[jollerbarn]

Hi,

I owned an E91 335d for a year, which I traded in for a new '09 E92 335i DCT. My good friend owns a 2008 335i Step and when I originally drove his step 335i for the first time I decided to switch out the diesel with the petrol for my next model. The arrival of new iDrive and DCT helped further the thought into action.

This comparison is merely based on my thoughts of driving the cars. I've only had my 335i DCT for a couple of weeks now, but I've got a good idea how the car behaves.

I do most of my driving in and around the city, so of course my thoughts and conclusions will be centered around that. This leads me to the 335d.. I really must say that for city- and every day driving the 335d has an edge. The endless torque in that engine became addictive and the feeling that the car was nimble and ready at even the slightest bit of throttle was something to admire.

Back when I enjoyed the diesel the test drive in a 335i step put a big smile on my face for one reason in particular: sound. I never rolled the windows down in my 335d simply because of the lack of a proper sound from the exhaust. Granted, BMW's engineers have done great things to provide something similar to the original BMW deep six pot yowl in the diesel, but it's not even close to the 335i.

So after the original test drive of a 335i step I had more or less decided that I wanted the petrol. When I found out shortly after that we'd get the DCT version for '09 model my mind was made up - and I couldn't wait. Now, having driven that exact car for two weeks as well as my old 335d and the 335i step I've noticed some good things and some not so good things.

335d:
Good things:
- Wonderful engine. Very predictable and very low end responsive.
- Easy and comfortable to drive at all speeds
- Step is the right transmission for this car
- Silken _at_ speed, but noisy when _getting up to_ speed

Bad things:
- The power delivery is flat and too predictable
- It's hardly very involving to drive it I think. It's a surgical instrument of torque, but it failed to make me smile like the 335i
- SOUND - or lack thereof

335i step:
Good things:
- Wonderful engine that revs and sounds like it has a purpose
- Easy to drive
- Sound

Bad things:
- Lack of responsiveness at low revs - it needs more throttle than I'm used to. Granted, the petrol is a landmark engine in terms of torque, but it still can't hold it's own against a 335d at the low end
- Step didn't feel like the right transmission for the car.. the engine craves gear changes and I'd find myself waiting for the gears. It felt like sticking my foot into a box of tomatoes when pusing the throttle

335i DCT
Good things:
- The DCT shifts like nothing I've ever driven. In S + "Sport" mode the shifts are crazy fast, but never harsh like a step or SMG. Also, in normal D mode you never feel it, but you get used to listening to the engine to know what's happening in the gears.
- The combination of D and S driving modes with the addition of "Sport" mode to both driving modes is a good thing.
- The shifters on the steering wheel actually come into use now. I never used them on my 335d.
- Great sense of control over the engine since the shifts are so immediate
- A very involving drive and I can roll the windows down now!

Bad things:
- It could be better at low speeds. If I'm doing 30km/h and I release the throttle the engine braking hits you like a sledge hammer. My 335d step didn't have this problem, and also the 335i step I drove didn't have it. I'm sure this has something to do with the differences in the transmissions. I'll need to get used to compensate for it when driving.
- When setting off I feel I have to give it too much throttle to get it going. My old 335d could be moved out of the intersections with just the tips of my toes. The DCT 335i always seems to crave more throttle. Granted when you apply the throttle it replies heartily.

To finish I'll add that the switch from 335d to 335i also was greatly influenced by the fact that my daily drives are mostly short trips. The diesel takes about 30+mins of driving before it's warmed up properly. In the diesel I felt a bigger difference between a cold and warmed up engine than I did in the petrol

[jollerbarn]

Here's my old 335d:
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...ractor+arrived

Here's my new 335i DCT:
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...light=335i+dct

[SkipSauls]

Thanks for the review. I don't know when (or if) we'll get the DCT in the States. It would be interesting to see what a 335d DCT would be like! What I'd really like is a possibly mystical 535d xDrive DCT (or whatever the right "name" would be), and maybe a wagon at that.

[jollerbarn]

Originally Posted by SkipSauls

Thanks for the review. I don't know when (or if) we'll get the DCT in the States. It would be interesting to see what a 335d DCT would be like! What I'd really like is a possibly mystical 535d xDrive DCT (or whatever the right "name" would be), and maybe a wagon at that.

I don't know that the DCT box would do the 335d/535d much good. The ZF steptronic seemed right for the car and the fact you had so much torque made gear changes unimportant.

[vod74]

great review jollerbarn! thanks

[Deda]

thanks for sharing you expirience..cool post!