BMW 335i 2006 Review

The twin-turbo, three-litre, six-cylinder BMW 335i Coupe was created to go fast in comfort. Its top speed of 250km/h must be an awesome experience on the Euro speedways where the car gets to prove its ultimate performance.

Crawling down Parramatta Rd in Sydney's peak-hour chaos is not quite the same.

But at least it's comfortable.

From its standout 18-inch wheels with the iconic BMW badge in the centre to the sharp lines of the body back to the twin exhausts, this is a modern sports saloon.

It's BMW's return to turbocharging and they have done it in style. The burble of the engine note alone is enough to know this is something special. BMW states that the innovative low-inertia turbos are designed to fire up quickly eliminating turbo lag.

However, particularly at low speeds there is a slight, but noticeable pause between depressing the accelerator and when the turbos kicking in to fire up this beast.

But, aaah, when it kicks in, you are travelling in style. BMW quotes acceleration from 0-100km/h in 5.5 seconds, outputs of 225kW of power and a bitey 400Nm of torque that is available across a wide band of revs. The test car came with a six-speed automatic gear box with delicious F1-style shift paddles on the steering wheel.

The paddles are good fun to play with but the auto will shift intelligently between the gears without them.

The gear knob itself is a piece of modern auto styling with sharp edges for a sure grip.

Standard equipment includes Bi-Xenon headlights, leather trim, sports suspension and an impressive distance control function that beeps loudly when you get too close to anything. Satellite navigation, through a colour screen, is an option.

BMW's unique i-Drive control system, one control knob to operate everything from the radio to the navigation system, is on board. However, despite a briefing on how to operate it, the system is still confusing.

Even allowing that this operator struggles with VCR timers, this system of one button controlling a separate screen through a mix of taps, pushes, turns and slides isn't as simple as a touchscreen operation.

Meanwhile, the seating up front is all luxury with all-electronic movement.

In the back, the two seats (there's a console between them where a middle seat would normally go) are also comfortable but accessing them can be awkward for larger passengers. Being a coupe the doors are larger than a sedan so you have to be

careful where you park it to ensure there is enough room to open them to get in and out. This is particularly so for rear passengers who have to get in and out after the front seats are tilted forward.

But this really is a driver's car.

From the moment you insert the keyfob into the slot and press the start button it has a feel of solid luxury. Its technical marvels includes a robot-like arm that presents the front seat travellers with their seat belts before sliding back into its slot.

This was a smooth operation on the 335i. However, the driver's side on the other member of the BMW 3 Series Coupe family tested separately, the 325i, did not always return to its correct slot in the B-pillar.

But back to Sydney's ordinary roads. The

car's 18-inch run-flat tyres seem to pick up every major bump and you certainly feel the road surface when crossing over motorway joints and rough surfaces. On potholed roads it is far worse. Where you do most of your driving could be a key factor in what sort

of rubber you put on this car.

Despite the twin-turbocharger and enormous power, claimed fuel economy of the car is good. Getting 9.5 litres per 100km out of such a beast is comparable with some large four-cylinder cars. However, as most of my mileage was around town figures were higher.

The 335i arrived on the scene too late to be considered for CARSguide Car of the Year.

Had things been different it could have been a serious threat to our 10 finalists. But it looks set to collect its share of awards in Europe.