None of this is necessarily a bad thing, but owners of older 3 Series models may wonder where their purist sports sedan went, or at what point all the gizmos start detracting from that sporting character. You can also replace the standard walnut interior accents with either light poplar or aluminum trim at no additional cost. Simulated leather seats are standard and real leather is optional. Front-seat occupants get as many as three cup holders, one which the iDrive displaces in the console between the seats and two wimpy contraptions that pop out of the dash on the passenger side above the glove box. They're comfortable, but legroom is scant. The steering wheel has a nice, new design, with the side spokes curving down into the bottom spoke.
Sometimes there would be lag and sometimes not. Don't count on saving any money at the gas pump, however. The big difference, of course, lies behind rear roof pillars and seats, where the wagons offer more load-carrying potential and versatility than the sedan, with a rear tailgate and rear window that can be opened separately. Even the standard-trim front buckets provide excellent support without feeling too hard. I was told that as soon as they find a solution they would let me know. The orange readout on it is almost invisible when wearing polarized sunglasses on a sunny day, even though similar orange readouts for the climate control are perfectly readable.
Cubbies and convenience features abound. As mentioned above, we appreciated the luxury feeling of the cabin. Manufacturer Info Sources: 1-800-831-1117 -. The Premium package, with which our car was equipped, includes Bluetooth cell phone integration. This coupe version of the latest 3-series is roughly two inches longer and sits nearly two inches lower than the sedan, as if gravity were more attracted to the coupe than the sedan. When the cornering limit is near, it quivers.
It was the first car in its class to offer radar-managed active cruise control, and even the standard cruise control will automatically apply the brakes if you get too close to a car ahead. The original G35s - sedan and coupe - had rear-wheel drive, rear-drive moves, and the sinuous styling that tugs at heartstrings and drains checking accounts. Even when the rear of the car went out wide on the corner, the 328xi still felt planted. Front seatbacks have mesh pouches for magazines. The front seats have enough firm support to ward off fatigue during a day's worth of driving, while the rear seats are adequately roomy for adults on shorter trips and plenty accommodating for children. Put more plainly, the 3 Series Convertible, like the 3 Series Sedan and Coupe, is a joy to drive.
The passenger side has a sloped, vertical door pull, while the driver's door lays the door pull horizontally in the arm rest. The fob slides into a slot next to the steering column, and you push the button to fire up. We used the steering wheel to tell the car where we wanted to go, and it did exactly what we wanted it to. Metal accents between the spokes mirrored the metal inset on the automatic transmission shifter. Perchance it's the result of cramming slots for six forward gears into a shift pattern more properly proportioned for five gears, but whatever, this is a distinct step backward from previous 3 Series manual gearboxes. The handling is what really distinguishes this car, although drivers expecting to be pampered shouldn't get behind the wheel.
Overlooking the spongy touch, upshifts flow naturally from gear to gear, even if the driver skips a gear or two, a not uncommon inclination when crawling through rush hour traffic. A tire-pressure monitoring system comes standard. It was fun while it lasted but its going downhill fast. Still, we'd gratefully send back 30 of those horses to Infiniti if it would bring harmony to the engine compartment. Fortified with more power and torque for 2007, both rear-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive variants, in either body style and with either transmission, are quicker from zero to 60 mph and even more capable of easily coping with any kind of traffic situation. Beyond simply feeling rock-solid when hustled around turns, this car communicates with the driver in a manner that inspires confidence no matter what kind of driving you're doing.
The first thing I noticed was that the breaks had a bad chatter, but at that mileage it was expected. All oft-used controls, especially the manual transmission shifter, are well within reach of the driver. We found the accelerator was difficult to get used to, and we could never really tell when we were going to get power. Despite the use of plastic front fenders, the 335i weighs 97 more pounds than the outgoing 330i sedan and carries a larger percentage of its weight over the front wheels. The engine provides acceleration that should satisfy the majority of buyers; the run from zero to 60 mph comes in 6.
The 328xi includes various other tech amenities, such as the smart key system. The audio system uses 10 speakers, including two subwoofers. With a combination of steel, aluminum and plastic, the new Coupe body weighs 22 lb. And the 3 Series Convertible has not been immune to this creeping plague of numbing isolation. The 230 horses make for longer drag-strip times, the 328i crossing 60 mph in 6.