The 335i Is The Cheapest M5 Ever, and BMW Has Gone Back To Its Roots

"PardonMyFlemish16" (TheCoolKid) 11/14/2014 at 20:15 • Filed to: None

3

17

We are truly in a golden age of performance. A short ~12 years ago, the combination of 4 doors, 5 seats, a quarter mile an ant's fart away from 12s and an interior that didn't make you say "well at least its fun to drive" EVERY TIME you sat in it would set you back at least 70 large, and come with the heralded red/purple/cyan logo followed by a 5 on its decklid. That 70K, which, depressingly, is damn near $93K in today's money. Now, all those things, minus the badge, are available to buy for well under half that price in one unassuming package.

But The 3 Series Is Tiny Compared to a 5 Series!

Today, across the same model year, sure. But when you think of a 5 Series, do you think of the 2 ton land barge of today, or do you think of something.... kinda like this?

Up till the F10 the 6 banger 5 series weighed in around 3400-3500lbs and had a relatively compact footprint and profile. How compact exactly? I will let the data talk.

The 80" is a typo, that is wider than a Lamborghini. The 335i (in the first column) is 71.3" wide according to BMWUSA.com. And despite having less overall length, the F30 has a bigger trunk than both the E60 (2nd column) and E39 (last column).

Add in the significantly improved fuel economy and all the features available now that didn't even exist back in those days, and the 335i is looking like one hell of a 5 series.

But You Said It Was An M5!

Indeed, and I stand by that. In a straight line, the 335i stays within a car length of an E39 M5. The E60 and F10 are way faster, but IMO the F10, and to a much lesser degree the E60, kind of lost the plot. There Q ship factor is lost with the E60's glorious M5, and the F10 was only recently sorted out.

Now, admittedly, the 335i is not as involving as a true M car. Those straight line times come from the automatic, and obviously the mass market 335i does not get the chassis tuning a true M car would. But then the water level of dynamics today is so high, is it really necessary to get that extra .10gs or be able to stop from 60 in 80ft?

Pound for pound, the BMW 3 has never been a better bargain. And it's the same story with most cars, from the Honda Civic to the Porsche 911.

But What About BMW Getting Back To Its Roots?

Brian Silvestro > PardonMyFlemish16 11/14/2014 at 20:17

5

is it really necessary to get that extra .10gs or be able to stop from 60 in 80ft?

The way I drive my cars? Yes. I want to win.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > Brian Silvestro 11/14/2014 at 20:21

2

Brian Silvestro > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 11/14/2014 at 20:22

0

yes this

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > Brian Silvestro 11/14/2014 at 20:27

0

Also, this

Brian Silvestro > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 11/14/2014 at 20:27

0

I have both of these gifs saved, but literally never use them. The context is never there.

PardonMyFlemish16 > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 11/14/2014 at 20:28

0

O god pls no Fiesta STs. I have to buy a house next year but I feel compelled to trade my 350Z for one.

Strangely, it pulls more Gs than my Z. And isn't much slower, with a tune......

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > Brian Silvestro 11/14/2014 at 20:30

1

Use them whenever. No need for perfect context.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > PardonMyFlemish16 11/14/2014 at 20:36

0

Do it. I did. And it changed my life for the WAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY better .

SIde story - I had my second interview at a place I really wanted to work at literally the same day I left for my trip. Oh and I had my oil changed and tires rotated that morning. So about two days into the trip, I'm in the mountains of montana. CLear skies, breath taking scenery as the sunrise just barely kissed those rose and purple rocks in the canyons........And I got the offer letter for that job. Took it, loved it, and things have just been better and better since.

EL_ULY > Brian Silvestro 11/14/2014 at 20:57

1

exactly

PardonMyFlemish16 > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 11/14/2014 at 21:01

0

O man you may have killed it for me with that opening paragraph. Big reason I want to ditch the Z is to have some little Flems. No baby seats = no dice

" Infant-safety seat: We moved the front passenger seat forward several inches to create enough room for this rear-facing seat. The front passenger has her knees pushing against the glove box."

Mrs Flemish is 5' 11" with what I'm pretty sure is a 33" inseam. Thanks for crushing my dreams, GTI or Mazda 3s it is

Great review though, sounds like a brilliant car. Plus it will be dirt cheap by the time our kids are ready for booster seats, which fit fine

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > PardonMyFlemish16 11/14/2014 at 21:03

0

OR YOU COULD JUST NOT HAVE ANY KIDS!!!!!!!!!

Also, I'm probably gong to get a ford flex ecoboost used for a family hauler when that time comes. Then the FiST can be a rally car or something.

PardonMyFlemish16 > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 11/14/2014 at 21:07

0

If I go the 2 car route I would want the second car to be something raw and reflective of my really weird tastes. I am thinking something like an AW20 MR2 with the old Toyota 3.3 V6 from the Solara (poor man's Evora) or a VQ35 E36

Would be cool to get an MKV GTI though and maybe keep and track out the Z but man are Z parts expensive.

brjklein > PardonMyFlemish16 11/14/2014 at 21:33

0

To be fair, I can fit a Baby Trend rear-facing in the center of my ST, and there seems to be about 10 inches from the dash to the passenger seat and a very good amount for the driver's seat (I'm 5'8", wife's 5'4")

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > PardonMyFlemish16 11/14/2014 at 21:42

0

Have you considered getting a 4-door G35 or G37 with a stick? That's my plan B in case I need to do the whole "Dad" thing right NOW.

PardonMyFlemish16 > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 11/14/2014 at 22:09

0

I thought about that, but put it like this. My commute is pretty far and I get 20 MPG out of the Z on average. Every 5 MPG I can save will net me $800-1000 saved a year. Even more if the car uses regular. The MKV GTI is good for about 27-28 MPG mixed which is great for me and from what I understand they are fun to drive too. I really love the FiST but I don't think it's gonna work this go round.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > PardonMyFlemish16 11/14/2014 at 22:54

0

Good condition MkVs are rare. A lot of them have been heavily abused and poorly maintained. A well maintained one is a joy to drive but it is very hit or miss. Have you thought about a TSX? Still good gas mileage, honda reliability, nice interior, great handling, and you can paint one up like this:

PardonMyFlemish16 > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 11/14/2014 at 23:43

0

TSX was actually my first consideration. IDK though. I'm thinking about the 8th gen Civic Si now since they are available with leather and also get around 27-28 MPG. I really wish we just got the damn CSX though, that would have been perfect.