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My dad got a 335d delivered last Tuesday... and promptly went out of the country two days later for a 3 week vacation. So I have his car with instructions to drive it out of the break-in period while he's gone. I've therefore gotten the chance for some seat time in the 335d. For reference, I drive a 2007 (9/06 build) E92 335i.
Dad's E90 335d: Blue Water/Beige Leather, Sport, Premium, Cold Weather, Step.
My E92 335i: Monaco Blue/Black Leather, Sport, Premium, Cold Weather, Sirius, 6MT. Also Logic 7, which was standard on '07 335i's.
The sport package summer tires are identical (Bridgestone Potenza RE050A RFT), although mine are very worn (33k!) and his are, obviously, brand new. I swapped to my winter tires last weekend (Bridgestone Blizzak LM-22 RFT, 225/45R17) so direct handling comparisons aren't possible now.
Engine sound: To me it is noticable you are driving a diesel when you start it up and when you're sitting at idle. Once you're moving the sound is not noticable. It is deeper and rumblier than the gas engine, but you can't hear any clattering inside the cockpit. If you're standing outside when the engine is started you know for sure its a diesel as there is some clatter, but it quickly fades away. The overall sound is lower and much more muted, and of course it doesn't rev as high so the diesel never really screams.
Transmission: I've only driven three BMWs with the Steptronic: my buddy's E90 330i, the 335d and a 535i service loaner I had a few months ago. The Step in these cars is very good; it is generally in the right gear, it will downshift quickly, and having paddle shifters in the 335d and 535i allows you to play. With that said, I am very used to driving a stick and so I find an automatic just... annoying. I understand BMW's reasoning on only offering a Step on the 335d though. Shifts are smooth and quick no matter what mode you're in.
Power delivery: Wow. Just wow. 425 ft/lbs of torque will get you moving awfully fast. It can be either deceptively smooth if you're not getting into the throttle that much, or just a huge rush all at once. Going from 70-95 took no time at all and I didn't even notice it until I checked the speedo. Just a little tip in on the gas pedal and you're there. But I mashed the accelerator from maybe 20 mph on a straight onramp (still in break-in so I'm avoiding full-throttle, and its not my car) and it throws you back in the seat and propels you to super-legal speeds in a blink of an eye; I hit 75 and had to back down to merge. I wouldn't call it a rush of sound and fury because the car is far too refined for that, but it lets you know that you just hit the "go" pedal hard.
Handling: Pretty much identical to my E92. The 335d is 250 lbs. heavier, but that has not really shown through in any of the driving I've done. I am not as confident in the traction of the rear tires especially due to the enourmous torque of the diesel, and I've always been in D (not DS or M) while taking corners somewhat quickly so I didn't want to risk a downshift which could break the rear end loose. Driving in M would fix that, but I think mostly I'm not used to the car. I have a much better idea of what I can and can't do in my E92.
Fuel economy: The diesel blows you away here. I made a 125-mile round trip the other day (80% freeway) and the average mileage started the day at 26.1... and ended at 29.0 (keep in mind there are less than 500 miles on the car, and at pickup the mileage read 4.8 and has been rising since). The first tank was 31.something mpg, with about 60% highway and 40% in town. My 335i gets maybe 26 mpg in a similar driving mix.
Styling: I really like the LCI E90 styling, and also that some of the E92s features made it onto the E90 like cornering lights and halos for DRLs. The LED turn signals are really bright. Having 4 doors can be really nice; sometimes I regret having a coupe, but most of the time I wouldn't use the rear doors anyway so its not a huge deal. The sedan is more practical though.
Other:
Dad's E90 335d: Blue Water/Beige Leather, Sport, Premium, Cold Weather, Step.
My E92 335i: Monaco Blue/Black Leather, Sport, Premium, Cold Weather, Sirius, 6MT. Also Logic 7, which was standard on '07 335i's.
The sport package summer tires are identical (Bridgestone Potenza RE050A RFT), although mine are very worn (33k!) and his are, obviously, brand new. I swapped to my winter tires last weekend (Bridgestone Blizzak LM-22 RFT, 225/45R17) so direct handling comparisons aren't possible now.
Engine sound: To me it is noticable you are driving a diesel when you start it up and when you're sitting at idle. Once you're moving the sound is not noticable. It is deeper and rumblier than the gas engine, but you can't hear any clattering inside the cockpit. If you're standing outside when the engine is started you know for sure its a diesel as there is some clatter, but it quickly fades away. The overall sound is lower and much more muted, and of course it doesn't rev as high so the diesel never really screams.
Transmission: I've only driven three BMWs with the Steptronic: my buddy's E90 330i, the 335d and a 535i service loaner I had a few months ago. The Step in these cars is very good; it is generally in the right gear, it will downshift quickly, and having paddle shifters in the 335d and 535i allows you to play. With that said, I am very used to driving a stick and so I find an automatic just... annoying. I understand BMW's reasoning on only offering a Step on the 335d though. Shifts are smooth and quick no matter what mode you're in.
Power delivery: Wow. Just wow. 425 ft/lbs of torque will get you moving awfully fast. It can be either deceptively smooth if you're not getting into the throttle that much, or just a huge rush all at once. Going from 70-95 took no time at all and I didn't even notice it until I checked the speedo. Just a little tip in on the gas pedal and you're there. But I mashed the accelerator from maybe 20 mph on a straight onramp (still in break-in so I'm avoiding full-throttle, and its not my car) and it throws you back in the seat and propels you to super-legal speeds in a blink of an eye; I hit 75 and had to back down to merge. I wouldn't call it a rush of sound and fury because the car is far too refined for that, but it lets you know that you just hit the "go" pedal hard.
Handling: Pretty much identical to my E92. The 335d is 250 lbs. heavier, but that has not really shown through in any of the driving I've done. I am not as confident in the traction of the rear tires especially due to the enourmous torque of the diesel, and I've always been in D (not DS or M) while taking corners somewhat quickly so I didn't want to risk a downshift which could break the rear end loose. Driving in M would fix that, but I think mostly I'm not used to the car. I have a much better idea of what I can and can't do in my E92.
Fuel economy: The diesel blows you away here. I made a 125-mile round trip the other day (80% freeway) and the average mileage started the day at 26.1... and ended at 29.0 (keep in mind there are less than 500 miles on the car, and at pickup the mileage read 4.8 and has been rising since). The first tank was 31.something mpg, with about 60% highway and 40% in town. My 335i gets maybe 26 mpg in a similar driving mix.
Styling: I really like the LCI E90 styling, and also that some of the E92s features made it onto the E90 like cornering lights and halos for DRLs. The LED turn signals are really bright. Having 4 doors can be really nice; sometimes I regret having a coupe, but most of the time I wouldn't use the rear doors anyway so its not a huge deal. The sedan is more practical though.
Other:
- The heated steering wheel is really nice on cold mornings! Wish I had it on my E92.
- My dad didn't get the Logic 7, and the difference in stereo quality is noticable to me. I'm aware the Logic 7 isn't the best car stereo out there, but the base stereo (the Hi-Fi stereo is no longer standard in 2010s) is no better than the one in my brother's '99 Toyota camry. If you don't listen to music you won't care.
- BMW increased the stiffness of the turn signal and wiper stalks to the point where it has thrown me off trying to use them, especially the turn signals. My E92's stalks are much lighter and more flickable.
- The center armrest storage box is spring-loaded (not sure what model year that changed) and so you can't run cables out of the armrest anymore without the armrest popping up. I have my iPhone charger and the Aux input cable running out of there quite a bit so not having the spring loaded armrest is nice.
- The urea tank takes up the small under-floor storage area in the trunk.
- I have mixed feelings about the paddle shifters. The paddles themselves are nice, although it took me a little bit to figure out which way to push/pull them for upshifts/downshifts (hint, its the same as on the gear selector, and hey BMW, can you PLEASE go to left down/right up? Thx). I like not having to go to the gear selector to manually shift. What throws me about the paddles in general though is that I can't place my hands on the steering wheel where I want to and how I do in my 6MT E92, because the gap between the paddle and the steering wheel isn't large enough to fit my hand. So I have to alter my hands position on the wheel. I'm sure I would get used to it, but its something else I noticed.
- The 335d is fairly expensive; my dad wouldn't have bought his without the $4500 Eco Credit.
