2008 BMW 335XI Coupe

Retail Price as tested: $52,295.00

I could write on and on about the BMW 335XI. Its one of the best vehicles I have ever driven and I mean that. I only found a few faults with this car and they are minor. The car just demands attention no matter where you drive it. Everyone - young old, male or female, love this car. Its a car that will not disappoint. If you are a car enthusiast that enjoys quality you have found the car. If not you will still enjoy this car. It is the “Ultimate Driving Machine”!

The interior of the BMW 335XI is very comfortable and stylish. The leather seats make you feel right at home in the drivers seats and have enough adjustments to fit anyone. This is one of the few cars that I have driven that didn’t give me a sore back. The dash and drivers controls are well positioned. My only complaint is the center console is back to far but there would be no way to remedy this with the way the car interior is designed.

This is one of the best cars I have ever driven. I know those are strong words but everything about this car says quality. It is all BMW and they have done a great job in building a car in the 50k range that feels like it costs a lot more. It drives like an “ultimate driving machine” that BMW is known for. The 300hp 3.0 liter dual turbo engine feels more like a small V-8. It has fantastic low end power and the 6-speed manual transmission shifts extremely smooth. The X-Drive gives traction to all 4 wheels and the car just “sticks” when you want it to. I especially liked the “hill hold” that comes with the 335 that keeps you from rolling back when you are on a hill. When you release the brake pedal the brakes stay engaged for a few seconds so you can get the clutch let out before you roll back. This is not new technology but very few cars use it. It really helps in an area like ours where we have a lot of hills. The i-drive is also awesome. I have read other reviews that were critical of i-drive and frankly I am not sure what the problem is. It worked great for me and was very easy to use once you understand the way it works. The car has great lines and looks great before you ever drive it. I enjoyed this car very much and it was hard to give up after driving it. I could easily own this car! (I don’t say that about all cars.) Every person that I showed this car to loved it. BMW - hats off to you!

3.0 Liter Dual Turbo charged engine. 300hp and 300 lb.-ft of torque. Its BMW’s first new design in the US in decades.

Engine and Transmission

The 300 hp engine combined with the 6-speed transmission make for one fast ride. The engine and 6 speed transmission work so well that you can drive this vehicle in three gears. I drove it the majority of the time in 1st, 3rd and 5th. The engine has great torque and will pull through any of the gears. It really makes the car what it is. I have driven cars in the past that drove great but had terrible drive-train. I have also driven cars that had a ton of power but handled terrible. It was great to finally drive a car that could do both. The 335XI just works. You get in it and drive. You find yourself in a very short time falling in love with this car and the way it runs and handles. My MPG was 21 for city with some highway driving mixed in. I thought this was great since keeping your right foot off of the gas pedal is very difficult. This car really runs and has a 0-60 time of 5.4 seconds and a top speed of 130 mph. 16/25 is the mpg listing on the window sticker. For complete specs click here.

Interior

John Rush - Host

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It is a “direct injection” engine which helps the engine eliminate turbo lag and increases mpg. Compression ratio is 10.2:1 which is high for a turbocharged engine. This is one great engine that works fantastic!

I loved the steering wheel controls and the way they are positioned. I also like that you can assign different commands to different buttons through the i-drive option. The heating and a/c works great and keep both the driver and passenger comfortable at whatever temperature each one wants. The shifter is positioned exactly where it needs to be as well as the i-drive controls.

The rear seat does not have a ton of room but it will fit a full sized adult (or my 190 lb. 16 year old son). The rear seat is as comfortable as the front and it has its own console and cup holders. The front seat belts have a mechanism that “hands” you the seat belt so you don’t have to reach back for it.

BMW’s i-drive works well as does the NAV system. Its one of the easiest ones I have used and the voice that talks to you is better than most. I found the NAV system to be accurate and up to date. I also enjoyed the iPod/iPhone interface. It worked flawlessly with no hassle. It was easy to hook up and I had it working in just a few seconds.

Lighting

I am very picky about lighting as most manufacturers miss the mark in this area. The Xenon Adaptive Headlights lights on the BMW 335XI are some of the best lights I have ever used. They actually turn as you turn the steering wheel so you see through the corner and just around it. Another innovation from BMW!