Review of the new BMW 335i Coupe

For some years, BMW maintained an air of amused superiority as rival manufacturers attempted to match the performance of its normally aspirated engines with various turbocharged and supercharged units. The concept of turbocharging a petrol engine seemed anathema to the Bavarians but the 335i, a headline derivative in BMW's latest 3 Series Coupe range, does feature a blower. What prompted this sea change in corporate philosophy? We take a look at the product and the story behind it.

Let's clear one thing up from the start. 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 306bhp. BMW could have no doubt turned the wick up on the turbocharger 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. The 335i drives like a larger capacity normally aspirated model, hence the logic behind the badge.

In real terms, that means a sprint to 60mph in 5.5 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 an 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 M3 off the line in most instances. Customers can choose standard SE trim or the M Sport which is as close to an M3 as you'll get without buying one.

"The 335i serves up performance that would have been in the supercar bracket not so many years ago"

It's hard to underline quite what an about face this was by BMW. Think of the next Porsche 911 getting a V8 or Audi ditching quattro all-wheel drive and you'll appreciate quite what a marked shift in engineering focus this engine represented. Those with long memories will point to BMW's introduction of the 2002 turbo back in 1973 and the Brabham BMW turbocharged Formula 1 engines of the Eighties. If you're a real anorak, you might even recall the 1979 Euro-only 745i turbo. Nevertheless, BMW has been cool on forced induction. In an era of ever tighter emissions regulations, the demand for more power within certain weight limits and a need to position a stepping stone model between the 330i and the latest V8 M3 model, the 335i was a logical move, albeit one that required a certain swallowing of corporate pride to bring to market.

The 335i's engine is a very impressive installation from a company that professed 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. The engine isn't light on technology with the turbocharger supplemented by Valvetronic variable valve timing and high precision direct fuel injection. 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 that are enhanced by BMW's EfficientDynamics technology. With a combined consumption figure of 34mpg and CO2 emissions of just 196g/km, the 335i turns in excellent figures for a car with this level of performance.

As successful as the last generation BMW 3 Series Coupe was, there were many who felt that the car was too much of a 3 Series and not enough of a coupe. Unless you opted for an M3, the E46 generation coupe was a rather unobtrusive thing. Coupes are all about making a statement and as good as it was to drive, the statement that car seemed to make was that there were many more interesting things to look at. The latest E92 generation coupe model is a whole different ball game.

For a start, it's beautiful in its own right. Contemporary BMW design has been a strangely hit and miss affair but the bullseye has been firmly hit in this instance. Taut, sleek, muscular and boasting not a single shared body panel with the 3 Series saloon, the latest Coupe will earn whole legions of buyers before they ever clap eyes on one in the metal. The silhouette is lower and more elongated, giving it an elegance that's singularly lacking in the buttoned-down saloon.

BMW has taken steps to differentiate the latest coupe even further from the saloon and Tourer estate. Most noticeable is the single air-intake sliced in below the front bumper with matt aluminium fins mounted within it. Its effect is to visually lower and widen the car for a more planted and sporty stance. It appears to work. Other features include the revised headlights with LED corona rings and red LED rear lights.

With prices starting from around £36,000 for the SE model or £2,000 more for the M Sport, the 335i offers arguably more capability for your money than any 3 Series model to date. Devastatingly quick yet agreeably understated, it's a car that doesn't possess a significant Achilles heel. BMW should be congratulated in not letting engineering dogma preclude the development of an excellent product.

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