435i Gran Coupe: Quick Drive

"Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish" (mrfist) 03/26/2015 at 15:44 • Filed to: BMW

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I got the chance to drive a brand new 2015 335i 435i Gran Coupe. It's 4-door coupe version of the 2-door coupe version of the 4-door sedan BMW makes.

Alright so first things first, this thing is fuckin' nice. Exterior is modern and sleek, it's got damn good lines just about everywhere you look. Well almost.. the boomerang is unnecessary and takes away from the styling a bit in my opinion. The interior was all pretty ivory leather and some smoke gray looking wood, all in all it was a comfortable place to be.

Now to the important things, how did it drive? I liked it, I really did but it has some issues. First of all it was an automatic, the best auto I've gotten my hands on but still an automatic. Second would probably have to be where the paddle shifters are mounted. Mounting the paddles on the steering wheel makes no sense. Trying to downshift in a turn requires all kinds of messed up hand movements that just don't come naturally, in theory you could move to the "actual shifter" to down shift but it isn't exactly intuitive if you're trying to drive quickly and already using the paddles for your driving pleasure. Mount the things on the damn steering column, it'd be so much better. Next I'm going to have to talk about BMW's new electric steering bullshit. It's awful. In sport mode it provides a super artificial feedback that feels completely unnatural, it's almost like playing an arcade game, not driving a car.

On the other hand this thing is pretty quick, the paddles are awesome in a straight line, and it sounds good. I don't think I'd ever own a non-M BMW but this thing was pretty fuckin' nice.

Oh! The transmission is really really impressive, the shifts are accurate and lightning fast, and there are 8 gears which is a strange feeling when you're shifting "manually".

BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind > Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish 03/26/2015 at 16:02

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I'm confused by your dislike of the paddle son the wheel vs. steering column. If I'm turning, the paddles would follow the turn and still be at their same relative position to my hands, right? Why would you want the paddles to be fixed if your hands are in a different location?

Textured Soy Protein > Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish 03/26/2015 at 16:07

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Trying to downshift in a turn requires all kinds of messed up hand movements that just don't come naturally, in theory you could move to the "actual shifter" to down shift but it isn't exactly intuitive if you're trying to drive quickly and already using the paddles for your driving pleasure.

You shouldn't be downshifting in a turn in the first place. Downshift while braking, not while turning.

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish 03/26/2015 at 16:08

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Question: Why are you trying to downshift mid-corner?

BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. > Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish 03/26/2015 at 17:13

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This car has a hatch... yet 2-series coupe has a dinky little trunk lid.

Does that seem right to you?

DasWauto > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 03/26/2015 at 17:22

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Decreasing radius corner?

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish 03/26/2015 at 17:26

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Bimmerang

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Textured Soy Protein 03/26/2015 at 17:30

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Definitely the way I was taught as well, but these new dual-clutch boxes (and possibly new automatics) shift so fast that it doesn't even unsettle the car. Crazy.

Tapas > Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish 03/26/2015 at 17:42

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Another down side I'd like to point out - its $5 - 8K expensive more expensive than similarly configured 3 series , which makes it not worth it (unless you really want it).

Also, since they haven't sold in large numbers, even used grand coupes are too expensive.

In my honest opinion, this 4 Series Gran Coupe should actually have been the next the F80 iteration of 3 Series.

E92M3 > Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish 03/26/2015 at 17:57

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I got to drive one yesterday at BMW's Ultimate Driving Experience yedterday. I agree with everything you said. These jad the M-Sport package which is the only way to order one

Textured Soy Protein > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 03/26/2015 at 18:26

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I have one of them new fangled dual clutch boxes (in a BMW, controlled by paddles attached to the steering wheel).

Even though the shifts are smooth enough to avoid upsetting the car in a turn, that's still not the fastest way through the turn. You want to get all your braking and shifting done before you turn in. Even if you're trail braking while you turn in, you still want to be finished shifting by then. Because that's what's fast. You want to be in the gear you need for the turn before you enter the turn so you can get on with accelerating once you hit the apex.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Textured Soy Protein 03/26/2015 at 18:36

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Yeah, if the gear selection is going to slow you down at all, you might as well get it done before turn in. Still amazes me that it's fast and forgiving enough to let you get it done in the corner. I could see braking hard into an unknown corner, starting to turn in, realizing you need a lower gear for exit and grabbing it just before throttling on. If it truly doesn't unsettle the car, is there any issue making the change when off brake and off throttle?

Textured Soy Protein > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 03/26/2015 at 21:11

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I mean, I'm no race car driver, but generally if you want to be quick its best to avoid coasting. Pretty much as soon as you turn in you want to be able to start feeding it some gas.

Think of it this way: sure the car downshifts smoothly and easily so you could do it in a turn, but since the car is so quick and easy to downshift, there's no reason you can't properly set yourself up for a turn.

In my car, I look at a turn, think, "that looks like a 2nd gear corner," look at the gear readout to see what gear I'm in, then do a few quick clicks on the downshift paddle while I'm braking. It'll drop down through the gears in no time, and I don't have to do any dancing on the pedals.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Textured Soy Protein 03/26/2015 at 21:43

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Your tires only have so much grip. They can be used 100% for braking, 100% for turning, 100% for accelerating, or some combination of two of the above (never to exceed 100%, of course). If you're doing it right, the first part of your turn will be using them to the maximum amount possible to change direction, and throttle should only be fed in as you begin to wind out the wheel.

I am with you, though. Best to get it all set prior to turn-in. Just trying to express how cool it is that it's even possible to shift in a corner without losing any momentum.

An example of where to use this might be a long, high speed sweeper where you can go to 4th from 3rd prior to track-out.