BMW 3-Series E92 Coupe Road Test (Source: Honest John)

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Every seven years BMW presents us with a new 3-Series coupe. In 1992 it was the E36. In 1999 the E46. And now, in 2006, the E92.
You may need a bit of help here to de-confuse the E numbers. The E90 is the current 3 Series saloon. The E91 is the Touring. And the E93 will be the forthcoming coupe-convertible.

Unlike previous 3-Series coupes, the E92 shares no body panels at all with the saloon. It sits on a long wheelbase, helping reduce pitching over undulations. Somehow it?s been ?de-Bangled? of the sometimes-odd styling quirks of all recent BMWs. You don?t have to persuade yourself it?s a good-looking car. It simply is. Though a bigger car than the E46 coupe, on average it?s ten kilos lighter. And it?s very practical, too.

There?s plenty of leg and headroom both front and back for four full-sized people. The long, deep 440-litre boot seems almost as commodious as a VW Jetta?s. The back seatbacks fold down individually. And between then there?s a ski-hatch. I didn?t have any golf clubs with me but reckon you could get four bagfuls in lengthways if you needed to.

It?s easy to get comfortable behind the wheel. An electric arm passes you your seatbelt. All the controls fall naturally to hand, except the gearstick, which, as in the E90 and E91, is about an inch too far back and can leave you brushing the iDrive button when you change gear.

The first E92s to the market will be the 218hp 325i and the 306hp 335i. These are the cars we tested.

October sees the arrival of the 272hp 330i, the 231hp 330d and the 286hp 335d. Then in Spring 2007, the four cylinder 320i and 320d will finally reach a showroom near you.

The cars all come with a standard 6-speed manual transmission or a new 6-speed automatic with ergonomic thumb and fingertip steering wheel shifters. Left to its own devices this box will change down four gears at once if you floor it from 50mph in 6th and will learn from the way you drive the car how you want it to behave.

With the twin-turbo 335i engine it?s sensationally quick, offering 0-60 in 5.3 seconds, yet a reasonable 29.7mpg combined if you take it easier. It?s also beautifully flexible, delivering maximum torque of 400Nm (295lb ft) all the way from just 1,300rpm to 5,000rpm. So it has better than diesel torque delivery as well as a high rev limit of 7,000rpm. Flooring it on the motorway we saw an indicated 160mph in no time at all (true speed-limited 155), a speed at which the car was rock-steady.

But the 6-speed manual is the real peach. That allows you to exploit the creamy smooth power delivery exactly the way you want to without the box changing gear half way round a corner. It?s a lovely, precise shift, allowing easy block changing and the whole car feels beautifully balanced, its informative steering telling you exactly which of the four wheels is close to or slightly past its limits of adhesion. 6th gives you a relatively relaxed 36mph per 1,000rpm cruise too, and a theoretical top speed of 182mph at 5,000rpm with the restrictor off.

In comparison, the 218hp 325i is a much more sedate machine, especially on 225/45 R17 ?comfort ? tyres. The engine is still BMW smooth and sweet, of course, but just doesn?t have the rompaway grunt of the 335i. And with the DSC off, understeer is much more apparent. Your reward is a combined mpg of 33.6 which is not at all bad from a four seat coupe with a 0-60 of 6.6 and top speed of 153mph.

So does the car get the nod? Of course it does. Especially the 335i. It?s less powerful than an M3, of course, but the power delivery is so much nicer I?d have one in preference any day. And if it?s a toss up between an E92 coupe and a CLK, for me, at least, it would have to be the BMW.

Footnote

In October I also got the chance to drive the 286bhp/590Nm 335 diesel coupe, availaible with the 6-speed autobox only. Another fantastic engine, and very well matched to the auto, whether driven using the ergonomic paddleshits or just left to itself. The wall of torque gets you past anything, yet you can still find yourself in relatively flat areas of power and torque delivery. It doesn't sound like a diesel from inside the car, and if you have not driven a 335i it will feel fantastic. It will also suit drivers who must have an automatic because the 335d auto theroetically takes you 8 miles further on every gallon. But the sheer pleasure of driving the 335i manual does it for me. That's the one I'd go for, despite having to pay 27% more for my fuel.
PRICE/AVAILABILITY
E92 325iSE 6-spd manual ?28,090 from 23 Sep 2006
E92 330iSE 6-spd manual ?31,290 from Oct 2006
E92 335iSE 6-spd manual?33,420 from 23 Sept 2006
E92 330dSE 6-spd manual ?31,840 from Oct 2006

6-speed auto + ?1,600

E92 335dSE 6-spd auto only?35,475 from Oct 2006



Standard Equipment E92 SE Coupe:

325i SE
Engine
Catalytic converter
Exhaust tailpipe - visible, dual, left, round, diameter 60 mm
Six-cylinder in-line engine with four-valve technology
VALVETRONIC engine management
Transmission
Six-speed manual transmission
Wheels and chassis
17" light alloy Star-spoke style 157 with 225/45 R17 tyres
Aluminium front and five-link rear suspension
Disc Brakes, front and rear, inner vented
Power-assisted steering
Safety and technology
Airbags:
o Airbags - four, driver and front passenger, front side
o Advanced Head Protection System (AHPS) front to rear curtain head airbags
o Passenger seat occupancy sensor, front
Alarm system (Thatcham 1) with remote control and engine immobiliser
Brake Force Display
Check control warning system
Cruise control with brake function
Daytime running lights
Dynamic Stability Control Plus (DSC+) comprising:
o Anti-lock Braking System (ABS)
o Automatic Stability Control (ASC)
o Brake drying
o Brake fade compensation
o Brake pre-tensioning
o Cornering Brake Control (CBC)
o Dynamic Brake Control (DBC)
o Dynamic Traction Control (DTC)
o Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD)
o Engine Drag Torque Control (MSR)
o Hill-start assistant
o Soft stop
First Aid kit and warning triangle
Fog lights, front and rear
Follow-me-home headlight function
Headlight wash
Head restraints - front and rear, adjustable and removable
High level third brake light
Park Distance Control (PDC), rear
Rain sensor with automatic headlight activation
Run-flat tyres with Tyre Puncture Warning System (TPWS)
Seat belt system - front with belt latch tensioner with belt force limiter
Seat belt system - rear with two three point locking inertia-reel belts
Visible VIN
Windscreen wipers with adjustable intermittent intervals
Xenon headlights for low and high beam
Seats
60:40 split-folding rear seat
Child seat ISOFIX attachment, two, rear
Fluid cloth upholstery
Four seats
Rear seat easy access system
Seat adjustment - front, electric with driver memory
Exterior equipment
Air scoop with grille in front bumper, black
Chrome line exterior trim
Door handles - bow-type, body-coloured
Exterior mirrors - aspheric, blue tinted, heated, electric adjustment, body-coloured with aerodynamically optimised housing
Indicator lenses, clear
Kidney grille, chrome with chrome vertical slats
Windscreen washer jets, heated
Interior equipment
Air conditioning, automatic
Armrest - front with storage compartment
Armrest - rear, centre, with two cup holders
Centre console, rear
Cup holders - two in the instrument panel above the glove box and two in rear armrest
Door sill finishers with BMW designation
Electric windows - front with open/close fingertip function
Extended lights package comprising:
o Ambient interior lighting by means of a light band in door and side trim
o Door handle illumination
o Exit lighting
o Footwell lights, front and rear
o Interior lights, front and rear with soft on/off
o Reading lights, front and rear
Multi-function controls for steering wheel
Rear-view mirror, automatically dimming
Seat belt handover - front, electric
Smoker's package - front ashtray with lighter, rear ashtray in centre console
Start/Stop button
Steering column with manual reach and rake adjustment
Storage facilities:
o Folding storage compartment in door trim panels
o Rear clothes hook
o Rear storage compartment in centre console
o Storage nets on seat backrests
Sun visors with illuminated vanity mirrors
Three-spoke sports leather steering wheel with decorative inserts in matt chrome Pearl Grey
Titanium light interior trim
Toolkit located in luggage compartment
Audio and communication
Auxiliary input point for auxiliary playing devices (e.g. Apple iPod)
BMW Professional radio with single CD player (with MP3 playback capability)
Loudspeaker system
Oil temperature display
On-Board Computer (OBC) comprising:
o Average speed
o Fuel consumption (average and current) and range
o Journey computer
o Outside temperature display
o Time/date
Personal Profile via remote key
Preparation for six CD changer
330i SE (equipment in addition or replacement to 325i SE)
17" light alloy Star-spoke style 185 with 225/45 R17 tyres
Exhaust tailpipe - visible, dual, left, round, matt chrome finish, diameter 72 mm
Metallic paintwork
330d SE (equipment in addition or replacement to 325i SE)
17" light alloy Star-spoke style 185 with 225/45 R17 tyres
Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF)
Electric power steering (330d SE only)
Exhaust tailpipe - visible, dual, left, round, matt chrome finish, diameter 72 mm
Metallic paintwork
Six-cylinder in-line diesel engine with four-valve technology
Single turbocharger
335i SE (equipment in addition or replacement to 330i SE)
17" light alloy V-spoke style 188 with 225/45 R17 front, 255/40 R17 rear tyres
Air scoop with grille in front bumper, grey (black in combination with optional Active cruise control)
Exhaust tailpipe - visible, single, left and right, round, matt chrome finish, diameter 80 mm
High Precision Injection (direct injection system)
Matt chrome Pearl Grey exterior trim
Sport seats
Sports suspension
Twin turbo

335d SE (equipment in addition or replacement to 330d SE)
17" light alloy V-spoke style 188 with 225/45 R17 front, 255/40 R17 rear tyres
Air scoop with grille in front bumper, grey (black in combination with optional Active cruise control)
Automatic Transmission with steering wheel mounted gearshift paddles
Exhaust tailpipe - visible, single, left and right, round, matt chrome finish, diameter 80 mm
Matt chrome Pearl Grey exterior trim
Sport seats
Sports suspension
Variable twin turbo