E93 - Still a 3 series?

[NVP]

The 3 series is known for being a really involving, enjoyable drive that can be used for a relative amount of fun but with everyday practicality.

But I am curious as to the effect having a hard-top convertible has had on the car itself? How has the extra weight over the rear & change in structure affected the cars drive? I don't think the extra 210kg will make a huge difference in the performance, but I'm concerned the position of the weight (as well as loss of rigidity) will have a much more negative affect on the cars abilities when compared to the coupe.

Then again they did make an M3 version, which in my mind would suggest that perhaps the difference is only slight with the more powerful engines?

Has anyone driven both an E92 and E93 (pre facelift)? Specifically the 335i? Care to comment on any differences noticed? I'm not really concerned about outright speed, more the ride & drive of the car.

Also, does anyone own one and regret it in any way?

Excuse the silly title, I know all 3 series have had convertibles but this is the first with a much heavier folding hard top.

 

[NVP]

Yeah boot space does look minimal when down, although it is expected and is not marketed as the most practical of cars anyway. Worthy compromise for the looks and use of a convertible, maybe?

Fox, you have just shot down my newest dream Does it really feel that slow? I've arranged a test drive in one at Coventry but I wasn't expecting it to feel that slow. I assume you also test drove a few E92s? How are they in comparison? Is the difference that significant? How was it in the bends?

 

[NVP]

I'm surprised that it's had such an impact actually, I never thought it would be so different as to scratch it off a purchase list so easily.

I'll see how it feels, perhaps it was simply the car you drove? (Long shot I know, but I'm still hoping ) I've only driven and E90, would be nice to see how it compares to an E92. Did you notice the E92 335 to be much better?

 

[NVP]

That's what I was thinking too, it's "only" 210kg more though? Stats wise it doesn't look to make much difference, perhaps the big difference is from the old shape to the new rather than the coupe to the conv.

Fox, please let us know how different the Coupe feels after your test drive.

Housey, I know where you're coming from and I agree in parts but the main appeal to myself with the 3 over the Z is the extra room (as well as price, obviously). For someone of my stature the Z is too small for day-to-day but would be adequate for fun on a B-road. Have you found the hard-top convertibles "rattly, shakey, noisey"?

 

[NVP]

"Want" is a bit too strong, it's more of a "would like"... and I "would like" a lot of things but I'm not sure exactly what I "want". It that makes sense?

 

[NVP]

Although actually thinking about it, I drove a 335i coupe years ago when i was waiting for my car to be serviced, and i remember being underwhelmed by that :s i think perhaps it was prolonged exposure of the 335i and then getting back into the 330i that enhanced it, I dont know.

Even the coupe is underwhelming? I don't get it, the statistics show there are performance differences (although in some cases minor), perhaps it is due to the way the E9x drives now compared to the E46 and not actually power difference?

Or maybe we are expecting too much? They increased the power to cope with the size, so it should only be a minor difference anyway as they are fundamentally the same class/car.

 

[NVP]

Sorry for the delayed response, work is a bit hectic.

Are you kidding? 210kg is a HUGE amount of weight to be lugging around. Like driving a coupe version 4 up all the time but with compromised body rigidity thrown into the mix too.

Nah I agree, hence the quotes around "only". I just meant for a convertible 210kg isn't the difference I expected, especially a hard-top automatic convertible. 210kg is about two of me...

I was underwhelmed a little after a 10 minute test drive in one a few years ago, with a fairly "large" salesman, which made no sense really. I then had one for 5 weeks as a courtesy car and couldn't have been more overwhelmed, it was MASSIVELY quicker than my e46, even from the first minute I drove it down a sliproad i was like "I NEED ONE".

I do think i'd wanted to be underwhelmed the first time as the 330i was fairly new to me, if that makes sense, where as there is no way you can mask 3000 miles worth of awesomeness when I got back into the 330i. The 330i really did feel broken afterwards for a few weeks! The coupes are undoubtedly very quick cars.

It does make sense, I can see where you're coming from. I know the 335 will feel quicker for me, I just hope it feels fast enough. Although I wouldn't mind too much as long as it felt great in the bends.

My wife has a 2007 E93 335i and I have the late 2006 E92 335i (my dads old car), I have also owned a few other 335i's in the past.

For normal day to day driving I really do not notice the difference in performance between the 2 cars. The only real complaint I have against the E93 is that when it rains a little water does come into the car.

The 335i really does not feel like a fast car but it does move. I test drove a 130i some years back and it feels faster because its much less refined. I think a 135i would generally feel like a more fun car.


Take them both for a test drive but if you do not need the extra boot space I would recommend a E93 over a E92.

The E93 leaks?! I'm shocked, it's only 4yrs old and it's not cloth, I wouldn't have expected that.

Thanks for the notes though, it's good to hear there isn't too much of a difference. Although I'm not sure if it is good actually if the E93 is as underwhelming as Fox says then I suppose the E92 is as well.

I wouldn't mind a 135i, I just prefer bigger cars in general. If I was going for a small car it would have to be something like a Lotus or TVR, however I can't fit

Have you noticed any difference in the fun of both cars? Just the general, non-specific fun, not as in mad track-thrashing fun.

 

[NVP]

20k? Coupe or hatch? I don't mind the looks of either, in fact I prefer the hatch as the coupe looks a bit too small. I wonder how roomy they are?

 

[NVP]

Oh yeah my bad.

It's a shame there is doubt in the purchasing decisions around the top of the range 3-series, I'm not old enough to know if it was this way for the last few generations but I suspect the indecision wasn't as great.

 

[NVP]

Oh really? Is that to do with the weight difference or the addition of turbos?

 

[NVP]

That's interesting, my M54 still pulls smoothly up through to 6k and a bit and that's just the 2.5. Why do you think the N54 is a bit less rev-happy? I suppose it's not really about revs though. I'm curious as to how they differ actually, I must make sure to try the 330 as well.

EDIT: Axeboy confirms

 

[NVP]

Yeah possibly, I guess it is all down to personal feel. If you found that the E92 335i felt similar to the E93 to drive, which would you take?

 

[NVP]

Yeah I see your point, the benefit of a little bit more power is vastly outweighed by the practicality of the "lesser" engine. But still, quite a big part of me hopes the 335 doesn't disappoint. I guess it's primarily down to the test drives for now, who knows, they could both underwhelm so much that it spurs me on to fork out for the M3 instead... but then the choice of coupe or conv is a much simpler answer

Just out of curiosity, where do you get all your stats about model quantities and such?

 

[NVP]

X

I guess I'm hoping that the 335i blows me away so much so that it becomes a no breainer. E92 M3 would be wonderful but kinda defeats hafl the purpose of my change really - perhaps I'll have an M power car in the distant future.

I always assumed it would until this thread, stats wise it seems like a decent enough car for me but I just hope it feels decent too.

Why this pre-occupation with a manual gearbox? Are you really going to get up early on a Sunday morning to experience the thrill of driving and just go for a fang over the moors, or do you really enjoy stirring the box when crawling through traffic?

I too prefer a proper manual 'box, I think outside of the major cities there isn't really enough traffic to be lazy and purchase an auto, it would male the drive boring imo.

I suspect a 330i will suffer less issues with oil contamination and 'coking' of the cylinder head than the 335i as it doesn't have two leaky devices in the inlet system.

It's a shame these engines have problems, they used to be so solid and without flaw. My friends E36 is 200k plus and has never broken down on him once, great engines.

Really they are just as much fun as each other as you really cant push it that hard on uk roads. However when you put the top down and put your foot down its a completely different story.

This is not to my taste but it will give you the fun factor you are looking for.

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=494198

The top down feeling is the main appeal for me, otherwise I might go for a bigger car instead. As long as it is fun without the hassle of leaks and rattles then I'm sure it will be more than adequate.

Like Fox says that does seem a tad expensive but cheers for the tuning idea, it's definitely a viable option. I wonder how much more than 400bhp you can get? Would tuning cause issues for the convertible with it being less structurally sound?