[Dirk Diggler]

Am I weird or something? A little back story.

Bought my very first BMW in 2011, a 2008 328i 6mt e90. Loved this car! Not too fast, but fast enough to be very fun. You could wind out the gears on a back road and not hit crazy speeds. Decent torque down low and a very flexible engine that loved to rev. The 6mt was notchy and a little rubbery but great fun none the less. This car had no options, no navigation, no leather, manual seats, pretty bare bones but I didn't care.

3yrs goes by, and the entire time I drive the 328i, I wonder about what the 335i would be like. Finally I decide to buy one. Up here in Canada, non-xdrive models are as rare as hens teeth. I didn't really like the idea of xdrive as I'm a rwd kind of guy, but if I wanted a 335i in this lifetime, I needed to settle.

Finally scooped up a 335i e92 6mt xdrive with n55 motor. Many more options on this, pretty well loaded except navi and sport package. Well, the short test drive clearly wasn't enough for me to get a good feel for the car, but hey, it should be pretty similar to my last car, but faster right? Wow, was I ever wrong.

Firstly, for anyone going from a non-xdrive model to an xdrive, beware the absolutely ridiculous suspension on the xdrive models. The suspension is so floaty, you may as well be driving an old Cadillac Seville. Handling is simply lousy. Step on the gas and the front end comes up!! It just isn't confidence inspiring at all. And I'm comparing it to regular non-xdrive suspension, not the more aggressive sport suspension.

Secondly, gear ratios. Why does this car have such long gears? I get it, the car is more powerful so let's give it better top end. However, it's only 70hp more than a 328i. Add the drive train loss of xdrive and add longer gearing, you half killed the advantage this motor had.

Thirdly, Rev-hang. Not sure if you guys also deal with this, but my car had it bad. Press the clutch in at 2300 rpm to upshift, and the rpms just hang there! They stay at 2300 until you shift, release the clutch, and the next gear forces the rpms down. Wtf? Try shifting smoothly with that crap. I either had to shift above or below 2300, or I had a rough shift. BMW said the car is in spec, nothing wrong. They can't fix it. Internet research says rev hang is intentional for emission purposes. Well it ain't for drivability purposes, I'll tell you that.

Lastly, turbo lag. All the journalists gush about the absolutely minimal and near non existent turbo lag. BMW has mastered the turbo like no other manufacturer. Are they insane? It doesnt even come remotely close to the response of a naturally aspirated motor. You have to time your quick manoeuvres and take into account turbo lag or you'll find that motor flat footed and taking you nowhere fast.

Anyways, as you can tell, an xdrive 6mt 335i was quite a disappointment for me. I sold it and luckily found a non-xdrive 328i. Bliss. All is well again. Had I bought an auto 335i non-xdrive car I probably would have been happy, but they're too hard to find in my price range and my location.

Anyhow, just thought I'd share my experience for anyone cross shopping these cars. The 328i gets my vote for fun factor and value.

[Miller335]

Love my n54 335.
Without the power I don't think the extra care and money these cars take is worth the effort/money (yes I understand the 328 is more reliable but its still a BMW).

IMO the N54 335 was the first non-M 3 series BMW worth owning, again my opinion.
The N55 and now F30 chassis almost makes think this still holds true which I find weird.

Either way, whatever makes you happy is all that matters.

[E93Manny335]

Tuned 335 = sheer driving pleasure I love my n54 335

[Antetokounmpo]

Cue TheAxiom

[M-Steep]

No.

[m9bm]

Believe it or not, i prefer 328i over the m3.

if you dont want turbo lag try a 335d

[Miller335]

Originally Posted by m9bm

Believe it or not, i prefer 328i over the m3.

I'm sure you do.

[Tom Droze]

I'm very pleased with my 328i, modded though it may be!

[335xMD]

n54 FTMFW

That said, OP, I get 100% what you're saying about X-drive suspension. I transitioned to my 335xi sedan from an e36 328i.... felt like I was gonna tip off the road in the 335 for the first month or two

[GSTiDDY]

I don't mind the 328xi. Alil boaty, but a suspension upgrade will change that. Wouldnt mind the 330xi cus I was born March 30th (plus the extra hp/tq... But would DEF love a 335xi. The only cars that try to pull on me on the highway are 335's. Pick on someone your own size! Lol always fun times tho

The best line I've heard for 328's and other slower cars to make you feel good about yourself is
" it's more fun driving a slow car fast than driving a fast car."

[newoldbeemer]

I love my 328i but I'll take a 335i in a heartbeat. I've owned one of those in the past, can't get over it.

[Eddien123]

Naturally aspirated is a hard to give up for the power. I love the power of the 335 but the handling is identical and you can be a little more free to experience the 328's power. I personally would skip the 335 for the m3 but that's only because it's NA. If you like NA then maybe a 335 isn't for you. Either way the E90 chassis is fantastic and power aside, they're similar and both equally great.

[BavarianMWfan]

N51/N52 all day everyday

[cgrizzly888]

I love my n55 335i xdrive although I agree the stock suspension is terrible.

[M.Power]

No

[Underground6t9]

335xdrive N54 all day stage 2+

[Dark_Knight_335]

Oh look, a 328 vs 335 thread- that just never happens!

[Efthreeoh]

I have a 325i, so it is what it is. I've driven the F30 with the N55 and the N20 both with an automatic. Regardless of how good the engineering is, it is not possible to design out turbo lag. There is always inertia of the turbo compressors to deal with, which causes lag, along with the physical properties of compression of gases (intake charge). The laws of physics don't allow turbo lag to not exist.

However, now that throttles and transmissions are computer controlled, the power lag can be masked, to where it seems negligible, but it will never feel the same as a naturally aspirated engine.

I chose a 325i because I wanted the reliability and longevity of the N/A N52 (and the 335i wasn't available as the top-tier 3 at the time). However, looking back and recently picking up a N52 3-stager in my Z4, I should have gone with a 330i, but then again the the 330i N52 can eat DISA valves (axle shafts) and cause problems.

[Delta0311]

The thing I hated the most about my stock 328 was the throttle lag. You push down the gas a bit to merge or pass and the car doesn't register till about a second later. At first I figured there was an issue with my car but every 328 I drove had this problem. Also the auto transmission on a stock 328 sucked without a tune, which fixed the lag. The AA or Eurocharged tune (even without a 3 stage) are an absolute must for a 328. In this why I keep telling people to get the tune. It is not so much for the gains but to fix the issues that should have been resolved back in the factory.

As far as the N55 goes the lag is not noticeable to me, it definitely does not have the hesitation that the 328 had when you start to push on the pedal. Once I push a bit on the pedal of my N55 the turbo virtually engages right away.

The suspension on the on the XI 335 is the same as on the 328 so we can't really make a comparison here. Although I do agree it does suck but at this point I'm used to it and I know that there are suspension options out there that fix this issue.

[Taskmaster]

Originally Posted by bk335

Cue TheAxiom

Checking in.

[AllBlackBimmer]

Please God no, not this again.
There are only 1,065,434,127 threads and post of "335 vs 328"

Maybe while you're at it, you can also start a "335 vs M3" Thread.

Please God make it stop!!!!!!!!!!!

[Welcome to NBA Jam]