The 335i is a hell of a mover. Its 3.0-litre turbo straight-six gives you 302bhp right out of the box, backed up by 295lb.ft of torque, and they’re decent numbers in anybody’s book. 0-62mph is despatched in 5.4-seconds, and the swoopy coupé body will fool most uninformed observers into thinking that it’s an M3 that’s just disappeared improbably quickly towards the horizon.
You’ll find that the cheaper cars will probably have the automatic gearbox but we’d recommend finding a manual, which feels proper, and on the move the 335i pulls off a clever trick: its 295lb.ft of torque is an identical figure to the M3’s, but it’s all available from just 1,200rpm – which is a full 2,600rpm lower than the M3. What this means in real terms is that the 335i makes a devastating job of smearing the scenery without ever leaving you thinking, ‘Oh, I wish I’d gone for the M3’. The steering is fluid and gorgeously feel-some without being overly assisted, the brakes are reassuringly progressive without biting too hard and jerking your passengers around, and the chassis doles out plenty of grip while leaving the handling pleasantly neutral. That’s why you didn’t buy the M3. Because the 335i is far more civilised. And look, they’re less than an eighth of the price they were a decade ago. Go get the cheque book out.
Top 5 mods:
Burger Tuning JB4, VRSF catless downpipes,
Air Lift suspension, Injen dual cone intake,
Mishimoto intercooler
Then: £42,000
Now: £5,000
OUR TOP 3 BMW E92S
1) Hoho Chan’s 330d
We love the M2-style front bumper on this 3 Series that was featured back in Spring 2018. This car also ran Air Lift suspension that helped the BBS RS11 splits produce a killer stance.
2) AzRiz’s 330d
Featured back in our Spring 2017 issue, Az’s E92 boasted WORK VS-XX rims, Air Lift suspension (with amazing hard line install), widened rear arches and some tasty carbon details.
3) Slim Jules’ 335i
The editor has had his E92 for over 4-years and in that time it’s had quite the makeover, including Air Lift suspension, a Frozen Grey respray and a power hike to 450bhp.
