BMW 3 Series Sedan 335i Review: The 3rd sense

What we like:

Enourmous torque figure creates tremendous pulling power. Transmission senses what your right foot wants.  Improved iDrive interface.

What we dislike:

The suspension's even stiffer than the one in the 320i's - stay away from less-than-perfect roads. That very expensive sticker price.  

So it is apparent what’s immediately attention-grabbing on the 335i is the firmness of the ride. It feels a tad stiffer than the already tough standard set-up felt in the 320i, true, butas a whole, leads to a resilient chassis with a ride that is well-controlled. The good thing about all these is that you can have a go at bendy roads with much gusto, fully aware that the car can and will handle it. Go ahead, take that corner faster than usual – it’s a piece of cake for the 335i.

Instantly impressive is the feel of the brake pedal. Seemingly, BMW has given the 335i a slightly better set of brakes than the 320i. Well I had my fair share of encounters of the idiotic kind on our roads, and each time, the car manages to slow down and stop within expectation – and that’s very reassuring.

At $218,800, the 335i is not exactly a cheap proposition - after all, that money could buy you a bigger 530i, A6 or even E280. But honestly, if you don’t need such a big car, settling for something more compact like the 335i sounds pretty good, doesn’t it?

Well I had the opportunity to sample the much-lauded M3 prior to driving the 335i, and what I importantly discovered was this - although the M3 is one manic creature on the road, the 335i comes almost close at delivering the almost equivalent driving experience.

Need more reasons to buy the 335i? Ok, here goes - it has a comprehensive equipment list, it’s a practical family sedan, it handles superbly and it goes fast. Trust me - it is worth each and every dollar you’re paying for.

Endless smiles with this one…

Credits: Story & pictures by Azfar Hashim