[polly]

Hi BMW fans

Before reading pls forgive for any typo errors, i am not a writer by proffesion. will just type what comes to mind.

ordered my 335i Estoril Blue on the 7th June 2012. Picked her up last Wednesday. this is list of some of my extras:

M -Sport pack; 19" Wheels; Addaptive M Running Gear; Driving lights package; Connected Package; Surround View; Extended Light Package; Rear & Side blinds; Seat heating; M Sport Brakes; Sunroof; Harmon Kardon Sound; Electric Tow Bar; Variable Sport Steering; Apps; BMW Live; Comfort Access; Etc...

My previous car was an E90 M3 so my expectations on this car was high. i picked up my car from a dealer that was 600km away from my house so i had a nice long road trip with beautiful mountain passes on my way back. i ordered the colour without seeing one in the "flesh". when i arrived at the dealership and saw the car i was blown away by the colour. i dont think the pics do justice to Estoril blue. you need to see one to fully appreciate the color.

in a nutshell all i can say is WOW. the only thing i miss compared to my M3 is the sound of the exhaust, believe me nothing else. i averaged a fuel consumption of 9.0 l/100km driving up from 0 - 1600m above sea level. i drove at an average speed of 160km/h. i think this is phenominal. i drive mostly in comfort and manual modes. i trided a 100km trip yesterday driving in Eco Mode but only added an extra 6km over that distance. dont think i will be using much of this mode.

i was scared going in this car after reading all the negatives regarding the vibration on the steering issues on this forum, i must say i have absolutely no vibration (at least not yet) on my car. the only issue i had was that initially my steering was slightly of centre, but that seemed to have corrected itself after i corrected the tyre pressures and the run in. Maybe they sorted this problem out.

this is one very smooth ride. i dont feel road bumps, uneaven road surfaces, etc. a huge improvement from the E90. the steering feel is also great. Maybe its the VSS. i still need to learn how to use the Apps and all the other tecno stuff with my i - phone, maybe someone on here can explain or give me a link i can read up on so i can get everything connected. i tried but only managed to connect my bluetooth for voice calls and phone book. i cant even read my music from my phone? i would also like to display the album art, messages, etc.

i would also like to know what would be the most optimal setting for the equalizer on the HK system to get a "tight" sounding base. would really apprecaite it.

other than that i guess i will be learning more everyday on my ride, will keep u guys updated and i will be def driving it more than my previous cars. mercs can now take a hike as far as i am concerned.

what a car -enjoy the pics

[Robin_NL]

Nice writeup. Baie mooi.

Excellent colour and wheels.
I also had a E90 M3 from 2008-2010.

Cheers
Robin

[singh17]

Congradulations

the car looks awesome. I should be picking mine up on friday then I will come to you Saturday.

Had to work this whole weekend in polokwane and just got back now, that is why I did not come see the car as yet

[polly]

tks Prashant

call me when u get it we'll meet up

[SPACEMANRICK]

Nice review and pictures! I agree the F30 335 is a great daily driver with lots of grunt when you need to also have a little fun

[driver911]

How much does performance differ from m3?

[DrivenByE30]

i can't believe you prefer this over the E90 M3 !?

Congrats nevertheless on the purchase.

As for me, i really dont like Luxury suspension... i want to drop mine.

[snowghost]

Originally Posted by Robin_NL

Nice writeup. Baie mooi.

Excellent colour and wheels.
I also had a E90 M3 from 2008-2010.

Cheers
Robin

Well if you guys are happy coming from the E90 M3, then so should I coming from an E46 M3.

[DahudJF]

first off, i love your car, great color combo. secondly, that was the worst review ever, i dunno why ppl are telling you great write up. you really have nothing to say about how the performance, handling or even looks, compared to your e90 m3!! was it that great that you just forgot about your m3 lol. i mean the fuel and the twitter app story was great and all.... but give us some real insight. really no offense though, i just want a real comparison, and your the perfect person. as im looking to buy either a slightly used e90 m3 or this car.

[imim]

Congratulations

car looks awesome. Got my M Sport 2 weeks ago live in Homestead park
Johaneesburg

Enjoy

[polly]

thanks for your thoughts guys

To dahudJF - about the performance: i live 1600m above sea level, on the coast the M3 is phenominal but up here we loose about 20% of the power. i have driven M cars all my life and this is the first time i am "downgrading". i had gti's that use to play with me on the highways up here. you need to keep the revs up (over 5k) on the M3 if you really want to enjoy the car. i found on the 335 it does not matter what speed you doing, just put your foot down and you off.

the other thing i have never really been a fan of Chris "bungles" designs. thats just me. i will probably buy the the next gen M3 when it comes out. that will also be turbocharged.
i usually change my cars every two years. i know an M car is an M car, but they making the newer cars so good these days its hard to fault. i mean does it make sense to pay an extra 450 - 500k more for a car when you cant even use its full power?

its obvious that if you driving the car to the absolute limit, the handling would be better on the M3, but if you a good driver i promise you you can have fun in the 335 as well.

as a daily driver i think its a no brainer that the 335 is easier to live with. the M3 will def become an icon because its the last of the V8. so its a matter of choice. they both great cars and i had the privledge of owning both.

[Robin_NL]

Originally Posted by snowghost

Well if you guys are happy coming from the E90 M3, then so should I coming from an E46 M3.

Relatively spoken 'happy' because the 335i isn't a gasguzzler, it's more economical in many ways, and the low down torque feel suits me better for a daily driver. IRL the 335i is just as fast or sometimes even faster...depending.

Off course a E9x M3 is a different car, and I miss the mech limited slip diff and the trackdays and drifting/8000rpm etc.

Cheers
Robin

[polly]

+1

imim what color did you get, post some pics if you can

regards

[singh17]

Originally Posted by imim

Congratulations

car looks awesome. Got my M Sport 2 weeks ago live in Homestead park
Johaneesburg

Enjoy

Thats lekker.

We must organize a JHB M sport meet. Get some pics off all the cars together.

[V8FunNaturally]

I think that the debate of low end torque V6 TT vs. NA high rev V8 power is not the main differentiator between the E92M3 and the 2012 335i. The two cars are in completely different leagues when it comes to cornering, precision and breed. It seems you had some dislike with your DCT optioned M3 programmability. I personally think reving up the mobil1 out of the M3 with a manual trans is the proper way to enjoy it. It has been said you can down rev match with a DCT if you get the timing right but I suspect most DCT owner end up driving their car in auto (DCT always defaults to auto everytime you startup not matter what you had selected last) which is waste for such a high reving car. 8 ratios for the AT in the 335i might make more sense for a TT engine.
As has been said by reviewers the new 3-series seem to be all based around fuel economy, not changing the car's fundamental engineering layout.
It has electric steering power assist instead of the hydraulic power in the previous gen. This gives absolutely zero feedback at the limit. At no point will you feel through your hands what the front tires are doing. On the track the 2012 335i turns in with rubbery reluctance and then settles into mild understeer. It has been said that the lighter 328i clobbers the 335i in the corners (ref: automobile mag). "the four-cylinder [328i] Bimmer throws itself at corners like teenage girls at Justin Bieber: with controlled wags of the hips and a breathtaking amount of confidence. The 335i might still be a better corner carver than its chief rivals, but it's no match for the 328i... it's barely faster in a straight line and not quite as great in corners [as a 328i]". And that's for 328i vs 335i. The 335i is no match for the E92 M3 driving enjoyment if you are an MT owner. I think you would have benefited from a track class to better enjoy your M3 if it was MT even for DD. Instead you downgraded to a 335i with boosted burst of low end torque. The E92 M3 is the superior car but you have to deserve it and by that I do not mean money wise.

[ny325]

Nice! I think the front looks sooooo much better in the M line. GOOD LUCK, and enjoy your ride.

[kas335]

What brand spoiler did you get ? Been looking to get one myself.

[CanadianDriver]

that's a beautiful car!

[polly]

got the spoiler from BMW
they sprayed and put in on before i took delivery.

[Jadar]

Originally Posted by sunsweet

I think that the debate of low end torque V6 TT vs. NA high rev V8 power is not the main differentiator between the E92M3 and the 2012 335i. The two cars are in completely different leagues when it comes to cornering, precision and breed. It seems you had some dislike with your DCT optioned M3 programmability. I personally think reving up the mobil1 out of the M3 with a manual trans is the proper way to enjoy it. It has been said you can down rev match with a DCT if you get the timing right but I suspect most DCT owner end up driving their car in auto (DCT always defaults to auto everytime you startup not matter what you had selected last) which is waste for such a high reving car. 8 ratios for the AT in the 335i might make more sense for a TT engine.
As has been said by reviewers the new 3-series seem to be all based around fuel economy, not changing the car's fundamental engineering layout.
It has electric steering power assist instead of the hydraulic power in the previous gen. This gives absolutely zero feedback at the limit. At no point will you feel through your hands what the front tires are doing. On the track the 2012 335i turns in with rubbery reluctance and then settles into mild understeer. It has been said that the lighter 328i clobbers the 335i in the corners (ref: automobile mag). "the four-cylinder [328i] Bimmer throws itself at corners like teenage girls at Justin Bieber: with controlled wags of the hips and a breathtaking amount of confidence. The 335i might still be a better corner carver than its chief rivals, but it's no match for the 328i... it's barely faster in a straight line and not quite as great in corners [as a 328i]". And that's for 328i vs 335i. The 335i is no match for the E92 M3 driving enjoyment if you are an MT owner. I think you would have benefited from a track class to better enjoy your M3 if it was MT even for DD. Instead you downgraded to a 335i with boosted burst of low end torque. The E92 M3 is the superior car but you have to deserve it and by that I do not mean money wise.

What TT v6 are you referring to?

I agree with most of your statements, especially that an E9x m3 is a much more superior car. Especially in driver feel and control. Not to mention the track. In fact I think the F30 335i and E9x m3 are worlds apart. Its just that the F30 is newer and has that novelty to it.

Now comparing the 328i vs 335i. Yes the 328i is lighter and its better in the corners, weight being a big advantage for the 328, along with the awesome new 4 cylindar turbo. But, I just get tired of reading people talking about how the 335i, is barely faster in the straight line then the 328.

I dont know what everyone is smoking but the best 1/4 mile time I ever saw for an F30 328i bone stock is 14.2! Quick hell yes! But on the same note the best 1/4 mile time I saw thus far for a stock F30 335i is 13.4. How the hell is that barely faster? Thats over half a second quicker in fact 6 car lenghts. YOu can say .1 or .2 thents is close but.

This is like comparing an E9x m3 that pulls 12.70-80's in the 1/4 to an F30 335i and saying well the M3 is barely faster. WTF really lol.....