BMW's Super Coupe

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Keep in mind, though, that this is a very small car by American standards (the Environmental Protection Agency classifies it as a subcompact). The coupe has a center console in the middle of the rear seat, so it can only accommodate four passengers (the sedan lacks the rear console and seats five). The front seats are roomy enough, but head and leg room in the rear passenger area will probably seem very tight to anyone over six feet tall.

Buy It or Bag It?

The big question with BMWs is always whether they're worth the premium price. If money is a major concern, my suggestion would be to test-drive the new Bimmer against whichever of the rival models mentioned above you prefer. The 335i is a heck of a car, but paying ten grand less for, say, an Infiniti G35 is pretty tempting. And you always wonder if a BMW will match the long-term quality and durability of a Lexus or an Infiniti.

Then again, if blinding speed is a priority and price not much of a worry, you may want to wait for the new BMW M3, which is likely to hit the showrooms next fall. And if you absolutely have to have a Bimmer but are hard-pressed to afford one, consider the 328i, which has an average selling price of $40,994, about five grand less than the 335i. You'll also save a lot on gas: In a stretch of 355 miles of mixed driving I got 25.6 mpg in my test 328i Coupe, vs. only 20.8 mpg in 120 miles of mixed driving in the 335i Coupe.

The 328i's naturally aspirated inline six cylinder engine has been bumped up to 230 horsepower, which makes it plenty fast for most people. In a 328i with an automatic transmission, I got 0-to-60 times of about 6 seconds, and the car handles similarly to its more expensive sister model. Plus, the 328i is now available in an all-wheel-drive version at a starting price of $37,795. A fair number of female buyers end up going this route: 40.3% of the 328i's buyers right now are women, according to Power Information, vs. only 18.2% for the 335i.

For myself, though, I think I'd try very hard to scrape together the extra cash for the 335i. Every driving enthusiast should own a Bimmer at some point. And for the money, there are none that can match this one's speed and agility.

To see more of the BMW 335i, click here.

Peterson reviews cars for BusinessWeek Online.