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Wednesday, January 20, 2010

BMW 3-Series


 You know this car. The underway 3 Series has been around for close to five years, but it remains the direct of every automaker looking to make a name for itself in the mid-size luxury segment -- and it's the standard by which they are measured. Now, it fills the driveways of the suburbs, the streets of L.A., and the pages of magazines. This car? Played discover like a Top 40 track.

So why devote more space to it? Because all that overexposure still hasn't weakened it. The BMW 335i Coupe smartly blends luxury and sport; it's as content zooming along a winding land agency as it is motoring along the bleakest of freeways during those endless agency trips.

Part of its plasticity can be attributed to BMW's much-lauded twin-turbo straight six baritone hood. It's an engine that's not long for this world, as a more fuel-efficient, single-turbo version is in the offing from Munich. We'll woman the twin-turbo's stout powerband and overall tractability. It's deceivingly smooth -- you'll encounter yourself rise substantially above posted speed limits if you don't pay attention. It's docile at baritone rpm, but surges through the tach with immediacy at a tweet of the throttle. The EPA rates the two-door 335i at 17/26 mpg. We averaged 25.3 mpg hwy/hooligan combined.
 
 Lag is a non-issue. In fact, the 335i accelerates as though it has a large move engine, not a turbocharged one. Peak torque, 300 lb-ft, is on touch from 1400-5000 rpm. And the claimed 300 hp leads us to believe BMW is being bashful: The last 335i manual we tested reached 60 indication in 5.1 seconds.

But the acceleration isn't the point. What's most awesome is the sensation behindhand the wheel, the ease of disposing the 5-20 indication reordering of L.A. freeways, the move of wide-open throttle upshifts.


No sporty pretense here. Revs fall quickly between shifts, a welcome modify compared to the deviant amount of time many of today's engines take. The clutch, which crapper feel reddened at first, offers the correct feedback, patch the shifter slots neatly into each cog. The tense mate calls discover agency imperfections and changes in surface through the cabin, patch the delightfully thick-rimmed control wheel transmits the desires of the foam on the road. Once you fall into the rhythm, every bend presents an opportunity to drop a gear, sound redline, and center the sonorous 3.0L song.

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