Instrumented Test
It’s no secret that the BMW 3-series has been a perennial Car and Driver favorite, the Bavarian bahn stormers having appeared among our 10Best Cars for many years before dropping off the 2015 list. Indeed, the current, sixth generation (code name F30) of the 3-series has also lost its iron-clad grip on the segment—the top-spec 335i fell to a Lexus IS350 F Sport in a 2013 sports-sedan comparison test—doing so by losing focus in an area at the core of the car’s superiority for decades.
Styling? Nein, the long-established proportions are still engagingly familiar and among the more attractive in the class. Interiors? Nein again. The current 3-series is the roomiest yet, and the supple support of the leather-covered Sport seats in our test car ($1450 with Dakota Coral red upholstery) would be hard for anyone to resist. Even the iDrive system, long a target for criticism, has evolved to the point of usefulness to even the most dedicated of Luddites.
The nagging area of discontent is dynamics.
This does not apply to the powertrain. BMW’s superb 3.0-liter turbo straight-six churns up a manly helping of torque that peaks just north of idle, and max horsepower comes on at 5800 rpm. The six emits seductively determined noises when pressed, particularly in Sport mode, and the only way to induce any lagging or lugging is to engage a high gear at low rpm. However, this isn’t possible with the eight-speed Steptronic automatic operating in full auto mode—it instantly matches the proper gear to engine rpm, and its responses in manual mode are vigorous.
This all-wheel-drive xDrive model needed just 4.6 seconds to complete the zero-to-60-mph sprint, while 100 mph comes up in 11.9 and the quarter-mile flashes by in 13.3 at 105, the same stats we recorded for the rear-drive example in the aforementioned three-way comparison versus a Cadillac ATS V-6 and a Lexus IS350 F Sport. The BMW’s numbers were the quickest across the board, but the Bimmer still finished second behind the Lexus.
The problem was that its dynamics came across as a little flaccid compared with both the Caddy and the Lexus. The BMW’s responses weren’t quite as eager as those of comparable 3-series cars from previous generations, a perception magnified by steering that was judged deficient in tactility. So even though the 335i dominated the performance stats, it ranked third in the subjective handling scores and, even worse, in our fun-to-drive category.
Equipped with BMW’s Dynamic Handling package (adaptive M suspension and variable sport steering, $1000), this 2015 335i was quick on its feet, its steering both precise and sports-car quick at 2.1 turns lock-to-lock. The test-track remarks do make note of mild understeer, which is not unexpected given this car’s xDrive all-wheel drive. But despite a little added mass—3739 pounds, versus 3605 for the rear-driver—having four driven wheels helped this 335i get out of the blocks in a respectable hurry and contributed to handling that was devoid of surprises.
This time around, our test car’s demerits accumulated in other performance categories. The skidpad score, for example, came in at 0.86 g, versus 0.89 in 2013. More lamentable—make that dismal—was this car’s braking distance: 186 feet from 70 mph. There was never a trace of fade, but that’s 22 feet longer than our 2013 test car’s performance. However, we think these grip and braking stats can be easily improved. Simply discard the all-season run-flat tires—in this case Pirelli Cinturato P7, size 225/45-18—and substitute some real performance rubber.
One other knock against this particular car—noise—is only peripherally related to dynamics. Although the straight-six emits a lovely internal-combustion symphony at wide-open throttle, it’s a little on the forte side of the volume scale at 75 decibels and also is high at idle. To be fair, it subsides to more normal levels at freeway speeds.
As always, we feel obligated to offer a little financial counseling—free of charge. At $46,745, the 335i is an attractive sports-sedan proposition by the standards of this rarefied class. Opt for rear-wheel drive, rather than xDrive, and it gets even more attractive, as well as 134 pounds lighter.
Okay, the Dynamic Handling package is a must; add a grand for that. And you’ve gotta have those sport seats, which are baked into the $3000 M Sport collection. And if you don’t want to row your own, you need to get the Sport programming for the no-cost automatic: $500. So now we’re over the $50K mark.
If you find you can’t resist the Melbourne Red metallic paint ($550), red leather ($1450), the cold-weather package ($950), the driver-assistance package ($950), navigation ($2150), and Harman/Kardon audio ($875), then you arrive at our as-tested bottom line, which is just $4825 short of the starting MSRP for an M3, the real tiger of the 3-series lineup. Just sayin’.
With the right stuff, the 335i is still capable of delivering something close to the mystical connection between car and driver that made the 3-series a development target for so many automakers. The problem is that you’ve never before had to get the “right” 3-series to get a good 3-series. We should also point out that an updated 3-series is coming for 2016, and it will offer more power, as the 335i will give way to the new, 340i. BMW promises it will also have more of that Ultimate Driving Machine focus; we look forward to getting extended exposure and finding out.
