[Drivaar]

Hi everyone,

I finally lucked out on getting a 335d loaner, so I thought I'd share my 2 cents. Here I'm commenting only on the engine, since the rest of the car isn't apples to apples to my usual 335i. I do end up appreciating my options and actually my older nav, believe it or not, because the new nav is odd in the way it shows so few street names, which is actually a lot less useful.

Anyway... the engine...

The 335d is more like what I'd like the 335i to sound like... lots more bass in the engine and exhaust note. Sounds meaner to me. It sounds quite mechanical and a little less refined for sure, especially on startup and idle. But it doesn't tick like crazy either, which is good... whereas the 335i ticks very loudly, which is VERY lame for a $50K luxury car.

As everyone's said, there is a TON of torque. You need some sticky tires to avoid slipping. Even though there are 425 lb-ft of torque available, the weaker final drive ratio and the extra weight end up giving it only about 11% advantage over the 335i in terms of torque/lb (i.e., "how much push you feel").

It definitely pulls aggressively in any gear, especially at highway speeds. Great for passing... and wonderful for street driving because it's so easy to position yourself (like with the 335i, but even more so).

And the gas mileage is very good... even if you really wind it out, you'll get about 26 mpg, whereas a 335i will be more down in the 17s for an equivalent workload. Still not 100% sure of this as I haven't done a ton of testing. But it's good.

Everyone who's talking about the gas $ savings should factor in the more frequent tire changes though... I can't imagine tires lasting too long with this thing.

All that said, I think a key issue is that it takes a lot of the fun out of a good twisty road. I've complained about the 335i having that issue, and yes, this is 11% worse. There's just so much torque all the time, you never get the feeling of ringing out the engine fully and working through the RPMs. That whole component of the drive -- picking the right gears and working through the engine RPMs -- is pretty much eliminated. You can do a whole mountain road stretch in 3rd or 4th at pretty high speeds -- as much as I am comfortable with to avoid accidental deer or some idiot going outside their lines or someone backing out of a driveway. So that is a big minus. This is why I'd prefer a detune button on both the 335d and 335i to make the engine more fun for twisties.

Overall, great car though, and a nice way to be different and fuel-efficient while feeling very powerful. Good stuff.

[J02 335i]

A "detune button" really?

[Drivaar]

Yup -- I know the folks who are into straight-line or track-limit performance may not be as interested, but for a nice windy road, the limits of these cars has gone too high, actually, to be really engaging. This why so many good drivers like Miatas, I suppose. I just want a detune button to make my car a little weaker on those rare occasions, and to keep the higher power and torque the rest of the time. I'm dreaming, I know.

[J02 335i]

Originally Posted by Drivaar

Yup -- I know the folks who are into straight-line or track-limit performance may not be as interested, but for a nice windy road, the limits of these cars has gone too high, actually, to be really engaging. This why so many good drivers like Miatas, I suppose. I just want a detune button to make my car a little weaker on those rare occasions, and to keep the higher power and torque the rest of the time. I'm dreaming, I know.

I see your point, I can redline in second gear and break every known law there is on a public road lol.

[MrPig]

I haven't done any really hard driving on my d yet (only 300 km on the odo) but I love this car and everything about it. I especially love the kick in the face it gives me when I'm a little more spirited (but still keep the tach under 3k rpm).

I'm curious how the d would handle with an LSD.

[Quasimodem]

It's hard to describe the feeling when you pass another car in the D. The feeling is like you are riding a sailboat that's lazily passing a motor speed boat giving it everything it has got.

A couple of hours ago, I was in the right hand lane of a four-lane road with parking on the side. The late model dodge charger in front of me slowed and moved into the parking area to make a right into a driveway, just as I was passing him, he CHANGED HIS MIND. I continued to pass him thinking that he would slow down and pull in behind me like a sensible person admitting he had made a mistake. NO! he floored it to try to pull in front of me????? Why I dont know, and I will never know because last I saw him was in my rear view mirror when he found his right hand turn. I am serious, even though he caught me completely by surprise, the D just doesnt allow that kind of crap.

[Coolieman1220]

The d is not made to unwind because all of its power is down low, it can handle a twisty but not the same as a gasser for sure. It only revs to 5k and never needs to go there. its different, when i frist got it, i used manual mode and bounced off the limiter so soon

[gaberoll]

if you want a detune i'll trade you cars =p

[Drivaar]

gaberoll: haha, yeah... it's funny, when i originally drove the 2006 330i, I thought it was juts not worth the jump from my E46 330i, because actually the torque/lb was almost identical (2006 is slightly heavier with more torque, so it's a wash). But I now think it was more ideal... 255 HP is just about the right amount, and the torque is low enough that you can wring it out on a mountain road.

I have come to appreciate why M cars have historically been high HP but low torque... that makes them engaging through their entire RPM range.

[Drivaar]

Originally Posted by Coolieman1220

The d is not made to unwind because all of its power is down low, it can handle a twisty but not the same as a gasser for sure. It only revs to 5k and never needs to go there. its different, when i frist got it, i used manual mode and bounced off the limiter so soon

Yeah, I wasn't saying the D can't handle a twisty... actually I'm saying it handles it so easily that it removes a lot of the enjoyment and visceral nature of the experience.

[chucktang]

Originally Posted by Drivaar

Yeah, I wasn't saying the D can't handle a twisty... actually I'm saying it handles it so easily that it removes a lot of the enjoyment and visceral nature of the experience.

this isn't meant to start the 35 vs 28 war, but if you want a less powerful version of the 335i why don't you just get a 328...

[Drivaar]

Originally Posted by chucktang

this isn't meant to start the 35 vs 28 war, but if you want a less powerful version of the 335i why don't you just get a 328...

...because, as I stated, this problem only applies to run windy roads... So, the other 99% of the time, the 335i or 335d are really fun.

I have naturally found myself going out for far fewer drives now with the 335i versus my old E46 330i, and that's partly due to this over-powered issue on slower windy roads.

Hence my dreamy request for a "detune" button, solving a problem that comes up only 1% of the time, but an issue that is related to driving enjoyment.

[Coolieman1220]

Originally Posted by chucktang

this isn't meant to start the 35 vs 28 war, but if you want a less powerful version of the 335i why don't you just get a 328...

because the d still gets MUCH better mileage than a 28

[Thud]

Originally Posted by Quasimodem

It's hard to describe the feeling when you pass another car in the D. The feeling is like you are riding a sailboat that's lazily passing a motor speed boat giving it everything it has got.

It was a bit of a surprise the first couple times I tried passing-- push the accelerator down, and rather than downshift, the motor just grows a big hairy pair of balls and shoves you forward in whatever gear you're in, like a big friendly bouncer giving you a solid boot in the back when throwing you out of the club.

[Nalod]

Love the D and my Demo a few months back. I avg 33 mpg in mixed driving. If I were a road warrior for my business I would have one.

I got my e92 for the twisties and the handling. With MT I can do what I want in the range. Miatas are fun to drive. You have to really drive them which makes it fun. In a way the 328 over the 335 was to me similar. Without world class power under foot one has to be a bit more enthusiastic about operating the car. I don't look for conquests when driving, just drive.

I drive a 328 and very happy.

A 335d with sport would be fantastic even with the Steptronic.

[Drivaar]

Originally Posted by Bargamon

Love the D and my Demo a few months back. I avg 33 mpg in mixed driving. If I were a road warrior for my business I would have one.

I got my e92 for the twisties and the handling. With MT I can do what I want in the range. Miatas are fun to drive. You have to really drive them which makes it fun. In a way the 328 over the 335 was to me similar. Without world class power under foot one has to be a bit more enthusiastic about operating the car. I don't look for conquests when driving, just drive.

I drive a 328 and very happy.

A 335d with sport would be fantastic even with the Steptronic.

Well said about "really driving cars" -- it really is more rewarding to have to work a car than to be so far within a performance envelope. That said, I do feel very safe in my car because of those high limits in any emergency situation (braking/lane change/sudden need to accelerate).

[Drivaar]

Oh, and I forgot to say...

17" + RFT + non-sport shocks is MUCH LESS COMFORTABLE than 18" + non-RFT + Koni FSDs

Yeah, I'm a total FSD pimp now coz they are so good. You really see the difference when you compare to a stock non-sport BMW, which should always be more comfy. It's much worse (and a lot of that is the RFTs too), I am still amazed that for $950 (install included) you can get more handling and more comfort!

[hmmcolor]

It's more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow.

[Drivaar]

Originally Posted by hmmcolor

It's more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow.

Precisely.

This is where I suppose in the end you just end up getting two cars. One nice luxury car with a huge performance envelope for regular use, and a little cheap lower-limit but sporty car (like a Miata or S2000 I suppose) for those occasional weekend spirited drives.