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It's been a while since I've posted anything on here, so I decided to write a review of my ownership and driving experience of my BMW 335i.
The story begins a couple of years back in the spring of 2009. I've just moved to Chicago the previous year for a new job and I was still driving my white VW Jetta 2.slow. The old car was dropped on H&R Race springs and Koni Sport adjustable shocks. No matter what I did to the settings of the Koni's, the spring rate was too high and the ride was brutal on the pothole ridden streets in Chicago. Also, the car was beginning to show its signs of the typical VW needyness: sensors, brakes, lot of rattles, squeaks, gaskets leaking, etc, even though I maintained it to the best of my abilities and finances.
The final drop in the bucket was in the winter of 2008-2009. I drove the car through what it seemed a small pothole and it turned out to be a big one. So big that the windshield cracked!
So I started looking for a new car for me. I decided that the new car should overcome all of the limitations of the old. Bigger engine, turbo, bigger brakes, RWD, better interior, bluetooth, etc. It had to be German as well.
Long story short, in the summer of 2009, I purchased a 2008 BMW 335i with just 3,520 miles on the clock. Fully loaded with the exception of iDrive and Sirius radio, options which I did not care about.
This is how the car looked like when I first got it:
Immediately a few things were apparent:
1. This high-powered RWD car offered a completely different driving dynamics compared to my old FWD 2.slow Jetta. I had to relearn pretty much everything I knew about driving cars. The steering felt different and more connected, the suspension behaved differently, the car was heavier, the power delivery was different and often scary, the traction control was a novelty to me. Even the brakes and ride positions threw me off.
2. The manual transmission felt adequate, but sometimes gear changes did not come out as smooth as they should have. More to this later below.
3. The interior wood trim had to go! Horrible Horrible!
4. The N54 engine had a lot of hidden power, just waiting to be unleashed with just a few mods.
5. The car sounded muffled and too restrained.
Thus, modding began:
AR Design catless downpipes:
AE Performance catless exhaust:
HorsePowerFreaks Front Mount Intercooler:
Forge Diverter Valves and a few other mods along with home-brew hybrid intake system made the list.
At the center of all these power modifications is of course the tuning. The car is running Stage 2+ Aggr. from Cobb Tuning. It took them a while to nail things correctly, but their most recent release of maps and firmware made the driving experience outstanding.
By summer of 2010, I was done with the power modifications and I decided to start attending various AutoX and track day events. It was there that I realized that the car needed A LOT more work in order to get it into competitive shape. Furthermore, as a driver, I too needed a lot of work. My driving skills needed to improve a lot.
As evidenced here: if pushed, even the OEM Sport suspension was prone to significant body roll. Clearly missing the apexes of the corners did not help either:
So along came the M3 front control arms and tension rods, maxed out front and rear cambers and a set of new wheels and tires. Also, to alleviate the unpredictable clutch engagements, I completely removed the notorious Clutch Delay Valve.
The wheels were custom built by CCW and the clearances are very very tight. I wanted to maximize the tire-to-pavement contact patch for more traction. At the same time, these wheels have enough clearance to accommodate almost any BBK kit.
Some minor interior tweaks include carbon fiber wrapped interior trim pieces and M3 steering wheel:
After gaining some much needed traction at the corners and improving my skills as a driver, I was finally pushing the car to new limits.
The OEM brake pads were painfully inadequate for anything more than street driving. Interestingly enough, the rest of the brake components were designed very good and they have a lot of capacity. A simple pad upgrade and brake fluid flush proved sufficient for more serious track days. The built in brake cooling ducts did a decent job keeping the brake temps down.
Then disaster! At the back of my head I knew that the OEM open differential was a complete joke when it comes to handling all the torque the engine makes. Even with stock engine, the car would easily smoke the tires. With Stage 2+, the power was upped to 390whp and 420 wtq and even the 285mm wide rear tires did not stood a chance.
So, at the last corner of BlackHalw Farms track, I gave too much power too early and lost control of the car. It spun and I ended up in a tire wall. Results were pretty bad: crushed oil cooler, damaged fender, bumper, headlamp, radiator support, passenger front and rear doors, pretty much all of the underbody plastics and a scuffed wheel:
Finally a chance to improve the looks of the front end and add additional cooling capacity. The BMW Performance Bumper was purchased along with Performance Aero Pack for 335i.
This is how the car sits today:
Enough of the build up. Here is my ownership review:
POWER:
The car has an outstanding power delivery. The straight 6 is very very smooth and refined. In stock form, the turbocharging kicks in seamlessly and there is virtually no perceived turbo lag. With the Stage 2 mods, the boost pressure is upped from 8psi to 18 psi. It is important to note that the ECU in the N54 is highly advanced. It targets engine load rather than boost levels and it will adjust various engine parameters based on its target.
The power output commands A LOT more concentration and respect. You simply cannot open it up on the streets as you normally would a 328. In some respect, driving it on the streets knowing that you can't just max it out on 3rd gear, diminishes some of the fun.
Also, the N54 has forged crankshaft and connecting rods. A few tuning companies are now taking the N54 platform further with after market twin turbo and single turbo kits. This platform is just exiting its infancy and entering prime time.
Creature Comfort
The interior is very quiet. 4 years and 31K miles later, there are no rattles, no creaking noises, NOTHING. The only sounds you hear are from the engine and the exhaust. Everything is organized very well. I find the ergonomic quite excellent. The only exception to this are the cupholders which if I have to be honest are a complete after thought on this car. They seem to be designed to hold cans rather than cups. I rarely use them anyway, so this is a small issue.
The rear seat headroom and leg room are more than sufficient. The driver and passenger seating positions are great and the sport seats provide almost infinite adjustability and comfort even on long journeys. I simply cannot get tired in them and at the same time they provide sufficient bolstering for high-speed corners.
The heater controls are intuitive, easy to use with minimal interaction required by the occupants. Even the butt warmers for the front seats are designed to be easy to use. They have only three settings: Lo-Medium-Hi. Unlike AUDI's 6 settings.
The premium sound system provides ample depth and clarity. I am not an audiophile but I do notice when OEM auio systems suffer. This is not the case here, and I am told that the sound clarity is even better in the coupes as they have a slightly different arragement of speakers.
Maintenance, Cost of ownership, etc
Just like any turbo car from Europe, this one needs more attention than the regular NA counterparts. The car is stuffed with electronics, which so far have held up quite nicely. No issues at all. There have been a few important recalls for HPFP, injectors and software. BMW handled all of those issues quite well and now these cars come with numerous extended warranties:
HPFP: 10 year / 120K mile warranty. Even out of warranty it is just a $230 part and 2-3 hours of labor
Turbos on pre-2009 models: 8 year / 80K miles.
Common maintenance parts like brake pads, rotors, oil and oil filters are on par with the average VW/AUDI and often they are cheaper (most sensors).
Fuel consumption can vary from 30-32 mpg on the highway, to 18-24 in city and down to 6mpg on the track. Overall, I would rate the fuel efficiency as excellent considering the power output.
In conclussion
This is a great car for someone who is past the stupidity of college kids with cheap econoboxes. It will put more smiles on your face than you would normally guess from its restrained exterior. It will deliver you to your destination in great comfort and it will exhilarate you on the twisty back roads.
Would I recommend it to my mother: Absolutely not! It can be downright scary if unaccustomed to its driving dynamics and power.
Would I recommend it to a car enthusiast: Most definitely
The story begins a couple of years back in the spring of 2009. I've just moved to Chicago the previous year for a new job and I was still driving my white VW Jetta 2.slow. The old car was dropped on H&R Race springs and Koni Sport adjustable shocks. No matter what I did to the settings of the Koni's, the spring rate was too high and the ride was brutal on the pothole ridden streets in Chicago. Also, the car was beginning to show its signs of the typical VW needyness: sensors, brakes, lot of rattles, squeaks, gaskets leaking, etc, even though I maintained it to the best of my abilities and finances.
The final drop in the bucket was in the winter of 2008-2009. I drove the car through what it seemed a small pothole and it turned out to be a big one. So big that the windshield cracked!
So I started looking for a new car for me. I decided that the new car should overcome all of the limitations of the old. Bigger engine, turbo, bigger brakes, RWD, better interior, bluetooth, etc. It had to be German as well.
Long story short, in the summer of 2009, I purchased a 2008 BMW 335i with just 3,520 miles on the clock. Fully loaded with the exception of iDrive and Sirius radio, options which I did not care about.
This is how the car looked like when I first got it:
Immediately a few things were apparent:
1. This high-powered RWD car offered a completely different driving dynamics compared to my old FWD 2.slow Jetta. I had to relearn pretty much everything I knew about driving cars. The steering felt different and more connected, the suspension behaved differently, the car was heavier, the power delivery was different and often scary, the traction control was a novelty to me. Even the brakes and ride positions threw me off.
2. The manual transmission felt adequate, but sometimes gear changes did not come out as smooth as they should have. More to this later below.
3. The interior wood trim had to go! Horrible Horrible!
4. The N54 engine had a lot of hidden power, just waiting to be unleashed with just a few mods.
5. The car sounded muffled and too restrained.
Thus, modding began:
AR Design catless downpipes:
AE Performance catless exhaust:
HorsePowerFreaks Front Mount Intercooler:
Forge Diverter Valves and a few other mods along with home-brew hybrid intake system made the list.
At the center of all these power modifications is of course the tuning. The car is running Stage 2+ Aggr. from Cobb Tuning. It took them a while to nail things correctly, but their most recent release of maps and firmware made the driving experience outstanding.
By summer of 2010, I was done with the power modifications and I decided to start attending various AutoX and track day events. It was there that I realized that the car needed A LOT more work in order to get it into competitive shape. Furthermore, as a driver, I too needed a lot of work. My driving skills needed to improve a lot.
As evidenced here: if pushed, even the OEM Sport suspension was prone to significant body roll. Clearly missing the apexes of the corners did not help either:
So along came the M3 front control arms and tension rods, maxed out front and rear cambers and a set of new wheels and tires. Also, to alleviate the unpredictable clutch engagements, I completely removed the notorious Clutch Delay Valve.
The wheels were custom built by CCW and the clearances are very very tight. I wanted to maximize the tire-to-pavement contact patch for more traction. At the same time, these wheels have enough clearance to accommodate almost any BBK kit.
Some minor interior tweaks include carbon fiber wrapped interior trim pieces and M3 steering wheel:
After gaining some much needed traction at the corners and improving my skills as a driver, I was finally pushing the car to new limits.
The OEM brake pads were painfully inadequate for anything more than street driving. Interestingly enough, the rest of the brake components were designed very good and they have a lot of capacity. A simple pad upgrade and brake fluid flush proved sufficient for more serious track days. The built in brake cooling ducts did a decent job keeping the brake temps down.
Then disaster! At the back of my head I knew that the OEM open differential was a complete joke when it comes to handling all the torque the engine makes. Even with stock engine, the car would easily smoke the tires. With Stage 2+, the power was upped to 390whp and 420 wtq and even the 285mm wide rear tires did not stood a chance.
So, at the last corner of BlackHalw Farms track, I gave too much power too early and lost control of the car. It spun and I ended up in a tire wall. Results were pretty bad: crushed oil cooler, damaged fender, bumper, headlamp, radiator support, passenger front and rear doors, pretty much all of the underbody plastics and a scuffed wheel:
Finally a chance to improve the looks of the front end and add additional cooling capacity. The BMW Performance Bumper was purchased along with Performance Aero Pack for 335i.
This is how the car sits today:
Enough of the build up. Here is my ownership review:
POWER:
The car has an outstanding power delivery. The straight 6 is very very smooth and refined. In stock form, the turbocharging kicks in seamlessly and there is virtually no perceived turbo lag. With the Stage 2 mods, the boost pressure is upped from 8psi to 18 psi. It is important to note that the ECU in the N54 is highly advanced. It targets engine load rather than boost levels and it will adjust various engine parameters based on its target.
The power output commands A LOT more concentration and respect. You simply cannot open it up on the streets as you normally would a 328. In some respect, driving it on the streets knowing that you can't just max it out on 3rd gear, diminishes some of the fun.
Also, the N54 has forged crankshaft and connecting rods. A few tuning companies are now taking the N54 platform further with after market twin turbo and single turbo kits. This platform is just exiting its infancy and entering prime time.
Creature Comfort
The interior is very quiet. 4 years and 31K miles later, there are no rattles, no creaking noises, NOTHING. The only sounds you hear are from the engine and the exhaust. Everything is organized very well. I find the ergonomic quite excellent. The only exception to this are the cupholders which if I have to be honest are a complete after thought on this car. They seem to be designed to hold cans rather than cups. I rarely use them anyway, so this is a small issue.
The rear seat headroom and leg room are more than sufficient. The driver and passenger seating positions are great and the sport seats provide almost infinite adjustability and comfort even on long journeys. I simply cannot get tired in them and at the same time they provide sufficient bolstering for high-speed corners.
The heater controls are intuitive, easy to use with minimal interaction required by the occupants. Even the butt warmers for the front seats are designed to be easy to use. They have only three settings: Lo-Medium-Hi. Unlike AUDI's 6 settings.
The premium sound system provides ample depth and clarity. I am not an audiophile but I do notice when OEM auio systems suffer. This is not the case here, and I am told that the sound clarity is even better in the coupes as they have a slightly different arragement of speakers.
Maintenance, Cost of ownership, etc
Just like any turbo car from Europe, this one needs more attention than the regular NA counterparts. The car is stuffed with electronics, which so far have held up quite nicely. No issues at all. There have been a few important recalls for HPFP, injectors and software. BMW handled all of those issues quite well and now these cars come with numerous extended warranties:
HPFP: 10 year / 120K mile warranty. Even out of warranty it is just a $230 part and 2-3 hours of labor
Turbos on pre-2009 models: 8 year / 80K miles.
Common maintenance parts like brake pads, rotors, oil and oil filters are on par with the average VW/AUDI and often they are cheaper (most sensors).
Fuel consumption can vary from 30-32 mpg on the highway, to 18-24 in city and down to 6mpg on the track. Overall, I would rate the fuel efficiency as excellent considering the power output.
In conclussion
This is a great car for someone who is past the stupidity of college kids with cheap econoboxes. It will put more smiles on your face than you would normally guess from its restrained exterior. It will deliver you to your destination in great comfort and it will exhilarate you on the twisty back roads.
Would I recommend it to my mother: Absolutely not! It can be downright scary if unaccustomed to its driving dynamics and power.
Would I recommend it to a car enthusiast: Most definitely
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