel heads.

Some time ago, the badge on a BMW would give a clear indication as to its engine size. That's no longer the case. Despite the 335i badge, the engine fitted up front in this car is 'only' a 3.0-litre, much akin to that found in the 330i. Whereas that car develops 272bhp, the 'blown' 335i is good for another 34bhp. BMW could have no doubt turned the wick up on the turbochargers to offer way more power but the key to the 335i is in offering a turbocharged model that offers none of the drawbacks of turbo cars. These include a soggy throttle pedal, limp off-boost acceleration, unruly road manners when the turbo is fully on-song and fierce fuel consumption. By offering only very light pressure blowers, the 335i drives like a larger capacity normally aspirated model, hence the logic behind the badge. Honest.

"The 335i has the power to keep some junior supercars on their toes"

Translated into numbers, this means a sprint to 60mph in 5.6 seconds and a top speed limited to 155mph. That's not far off the old M3 and in terms of torque to weight, the 335i trounces the old hotrod, the M3 offering 232Nm per tonne compared to the turbo car's 249Nm per tonne. What compounds the newer car's advantage is the fact that this vast welter of muscle is on stream from as low as 1,300rpm, whereas the old M3 had to be wound up to almost 5,000rpm before it really started pulling. This means that a 335i will feel brawnier and get the drop on an E36 M3 off the line in most instances even if the current 420bhp V8 M3 is in another league again. Then you'll stop, reboot and remember that this isn't a balls-out performance coupe. It's a sober-suited compact executive car. The capability in depth is breathtaking.

The 335i's engine is a very impressive installation from a company that professes not a great deal of recent experience at turbocharged petrol engines. Granted, BMW have sold thousands of turbodiesels in the last few years but that's a rather different discipline. In this instance, each bank of three cylinders of the V6 unit gets its own small turbine. BMW claims that this engine is around 70 kilos lighter than a similarly powerful V8 model and this weight saving has easily identifiable benefits in terms of agility, fuel economy and emissions which are enhanced further by BMW's latest EfficientDynamics technology. With a combined consumption figure of 31mpg and CO2 emissions of just 218g/km, the 335i turns in excellent figures for a car with this level of performance.

That said, this car could potentially become a very popular model with aftermarket tuners who care rather more about headline horsepower figures and less about all round driveability and durability. Turning up the boost pressure on the blowers would theoretically be a relatively inexpensive way to liberate serious power, although BMW's excellent warranty cover would probably disappear in the process.

The 3 Series saloon styling remains as quietly distinguished as ever in the facelifted model. The styling of today's car has been updated in a number of small ways but the raised lines that fall down the middle of the bonnet are most noticeable. Elsewhere, the BMW trademark ringed side lights are standard and the grille has been tweaked while the entire rear light clusters are now entirely ruby red in colour and the side skirts have a more pronounced crease line. The interior looks largely similar to the previous model but BMW has again updated its iDrive control interface with scrolling menu displays designed to enhance usability. There's 8 gigabytes of music storage capacity in the system too, enough for 100 albums, while the quality of the trim materials around the cabin has also been enhanced.

With the 335i Touring, you get a 460-litre void back there to fill with the paraphernalia of your choice and that doesn't compare at all favourably with the 460-litres you get in the saloon for around £1,000 less. Fold the rear seats down, however, and the available space mushrooms up to 1,385 litres. Forget about taking garden rubbish to the council tip or shifting that chest of draws home from the furniture store, you could hold a wedding reception back there or have it converted into a squash court. OK, maybe I'm exaggerating - but you get the idea: it's bigger than you might expect.

The asking price of over £32,000 looks reasonable value when you consider the performance and capability that's on offer. To put it in perspective, this is a car that will keep a Porsche 911 Carrera honest in terms of performance yet costs less than half its price and offers a whole lot more practicality. At least it does if you don't spend over £3,000 more on the Coupe bodyshape that's also offered with this engine. People may even let you out of junctions. Purity? Overrated.

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