A COUPE derivative of a four-door sedan is usually conceived for specific reasons: To offer styling panache, and maybe a more dynamic experience than sedan, with less emphasis on practicalities. It’s a halfway house between a two-seat, soft-top sportster and a sedan that offers bits of good and bits of bad from both. The new BMW 3 Series coupe certainly has the looks. And it’s not bad in practical terms either, with a reasonably commodious two-passenger rear and a big boot that can be augmented by a fold-down backrest. In the 335i, there are also the delights of a new, twin-turbo six to be experienced. Not massively over-boosted, the 3.0-litre 225kW inline engine still produces a decent 400Nm of torque that comes in at ridiculously low revs, allowing it to be driven without fear of falling into a turbo-induced hole. It’s almost as fast as an E46 M3 coupe. If you’re looking for downsides, perhaps you’ll find one in the 335i’s ride which, with lower sports suspension and larger wheels wearing run-flat tyres, is not exactly fluid.

E46 330Ci coupe
Released: Sep 2000
Ended: Sep 2006
Family Tree: 3 SeriesYes, the E92 335i replaces the E46 330Ci coupe, just as the E90 335i sedan replaces its four-door E46 330i predecessor. Launched here in September 2000, the 330Ci was powered by BMW's scintillatingly effective 3.0-litre straight six, which delivered 170kW and 300Nm. It was mated to five-speed auto and manual transmissions, while an SMG-equipped version arrived here in February 2004.
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