The E90 was considered the entry-level luxury sport sedan benchmark throughout its entire lifecycle (as was its E46 forebear). By modern family sedan measure, this 3 Series is a compact and tidy design that keeps the car nimble enough to comfortably toss around on sinewy roads. And while 3 Series Bimmers have always been known for their perfect balance and 50/50 weight distribution, it’s the lively and exceptionally communicative steering that really helped set the BMW above the competition in most comparisons.
Five years of enjoyment hasn’t diminished the E90 test car’s playful-yet-precise on-road feel. As is typical of all German cars I’ve driven, the older BMW still possesses a heft and solidity not found in its Japanese counterparts. This hewn-from-a-block-of-granite feel also keeps the older car squeak and rattle free despite its aging bones.
The most common assault leveled against the F30 335i involves BMW’s decision to implement electric steering over the celebrated hydraulic setup used since the dawn of man. While the more modern application arguably saves a few microlitres of fuel, it does isolate the driver a bit more from what’s happening where the rubber meets the road.
When driven back to back, there is considerable truth to this. Indeed the newer car simply seems to remove a measure of immediacy and intimacy the driver has with the driving experience. The E90’s steering wheel quivers and buzzes and reacts to the slightest surface change beneath the Bridgestone run-flat tires, while there is a marginally greater disconnect in the F30’s steering. The effort required to turn the newer car’s steering wheel is notably less as well.
The handling remains a strong suit on the new car, and it charges just as hard into sweepers as the previous generation model. That said, I was always aware of the sensation that the F30 is a longer car than the E90 when transitioning from corner to corner.
It should be pointed out that the F30 remains one of the most enjoyable sport sedans that can be purchased, but only when comparing directly do the subtle differences show themselves, otherwise, the latest 3 Series is still unmistakably a 3 Series. The same xDrive-equipped 335i shown here was recently featured in an Autos.ca comparison test where it was barely squeezed out of the top spot by the more costly Audi S4. As noted in that comparison, the 3 Series might very well have been only a wheel-and-tire package short of winning.
  2013 BMW 335i vs 2008 BMW 335i. Click image to enlarge |
This all sounds like bad news for the F30, but really it’s not. The folks at BMW know that the 3 Series buyers who are actually rabid motoring enthusiasts are in the minority and that the bulk of Bimmer drivers are looking for a safe, reliable, comfortable and luxurious car. The newer generation achieves an improvement in all of those facets and generally just presents as a more refined vehicle overall.
It’s as if BMW has added Teflon to every joint and layered all the controls in light syrup. Fewer vibrations reach the cabin and with more space and quiet, all around it’s a nicer place to spend many hours as a passenger.
In fairness, my E90 has received some help with its breathing thanks to an aftermarket intake and freer-flowing exhaust. These modifications create more ruckus in the cabin, though to my enthusiast’s ears, the sounds emitted from either end (both faint turbo whistles and a ripping exhaust snarl) give me more enjoyment than would increased isolation any day. Both cars feel impressively strong as they pull authoritatively from 1200 rpm all the way to redline.
A week of driving the heavier, all-wheel-drive F30 fitted with snow tires produced an average fuel consumption of 9.8 L/100 km – a figure I regularly see in my E90 with its summer shoes on, driven in the same manner – so a marginal consumption improvement does appear to be the reality since snow tires generally increase fuel consumption.
By far the greatest improvement from the E90 to F30 comes from the suspension. Now aided with computers and tuned by a team of clearly brilliant engineers, various levels of suppleness or stiffness can be dialed in depending on the driver’s mood. The old car simply crashes over pavement imperfections as if its struts were solid rods and its tires are only run-flat because they’re filled with concrete.
Both six-speed manuals feel very similar, shifting with a precision and heft BMWs are known for. The clutch action on the F30 – like its steering – is noticeably lighter than the E90’s. And it should be noted that in the past, neutering a 3 Series with an automatic transmission was a motoring enthusiast’s sin for stealing the car’s soul, but the new eight-speed automatic is so exceptionally well-matched to the N55 engine, and so crisp and rapid with its paddle-shifted cogs, that it deserves a driver’s respect. It’s an obedient transmission that keeps the 335i fun and engaging even if one cannot truly row their own.
Despite the commonality of E90 3 Series cars, I still fondly glance over my shoulder at my own E90 while walking away; enjoying its low, aggressive stance and body work stretched over the wide, concave 18-inch wheels. I’ve rid my car of its “milk mustache” grille by swapping out a subtler gloss black one.
