[Bomo]

Being a regular track guy, understanding that the new 328i pulls similar lap times to a 335i isn’t a surprise.

Most people judge a car’s performance 0-60, ¼ mile, etc, in which I think it’s obvious the 335i is the top choice. On a racetrack however, a huge misconception is that power = lap times. On a track like Laguna Seca, (Lime Rock Park, NHMS, etc.) one that doesn’t rely heavily on top end, you will often see lower powered, better balanced cars placing higher than higher powered cars simply because there is no place to put that power down.

Another thing that’s not a surprise is that they say it’s a better car to drive.

Most people aren’t privy to what it takes to negotiate a car around a race track at a car’s limit; I believe this is the context in which they are making this notion. It took me tons of track events to develop an “unconscious competence” behind the wheel, and unless you’re Mario Andretti Jr. the 2nd, you will be awful, awful the first time out on a track (as I was). The difference between a more balanced car and a more powerful car, especially on a tight road course, the balanced will always win. This is why E36 M3’s still dominate the track scene 

-Jeff