[9c1]

[QUOTE=astra;822418]
and the power... if it hadn't of been so hyped up, i would of most likely been like "WOW", but i wasn't really, cos i was more expecting something AMAZING, but got very good instead. had nice response though when you floored it. lol, salesman was looking at the spedo every 5 secconds and holding the arm rest!


Yesterday I had the opportunity of driving a friend's brand new E92 335i coupe. I have to agree with Astra - I was also expecting something "more" from the new 225kW twin turbo engine after everything I've read about this new generation engine. The power response is very linear with no turbo lag at all and the torque delivery is very progressive and refined (it's a good thing its got DSC in the wet).

In my opinion though, it doesn't come across as "sporty" enough (I guess I was expecting more of a "M3" experience considering the power output) - it's a very refined engine and it's probably more at home overtaking at 250km/h on a German autobahn than in stop/start Australian driving.

I mentioned in a previous thread about driving a 130i. I'm sorry but this is a far more fun car to drive than the 335i and when you consider the price difference between the two models I would rather spend the money on a 130i and pocket the change than pay for the looks of the E92 and a so-so driving experience.

I think my friend's 335i was also fitted with BMW's all new 6-speed automatic with paddle shifts on the steering wheel which is supposed to be a marked improvement over the current 6-speed Steptronic autos found in the E90 range. Again, I have to say that I couldn't really detect any real improvement over the steptronic transmission and in fact the new transmission felt jerky at lower rpm's / speed (perhaps because it was dealing with large amounts of torque from the new 335i engine).

I also think the BMW paddle shift set-up on this transmission is confusing when compared with the other paddle set-ups that I have driven (Citroen, Alfa Romeo, Maserati) with either paddle (left and right side) being able to shift the transmission up or down (push and pull). I think it's less confusing for the driver if it was just pull left paddle to downshift and pull right paddle to upshift.

I did however love the I-drive / professional navigation set-up in the car. I love the technology and voice activation operations for all the different features. This is something I will be ordering in my next BMW regardless of which model I choose.