BMW 335i Coupe Automatic

BMW 335i Coupe Automatic - Maybe BMW got bored of hearing the same thing over and over again, because suddenly we had to come up with new words to describe the 3: controversially styled, technologically overwrought, and now this: quicker with the automatic.

Responsive and quick to act, it is the perfect autobox for this kind of car. In normal automatic mode, shifts are virtually invisible, but the character changes dramatically when prompted. Deputy editor Dave VanderWerp says, “Full-throttle downshifts are quite severe, but to me, that’s fine when I’m pushing the pedal all the way to the floor. The automatic generally does a single multigear kickdown instead of stopping off at other ratios along the way.”

Now, as for the paddles themselves, a $100 option on top of the $1275 automatic, they are lovely pieces of satin metal sculpture, both of which perform up- and downshifts depending on which way you push: toward you for upshifts, away from you for downshifts. VanderWerp is among those on staff who prefer the “right for upshifts, left for downshifts” approach. Others, including this author, think it’s proper that each does both. Whatever. Once accustomed to it, any driver will enjoy a willing partner in his or her shifting shenanigans.

Like so many artistic masterpieces, BMW’s stalwart 3.0-liter inline-six engine is delightfully nuanced. In naturally aspirated form, as found in the 230-hp 328i and so many Bimmers before it, the engine has a vivid and playful character, yet it is somehow subtle, never feeling overburdened and always delivering more sheer performance than its displacement promises. This is due in large part to good old-fashioned technology, including Double VANOS variable valve timing and Valvetronic, which throttles the engine by varying valve lift.

However, now that we’ve sampled the 335i’s blown six in many 3-series applications (sedan, convertible, and manual-shift coupe), we wouldn’t mind if BMW turbocharged pretty much any of its engines. In the 335i, two small IHI turbochargers serve three cylinders apiece with a max boost of 9.0 psi. With low inertia, the turbos spool up right away, and the direct injection allows a high (for a charged engine) compression ratio of 10.5:1. All of this serves to quicken throttle response. Thus, the 335i’s power doesn’t come in the form of a delayed rush.

Even knowing what we know about the engine and tranny, we were still surprised just how quick the 335i automatic is. Indeed, this particular Arctic Metallic 335i coupe was the quickest 3-series coupe we’ve ever strapped our instruments to, and it also ended up right on top of an E46 M3, with 0-to-60-mph passes in 4.9 seconds and 100 mph in 12.1. The quarter-mile happened in a blistering 13.4 seconds at 106 mph, 0.2 second and 1 mph quicker than the 335i manual we tested last year.