[lee335]

Hello,

Any advice here will be must appreciated

I have had my 335i now for 8 month and i love the car to bits.Every time i drive it i have a smile on my face but it just doesn't have the poise of appearance of an M3 (E92). In this time i have had the JB4 fitted, DCI, spoiler, rear 2011 lights, Ice white angel eyes. I am seriously considering buying the E92 M3 but don't know that spending the extra £9k will get me what i am looking for. Will the performance be any better? Am i doing the right thing?

thanks in advance

[Sparky68]

Good discussion here

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=755091

[HughiusMaximus]

First things first, have you driven an E92 M3?

I was in the same boat as you a while back, and bit the bullet and went for a test drive.

Funny thing is that after driving it I could appreciate what a fantastic machine it was, but felt that I wouldn't drive it in such a way as to really get the benefit out if it (extra torque from a 335d makes for a nicer daily driver etc...)
I felt happier with the car I had after driving it.

So my two cents would be to drive it, at least then you can make a more reasoned comparison....

[takumichinoku]

Save that £9k and carry on saving for the next M4.

[gangzoom]

What are you looking for in the car? You can spent £9K modding the 335 and it still wouldn't be as good as a M3 to drive, the V8 engine is simply so much meatier than the N54. But for me the 335 is pretty much the perfect family car, easy to live with, not expensive to run, attracts little or no attention, and with some mods will offer 90% what a M3 does...only you can decided if the 10% differences is worth £9K.

If its pure driving pleasure your after there are cheaper ways than getting a M3, I was all set on getting a F10 M5 to replace my 335 in 18-24months but given how I struggle to use 20% of the potential in my 335 on public roads I'm looking into getting a old DC2 Integra R for £4-5K. Spend £3K or so getting the suspension renewed etc, stripping it down to just the dash/drivers/passenger seat and keeping it as a weekend toy. Will work out cheaper than px/selling my 335 for a M5

[$pringy]

if you do go test drive the m3 make sure its a DCT auto. Its a very good gearbox!

[nealer74]

I was in the same frame of mind .. local dealer called to say they had a nice e93 M3 etc. etc.. like the previous post - fantastic car, fully appreciate it now and the best bit was the noise.... I even had the 'wife-justification' planned out - "... more expensive now, but worth more than my current car in 2 years etc."

even though I've a 330... just couldn't justify the extra for it ...

[WilliamS]

Where I work, shortly after getting my N54 we took in two M3's within a month. So of course I was in the same mind set. Driving them back to back there are differences that I agree. My car had by then the Jb4 and nothing more. The M3 is a high reving machine and that motor takes a true gear head to appreciate its symphony at idle. Oh its so sexy I might have a crisis just writing about it. The performance difference is there on the highway, the v8 can pull till the world ends, where the N54 will run out of air. Again JB4 N54 vs V8. The city driving is what kept me in my car. The down low torque without having to get all rev happy from every light is what I crave, perhaps a v8 supercharged would fit me nicely but I do not have that kind of income.

I agree, test drive it in where you will spend most of your time. If its your daily driver this is where the real test will show which you like more. Dont get me wrong there is no comparision of these cars regardless of what you read, the M3 is built to perfection of performance, but in my daily commute I can utilize what I would spend.

[ministry maniac]

I made the switch a couple of years ago from 335 to M3. The M was a car I had wanted from an early age. I had a test drive and was sold instantly, the looks, performance, presence and I signed on the dotted line instantly (blue monte Carlo edition). While I was very happy with the car I found getting the performance out of it wasn't the easiest on UK roads. I felt that to get the car really working and utilise what it had to offer I was at license losing speeds fairly quickly and if something went wrong it would be at fairly high speed with likely fatal consequences. I took it on track a couple of times with a friend, he had a vx220 and it was an absolute joy, dsg box really came into its own on the track. Back in reality though I missed the everyday usable performance of my 335. In the end I bought an f10 535 m-sport with an evo ix mr 360 for the track.

[Sparky68]

Originally Posted by gangzoom

What are you looking for in the car? You can spent £9K modding the 335 and it still wouldn't be as good as a M3 to drive, the V8 engine is simply so much meatier than the N54. But for me the 335 is pretty much the perfect family car, easy to live with, not expensive to run, attracts little or no attention, and with some mods will offer 90% what a M3 does...only you can decided if the 10% differences is worth £9K.

If its pure driving pleasure your after there are cheaper ways than getting a M3, I was all set on getting a F10 M5 to replace my 335 in 18-24months but given how I struggle to use 20% of the potential in my 335 on public roads I'm looking into getting a old DC2 Integra R for £4-5K. Spend £3K or so getting the suspension renewed etc, stripping it down to just the dash/drivers/passenger seat and keeping it as a weekend toy. Will work out cheaper than px/selling my 335 for a M5

My mate gets his 2012 M5 delivered tomorrow

[Nigelo]

Just read evo's review of the new alpina B3 gts - essentially a pretty well modified n54 335i. Seems to be fairly handy round a track. Alpina say it did the obligatory Nurburgring in the same time as the M3 gts, don't know if that can be manipulated.

[Bungle009]

Ive recently gone from a 330d to an M3. The 330d was a really great car, but I fancied a change and was trying to decide between a 335i & an M3.
I drove both, and really liked the 335i. However the sense of occasion was far greater in the m3. Im pretty sure that for road use the 335i is more car than most people need, and I was tempted, but i figured that I would regret not biting the bullet and getting the M3.

If you want a car for going places, the 335i was a really good compromise. If you want a car that excites you, that encourages you to drive it hard, that sounds amazing, that wouldn't leave you wondering what could have been, then it has to be the M3. I plan on keeping the M3 for a year or 2, then will probably trade it in for something a bit more sensible, probably a 335i, but wouldn't want to give up the opportunity of experiencing an M car.

The MPG is quite difficult to come to terms with. I get around 22 mpg, which includes mostly commuting, although I now take the back roads rather than the M'Way. I know i would get 30+ out of a 335i. If we only made sensible decisions, life would be dull. If you can afford it, go for it. A 335i, great as it is, will always leave you wondering....

[lee335]

thank you all for the advice, for the driving that i do (only to the gym and back and social as walk to work) i am not sure if i would be getting any more driving thrills for 9k for the car change. I know the M3 would be a better car to drive but i do like the fact the 335i has the twin turbo. Decisions decisions. I will book in for a test drive and see how i feel after that. I do love the body kit on the M3. Thanks again all

[creepy coupe]

If you jump into an M3 after a 335i, you might wonder what all the fuss is about. The 335i will pull from lower in the RPM band and produce its peak torque earlier. But the M3 is about the chassis, which is sublime and it's not until you own one for a few weeks you can really appreciate the brilliance of the car.

You can throw money at your 335i, but you’ll always be asking the same question and always be looking at M3’s. Some itches just have to be scratched.

[Guvernator]

I've often contemplated this move myself to be honest. The ultimate 3 series is obviously the M3 but in real world use, is it really £10k better than a 335i?

Pro's
It's looks better
Better handling
That V8!

Con's
Much more expensive to run, this includes insurance, servicing and fuel where there is huge difference in MPG.
Engine not ideally suited to UK roads

I do think the M3 depreciation will plateau somewhat now so at least you shouldn't loose too much money on that. I really like my 335i and actually think it's probably a better real world car due to the easier power delivery BUT it does sometimes seem to lack that final 10% of excitement that I crave when I am on a spirited drive.

Will an M3 give you that though? Sure it handles better and that engine sounds lovely but if anything it's performance is even less accessible on public roads than the 335i as you need to be deep into the rev range for it to come alive. The only place to really exploit it's extra talents is on track but I don't think I'd feel to comfortable about flinging an M3 round a track either.

I think I've therefore come to the same conclusion as gangzoom above in that neither car really fits what I need, both are comprimised in some way so my next car will probably in fact be two cars, one to ferry the family around in comfort and the other a track slag which will enable me to get my driving kicks in a relatively safer environment then our overcrowded badly maintained roads.

[JNW1]

Originally Posted by Nigelo

Just read evo's review of the new alpina B3 gts - essentially a pretty well modified n54 335i. Seems to be fairly handy round a track. Alpina say it did the obligatory Nurburgring in the same time as the M3 gts, don't know if that can be manipulated.

Read that article as well and often think an Alpina is perhaps the ultimate BMW road car? Only downside for me is the gearbox choice or rather the lack of it; an old-style torque converter auto wouldn't be my first choice but then again they seem to work fine on AMG Mercs!

[rickyjones1209]

I don't know where all the 30+ mpg talk comes from with the 335i!?!? More like 25mpg between fills. Can manage 30mpg if cruising at 80mph.

I certainly don't get 30mpg and my daily commute is 5 miles of stop start and 8 miles dual carriage way cruise.

[Sparky68]

Originally Posted by rickyjones1209

I don't know where all the 30+ mpg talk comes from with the 335i!?!? More like 25mpg between fills. Can manage 30mpg if cruising at 80mph.

I certainly don't get 30mpg and my daily commute is 5 miles of stop start and 8 miles dual carriage way cruise.

My commute i get 27mpg 37 miles of dual carriageway and a little bit of town driving.

[rickyjones1209]

Originally Posted by Sparky68

My commute i get 27mpg 37 miles of dual carriageway and a little bit of town driving.

Yes that would make sense since its a decent amount of dual carriage way. I would guess next to no one gets 30mpgs or more between fills in a 335i.

22 to 28 at best depending on type of journeys. And I'm somewhere in the middle

[JNW1]

Originally Posted by rickyjones1209

I don't know where all the 30+ mpg talk comes from with the 335i!?!? More like 25mpg between fills. Can manage 30mpg if cruising at 80mph.

I certainly don't get 30mpg and my daily commute is 5 miles of stop start and 8 miles dual carriage way cruise.

Kept a running check on my E92 335i (N55 engine, manual box) since I bought it second-hand at the start of June. Over 5k miles the true average is almost exactly 31mpg (computer says just over 32) and that hasn't included much in the way of long motorway runs; 80mph cruising would be more mid-30's than 30mpg. My daily commute is 27 miles each way, some dual carriageway but mostly busy A-road with some stop-start as well. However, short runs soon pull the average down (no great surprise there then!). I've also tried running the car on V-Power for the last 1,500 miles but have noticed no difference in either fuel consumption or the way the car performs; I'm therefore going to revert to standard fuel as frankly the V-Power just seems a waste of money in a standard 335i!

[Guvernator]

I get 25mpg in town and 35mpg out of town and I'm usually well off the quoted mpg figures, at least I have been in all other cars I've owned. The 335i is the first car where I've even got close to it's official mpg.

What are the fuel costs on an M3 like, I imagine 20mpg is the norm?