Internal combustion at its finest
BMW's inline sixes are regarded to be some of the best engines out there. They have for years been powerplants celebrated for their smoothness, fuel efficient operation and pleasing character. Somewhere, there's a team of German engineers with a heck of a trophy rack.
Their latest three-litre version of this engine required no improvement, but improve they did.
Not leaving perfection alone, the engineers at BMW slapped on a pair of small turbochargers and a direct-injection fuel delivery system, and there was much rejoicing at the arrival of the resulting new "335i" model.
The two small turbines spool up faster than a single large one, the effect being an almost total elimination of boost-lag, and an output rated modestly at 300 smooth-as-polished-glass horsepower.
The power curve is meatier than a bagful of quarter-pounders, and relentless acceleration is never more than a split second away. It feels less turbocharged, and more like it's just got a V8.
Be careful though, as the evil twins under the hood start spooling at the slightest touch of the accelerator, sending you well on your way to a speeding ticket with little notice. For all the go the 335i manages to muster, mileage averaged a respectable 11 litres of premium per 100km. Very good indeed.
This is really internal combustion at its finest, but for such an overachieving powerplant, you might find the rest of the package a little dry. There's no visual cue to the presence of such potent performance, albeit dual-outlet exhaust and larger wheels. Parked beside a lesser 3-series, you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference. That's fine if you like to drive a sleeper- but if you want to get noticed, there are many an automaker offering more serious gawk-factor at this price.
There's a coupe, sedan or convertible version available, and power is routed to the rear, or optionally to all four wheels by a six speed transmission in the driver's choice of manual or automatic. The manual gearbox fitted to the test car was demanding yet rewarding, though the shifter was somewhat stiffer and more resistant to being thrown through its gates than expected.
BMW's inline sixes are regarded to be some of the best engines out there. They have for years been powerplants celebrated for their smoothness, fuel efficient operation and pleasing character. Somewhere, there's a team of German engineers with a heck of a trophy rack.
Their latest three-litre version of this engine required no improvement, but improve they did.
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| BMW is a master when it comes to small details - and it proves it again with the 335i. |
Not leaving perfection alone, the engineers at BMW slapped on a pair of small turbochargers and a direct-injection fuel delivery system, and there was much rejoicing at the arrival of the resulting new "335i" model.
The two small turbines spool up faster than a single large one, the effect being an almost total elimination of boost-lag, and an output rated modestly at 300 smooth-as-polished-glass horsepower.
The power curve is meatier than a bagful of quarter-pounders, and relentless acceleration is never more than a split second away. It feels less turbocharged, and more like it's just got a V8.
Be careful though, as the evil twins under the hood start spooling at the slightest touch of the accelerator, sending you well on your way to a speeding ticket with little notice. For all the go the 335i manages to muster, mileage averaged a respectable 11 litres of premium per 100km. Very good indeed.
This is really internal combustion at its finest, but for such an overachieving powerplant, you might find the rest of the package a little dry. There's no visual cue to the presence of such potent performance, albeit dual-outlet exhaust and larger wheels. Parked beside a lesser 3-series, you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference. That's fine if you like to drive a sleeper- but if you want to get noticed, there are many an automaker offering more serious gawk-factor at this price.
There's a coupe, sedan or convertible version available, and power is routed to the rear, or optionally to all four wheels by a six speed transmission in the driver's choice of manual or automatic. The manual gearbox fitted to the test car was demanding yet rewarding, though the shifter was somewhat stiffer and more resistant to being thrown through its gates than expected.
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| The 3-Series is an icon in the performance sedan field. |