Setting the Standard for its Class:
BMW 3 Series 2007

Summary

For decades, the BMW 3 Series has set the standards for the sporty, near-luxury car market. It remains a wonderful driver's car, with impeccable power and handling. However, new competitors have opted for more interior luxury and standard features. Though never the cheapest option, the 3 Series is still setting the standards for its class.

Full Review 2007

The BMW 3 Series coupes have been completely redesigned for 2007. These all-new, fifth-generation coupes follow on the heels the new BMW 3 Series sedans that were introduced last year.

With sleeker styling and carrying less weight than a four-door sedan, the two-door or coupe version of BMW's 3 Series model has special appeal for drivers who demand sporty driving dynamics but need a back seat and a decent sized trunk.

Trims and Styling 2007

The coupe is nearly two inches longer, more than an inch trimmer and has a roofline that is more than two inches lower than the sedan's. The 2007 BMW 335i coupe features a new twin-turbocharged engine that puts out 300 horsepower, which makes for the ultimate driving machine. Meanwhile, the 328xi features all-wheel drive, which enhances traction in wet or snowy weather. The 2007 BMW 3 Series coupe is available in three versions: 328i, 328xi, and 335i. Variables among the models include engines, transmissions, drivetrain and standard and optional equipment. The 328i and 335i are rear-wheel drive; the 328xi is all-wheel drive.

The 328i ($35,300) and the 328xi ($37,100) are propelled by a 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder engine that pumps out 230 horsepower and 200 pound-feet of torque. They offer a choice of six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission.

The 335i ($40,600) also has a 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder engine, but two small turbochargers and special fuel injectors boost the engine's output to 300 horsepower and 300 pound-feet of torque. That power flows to the rear wheels through either a six-speed manual or automatic transmission. The 335i adds matte 18-inch wheels (vs. 17s on the 328i and 328xi), larger brake discs front and rear, chrome exhaust tips, eight-way power front seats with memory on the driver's side and a 13-speaker Logic 7 audio system.

Safety features that come standard on all 2007 3 Series coupes include frontal, side-impact and side-curtain airbags; dynamic stability control with several advanced braking technologies including one that helps remove water from the brakes in rainy weather, run-flat tires with a tire-pressure monitoring system. The 328xi features BMW's xDrive system for improved stability in adverse conditions.

Standard equipment on all 3 Series coupes includes leatherette upholstery, automatic climate control, xenon headlamps, fog lamps, heated windshield washer nozzles, door handles with ground lighting, adaptive brake lights that alert trailing drivers to harder braking by the BMW driver, a start/stop button rather than a traditional turn-key ignition, power mirrors and windows and locks with remote locking, tilt and telescoping steering column with audio controls on the steering wheel, power front seats, a choice for four interior trims (two shades of walnut, gray poplar or brushed aluminum), a power moonroof, AM/FM/CD/MP3 audio system, front and rear cup holders, fold-down rear seatbacks and a four-year/50,000-mile warranty with free maintenance (including oil changes and wiper blades) and roadside assistance. The rear-wheel-drive 328i and 335i come with Sport suspension much like that which was optional on the previous generation of the 3 Series coupe.

Options include automatic transmission ($1,275), active steering ($1,250), Comfort Access ($500) that allows entry (unlocking) and exit (locking) with the key in your pocket or purse, heated front seats ($500), rear park distance control ($350), active cruise control ($2,200), satellite navigation ($2,100), Sirius satellite radio ($595), leather upholstery ($1,450).

The Sport package ($1,000) includes sport seats with adjustable side bolsters, 18-inch alloy wheels with performance tires. The Premium package ($3,150) includes leather upholstery, digital compass in the interior mirror, universal garage door transceiver, power folding exterior mirrors, auto-dimming for all three mirrors, memory seats and four years of BMW assist safety plan that automatically notifies emergency services in a collision as well as providing concierge, traffic, weather and other information; it costs less on the 335i. BMW's design brief for the 2007 3 Series coupe was to give it an elegant yet athletic look that would clearly differentiate it from the four-door sedan introduced a year earlier. The coupe is longer and lower and not as wide. By using standard Xenon headlamps, its front light fixtures are smaller, and are nicely set off above the deep front fascia with its wide array of air inlets to feed the powerful twin-turbocharged engine.

The sides of the car feature BMW's flame surface treatment, a design that accentuates the way the light is reflected to make the car look like it's accelerating even when it's sitting still. Even the new rear view mirrors were designed to enhance aerodynamic efficiency. Short front and rear overhangs add to the aggressive profile.

Seen from the rear, the new 3 Series coupe looks wide and low, with prominent tail lamps above dual exhaust tips that provide a visual clue that the car ahead has a powerful engine.

Compared to the sedan, the coupe is 22 pounds lighter even though it carries more standard equipment.

Styling and Interior Features

Like the car's exterior, the interior of the 2007 BMW 3 Series coupe is elegant while also being sporty, and roomy.

BMW gives 3 Series coupe customers many trim choices, including beige, saddle brown, black, gray and red upholstery and burl walnut, brown or gray poplar or brushed aluminum trim.

Particularly impressive is the care given to the rear seating area. There are even buttons on the outside edge of the front seats, in the shoulder area, so someone sitting in the back seat can reach up and power the front seat forward to ease exit from the rear of the car.

First Drive 2007

The 2007 BMW 3 Series coupe represents the newest and fifth generation of a vehicle that traces back nearly four decades to the BMW 2002, one of BMW's most famous cars and which many consider to be the original European sports sedan (in this case, "sedan" means four- or five-passenger car with a fixed metallic roof, as opposed to a two-seat roadster or convertible).

The new 335i is the first BMW in some 25 years to have a turbocharged engine. BMW was committed to increasing on the 255 horsepower provided by the inline six-cylinder engine used in the previous 3 Series coupe. That solution was to develop an engine that incorporated two small turbochargers, fan-like devices that boost the air pressure within the engine to enhance the fuel combustion cycle, therefore getting more power without increasing the number of cylinders. By precise control of the air/fuel mixture and its placement within the cylinder, BMW is able to optimize the engine's performance not just in power output but also in fuel economy and in a reduction of as much as 20 percent in harmful exhaust emissions.

Even while delivering 300 horsepower, the twin turbo engine is rated at 19 mpg in the city and 28 on the highway with the manual transmission and at 20/29 mpg with the automatic. For those who like paddle shifting, BMW notes that it had cut the transmission's response time to the paddles in half to enhance the driver's sense of control.

To make sure power is used most efficiently, BMW uses different transmissions for different 3 Series coupes. The 335i has either a ZF Type G manual or a ZF high-performance 19 TU automatic.

Conclusions

The new BMW 3 Series Convertible proves BMW hasn't completely forsaken fans of the marquee who want to believe it builds the ultimate driving machine. "There are many worthy competitors in the entry-luxe category these days -- and it's getting more crowded all the time -- but the 3 remains at the head of the pack." says U.S. News "Thanks to BMW's fanatical pursuit of driving excellence, not to mention increased pressure from the likes of Infiniti, the 335i has a death grip on Automobile Magazine's back-road crown." -- Automobile Magazine There are still more layers of electronic interference between the driver and the machine than many think is necessary, but enough of the connection between driver and pavement survives to make this car, and its sedan and coupe siblings, the best, most fun BMW still around.