19 Oct 06
Here's a tiny example of what's so brilliant about the 335d A SE Coupe.
You go for a drive in it, which you enjoy a very great deal, and then, after you've been dragged away from it, you get around to looking at the technical specification and the list of standard equipment. It's only then that you realise just how much technology BMW has fitted to the car.
It's jam-packed with the stuff. Heaving with it. But the point is, you wouldn't guess that from driving it. It all feels so natural and intuitive and responsive, as if - surely - there can't be loads of clever electronics between you and the heart of the car. But there are. And it all works very, very well.
When 4Car drove the new 3-Series Coupe earlier this year, we said, in essence: 'Wow. And it'll probably be even better with that fancy new 335 diesel engine.'
We were right. It's a terrific engine, but more pertinently it's supremely well-suited to the car as a whole. It's gutsy yet smooth, instantly responsive, economical and very quick. It also seems to sit in precisely the right position under the bonnet to contribute to a perfectly well-balanced car. A car that enjoys an entirely harmonious relationship with the tarmac. A car with wonderful steering - heavy, but in a reassuring way; and that heaviness doesn't compromise the car's overall agility. This is from the standard rack-and-pinion set-up, not the optional clever-dick Active Steering system.
The damping is firmer than the saloon's or the estate's, which suits the two-door model's greater driver orientation. The brake discs are bigger, too.
