First Drive: 2011 BMW 335i Coupe

Sleeker, faster and cleaner

By Henny Hemmes
Senior European Editor

MUNICH - March 13, 2010: Last month BMW announced the facelift and new engines for the Coupe and Convertible of the 3 Series. This comes one and a half year after the 3 Series has been renewed.

The cosmetic changes and the arrival of more fuel efficient and cleaner engines bring both models up-to-date.

At first sight, the external enhancements are not easy to recognize, but once you park the current 3 Series Coupe and the new model next to each other, you will. The changes consist of a new, 1.2 inch longer hood, that together with the longer front quarter panel extends the front overhang for a sleeker appearance. The kidney grille has been widened and the vertical bars are not as flat as before. The headlights have a new design and have gotten the ‘eyebrows’ that we have already seen on other new Bimmers. They also have corona rings with LED light around the lamps. In the rear, the Coupe and Convertible got a unique design of the LED tail lights. Two rows of light tubes illuminate simultaneously, which makes them easy to recognize in the dark.

World first
Did you ever burn your bare legs or arms on the hot leather of a seat, arm or head rest of a convertible?

BMW buyers of the new 3 Series Convertible need not worry about this anymore, since the 2011 3 Series Convertible has standard leather upholstery that is sun reflective, which prevents it to get burning hot. By a special treatment during the production process the color pigments are modified in order to reflect the infrared radiation of the sun. This reduces surface temperatures on dark colors by up to 37 degrees Fahrenheit and up to 27 degrees F on lighter colors. BMW is the first car manufacturer in the world to use this type of leather.

Although it was a bright sunny day in Munich, it was still very cold with temperatures around 15 degrees. So forgive me for not driving the convertible, but I did get behind the steering wheel of the two new engine variants of the Coupe. First of all the 335i, that has the inline 6-cylinder that debuted in the 5 Series GT (see: 2010 BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo Review.

With one turbo, direct injection and Valvetronig variable valve timing, BMW calls this the Twinpower turbo engine. It delivers peak power of 300 hp at 5,800 rpm, up 70 hp on the 328i model. Not less important is the fact that this motor has 300 lb-ft of torque that is available from 1,200 to 5,000 rpm. When you push the throttle you will immediately believe that the 335i Coupe can accelerate in just 5.3 seconds to 60 mph (the Convertible will take four tenths of a second longer). This engine is s� willing, there is no turbo lag at all and its exhaust sound is like music to the ears. And not only when you are inside the car…. It really is a joy to push the Coupe to its limit on the Autobahn and be able to appreciate its solid road feel and firm steering character. The test car had the optional Active Steering, that gives a firmer feel than the standard steering gear.

I have to mention that paddles on the steering wheel that come with the 7-speed automatic DTC transmission with double clutch now work like the should, pull left or right for up and down shifting. When you forget to shift yourself after you have chosen the Manual mode, the transmission ‘takes control’ again and does its work automatically, although at higher revs than in Drive. But it is hard to notice the shift points.

You may have seen in the past years, that with BMW more power does not mean more fuel. Every new engine BMW develops has better fuel consumption than the outgoing version. This motor uses only 8.4 liters/100 km, or around 28 mpg according to the European test cycle. The American mileage has not been published yet.

EfficientDynamics Dieselpower
North America will also get the 328i, but not (yet) the transcendent diesel engine that was under the hood of the 320d which I also took out for a tour through the country.

The 320d is also new and has more horsepower (135 kW/184 hp) and torque (280 lb-ft) than the current diesel engine. World wide, the 320d is BMW’s best selling model, with Germany, the U.K. and Italy as its three main markets. But it is also sold in South America, Australia and part of South Africa. No doubt the new diesel will also be very popular. We Europeans love diesels, and this new engine will be no exception. With its high torque, it is very willing and fast, but makes low revs. For instance, when you drive 80 mph in 6th gear, it makes 1,800 rpm and when you do 35 mph in 5th the needle stands at 1,200 rpm and when you push the throttle it pulls…..

BMW is also aware that in several European countries, the governments have a tax system that favours models with a lower emission. That is why BMW developed a real fuel sipping 320d EfficientDynamics edition. With a mileage in the European test cycle of an average of only 4.1 l/100 km, or 57 mp its CO2 emission is only 109 g/km (the standard 320d has 4.7 l/km and 125 gram/kilometer CO2).

The interior of the new Coupe is stylish, the seats wrap around you and offer excellent support, while controls are where you expect them to be. It is a pity that the center console between the seats up front is to close to the elbow of the driver. Of course, it has to do with your personal frame. When you are not tall, your arms are closer to the part that is an extension to the back of the hand brake. But in my case I felt it as inconvenient, because every time I had to use the shifter of the 320d, my elbow touched it. Of course, you can adjust the height of the seat, but I do not prefer to sit high. Well, I should not brag about it too much, it is a solution anyway.

The new generation iDrive still did not give my colleague nor me the desired map on the wide screen in the center of the dashboard. There must be an easier way to operate the navi system and a touch screen really would help. May be, after trying out the system for a couple of hours, it might be clear how to quickly chance the set up. Test drivers may be too impatient…

The 2011 Coupe and Convertible will make their North American debut at the New York Auto Show in April and arrive in BMW showrooms in May. Prices have not yet been announced, but you may expect prices to be pretty much the same of of the current 335i and 328i models