[Wah]

Red on red... now that is a f0cking sports car!!! Congrats!

And thanks for making the wait that much more unbearable...

[andrewket]

Originally Posted by j330xi

No real turbo Lag BUT I have to preface that with the fact that my other tow vehicles have "turbo lag".. BMW X5D and Porsche 993 Turbo..

You can see all my posted pictures at:

First set of Pictures (click here)

Second set of pictures

Thank you for posting the pics. We have similar tastes. My 07 335 E93 is Montego over saddle. I like the Le Mans over saddle, but I couldn't bring myself to buy almost the same car, so I went with alpine white/saddle this time.

Nice car.

Andrew

[SCA]

Very nice review! Congrats on the M3!

[cotmfk]

Congrats

[Go Autobahn]

The dealer agreed to let me test drive the 335is again, so I can try putting the gear shift knob in "Sport" mode, which I had neglected to do on my original review. I'll let you know how it goes this afternoon and post more pics! I'm not changing my mind on the M3. This is more about trying to solve the question about the turbo lag I noticed on the 335is test drive.

[j330xi]

Originally Posted by andrewket

Thank you for posting the pics. We have similar tastes. My 07 335 E93 is Montego over saddle. I like the Le Mans over saddle, but I couldn't bring myself to buy almost the same car, so I went with alpine white/saddle this time.

Nice car.

Andrew

WE do have the same Taste! The X5D is Alpine White/Saddle Brown

[fruition3000]

nice flooring on the garage

[andrewket]

Originally Posted by j330xi

WE do have the same Taste! The X5D is Alpine White/Saddle Brown

I'm in Northern Virginia (Metro DC) - where are you?

Andrew

[Go Autobahn]

OK, I was able to test drive the 335is for a second time today, just to see if putting the drive stick in "Sport" mode would make any difference.
But first, before I give you the results of that test, here's some more pictures of the 335is upon request. These came out much better because the sun wasn't so harsh today (partly overcast), and that Lemans Blue sure came out to play....!



















Second Driving test results:
I drove around for about 10 minutes at varying speed just to make sure it was properly warmed up.

Next, I started off with the sport button ON, but the stick in NORMAL mode (not sport mode), so that I could baseline the performance, just to make sure it was doing the same thing it did 2 days ago when I first tested it. As expected, it had the same lag. It is between 1 and 1.5 seconds. What happens is (from a dead stop, idling at just under 1K RPM), as soon as I hit the gas pedal hard, the RPM's immediately jump to 1,700 RPM and just hang around for 1 to 1.5 seconds, and then I start to hear the whoosh of the turbos, and then it just takes off hard after that.

Next, I put the stick in SPORT mode, so now I have both the sport button (throttle response) and the DCT mode (high revving shift points) in sport mode as well. What happened is the following: It still had the exact same 1.5 second lag, but once that was over I was in for a hell of a shock. The car rocketed forward and I was pressed so hard into my seat I could hardly believe it! I thought it was a fluke, so I tried it again several times. This is the real deal!

I also figured out that there is a way around this 1.5 second lag problem. This car comes with launch control (LC). Mind you, I didn't actually try it because this is a brand new car that is still for sale, but from what I have read in the user's manual, the LC lets you keep the car at a high rev while standing still, and by simply releasing the brake pedal, it immediately takes off. This will surely bypass the lag because the engine is already past the turbo spin-up lag time, if you have it revving at 3000 to 3500 RPM already from the start.

Anyway, the car was a blast to drive, and it just feels much lighter on its feet than the M3, IMHO.

To all of you who are waiting your last 1 or 2 weeks before taking delivery of your new 335is, hang in there, it is well worth the wait!

[Zero.7]

Great review. Better than some of these so-called car magazine reviews.

As comprehensive as you were, I am a little surprised that you were not that particular with what color or body style your next car would be I mean, you were looking at a black e90M, a red e92M, and a blue e92 iS. In the end, I think you made the "right" choice. I definitely prefer the looks of the e92 over the e90 (just my preference), and the ///M is just in a different league altogether than the iS. As you said, the iS is very capable, but the ///M is just...well, an M

[Brunotheboxer]

Originally Posted by Go Autobahn

To all of you who are waiting your last 1 or 2 weeks before taking delivery of your new 335is, hang in there, it is well worth the wait!

Just got this email sent to me from my CA

[lopealle]

nice wwrite up

[Go Autobahn]

Originally Posted by Cni2i

Great review. Better than some of these so-called car magazine reviews.

As comprehensive as you were, I am a little surprised that you were not that particular with what color or body style your next car would be I mean, you were looking at a black e90M, a red e92M, and a blue e92 iS. In the end, I think you made the "right" choice. I definitely prefer the looks of the e92 over the e90 (just my preference), and the ///M is just in a different league altogether than the iS. As you said, the iS is very capable, but the ///M is just...well, an M

In my book, performance is king, and color comes second, maybe even third place behind a good stereo system.

[Go Autobahn]

Originally Posted by Brunotheboxer

Just got this email sent to me from my CA

Congrats! The wait is over!

[andrewket]

Thanks for the follow up. I'm shocked your dealer would let you do it since they knew they were not getting another sale out of the deal. Why take the risk on a brand new car and add the miles?

A few questions:

1. Are you exaggerating at all on the lag time? 1.5 seconds is a very long time.
2. I understand you were performing your tests from a dead stop. You're correct that launch control can assist here. I'm curious if you also experienced the same severity of lag while moving? Say cruising in 5th?

I have a very low tolerance for lag. When I hit the accelerator I want to move -now-. My 335i is fairly responsive, but it is a 6MT and I'm probably raising the RPMs a bit before engaging 1st gear subconsciously.

Did you try the manual mode at all?

Andrew

[e90carbon]

nice review but hey, a M3 is a M3 no matter what people says, got the money for it, then don't think twice, get a M3.

[Go Autobahn]

Originally Posted by andrewket

Thanks for the follow up. I'm shocked your dealer would let you do it since they knew they were not getting another sale out of the deal. Why take the risk on a brand new car and add the miles?

A few questions:

1. Are you exaggerating at all on the lag time? 1.5 seconds is a very long time.
2. I understand you were performing your tests from a dead stop. You're correct that launch control can assist here. I'm curious if you also experienced the same severity of lag while moving? Say cruising in 5th?

I have a very low tolerance for lag. When I hit the accelerator I want to move -now-. My 335i is fairly responsive, but it is a 6MT and I'm probably raising the RPMs a bit before engaging 1st gear subconsciously.

Did you try the manual mode at all?

Andrew

It is really hard to be precise with these things, but like I said, it was between 1 and 1.5 seconds. I was using a very lo-tech method of timing, in that I was just sounding out loud "one thousand one, one thousand two".
Yes, the same lag was noticed from rolling starts at 30 and 45MPH, but I didn't pay close attention to what the RPM's were doing at the exact moment I hit the accellerator. You're right, folks with 6MT are not going to experience this lag, because they can pre-rev the engine before engaging.

I didn't try any paddle shifting. I'm not much of a fan of it, and never mess with them. I grew up on all stick-shift cars, and the paddles don't come close to the experience of feeling directly connected with the car like a manual, so I don't bother with it.

[andrewket]

Sigh. Now you have me worried. I love my 6MT, but I need to give it up because of lower back pain. Extending my left leg to push the clutch all the way in aggravates it. Hence, the DCT. Now you have me thinking I should really go look at the M3. Between the fuel economy and the steep depreciation curve I decided to go with 335is. One could also argue that an E93 M3 is a little silly, but I just love convertibles.

Andrew

[DBerg]

Congratulations !!!! Awesome car!!!!!

[Alexander]

The new shifters look like sex toys.

[andrewket]

So I went and configured an M3 E93, loaded. There are some small differences in the options and packaging. For example, the upgraded stereo in the M3 is 2x that of the 335is. Is the standard audio the same as the upgraded audio in the 335is? I had opted for active steering on the 335is (let's not start a debate about AS), which is not available on the M3. Take AS out of the equation and the difference between the 335is and the M3 goes up $1410. The 335is has a convenience package for $1,140 that includes parking, alarm, and keyless entry. The M3 comes standard with keyless, and offers the alarm and parking sensors as individual items. However, if you add up the three options ala carte you come to the same price, so that's actually a fair comparison.

335is E93 invoice (loaded, standard wheels): $64,805
M3 E93 invoice (loaded, standard wheels): $75,665

That's a difference of $10,860, or 14%. Doesn't take into account the additional taxes (varies state to state, county to county), additional insurance cost, or additional fuel cost.

I really wish I could find a 335is with DCT to test drive.

Andrew

[Nutballa]

No question, M3 takes the cake.