BMW has done it again in my view. I own a 2005 325i and got my 2007 335i coupe last year… both are excellent cars but the 335i is simply multiple levels in everything eevn beyond the obvious performance bump above the BMW ‘bread and butter car’! This is one fantastic grand tourer and while I would not track it, you could easily even with stock 18″ rims and the Bridgestone runflats it comes with! It is worth the extra $ you pay above the immitators from the East.

A performance street car is always going to be a compromise if not an oxymoron, but I think BMW have hit the bullseye with this one. How often have 4 very comfortable seats been so beautifully wrapped? How often have you enjoyed truly excellent flexibility and performance while still getting terrific mileage? I could nitpick about run flat tires with no spare, the lack of a limited slip differential, an iDrive system that still needs to be redesigned by Apple, but the rest is so outstandingly terrific that it wouldn’t be fair to the overall accomplishment, which is exceptional. I’ve owned an M3 and while very good, it lacks the supple delights found here. I’d love a Vantage for its looks but wouldn’t trade my 335i Coupe when real world considerations are factored in. This is an elegant daily driver that delivers all the performance you could reasonably ask for or use on the street with comfortable seating for 4, a decent trunk with folding rear seats for practicality, an outstanding stereo (with Logic 7), amazing fuel economy for the performance and a delightful sporty sound. The only car I’ve ever owned that charmed me so thoroughly was an NSX, but despite its charms, its compromises meant it could never fulfill the all around functionality of this amazing all-in-one design.