E46M3 vs E92 335i - Tested and driven

[TripleM]

It was a drizzling Saturday afternoon but it didn’t quite discourage me from visiting PML Alexandra. I was really curious about the 335i and decided to test drive the car.

A lot has been said about this car in other threads. Whether it’s the look, the performance, the price but little or none has been said much of how this car fares against the E46M3.

As an E46M3 owner who still drives the car, I won’t be biased. IMO, these two siblings of different generations are truly worth comparing, well at least from street driving perspectives.

So here are my thoughts.

Without a doubt, the car looks great, very well proprotioned. It looks a tad bigger than the M3 but the rear seat of the 335i is essentially a-two-seater whereas the M3 has no center console divider in the rear seat and therefore can seat 3 adults quite comfortably.

So we moved off and I drove the car pretty hard most of the time, squeezing out every bit I could.

I will be lying if I say the 335i is no-where near the performance of an M3. The twin turbo torque and power band are seriously impressive, virtually zero lag so to speak. The torque is pretty monstrous and smooth, certainly not that kind of turbo rush you might have experienced before in cars like EVO and STi.

It’s very different from an M3 where the curve is more linear and reaches its peak around 5500rpm. The 335i torque kicks in pretty early and already reaching the peak at mid 1k and stays flat all the way to around 5k rpm before it starts to dip. It definitely feels quicker than M3 as far as acceleration goes. I believe this car can take on an M3 at tight corners. The engine note is pretty sweet and sporty. You can hear it roaring when you rev it hard but it doesn’t have that sensational raw feeling of an S54 engine found in M3.

Gear change is decently quick. I’d say it’s probably equivalent to the S5 mode of M3’s SMGII. What I don’t like bout the 335i’s paddles-shift pattern is that in order to drop gears, you push the paddle. I find the M3’s paddle-shift pattern is more natural and motor-sport oriented. Left paddle pull for downshift and right paddle pull for up-shift.

While many of you know the M3’s SMGII is jerky, the 335’s isn’t at all as it is an auto-gearbox with steering mounted paddle-shifts. It’s brilliant if you ask me and I am pretty sure those SMG haters will like the feeling of 335’s gearshifts.

So the car is fast. How does it handle?
Comes standard in the 335i is sport suspension and non-active steering. Trust me, you will not want to have AS in a car like 335i. What you really want is just a conventional non-electric power steering but a reasonably quick steering ratio. M3 got it right from the beginning and it was further improved in the CS (or ZCP as it’s know in the US) model that uses the M3CSL’s super quick steering ratio.

The suspension of 335i is much more comfortable than the M3 yet the car handles very well. What makes the car feel a little bumpier is probably due to the Run Flat Tires. Else, the 335 handling feels superbly balanced and confidence inspiring. It’s pretty damn good in stock condition. The body roll seems less noticeable compared to stock M3.

Braking feel is very similar to M3 but quieter as the M3 (European specs) uses cross-drilled rotors where in the event of hard braking, u can hear a bit of humming noise. Both braking power are pretty equal as far as the set up of each car is concerned. Too bad I didn’t get the chance to experience the Cornering Brake Control it offers , a feature not available in M3.

This is arguably the non-M 3-series at its best. At SGD 238,000 you get a twin-turbo car that churns out 308bhp/400Nm and accelerates from 0-100km in 5.5seconds and god knows what else you can do to the engine in a near future. This is truly a remarkable machine that currently, its main rivals like Audi, Mercedes or Lexus can’t quite offer a competitively similar package.

Then what the hell do I still want an M3 for, or a used one for that matter (assuming a 1.5-2yr old M3 is available in the market for the same price)?

My answer is simple:
The E46M3 feels special in every way. It’s an icon from the M-Division and has always been the industry benchmark for front engine rear wheel drive performance car in the world of automotive. It sucks to know that 335i can closely match the M3 but hey, it’s a different league altogether.

Jack

[SMYUEN]

Thanks for the review Jack.... nice one there!

I should go test the 335 soon too... just to satisfy my curiosity..

I think I can understand your feelings... its like AMGs are fast fast fast... but they never connect you or make you feel as special as say an M3 or a porsche... Speed is not everything.

My Maser is also fast fast fast, but it also never connects me like a BMW..

oh gawd.... this is bad...

I cant bear to see the new M3 arrive... cos i think I know whats gonna happen...

oh no.

[TobyNik]

Originally Posted by SMYUEN

Thanks for the review Jack.... nice one there!

I should go test the 335 soon too... just to satisfy my curiosity..

I think I can understand your feelings... its like AMGs are fast fast fast... but they never connect you or make you feel as special as say an M3 or a porsche... Speed is not everything.

My Maser is also fast fast fast, but it also never connects me like a BMW..

oh gawd.... this is bad...

I cant bear to see the new M3 arrive... cos i think I know whats gonna happen...

oh no.

Doc

Don't worry lah! We all know what's gonna happen to you lor.......looking at your past 3 years..........HAIZ! No prizes for getting the answer right!

[SMYUEN]

Originally Posted by TobyNik

Doc

Don't worry lah! We all know what's gonna happen to you lor.......looking at your past 3 years..........HAIZ! No prizes for getting the answer right!

amitabha...

meditation will cure my illness..

[Rastaman]

Nice FR u got there on the 335 ! Now i know y u didnt show up at my place !! haha.
Anyway an M3 is an M3 ..period ! quad exh, n/a, daily driver,etc...nothing else comes close !

[eggz]

Hi Jack,

Thanks for the great review. Been wanting to test drive the 335i, but haven't gotten round to it.

couple of questions, what is the steering ratio like on the 335i without AS? is it as quick as the E46M3? or closer to regular a E90 steering?

The autobox, it is suppose to be quicker than regular BMW 6sp autos, is it obviously quicker? can't remember if your Z4 is an auto or SMG, is it quicker than for example the trans in your Z4?

I feel the other thing about the E46M3 that makes it pretty much unbeatable as a track and everyday driver combo is the M-differential LSD. I wish BMW would make this an option on their non-M cars.

[axl]

Great write-up Jack! Pretty insightful comparing it in an unbiased manner against the current M3.

[SL2]

Great FR Jack. Now.. Go buy yourself the 335 and hand me your keys to your M3.. Hehehe..

[TripleM]

Based on what I hv read, the 335i with variable hydraulic power assist has a ratio of 16:1 vs M3's 15.4:1
The M3 CS has a ratio of 14.5:1

So potential buyers can opt for BMW’s innovative Active Steering system that varies the steering ratio as a proportion of road speed. I guess AS helps in this case but I personally prefer non AS with a lower ratio like the M3 CS for example.

WIth regard to the gearbox, I have not driven the 6speed auto of the new 3 series but to give you a comparison with my previous Z4 6sp auto, it does feel as fast if not faster.. The Z4 auto gb gear changes feel quicker than E46, E60 auto gb in my experience.

Agreed with u on the M-differential LSD being a great stuff to have and I really doubt it will be offered as an option for non M cars. Most people just end up going for aftermkt LSD

Cheers

[TripleM]

Originally Posted by Rastaman

Nice FR u got there on the 335 ! Now i know y u didnt show up at my place !! haha.
Anyway an M3 is an M3 ..period ! quad exh, n/a, daily driver,etc...nothing else comes close !

Hehehe...couldnt attend your party, pai seh..Hope u had fun tho.