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This car is BMW's first venture into the hard top convertible arena. It takes 22 seconds to open the top and 23 to close it, which pretty much outclasses most of its rivals.
Kudos to BMW for making the entire rear end look different from that of the conventional 3 series, a smart move. It might look different, but it still is smartly finished to blend in with the BMW pedigree.
Such is the problem then, for those who want a loud, flashy thing to drive through town with.
The 335 convertible is not.
Kudos to BMW for making the entire rear end look different from that of the conventional 3 series, a smart move. It might look different, but it still is smartly finished to blend in with the BMW pedigree.
Such is the problem then, for those who want a loud, flashy thing to drive through town with.
The 335 convertible is not.
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This car isn't going to draw much stares with the top on, and the only way you are going to get noticed is if you blast by Orchard Road with Beethoven playing loudly on the stereo.
Understated then, is the calling of the BMW. It was made for the inner maniac in you who wants to appear normal, in all senses of the word.
With the 335i convertible, you almost fit into the crowd in traffic, and when you feel like it, you can unleash a horrible torrent of 300 odd horses onto the tarmac, shocking the world right out of traffic's monotony.
Although the BMW's trunk is about one cubic foot larger than that of the coupe, it shrinks to 4 cubic feet less to 7 cubic feet. Let's just say, the top needs somewhere to hide while it is actually down.
That, still, is quite a handy bit of space, although you won't be able to fit more than one bag of golf clubs in this car when engaging in topless activities mid-highway.
Understated then, is the calling of the BMW. It was made for the inner maniac in you who wants to appear normal, in all senses of the word.
With the 335i convertible, you almost fit into the crowd in traffic, and when you feel like it, you can unleash a horrible torrent of 300 odd horses onto the tarmac, shocking the world right out of traffic's monotony.
Although the BMW's trunk is about one cubic foot larger than that of the coupe, it shrinks to 4 cubic feet less to 7 cubic feet. Let's just say, the top needs somewhere to hide while it is actually down.
That, still, is quite a handy bit of space, although you won't be able to fit more than one bag of golf clubs in this car when engaging in topless activities mid-highway.
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Driving Impressions
First things first - NO, the 335 convertible isn't a compromise as compared to the 335i coupe. The coupe is more nimble in tight corners and a little faster, but that is about as bad as it gets.
The convertible weighs in at about 205 kilograms more than the standard coupe, thanks to structural reinforcement and the heavy, folding roof.
BMW's claims on stiffness are valid. I have never driven a BMW convertible, with the exception of the more nimble feeling Z4M roadster, that feels stiffer than this. There are almost no quivers or any scuttle shake felt through the cabin or the wheel.
The car accelerates very much like the other 335s we've tested, or the 330s for that matter. Like BMW's 3 litre, non turbo sibling, the 300 or so horsepower, 3.0-liter direct-injection twin-turbo inline six snarls to a satisfying 7000rpm in a very "unturbocharged-like" way.
The power is just too linear, coming close to feeling like a well tuned, small block V8, except for that lovely inline six sound and an understated exhaust note that we all wish could be made louder.
First things first - NO, the 335 convertible isn't a compromise as compared to the 335i coupe. The coupe is more nimble in tight corners and a little faster, but that is about as bad as it gets.
The convertible weighs in at about 205 kilograms more than the standard coupe, thanks to structural reinforcement and the heavy, folding roof.
BMW's claims on stiffness are valid. I have never driven a BMW convertible, with the exception of the more nimble feeling Z4M roadster, that feels stiffer than this. There are almost no quivers or any scuttle shake felt through the cabin or the wheel.
The car accelerates very much like the other 335s we've tested, or the 330s for that matter. Like BMW's 3 litre, non turbo sibling, the 300 or so horsepower, 3.0-liter direct-injection twin-turbo inline six snarls to a satisfying 7000rpm in a very "unturbocharged-like" way.
The power is just too linear, coming close to feeling like a well tuned, small block V8, except for that lovely inline six sound and an understated exhaust note that we all wish could be made louder.
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The century dash surprisingly eats up BMW's claimed 6 seconds, with the average 0-100km/h timing settling in at a comfortable 5.8 seconds with a light load of fuel, top up and the air-conditioning turned off.
One of our top speed blasts revealed that the car was quite reluctant to accelerate beyond 230km/h, although getting up to that speed was alarmingly quick, it wasn't done entirely on purpose most of the time.
It took a while from there to reach its limited top speed of 250km/h, but it definitely felt like this Bimmer was capable of going faster, not that you need to in this part of the region. It swaps the cogs pretty fast, almost like BMW's SMG.
BMW claims this auto shifts up to 40-percent quicker than other automatics, and we don't see any reason to doubt that. It is fast, for an automatic, anyway...
Off traction, the car's long wheelbase forgives, and sliding through a corner remains to be a BMW fun factor skilled drivers can fully appreciate. It doesn't exactly understeer, and the Bridgestone RE050s give in pretty early when provoked with power, but hey, a little controlled oversteer never hurt anyone!
For it's price, there aren't any real competitors yet, and really, the only next best thing would be the much awaited V8 powered M3 convertible!
One of our top speed blasts revealed that the car was quite reluctant to accelerate beyond 230km/h, although getting up to that speed was alarmingly quick, it wasn't done entirely on purpose most of the time.
It took a while from there to reach its limited top speed of 250km/h, but it definitely felt like this Bimmer was capable of going faster, not that you need to in this part of the region. It swaps the cogs pretty fast, almost like BMW's SMG.
BMW claims this auto shifts up to 40-percent quicker than other automatics, and we don't see any reason to doubt that. It is fast, for an automatic, anyway...
Off traction, the car's long wheelbase forgives, and sliding through a corner remains to be a BMW fun factor skilled drivers can fully appreciate. It doesn't exactly understeer, and the Bridgestone RE050s give in pretty early when provoked with power, but hey, a little controlled oversteer never hurt anyone!
For it's price, there aren't any real competitors yet, and really, the only next best thing would be the much awaited V8 powered M3 convertible!
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Specifications -
Price: $265,800
Engine: 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged Inline 6, 24-valve
Power: 306Bhp @ 5800rpm ( 102.7bhp/litre)
Torque: 400Nm @ 1300rpm
Transmission: 6 -speed Auto Tiptronic
Length/width/height: 4580 / 1782 / 1384 mm
Wheelbase: 2760 mm
Kerb weight: 1825 kg
0-100km/h: 6 sec
Length/width/height: 4030 / 1748 / 1479 mm
Wheelbase: 2540 mm
Kerb weight: 1250 kg
0-100km/h: 7.1 sec
Price: $265,800
Engine: 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged Inline 6, 24-valve
Power: 306Bhp @ 5800rpm ( 102.7bhp/litre)
Torque: 400Nm @ 1300rpm
Transmission: 6 -speed Auto Tiptronic
Length/width/height: 4580 / 1782 / 1384 mm
Wheelbase: 2760 mm
Kerb weight: 1825 kg
0-100km/h: 6 sec
Length/width/height: 4030 / 1748 / 1479 mm
Wheelbase: 2540 mm
Kerb weight: 1250 kg
0-100km/h: 7.1 sec
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