BMW's Super Coupe

Falling in love with the all new BMW 335i coupe

by Thane Peterson

Editor's Rating:

The Good: Speed, handling, cabin design, and ergonomics

The Bad: Can long-term quality match a Lexus or an Infiniti?

The Bottom Line: An icon gets faster and better

Reader Reviews

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Up Front.

The tagline in billboard ads for the new BMW 335i is that the car represents "the coup d'etat of coupes." It's a cute line, but my own reaction was more like a "coup de foudre," which is French for falling in love at first sight.

Dollar for dollar, pound for pound, the 2007 BMW 335i Coupe is one of the finest cars I've ever driven. BMW's 3 Series coupes and sedans have always been marvelous vehicles—quick, agile, and good-looking. But this new coupe goes a step beyond the previous models: It's the first BMW to get the company's new turbocharged inline six-cylinder engine. The engine has not one but two turbochargers, raising its rating to 300 horsepower, 45 more horses than in the '06 BMW 330i Sedan and 75 more than the '06 330ci Coupe.

Putting so much power under the hood of an entry-level Bimmer is a real revolution. Within BMW's lineup, it makes the 335i about as fast as the more expensive and traditionally far speedier M3, which is now going out of production. (BMW won't comment, but next year the company is expected to come out with a new M3 powered by a 400-plus-horsepower V8.) The 335i's new engine also puts BMW back in the game vs. such rival Japanese models as the Lexus IS350 (see BusinessWeek.com, 9/5/06, "2006 Lexus IS 350"), with its 305-horsepower V6 engine, and the Infiniti G35, with its 298-horsepower V6.

In BMW terms, the 335i is a relative bargain. The base price of the 335i Coupe is $41,295, only about $3,000 more than the '06 BMW 330ci. That isn't much of a price hike, considering all the extra power you get. Impressively, the new 335i starts out at more than $8,000 less than the 2006 M3. (There's also a new 335i Sedan, which starts at $39,395 and is just arriving in the showrooms. It has four doors but doesn't have the coupe's sporty suspension. If power and blinding speed aren't your priority, the '07 BMW 328i Coupe with a naturally aspirated engine costs a lot less than either 335. More on the 328i below.)

Of course, in real-world terms the 335i is more expensive than its main rivals (Mercedes, as usual, is the exception). The Power Information Network—which, like BusinessWeek, is owned by The McGraw-Hill Companies (MHP)—figures that the average current selling price for the 335i Coupe is $45,905, vs. $39,473 for the Toyota-built (TM) Lexus IS 350, $35,938 for Nissan's Infiniti G35 Coupe, $32,915 for the Cadillac CTS from General Motors (GM), and $32,575 for the Acura TL from Honda (HCM).

Part of the reason for the BMW's high selling price is that—as is typical of German cars—adding options can really jack up the price. For starters, the BMW comes standard with a stick shift, which is what driving enthusiasts tend to prefer, and adding the Steptronic six-speed automatic transmission that many American buyers want costs an extra $1,275. Other major options include heated seats ($500), Sirius satellite radio ($595), active steering ($1,250), Dakota leather ($1,450), active cruise control ($2,200), and a navigation system ($2,100).

There's also a $2,450 premium package that includes fold-away power adjustable outside mirrors, Dakota leather, power lumbar adjustments in the seats, and Bluetooth communications capability. A $1,000 sports package adds 18-inch alloy wheels, run-flat performance tires, and eight-way power adjustable front seats.

The BMW's price doesn't seem to be deterring many buyers, however. The new coupe just came out in September, but sales so far have been very strong. The average 335i spends a mere eight days on a dealer's lot before selling, according to the Power Information Network.