BMW 335i M Sport Coupe 2010 Review

RRP: $116,700 (manufacturer's list price, excluding on-road costs and dealer delivery)
Options fitted to test car (not included in above price): Interior and exterior anti-dazzle mirrors $700, front-seat heating $700, Extended connectivity of the music player in the mobile phone $220 and Harman/Kardon surround sound system $1300
(Standard M Sport Package includes 19-inch double-spoke alloy wheels, M Sport steering wheel, aerodynamic package, M door sills, M Sport suspension, Double Clutch Transmission, electric glass sunroof and sports seats.)
Crash rating: Five stars (ANCAP/Euro NCAP)
Fuel: 95 RON PULP
Claimed fuel economy (L/100km): 8.4
CO2 emissions (g/km): 196
Also consider: Audi S5, Mercedes-Benz E 500 Coupe

BMW's 335i M Sport Coupe is like a pastiche of the Bavarian maker's design legacy from 40 years ago.

Turbocharged like the 2002 Turbo, the two-door 335i is just 18mm shorter than the iconic 3.0 CSL, but slightly wider and higher. The double-kidney grille marks it and its forebears as a product of the Munich-based company and, as with all good BMs, it's powered by an inline six and the drive is channelled to the rear wheels.

If there's one element of the modern-day coupe that sets it apart from the earlier cars, it's the optional seven-speed twin-clutch transmission that operates like an automatic, but with the efficiency of a manual.

Unlike the 330d driven a few months ago, this car felt holistic as a package. The suspension rode firmly -- firmer even than the pre-update 330d, as this reviewer recalls -- but it wasn't over compliant and could manage the excesses of the twin-scroll turbo engine without undue scrabbling and squirming. This was also a sign of the way the petrol engine delivered its power: linear and across a broader torque curve. There was a real surge of grunt from the diesel, which was fun, but arguably not entirely in keeping with the BMW heritage.

By comparison, the 335i gave nothing away in straight-line performance, but the way it propelled you down the track was smoother and cleaner. The engine had that classic BMW straight-six sound and any turbo traits seemed to have been banished. We certainly didn't detect any whistling tell-tales during the week.

Nor for that matter would you say the engine was hindered by turbo lag. The response to throttle was closer to immediate than most turbo engines and the only pause from a standing start was just as likely the twin-clutch transmission having a think about things before releasing a clutch. Even so, the pick-up was faster than other vehicles we've driven with transmissions that operate on similar principles. It was also a better resolved transmission. There was none of the rattles, bangs and thumps that you can occasionally get in dual-clutch transmissions in other cars when they're put under pressure.

On the move, the new shift paddles enabled a rapid response selecting a lower gear. BMW has thankfully gone with popular convention and revised the shift paddles to operate just like everyone else's system: pull for downshift on the left, upshift on the right -- and none of this push-pull-either-side malarky.

In day-to-day running, the car's trip computer registered an average fuel consumption of 11.4L/100km -- over a mix of open-road touring and commuting. Given the BMW's potent performance, that didn't seem unacceptable.

During that open-road running the principal source of NVH couldn't be pinned down to one element. It was an amalgam of driveline and road noise, but relatively low regardless. One of our colleagues noted that the car's windscreen wipers were alarmingly noisy once the rain poured down. While that was true, it was also something of a reflection of the way the 335i M Sport kills other sources of noise.

Consistent with the 330d was the petrol-engined car's well-sorted cornering. Steering provided strong and consistent feedback with reasonable weight. There were no sudden changes to the level of assistance and it was very well modulated across a range of speeds -- light enough parking, but not too light at open-road speeds.

In most other ways, observations concerning the 330d also applied to this car. It was a squeeze entering and exiting the rear seat, but we did note that the volume in the boot was surprisingly accommodating -- something we didn't have the opportunity to assess with the diesel. Apart from the fact that it would hold a lot of kids' stuff for a couple of nights away with the grandparents, it provided a large aperture to load bulkier items as well. It was handier than the coupe's compact dimensions would lead you to believe. As mentioned in the review of the diesel coupe, the boot was as large as it is because there's no spare tyre to foul things up.

As for the diesel, the petrol coupe came with a sunroof and that affected rear-seat headroom too, but headroom in the front was respectable. Overall, the 335i's interior design was ergonomically right and we would praise such items as the handbrake placement, the Bluetooth connectivity and even the 3D-style topography of major population centres as they were represented in the satnav graphics. We also like the seatbelt holder that passed the seatbelt forward so you don't need to reach around -- unless the seatbelt came unhooked from the holder, which happened on several occasions.

As mentioned for the 330d, the cruise control stalk could be better and, if we're talking stalks, let's also note at this point that the windscreen wiper wand operated in a two-stage style like the indicators. Keep pushing up and it will provide a faster wipe speed, but just a gentle lift to the first stage will deliver an as-required sweep -- only operating if the rain-sensor detects water on the screen. Like the indicator stalk, it didn't have distinct positions where the stalk parks for any given command from the driver. Does it work? Yes it does, but like the indicator stalk, it may take a little while to get used to it.

Speaking of getting used to something new, try the gear selector. It's been around for a little while, but one of the Carsales Network staff unfamiliar with current BMW design conventions took his time to work out how to find Drive -- despite a warning chime and a message flashed up in the infotainment display to the effect that you must press the button on the right side of the selector to move from Park to Drive.

The same button has to be pressed to select Reverse from Drive also, although shifting directly from Reverse to Drive was just a matter of hauling the lever back without pressing the button. To select Park, there was another button on top of the lever to be pressed first. In point of fact, with this sort of set-up and the lever-actuated sequential shifting, the transmission selector embraced the same sort of 'two-stage' philosophy, just like the indicators, the wipers and even the iDrive controller. Pressing harder against a spring-loaded détente will enable a feature one tier up -- or down or across -- in all four controls. At least BMW's mode of operation for these controls remains consistent.

It's these features and the way they work -- plus the legacy of Chris Bangle's styling for the current 3 Series Coupe -- that set the 335i M Sport apart from those legendary BMWs mentioned in the first paragraph.

Can the 21st Century car write its own legend? We'll let you know in 40 years' time, but it's a safe bet to take in the meantime.

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