[DarkTrigger]

[Jamesons Viggen]

Originally Posted by shivaswrath

Have test driven the 328i?

Theres a substantial reduction in performance and handling...

What are you talking about, reduction in handling?

There is an improvement(not a large one) when going from same model line 335 to 328 due to the weight and where the weight is saved.

I think it's telling the F30 335 is off of the E90 335is by only 6 tenths. Maybe it's a case of different drivers in different conditions. Otherwise the IS was the highest performing non M E92 and had the more powerful N54. So a plain shoes F30 made a good showing. When higher performing variants come out along the F30 life cycle, things will get more interesting.

[328inGE]

Originally Posted by DarkTrigger

When deciding, I drove the 328i M sport and 335i M sport back to back. I was content with the 328i, but it just didn't have the same sound as the 335i which is why I went with it. I thought in performance terms they were pretty close, ie. 328i with the edge in handling and 335i with edge in the straight line.

thanks for the honest feedback. i felt the same way. i do miss the sound of the 335i though

Im hoping the replacement for the N55 offers a little more HP & MPG, while being lighter than the current engine. Then there will be no more debating

[shivaswrath]

Originally Posted by Jamesons Viggen

What are you talking about, reduction in handling?

There is an improvement(not a large one) when going from same model line 335 to 328 due to the weight and where the weight is saved.

I think it's telling the F30 335 is off of the E90 335is by only 6 tenths. Maybe it's a case of different drivers in different conditions. Otherwise the IS was the highest performing non M E92 and had the more powerful N54. So a plain shoes F30 made a good showing. When higher performing variants come out along the F30 life cycle, things will get more interesting.

I felt a difference when testing them back to back, unsure why, just my experience...

Front springs are for sure different due to engine weight, so that might've been it...might've also been that I tested a 328xi vs. the 335i I currently drive. Unsure, just what I felt.

[Jamesons Viggen]

Originally Posted by shivaswrath

I felt a difference when testing them back to back, unsure why, just my experience...

Front springs are for sure different due to engine weight, so that might've been it...might've also been that I tested a 328xi vs. the 335i I currently drive. Unsure, just what I felt.

An XI to non XI would skew results.

The 328's weight advantage would be erased, making it even slower than 335 and diluting the supposed handling advantage.

Drive Sport to Sport or M-Sport and both RWD configurations.

All the mags have commented on the RWD 328 having a slight handling edge.

I drove both RWD models with the same suspension, only difference was the tires. The 328 had a certain clarity to the controls and a bit of a more neutral-toss-able feel than the 335.

The difference is not night and day, just the way the straight line gap between the two isn't either.

[billiebob]

I was also extremely impressed with the 2012 v6 mustang I rented in napa valley last summer.

It ran circles around my e90 328 performance wise, and the fuel economy while hammering it was still in the mid twenties while the n52 was at 16mpg.

[Cyberdemon]

Was it a slushbox?

We rented a V6 Mustang on our honeymoon (granted convertible, so it was hauling a few extra hundred lbs) and it was god awful...I don't know if it was the terrible transmission, we had a particularly bad specimen or the extra weight/flex of the top, but yikes it was bad.

[Jamesons Viggen]

Originally Posted by Cyberdemon

Was it a slushbox?

We rented a V6 Mustang on our honeymoon (granted convertible, so it was hauling a few extra hundred lbs) and it was god awful...I don't know if it was the terrible transmission, we had a particularly bad specimen or the extra weight/flex of the top, but yikes it was bad.

The 305hp 3.7L was new for '11 and made things much more interesting. Plenty of rental fleets still use the '10 which had the exact same body, but the old crappy 4.0.

This happened to my bro-in-in law a couple of weeks ago. He was given a '10, it got a flat and he was given an '11 as a replacement and was not sure why he liked the 2nd one a lot more lol.

The base suspension and fuel economy car gearing kill the V6. You need the performance package that nets a more aggressive rear end gear, and the GT's brake and suspension/tire hardware. Those cars produce nearly .95+ on the skidpad.

[Cyberdemon]

Originally Posted by Jamesons Viggen

The 305hp 3.7L was new for '11 and made things much more interesting. Plenty of rental fleets still use the '10 which had the exact same body, but the old crappy 4.0.

This happened to my bro-in-in law a couple of weeks ago. He was given a '10, it got a flat and he was given an '11 as a replacement and was not sure why he liked the 2nd one a lot more lol.

The base suspension and fuel economy car gearing kill the V6. You need the performance package that nets a more aggressive rear end gear, and the GT's brake and suspension/tire hardware. Those cars produce nearly .95+ on the skidpad.

I think it was actually a '11 or '12 since it was only this summer and it had very few miles on it...it seemed like the gearing was killing it so the stock rear end probably didn't help.

I can see that making sense though. I rented a V8 SS Camaro Convertible and it was terrible...the V6 coupe they had to give me after the SS's brakes turned out to be broken (fun driving 300 miles with a broken master cylinder) was much peppier.

[KneeDragr]

Originally Posted by tdizzle

Sadly the M3 isn't much faster (about 3 seconds) than the old Mustang GT, and I suspect would be slower than the current model as the new SS Camaro is about 3 seconds faster than the M3 (while costing about $30k less, talk about performance per $$$). The new Camaro ZL1 and Shelby GT500 just spank any of the M's, which just makes me sad since they cost substantially less. All that talk about the American cars being too heavy and the Mustang's dated live axle should just die now because they're just beasts in both a straight line and on the track, not to mention cheap. You can actually buy a ZL1 for about what you pay for a loaded 335i.

Hey at least you are admitting it, just like I am admitting the ZL1 is faster around the track than my GS Corvette.

Over on the Corvette forum I posted this LL article and almost everybody is calling BS that the ZL1 is outperforming it.

And there is a particularly outspoken BMW owner, who keeps telling everyone that a M3 is a match for a GS corvette as well.

I dont know why people get so mad and abusive when the facts hit them in the face. Just admit that there are lot of kick ass cars out there, and yes, some of them are faster than yours.

[tdizzle]

Originally Posted by KneeDragr

Hey at least you are admitting it, just like I am admitting the ZL1 is faster around the track than my GS Corvette.

Over on the Corvette forum I posted this LL article and almost everybody is calling BS that the ZL1 is outperforming it.

And there is a particularly outspoken BMW owner, who keeps telling everyone that a M3 is a match for a GS corvette as well.

I dont know why people get so mad and abusive when the facts hit them in the face. Just admit that there are lot of kick ass cars out there, and yes, some of them are faster than yours.

Some people are just "homers" and will route or refuse to believe any car is better/faster than theirs, especially domestically built cars.

Go check out the Ford vs Chevy forums and you'll see a lot of the same thing. Brand loyalty apparently trumps facts in far too many instances.

[buildbright]

I agree with others I find these comparisons silly. Sometimes I think they pull these numbers out of there buts to create a stir. One day the 335i is numb and the next its the most amazing machine. Ad selling BS.

[verbs]

Originally Posted by Cyberdemon

I can see that making sense though. I rented a V8 SS Camaro Convertible and it was terrible...the V6 coupe they had to give me after the SS's brakes turned out to be broken (fun driving 300 miles with a broken master cylinder) was much peppier.

Something was wrong with the V8. There's in no reality where the V6 Camaro should feel "peppier" than the V8.

[verbs]

Originally Posted by Jamesons Viggen

I think it's telling the F30 335 is off of the E90 335is by only 6 tenths. Maybe it's a case of different drivers in different conditions. Otherwise the IS was the highest performing non M E92 and had the more powerful N54. So a plain shoes F30 made a good showing. When higher performing variants come out along the F30 life cycle, things will get more interesting.

This is very true. It's an impressive feat.

[fotios335i]

They gave the 335i a great review.

[Cyberdemon]

Originally Posted by verbs

Something was wrong with the V8. There's in no reality where the V6 Camaro should feel "peppier" than the V8.

I agree with you, but speaking from the butt dyno perspective it seems like a combination of the extra 500lbs of weight, a miserable slushbox that like keeping the engine at low revs and a taller final gearing could have all attributed to it feeling like crap. It only had 3,000 miles on it at the time.

To be fair, I found my co-workers brand new CTS-V to feel sluggish with the automatic. A lot of automakers these days are tuning the automatics to hold the highest gear possible and detune the accelerator response to try and improve the fuel economy.

It's the same difference as trying to drive the F30 in Eco mode vs sport...if that switch didn't exist I'd think I was driving a completely different car.

[shivaswrath]

Originally Posted by Jason

Car and Driver's Annual Lightning Lap Competition at the Virginia International Raceway has taken place and the results are in. The F10 M5, F13 M6 coupe and the F30 335i sedan were tested and turned in the following times:


Full List by Times
Ferrari 458 - 2.49.9
Lexus LFA - 2.55.1
Chevy Camaro ZL1 - 2.57.5
Merc C63 Black Series - 2.58.0
Porsche 911 S - 2.58.9
Ford Shelby GT500 - 3.00.6
Chevy Camaro SS 1LE - 3.01.5
Jaguar XKR-S - 3.02.1
Porsche Boxster S - 3.04.2
Audi RS5 - 3.04.3
BMW M6 - 3.04.7
BMW M5 - 3.05.2
* BMW M3 (E92) - 3.05.4 (from last year's competition, for reference)
* BMW 1M Coupe - 3:06.6 (from last year's competition, for reference)
Audi S6 - 3.09.8
BMW 335i sedan - 3.13.2
Hyundai Genesis 3.8 R - 3.13.9
Dodge Charger Pursuit - 3.17.8
Subaru BRZ - 3.18.6
Ford Focus St - 3.21.4
Chevy Caprice PPV - 3.23.0
Fiat 500 Abarth - 3.27.3


LL1 Category
Hyundai Genesis 3.8 R - 3.13.9
Subaru BRZ - 3.18.6
Ford Focus St - 3.21.4
Fiat 500 Abarth - 3.27.3

LL2 Category
Chevy Camaro ZL1 - 2.57.5
Chevy Camaro SS 1LE - 3.01.5
BMW 335i sedan - 3.13.2

LL3 Category
Merc C63 Black Series - 2.58.0
Porsche 911 S - 2.58.9
Ford Shelby GT500 - 3.00.6
Porsche Boxster S - 3.04.2
Audi RS5 - 3.04.3
BMW M6 - 3.04.7
BMW M5 - 3.05.2
Audi S6 - 3.09.8

LL4 Category
Ferrari 458 - 2.49.9
Jaguar XKR-S - 3.02.1

LL5 Category
Lexus LFA - 2.55.1

Police Cars
Dodge Charger Pursuit - 3.17.8
Chevy Caprice PPV - 3.23.0

Attachment 800968

Turns out test car is a Sportline.

The poor performance bothers me more now.

[Jamesons Viggen]

Originally Posted by shivaswrath

Turns out test car is a Sportline.

The poor performance bothers me more now.

What matters more is what TIRES were on the Sport Line.

[jbbrann]

Originally Posted by Jamesons Viggen

What matters more is what TIRES were on the Sport Line.

Can't make out the sidewall in the video, but it looks to be Potenza S001s. It has 19s so it should have summer tires.

[Jamesons Viggen]

Originally Posted by jbbrann

Can't make out the sidewall in the video, but it looks to be Potenza S001s. It has 19s so it should have summer tires.

Just saw, yep 19's. If it's the S001's, that is sad.

[ric124]

So the good news is if we wanted to we can out run the cops.

[shivaswrath]

Originally Posted by Jamesons Viggen

Just saw, yep 19's. If it's the S001's, that is sad.

Right?? I mean that's a descent handling setup as far as the lineup goes...the only next upgrade is the M Perf Suspension, which won't dramatically change things too much.

Maybe the upgraded brakes would've helped? Usually, it's tires that have the largest impact, and drivers didn't complain about brake fade, so kind of Still disappointing...