[therealm3]

1. 300hp and a fat torque curve is amazing. Not much else needs to be said.

2. Optimal cruising speed for mpg/time of trip seems to be between 75-80mph. (28-29mpg)

3. “List” feature on MP3 CD is great. (Non Navigation) Navigating folders and selecting tracks by name is intuitive and quick.

4. Window controls are still awkwardly placed and require me to look down for a sec to make sure I get the right one. My right hand still searches for them near the shifter.

5. Cup holder in the center consol is kind of a waste. I use the arm rest while driving and losing that is not worth it to me.

6. LED lights under handles seemed kind of cheesy at first but actually are really cool and useful.

7. Run-flat tires (Bridgestone 050A 18’s) are not nearly as bad as people make them out to be. I have driven all kinds of tires and brands from all seasons to R compounds, both on and off track, and these are actually a good tire for 97% of the driving any of us will ever do. Much better than many other tires that I have owned and see others “raving” about.

8. The mirrors are still kind of small, but I am more used to them now and have adjusted out the majority of the blind spot they create.

9. The paint is less durable than previous BMW’s I have owned. I have several chips on the front already and water spots are more of an issue after rain than before.

10. Sport package is a must have. The handling is perfect for a street car and the seats are well worth the price of admission. 18” 162’s fit the car perfectly.

11. Wheel sealant (Poorboy’s) actually makes the amount of OE brake dust tolerable. Cannot wait to get some Hawk pads though.

12. When showing the car to people I find that I am talking more about features that are very much not “BMW”. In other words the MP3 player, LED’s under the handles, air conditioned cup holder, etc. Very few people seem to be interested in how it drives, how much power it has, or how big the brakes are.

How about you guys? Any new feelings or changed opinions after owning the car for awhile?

[2007/335i/coupe]

You hit everything dead on, and I mean everything . Most of the things I talk about is how flexible the engine is at any speeds (even more so with the Xede now) and the little features here and there. Some people find the A/C'd cupholder in the armrest really neat. As you mentioned, the bucket style seats are a must as the side bolsters are absolutely great and even comfortable to sit in for extended periods of time.

Along with the engine, I also agree the brakes on this thing is bloody fantastic! Racked on 4k miles now and still loving every mile with the car, especially with the extra power now

[m3rxn]

dunno...i only have 186miles on the ticker...yeh..the rear view mirrors are small though.

[tirana]

I think the new Sebring has cooled air to the cupholders (hot and cold)..... Must say that the things on your list are good to have but only the engine and driving dynamics/handling make the car worth its price.

[therealm3]

Originally Posted by tirana

..... but only the engine and driving dynamics/handling make the car worth its price.

Exactly. That is the irony behind #12 in my list. I bought the car for the engine/handling/brakes/sport package and yet I find myself talking about everything but those things with people who look at the car.

[Gripster]

Every sales person I ever spoke to, mentioned the a/c cupholder. None spoke about the handling. It must be more of a selling point than good driving dynamics. Go figure.

[daves335i]

Originally Posted by 2007/335i/coupe

Along with the engine, I also agree the brakes on this thing is bloody fantastic! Racked on 4k miles now and still loving every mile with the car, especially with the extra power now

So let me ask, Xede user: The 335i engine is hailed as a 'turbo engine that doesn't feel like one'. Certainly, I feel that my chipped Audi S4 'felt' faster, but in actuality, I know its not. Its the turbos coming on "suddenly" that really made it feel that way. With the Xede, do you "notice" the turbos more? Does the power sometimes come on unexpectedly? Even with the Audi in "stock" mode, you would definately feel when the turbos hit, and its a smack in the back after the car is chipped. Do you feel that Xede keeps the smooth feeling of a NA engine, or can you "tell its a turbo" now?

[daves335i]

I would add to the list:

1. Bluetooth. The voice dialing and uploading my blackberry's phonebook each time they bond, and seeing who's calling, etc... its great!

2. The steering wheel controls. Pretty much never need to actually touch the radio (except when searching for mp3s, as you stated). I find them *very* handy. Change tracks/volume without ever taking my eyes off the road.

[2007/335i/coupe]

Originally Posted by daves335i

So let me ask, Xede user: The 335i engine is hailed as a 'turbo engine that doesn't feel like one'. Certainly, I feel that my chipped Audi S4 'felt' faster, but in actuality, I know its not. Its the turbos coming on "suddenly" that really made it feel that way. With the Xede, do you "notice" the turbos more? Does the power sometimes come on unexpectedly? Even with the Audi in "stock" mode, you would definately feel when the turbos hit, and its a smack in the back after the car is chipped. Do you feel that Xede keeps the smooth feeling of a NA engine, or can you "tell its a turbo" now?

As you suspected, increasing the boost from 8.5 to 11 does yield a slight spike in power. When it was stock, you can actually forget it has two snails in it. Now, you'll never forget. This is not a bad thing, it's difficult to describe to you the feeling. Once you've driven a 335i with the Xede upgrade, there really is no reason to go back to stock other than if you are really concerned about engine wear.

Driving normally, it still feels like stock anywhere from 1200 to 2300 rpms. While at those engine speeds and stepping on the accelerator deeper, it feels like stock for about 200-300 rpms and then a small extra kick comes on and continues to rock hard all the way through 6000rpms or so. Anytime you've built engine speeds above what I listed, the throttle response is superior to stock in everyway.

A great indication of how much usable and flexible power the car has now is 6th gear. With the Xede, 6th gear now feels like a stock 4th gear. It pulls relentlessly and with ease. Even when the engine speed is at 2000rpms, step on it and it begins to build speed easily. I find I can reach speeds of 130mph in an instant using only 6th gear while accelerating from 65-70mph. It's a daily exercise in self control with my car now, I don't need another speeding ticket

To be honest, I did not think the Xede would do what it did. I'm extremely satisfied with this purchase and highly recommend this to anyone who is a petrohead like myself.

[E92koop]

Nice job with the 12 points Realm. With just over 1500 miles on mine I agree completely. The most amazing thing about this car to me is the combination of performance and luxury features on offer for the bucks. As a previous 545 owner I can tell you I MUCH prefer the 335i! I'm still in awe that BMW corporate made the decision to build this vehicle - because it is so superior to many cars in the BMW lineup with far bigger price tags. I also think it's pretty cool that (at the moment) most people have no clue how much better this car is than the previous 3 series machines. It's kind of a "stealth" factor that I really enjoy. For those with the Xede mod I suspect this stealth factor must increases tenfold!

[DFW_M]

First of all, Happy New year to all.

With 2000 miles on it, you cannot judge the RFTs at all. It would be really sad if you could at that point. However, update your comments in about 5-8000 miles. Those RFTs are crap!

And as Tirana said...the car drives and handles great. Everything else (except the styling and the badge) is found in most of the other cars. I got mostly all I expected and hoped for from the car. However, I am still a bit disappointed with the manual transmission...

[wj4]

6. LED lights under handles seemed kind of cheesy at first but actually are really cool and useful.

You should take a picture of this
Sounds cool, I can't wait to get my 335i now, lol

[crqflier]

Agree with most every comment made, though I think the mirrors are like elephant ears after driving an e36 M3 for 8 years - thankfully they fold in. Totally agree with the window controls and the center armrest cupholder is worthless. The pop-out holder, though, isn't as bad as folks have made it out to be.

Still not a huge fan of the RFTs - my perception is that they aren't as sticky or compliant as the PS2. And I have no clue how to get my MPG much above 19 - and that's primarily freeway driving, not city. The seats are great, but I'd prefer quite a bit more side leg bolstering.

The clutch is extremely light compared to the M3. Now that I'm used to it, I like it. And the brakes are amazing - as many other posts have noted.

I'm only at 650 miles after owning for a month, so I still have now idea about the upper end of the tach.

Not mentioned was Nav - really great, glad I got it. CA is a "must have" (never knew I needed it, but now that I've got it, it's great). And the bluetooth works really well.

My prediction on the first stupid "wear item" - the driver side visor. Different material than the M, my guess is it's going to somehow rip or at least show it's age quickly, even with extreme care.

[BayernMuenchen]

Originally Posted by crqflier

And I have no clue how to get my MPG much above 19 - and that's primarily freeway driving, not city.

You forgetting to use the 6th gear?

[Deveray]

Totally agree with the 12 points - and good observation for only 2000 miles.
What surprises me is how much I like some of the details like the lights in the doorhandles and interior, and hill assist that seemed irrelevant to the purchase.
I have come to take the torque and power for granted, suddenly my other vehicles have become floaty and underpowered.

[steveff4]

I came from an e36 M3 and I also think the side mirrors are HUGE. I have been surprised to see so many people complaining about them. I also agree that the clutch is so damn light in this thing that it really took me a while to get used to.

One of the really cool, but totally non-performance oriented, things that I noticed after finally getting the car was the orange ambient lighting down the doors and even into the rear seating area (I have a coupe). This stupid feature is useful and just...cool.

[therealm3]

Originally Posted by Deveray

Totally agree with the 12 points - and good observation for only 2000 miles.
What surprises me is how much I like some of the details like the lights in the doorhandles and interior, and hill assist that seemed irrelevant to the purchase.
I have come to take the torque and power for granted, suddenly my other vehicles have become floaty and underpowered.

Ah man I totally forgot about the hill assist. I actually laughed when I read about it in the manual, but now I actually like it. I still would be fine without it having driven a manual transmission car for 14 years and started on plenty of hills, but a cool little feature none the less.

I hear what some of you are saying about more miles on the RFT’s. Maybe that will be the case as I had this happen with my Kuhmo’s and the Yoko ES100’s. After about 10k miles both tires were so noisy and rough riding I hated them. PS2’s are a far superior tire to the 050A RFT, but a bit too aggressive for a car only driven as a commuter and what not. I would love some PE2’s but they do not make them in the correct sizing. I had those on my E46 and loved them.

steveff4 – I hear ya on the E36 M3 mirrors. I cam from an E46 325, an E36 328 before that, and an E30 318is before that. My wife’s car is an X3 and my fun car is an E30 M3. (yes I have a sickness.) All of these have bigger mirrors so it is a bit of an adjustment for me.

[txusa03]

Hey, I love the sprt 18" rft. Still have the original tires on with 31k of local commuting. I tried to keep them inflated correctly as much as possible. I am shocked at how long they have lasted. I got used to the window controls. Bluetooth rocks! 330 dont have much pull but still is great engine with the manual transmission!

[JOYRIIDE1113]

Originally Posted by therealm3

9. The paint is softer than previous BMW’s I have owned. I have several chips on the front already and water spots are more of an issue after rain than before.

Very off topic, but softer paint will chip less than harder paint... I still agree that BMW Jet Black is really soft (I owned a Jet Black e90, prior to my X5), but just wanted to clarify that statement as it doesn't support the soft paint issue.

[07335-06325]

When people go to a BMW dealership they usually know that they are good handling cars, thus they are excited with all the other amenities. I cant wait to get my 335, it makes me jealous reading about all you guys enjoying yours. LOL

[anerbe]

the paint is softer nowadays. the older BMW's chipped (flaked) but it would take big hits to take out a chunk. The newer paint pits with even the smallest grains (at highway speeds), as my e46 m3 looked sand blasted after highway runs.

I think people mean that the paint now marks much more easily, and they refer the pitting/blemishes as chipping. whatever way you look at it, the newer paints blemish easier.

[therealm3]

Originally Posted by JOYRIIDE1113

Very off topic, but softer paint will chip less than harder paint... I still agree that BMW Jet Black is really soft (I owned a Jet Black e90, prior to my X5), but just wanted to clarify that statement as it doesn't support the soft paint issue.

Thank you for clarifying. I was not sure "soft" was the correct term when I wrote this. So I just edited it to read "less durable". Which is more of what I was trying to convey as it chips easier and is more prone to water spots that don't wash away. I was also thinking that the color may have something to do with it as well: Alpine White.