2nd place: 2013 BMW 335i xDrive Sport, Michael Bettencourt
 2013 BMW 335i. Click image to enlarge |
By the end of this sport sedan duel, it came down to an alternating slugfest between the top two finishers, with alternating blows barely separating them in the final count. The winner won 11 categories, this BMW topped 10. One key difference was this all-wheel-drive 335i scored lowest in exterior looks.
Blame the smaller winter wheel and tire package that didn’t quite fill out the 335i’s wheel wells as well as the standard rims, or compared some of the others here, even though all but one were still running on winter rubber for our early April test (and wise that they did as we experienced snow, hail and freezing rain later that week). Or perhaps it was the optional black metallic paint, which managed to hide much of the fine curvature of the new 3’s body. Whatever it was, the BMW is far from unattractive, but scored the lowest marks for its visual appeal, and by a considerable margin.
But from there, the BMW bounced back with top marks for its interior, nailing high scores for its design, rear seat roominess and ease of parking, as well as good parking visibility all the way around. The lovely red Dakota leather seats coddled one’s torso nicely, offering an extendable seat cushion that also offered adjustable thigh support, helping this 335i land the top comfort score as well. Not running on flashy low profile rubber likely helped this comfort score too, even if it did cost it some exterior styling points.
In fine BMW tradition, there was also a lot for the enthusiast driver to appreciate here. Even this top-of-the-line all-wheel-drive 335i can be ordered with a manual transmission, though our group featured all automatics, with this one a sophisticated eight-speed automatic that offered immaculately placed and responsive shift paddles. It was not far from a perfect transmission, smoothly comfortable in traffic and at parking speeds, but willing to instantly turn a casual commute into a fun one sampling equal servings of 300 hp and lb-ft of torque with a couple of quick downshifts, leading to yet another top score for the transmission.
  2013 BMW 335i. Click image to enlarge |
That engine also gave the 335i the best observed fuel consumption after a full day of varied driving, at 10.8 L/100 km, which soundly out-sipped even the considerably less powerful Mercedes-Benz. Even the previously idiotic iDrive console between the seats has now become one of the easiest to use of such systems, with real buttons for items like radio presets that may not look as futuristic as touchscreen soft buttons, but are comfortingly easy to use.
The BMW’s $61,995 as-tested price was second highest, a few grand above most of its rivals here, which would have been much closer to the C-Class if the Benz wasn’t the stripper of the group. But this 335i still cost a sizable $6,745 chunk less than the winner.
Dynamically, it didn’t do much wrong at all, and though it finished at the top of one judge’s score sheet, the BMW’s many solid qualities just wasn’t quite enough to make us love it.
Shallow as it sounds, it’s hard to fall in love when there’s little physical attraction. Just for fun, I configured a similar 335i xDrive on BMW Canada’s website, but added the $2,300 M Sport package that includes more aggressive lower body work all around that hunkered it to the ground, much sexier star-spoke 18-inch wheels on summer rubber, and added M Sport-specific Estoril Blue metallic paint that costs the same as this one’s Black Sapphire metallic. Plus I couldn’t resist the no-cost six-speed manual transmission option.
 2013 BMW 335i. Click image to enlarge |
Looking at that car, there’s no way it would be rated least attractive sport sedan here, and could very well have zoomed up the emotional appeal charts. It still would have come in $4,445 less than the overall winner, but would that have been enough to bump it up to top spot? Would the handling gains of the M Sport suspension and lower profile tires have outweighed the balance between comfort and sport provided by the standard setup on cushy winter rubber? Impossible to say for sure, and unfortunately for BMW we don’t score “what ifs”, so as it stands now, this 335i xDrive receives a hard-fought second-place on this podium and an invite to our next round.
Pricing: 2013 BMW 335i xDrive Sport
Base price (335i xDrive Sport): $53,800
Optional equipment: Premium Package – $4,500; Driver Assistance Package – $800; Black sapphire metallic paint – $800
Destination: $2,095
A/C Tax: $100
Price as tested: $61,995
