On paper, it seemed like a gargantuan task: traveling from BMW’s Press Center in Munich all the way to Berlin.  Worse was that I had a strict schedule to follow or else risk being left by my flight going back home.  In the light of such matters, it only seemed logical to contract a car renowned for its unparalleled cross country pace and enough space to hold my Filipino bulk luggage.  The BMW M5 was the only car on my mental list.  No such luck according to the folks at BMW; someone already beat me to the punch.  So, I just had to ask: what’s the best car that you have with enough space for my stuff and still have the pace to guarantee that I make it on time?  Without batting an eyelash, they replied: the BMW 335i.

Though settling on the 3 Series Coupe when your mind is set on driving the M5 seemed like being a bit shortchanged, in my mind, it didn’t seem like it.  In more ways than one, the 335i and the M5 are similar.  For instance, both engines received The World Engine of the Year plum and both are filled with high tech stuff.  In fact, the 335i shares one big advantage over its V10 engined big brother: it’s offered with a manual transmission from the get go (the M5 was initially offered with BMW’s Sequential Manual until the US market clamored for a stick shift).  Perhaps, the 335i could be a worthy surprise waiting to be driven.

From the outside, it didn’t seem like it.  Although the coupe version of the 3 Series shares almost no body panels with the sedan variant, the look is quite restrained.  There’s absolutely nothing wrong with the 335i’s lines: every bit is as crisp and clean as a neatly pressed Armani suit.  However, the design is a bit too conservative for a coupe, an indication that all the wheel bulges and engine vents were reserved for the M3.  Oh, how I wished some of the musculature could have trickled down on this car too.  Having said that, the lack of unnecessary gashes, streaks and chrome bits here and there is a huge testament to BMW’s excellent fit and finish—and the 335i is a genuine example.

Inside, the story’s quite the same.  Those familiar with the 3 Series sedan will be right at home with the 335i’s cockpit.  Everything is logically placed and the driving position is spot on.  And like its sedan brethren, the iDrive controller is left for satellite navigation duties only.  Getting into the 335i’s driver’s seat is a slightly crutching affair—confirming that this car sits slightly lower than the sedan.  Once inside, the interior’s a snug fit.  There’s adequate head, leg and shoulder room but the leather sports seats have aggressive bolstering—hinting that designers anticipate a lot of lateral acceleration.  With the center tunnel running through until the rear section, the 335i is only a 2+2, but at least the rear seats are genuinely useable.  My 335i had a two-tone interior package with a black upper and beige/tan lower dash.  And with the dark burr-walnut strip that runs through the dash, it does wonders to visually lighten the cabin.

One of the most unique interior features in the 335i is the automatic seat belt presenter—a mechanical arm that deploys to serve up the seat belt to driver and front passenger each time they enter the car.  After offering the belt for about 10 seconds, the arm retracts, irrespective of whether the belt has been taken or not.  First, I found the auto presenter a novelty, then a pain, then a genuinely useful feature.  It takes some time to quell the urge to reach around and grab the belt manually, but once I’ve acclimatized and waited for the auto presenter, I found the device quite a nice touch.

Though it shares almost no body panels with the 3 Series sedan, the 3 Series coupe looks fairly similar.  We wished for more adventurous styling.

Inside it's typical 3 Series fare.  The two-tone interior with wood inlays certainly brighten up the cabin. It won't do wonders when it comes to the maintenance though. Rear seats are actually useable, but center tunnel means it's only good for 2.