[meccanoble]

Yup, although the M is a monster of a car, I needed something more spacious and more low end power, not to mention a sportier interior. So here are some pics of the new ride!!









Ok, now that I got that joke out of the way, (I hope you guys saw the contradiction in the first paragraph) the truth is I sent car in to get DME upgrade, cluster replaced and some minor programming done under CPO. I went to BMW of Bloomfield, NJ. I worked with a service guy by the name of Rich that definitely went above and beyond to make sure my experience was of the highest quality. Before bringing my car in, we briefly discussed loaner car options and only thing I mentioned was 335 and similar color to my car. And as you can see, he honored me with my request! I have only had car for a few hours but have done a lot of driving and although this car has some balls, I definitely miss my car. So here are the benefits and disadvantages!!!

Benefits over M:
- audio system is slightly better than the M3 HK system. You can put the bass up and you still get clearer sound than HK when up on default setup.
- steering wheel feels smaller and easier to whip around. The top part of the steering wheel also has a better feel than my M. You can grip it without feeling like you are going to damage it (rub off or something). I suspsected it was because it was a new car but I think the material for the wheel on the top area may be better.
- braking was SURPRISINGLY very good on this car. I wouldnt say its better than the M but its definitely above average. Great response. I think I'm bigging it up more because I wasnt expecting it to be so well.
- Car definitely takes bumps better than the M. Car doesnt have all the squeeks and when you hit a bump, you dont feel/hear it as much as the M. I think this car has 18's which could also play a factor. (versus my 19's)

Disadvantages over M:
- Turbo lag is definitely present. You cant just mash out in the middle of a gear without experiencing that delay which can be tolerable but definitely a dissappointment after driving the M.
- THE CAR IS SMALL!!!! I was expecting a 4 door to give me slightly more space than the M coupe but its the complete opposite. Head room is ridiculously small. I never had to adjust my head to jump into my car but I literally have to break my neck to properly sit in this car. The back seats are worthless. There is no leg room there for anyone above 5'8" or 150 lbs when I'm in the driver seat. It basically feels like a coupe with 4 doors. I would never buy this car for this reason alone. But being a 3 series I should have expected it to be a little tight.
- Seats are comfortable but dont look as good or feel as comforting as the M seats
- Interior feel is definitely more on the classy/luxury side as discussed by others. This is a preference I guess but I rather have the display and feel of the M. If I wanted 90% class and 10% sporty, I would get a mercedes.
- Handling goes to the M ofcourse but this car handles pretty good. My friend who rented a 328xi thinks the suspension is tuned better on the 335xi for sporty driving but I dont have room to compare. Handle is REALLY good for a sedan but still not touching the M.

Overall, this is a nice car but not a car for me. It has some low and high end power but my M wiht S6, DSC off and sports button is way more fun and a lot faster. Anyone thinking of trading their M for a 335 (coupe, sedan, whatever), I definitely dont recommend it. I'm almost ashamed for thinking of grabbing the 335i coupe over my M.

Side note*
I know this was a 4 door, auto and AWD version but even with the best setup, I cant see this car being more fun than an M and speed still feels like it belongs more to the M side. Patiently waiting to get my car back but extremely happy with BMW for giving me a great loaner, easy communication at the dealer and best of all, people know what they are talking about. I printed out a list of the programming options and he detailed me that they should not erase any of the old settings for this update but we went over a few of the options to make sure everything is added properly. I'll definitely update when I get my car back.

[GuapOh]

If you like the 335Xi, you made a good choice.

[WkboardAtx]

^^^ If you read the post he clearly stated it was a loaner car.

[Tehjas]

[PIR3lly]

Originally Posted by GuapOh

If you like the 335Xi, you made a good choice.

Originally Posted by WkboardAtx

^^^ If you read the post he clearly stated it was a loaner car.

[C M3 FLY]

I am going to be taking my E46 M for the DME recall as well soon but everytime I ask regarding loaners, I never get a straight answer. Some dealers have even told me that they may have to provide me with an Enterprise loaner......

Did you just request that they give you a 335I? Did you have to forward the request weeks in advance?

Thanks.

[WkboardAtx]

Lol didn't mean to sound rude. Everytime I've tried to get a Bmw loaner car; they told me I had to make an appointment and reserve one as they only had a few; How long does the DME take?

[///M Kevin]

Originally Posted by WkboardAtx

Lol didn't mean to sound rude. Everytime I've tried to get a Bmw loaner car; they told me I had to make an appointment and reserve one as they only had a few; How long does the DME take?

Mine took 5 hours but I heard some members had to leave their cars for only 2.

[meccanoble]

I brought my car in for an inspection a few weeks ago, just to make sure there was no crazy issues with the car even though I didnt see a problem besides loose ebrake. We discussed bringing my car in for cluster replacement and other upgrades but never discussed what type of loaner I would get. He did mention that the next time I came, I would get a loaner. First inspection/service took about an hour, maybe a little longer and I patiently waited at the dealership.

Maybe 3-4 days ago, I spoke with my service guy who verified my appointment and thats the ONLY time we discussed a loaner. I dont know if its because I'm under CPO or becuase I'm getting something expensive replaced (Cluster is almost 1000 dollars) or maybe because my service guy is great at what he does, but they definitely took care of me. I would definitely say working with the right service guy, building a good relationship and maybe a little bit of luck helped me with getting this loaner.

I dropped car off around 9:30 am. Its almost 3:30 pm. So they have been working on car for a good 6 hours and counting. He mentioned i would have loaner until 4 pm but that time is approaching and still havent received a call back. Maybe they'll let me hold this until Monday? . I rather have the M but I also rather put miles on this car than my baby.

[sy1616]

where's that tossing off emoticon????