[gmazet]

I took delivery a week ago, and have put only about 200 miles on it since... worked from home a couple days, took the train to nyc a few others..

But when I drive the car... WOW!

Comfort: 8 out of 10

First, I am pretty tall, about 6'4", and it is very tough for me to find a car I can be comfortable in. Headroom is not an issue, for me its legroom and I always find my legs are too bent or my knees are knocking into various parts of the car. The 335 coupe has plenty of legroom, and one thing I really like about the coupe is that when I put my seat all the way back, it's not sitting behind the b-pillar like in sedans (I had an Infiniti M45 prior to this car, and it was annoying to look left and see my seatbelt pulley.. The seats themselves are pretty firm, not the most supple and comfortable, but this is a sport-coupe, and when the sport starts happening (which seems like all the time), they do their job just fine. If they had "active seat comfort adjustment" like they have active suspension, that would be cool.... I do miss the air conditioned seats from my M45..

Exterior Appearance: 7 out of 10
I love white, I love the look of the coupe, and I think the styling is perfect. Swooping roofline, aggressive profile, not riced out with clear cover tail lights, tasteful wheels and ground effects, all seem pretty good, eh? They are. What keeps this from being an 8 or 9 is the quality of the paint job.. if you like orange peel, then this is the company/car for you! Fortunately, it's not toooo conspicuous on the white car, but it is there, and the paintjob is worse than many American cars I have owned and certainly not up to the Japanese standards.. Also a couple of flaws in the paint that are not noticeable until you detail it with zaino for 11 hours..

Interior Appearance: 9 out of 10
I got the red interior, and WOW, it is, as a friend of mine says, PIMP! It's not actually that overstated but it is bold. The wood finish isn't as mirror smooth as I would like, and the floor mats are not very nice hence the less than perfect score, but other than that, I really like sitting in the car and looking around. I like how the sills on the doors arc like the flow of the roofline, I like the lighting and the dash/gauges look good, and not cheap.

Quality: 8 out of 10 (paint notwithstanding)
Overall fit and finish are pretty good, I would say the interior is very well done and the exterior has some gaps/alignment of sheet metal (esp the front fender and fascia joint, slightly misaligned hood, etc.

Gadgets and technology: 8 out of 10
OK, the Japanese cars do have a few things on the Germans and one of those things is compartments and other nifty things like dual action sun visors with extenders (man, the M45 had the best visors ever and you wouldn't think that is important until you take my commute to work and the sun is in your eyes constantly). Also miss something as simple as a flip-down sunglasses compartment.. The BMW's nav system is good in some ways (programmable while moving) and bad in others (doesn't tell you what road you are on). I like the addition of traffic, but overall, the Nav needs improvement (which I understand is happening soon....) the stereo is very good, and I love the Ipod integration (something the M didn't have! Cup holders are almost nil which is fine, you should be driving, not eating and drinking.. No backup camera - this should probably be standard on all cars with a screen.. I used to practically drive without turning around; the M's cam was awesome.. Bluetooth works very well with my BB Titanium, and the phone quality is good.

Performance: 9 out of 10 (you need to be a Porsche turbo, Ferrari, Lambo, etc to get a 10)
It's tough to really rate the car in this area as it still is not broken in, but sometimes, you can tell by what's there, that this thing is about driving first, and these engineers spent a lot of time on the track.. the engine has plenty of grunt up to the recommended 4500 RPM for break in, and the car turns on a dime and the big breaks will pop your contacts out... I like driving with the windows open (even when it is 90 out) to hear the engine and exhaust, both give of an intoxicating note that starts as a burbly grunt and turns into a throaty howl when things get spinning. I find myself looking for apexes and brake points on country roads, but always reminding myself that I am not out here alone.. I think when it's broken in a few laps at pocono are in order. I drive around with a Cheshire cat grin on all the time and I still have not felt the full fury of this machine.

Bottom line, this car is fun to drive and is bound to get me into trouble. My dad took it for a spin today, and he even said that when he felt it roar.. It's special when you pop gets that grin on his face sitting next to you (he had an 86 325es White and Red, so it was a bit of nostalgia for him.. This car's performance is extremely well balanced, a great engine, one of the best I have ever experienced (inclusive of big block and small block Chevy’s, Japanese turbo's, 6's and 8's, and even an old BMW low redline torquey 6 from the mid-80's), with a great suspension, precise and responsive steering, and strong brakes. I have been missing a lot, but no more!!

Value: 9 out of 10
Was going to be an 8 out of 10, but 0.9% financing notched it up. I think you get a lot for your money here, and I am not sure anything out there can compete with the complete package this is for the price. I can't even squeeze into the Infinity G37. I didn't like the styling or weak engine of the Benz CLK, and the Audi's engine is too weak too (and you can't find an A5 to save your life). Nobody else has anything that competes in this segment..

Overall, I would say this car is almost a 9 out of 10. Give me a better paint job, and you near perfection... Can a car bring you happiness? I don't know, but I drive around with a grin on, and that ain't sadness!!

If you are thinking about buying one, and have the means, I highly recommend picking one up. It combines a lot of technology (some you can see, some you can't) with the sporty feel of being connected directly to the road that few cars can match.


Now, how the heck do I keep people from parking next to it.. hrmmm

Pimp?


Does this car look like it CAN'T kick your ass?



Stylin

[TK-421]

the red interior really is amazing, it really sets off the white

[gmazet]

Originally Posted by news 4 u

the red interior really is amazing, it really sets off the white

I never liked red interiors.. I guess I liked my dad's back in the day, but my brothers had a maverick that looked like a red bomb went off in it.. everything was red, steering wheel, roof liner, carpets, doors, seats, everything! My wife has a nissan quest with a red interior... it's not that bad, because it is red/black but the dash is red, and it looks cheesy.. This interior just looks right..

I'm going to go outside and sit in my car with my laptop

[OBI_agent]

Congrats on your car bro.......really good colour combo

[gmazet]

Originally Posted by OBI_agent

Congrats on your car bro.......really good colour combo

Thanks! I took a few co-workers and friends out for rides today, they are all ga-ga over it..

It's a less expensive car than my M45 was, but has way more WOW factor.

[yazz]

i like

[evo2335]

congrats on the car... i have the same combo just with aluminum trim and yesterday finished the break in period..... this car really is a beast!!! just you watch...

[gmazet]

Originally Posted by evo2335

congrats on the car... i have the same combo just with aluminum trim and yesterday finished the break in period..... this car really is a beast!!! just you watch...

I can hardly wait!!! Enjoy yours!

[ALPINE6SPD]

Gary
Glad I could help you out with the car. You got the 0.9% by waiting until Friday like I thought you should I am glad your liking it. You already know my next car when my leasi is up in may will also be AW with CR.

[Res Ipsa]

Beautiful car! I think the grey poplar wood is the perfect compliment to the Coral Red Dakota leather.

[gmazet]

Originally Posted by Res Ipsa

Beautiful car! I think the grey poplar wood is the perfect compliment to the Coral Red Dakota leather.

thanks, like your color combo too!

not only is it a fine performance car, but at 25MPG (mostly around local roads) its pretty economical! I managed to go a whole week (about 380 miles) without having to fill up. That's nice.

[PLAYON]

excellent review man! car looks great with coral red

any mods planned?

[Balthazar_B]

Hi, gmazet. Your discussion of the transmission and operating it is conspicuous by its absence. What do you think of it, and if you had to score it separately, what would you give it?

I ask because I have personally found the MT to be the weak spot of the driving experience in this car. I've driven manuals my whole long life, and am pained to admit I preferred the Step in the coupe (I was looking forward to the DCT which could be the best of both worlds, but no idea when it will show up in the US...but interestingly, one of the auto review mags said the DCT it the M3 wasn't very well done).

So very interested in your impressions of the MT after driving with it for a while. Thanks!

[-=Hot|Ice=-]

Originally Posted by gmazet

Thanks! I took a few co-workers and friends out for rides today, they are all ga-ga over it..

It's a less expensive car than my M45 was, but has way more WOW factor.

It's less expensive because the M45 is compared to the 5 series Not the 3. That's why you don't have any of the nifty features.


The 3 would be compared to the G.

[simp0man]

Originally Posted by gmazet

I took delivery a week ago, and have put only about 200 miles on it since... worked from home a couple days, took the train to nyc a few others..

But when I drive the car... WOW!

Comfort: 8 out of 10

First, I am pretty tall, about 6'4", and it is very tough for me to find a car I can be comfortable in. Headroom is not an issue, for me its legroom and I always find my legs are too bent or my knees are knocking into various parts of the car. The 335 coupe has plenty of legroom, and one thing I really like about the coupe is that when I put my seat all the way back, it's not sitting behind the b-pillar like in sedans (I had an Infiniti M45 prior to this car, and it was annoying to look left and see my seatbelt pulley.. The seats themselves are pretty firm, not the most supple and comfortable, but this is a sport-coupe, and when the sport starts happening (which seems like all the time), they do their job just fine. If they had "active seat comfort adjustment" like they have active suspension, that would be cool.... I do miss the air conditioned seats from my M45..

Exterior Appearance: 7 out of 10
I love white, I love the look of the coupe, and I think the styling is perfect. Swooping roofline, aggressive profile, not riced out with clear cover tail lights, tasteful wheels and ground effects, all seem pretty good, eh? They are. What keeps this from being an 8 or 9 is the quality of the paint job.. if you like orange peel, then this is the company/car for you! Fortunately, it's not toooo conspicuous on the white car, but it is there, and the paintjob is worse than many American cars I have owned and certainly not up to the Japanese standards.. Also a couple of flaws in the paint that are not noticeable until you detail it with zaino for 11 hours..

Interior Appearance: 9 out of 10
I got the red interior, and WOW, it is, as a friend of mine says, PIMP! It's not actually that overstated but it is bold. The wood finish isn't as mirror smooth as I would like, and the floor mats are not very nice hence the less than perfect score, but other than that, I really like sitting in the car and looking around. I like how the sills on the doors arc like the flow of the roofline, I like the lighting and the dash/gauges look good, and not cheap.

Quality: 8 out of 10 (paint notwithstanding)
Overall fit and finish are pretty good, I would say the interior is very well done and the exterior has some gaps/alignment of sheet metal (esp the front fender and fascia joint, slightly misaligned hood, etc.

Gadgets and technology: 8 out of 10
OK, the Japanese cars do have a few things on the Germans and one of those things is compartments and other nifty things like dual action sun visors with extenders (man, the M45 had the best visors ever and you wouldn't think that is important until you take my commute to work and the sun is in your eyes constantly). Also miss something as simple as a flip-down sunglasses compartment.. The BMW's nav system is good in some ways (programmable while moving) and bad in others (doesn't tell you what road you are on). I like the addition of traffic, but overall, the Nav needs improvement (which I understand is happening soon....) the stereo is very good, and I love the Ipod integration (something the M didn't have! Cup holders are almost nil which is fine, you should be driving, not eating and drinking.. No backup camera - this should probably be standard on all cars with a screen.. I used to practically drive without turning around; the M's cam was awesome.. Bluetooth works very well with my BB Titanium, and the phone quality is good.

Performance: 9 out of 10 (you need to be a Porsche turbo, Ferrari, Lambo, etc to get a 10)
It's tough to really rate the car in this area as it still is not broken in, but sometimes, you can tell by what's there, that this thing is about driving first, and these engineers spent a lot of time on the track.. the engine has plenty of grunt up to the recommended 4500 RPM for break in, and the car turns on a dime and the big breaks will pop your contacts out... I like driving with the windows open (even when it is 90 out) to hear the engine and exhaust, both give of an intoxicating note that starts as a burbly grunt and turns into a throaty howl when things get spinning. I find myself looking for apexes and brake points on country roads, but always reminding myself that I am not out here alone.. I think when it's broken in a few laps at pocono are in order. I drive around with a Cheshire cat grin on all the time and I still have not felt the full fury of this machine.

Bottom line, this car is fun to drive and is bound to get me into trouble. My dad took it for a spin today, and he even said that when he felt it roar.. It's special when you pop gets that grin on his face sitting next to you (he had an 86 325es White and Red, so it was a bit of nostalgia for him.. This car's performance is extremely well balanced, a great engine, one of the best I have ever experienced (inclusive of big block and small block Chevy’s, Japanese turbo's, 6's and 8's, and even an old BMW low redline torquey 6 from the mid-80's), with a great suspension, precise and responsive steering, and strong brakes. I have been missing a lot, but no more!!

Value: 9 out of 10
Was going to be an 8 out of 10, but 0.9% financing notched it up. I think you get a lot for your money here, and I am not sure anything out there can compete with the complete package this is for the price. I can't even squeeze into the Infinity G37. I didn't like the styling or weak engine of the Benz CLK, and the Audi's engine is too weak too (and you can't find an A5 to save your life). Nobody else has anything that competes in this segment..

Overall, I would say this car is almost a 9 out of 10. Give me a better paint job, and you near perfection... Can a car bring you happiness? I don't know, but I drive around with a grin on, and that ain't sadness!!

If you are thinking about buying one, and have the means, I highly recommend picking one up. It combines a lot of technology (some you can see, some you can't) with the sporty feel of being connected directly to the road that few cars can match.


Now, how the heck do I keep people from parking next to it.. hrmmm

Pimp?


Does this car look like it CAN'T kick your ass?



Stylin

Very nice.

[E90330iS]

great review, please send me more pictures of your interior thru msg box!

[spec 123]

great choice of a car

[McLuVan]

wow
looks great

[DSe93]

congrats! best combo ever

[Fuh Teng]

That does look great. The red and white is fantastic. I love those wheels too! Too bad they're so expensive from BMW ($4500... really...?)

Fuh

[josephr25]

Good review. It makes me want mine even more.