Rating
Verdict As interesting as wallpaper paste
Frightened that any mad design flourishes might scare away buyers of its cash cow, BMW high-ups insisted that the new 3-series should be a fairly normal-looking affair. So it's as boring as a bucket of wallpaper paste.
The convertible is worse. As is the norm these days, the convertible roof is made from metal, and that's just fine. But to stow such a large lump of ironmongery, the boot has to be as big as a Korean grain carrier.
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Of more interest is the twin-turbo motor. This is a straight-six, and any engineer will tell you that this is the smoothest cylinder configuration you can have for an engine. In this BMW it isn't smooth. In fact on tickover it rumbles and judders like a big American V8 - I liked it a lot.
But look at that price. At almost £46,000, with a few necessary extras, it's probably not far behind what one of the new soft-top M3s will cost. And I'm sorry, but anyone with a 335i is going to spend his entire life explaining to colleagues why he didn't go the extra mile and get the big boy instead.
There's also the way it looks. As a piece of design it's not the fabulous Natural History Museum or the Trellick Tower, and it never will be. It is, I'm afraid, Coventry Cathedral. A turd that even time cannot succeed in polishing.
Current price £45,935
Price when tested (Jul 2007) £45,750
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Engine 2979cc, six cylinders
Power 302bhp @ 5800rpm
Torque 295 lb ft @ 1300rpm
Transmission Six-speed manual
Fuel/CO 2 28.5mpg (combined) / 238g/km
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0-62mph 5.8sec
Top speed 155mph