New generation of coupes is launched.

Introduction:

The BMW 3 Series coupes have been completely redesigned for 2007. These all-new, fifth-generation coupes follow on the heels the new BMW 3 Series sedans that were introduced last year.

With sleeker styling and carrying less weight than a four-door sedan, the two-door or coupe version of BMW's 3 Series model has special appeal for drivers who demand sporty driving dynamics but need a back seat and a decent sized trunk.

If you think of a coupe as merely a sedan with two less doors, you need to change your thinking as it applies to BMW. The coupe is nearly two inches longer, more than an inch trimmer and has a roofline that is more than two inches lower than the sedan's. In fact, the only exterior component the coupe shares with the 3 Series sedan is door handles, and the coupe needs only two of them, so right there, one segment of component weight is cut in half.

Handling is sharp, responsive, precise, yet the ride isn't harsh, in spite of the fact that a sport suspension comes as standard equipment.

The 2007 BMW 335i coupe features a new twin-turbocharged engine that puts out 300 horsepower, which makes for the ultimate driving machine. We found it to be an extremely responsive and pleasing car, with none of the turbo lag associated with turbochargers. Meanwhile, the 328xi features all-wheel drive, which enhances traction in wet or snowy weather. A new convertible with a retracting hardtop and the next ultra-high-performance M3 are anticipated for launch in calendar year 2007.

Walkaround:

BMW's design brief for the 2007 3 Series coupe was to give it an elegant yet athletic look that would clearly differentiate it from the four-door sedan introduced a year earlier. While the two vehicles share their 108.7-inch wheelbases, they share no sheetmetal.

The coupe is longer and lower and not as wide. By using standard Xenon headlamps, its front light fixtures are smaller, and are nicely set off above the deep front fascia with its wide array of air inlets to feed the powerful twin-turbocharged engine.

The hood is long and includes a subtle power dome to indicate that there is substantial horsepower underneath. The hood line, which actually starts down in the front apron, leads up and back toward a roofline that is long and smooth and inches lower than that on the sedan (but don't worry, there's plenty of headroom even in the back seat).

The sides of the car feature BMW's flame surface treatment, a design that accentuates the way the light is reflected to make the car look like it's accelerating even when it's sitting still. Even the new rear view mirrors were designed to enhance aerodynamic efficiency. Short front and rear overhangs add to the aggressive profile.

One purpose of the design was to lead the observer's eyes toward the rear wheels and quarter panels as a way to visually express that this is a sporty car propelled by its rear wheels.

Seen from the rear, the new 3 Series coupe looks wide and low, with prominent tail lamps above dual exhaust tips that provide a visual clue that the car ahead has a powerful engine.

While sleek and elegant, the coupe's new body also is strong and lightweight. Compared to the sedan, the coupe is 22 pounds lighter even though it carries more standard equipment. The use of composite materials for things such as the front fenders helps keep the car light and the use of high-strength steel helps keep it strong and rigid, some 25 percent more rigid than the previous generation.

Interior:

Like the car's exterior, the interior of the 2007 BMW 3 Series coupe is elegant while also being sporty, and roomy.

BMW gives 3 Series coupe customers many trim choices, including beige, saddle brown, black, gray and red upholstery and burl walnut, brown or gray poplar or brushed aluminum trim.

While the interior has design cues similar to the 3 Series sedans, there are many subtle changes, such as additional tick marks on the gauges.

The cockpit will look and feel familiar to BMW 3 Series owners, though they'll appreciate the new ambient lighting system at night and the way their shoulder belts are presented to them by arms that emerge from little doors built into the rear side interior trim panels. It used to be that the driver and front-seat passenger had to reach way back to find their shoulder belts, but now they simply sit down and close the doors and the belts come to them.

Particularly impressive is the care given to the rear seating area. For one thing, the rear seat is designed for two people and thus provides them with good space, and even a lot of leg and head as well as shoulder room. They have ventilation controls they can manipulate and lots of storage areas and a wide armrest with cup holders.

It's almost like sitting in a small limousine. There are even buttons on the outside edge of the front seats, in the shoulder area, so someone sitting in the back seat can reach up and power the front seat forward to ease exit from the rear of the car.

If you need to carry cargo rather than people, the rear seatback is split and each side folds forward to expand the trunk from its standard 11.1 cubic feet of capacity. The trunk lid features compound hinges, not gooseneck hinges that can crush your luggage.

Driving Impressions:

The 2007 BMW 3 Series coupe represents the newest and fifth generation of a vehicle that traces back nearly four decades to the BMW 2002, one of BMW's most famous cars and which many consider to be the original European sports sedan (in this case, sedan means four- or five-passenger car with a fixed metallic roof, as opposed to a two-seat roadster or convertible).

The new 335i is the first BMW in some 25 years to have a turbocharged engine. BMW was committed to increasing on the 255 horsepower provided by the inline six-cylinder engine used in the previous 3 Series coupe. One way would have been to switch to a V8, but BMW opted to another solution, one that would combine the power of a V8 with the fuel economy of the inline-6.

That solution was to develop an engine that incorporated two small turbochargers, fan-like devices that boost the air pressure within the engine to enhance the fuel combustion cycle, therefore getting more power without increasing the number of cylinders. Another drawback BMW saw with the V8 was that it would be heavier, and would add weight to the car's nose, which does not help the sort of dynamic handling qualities on which BMW has built its reputation.

The key to the twin turbo engine's performance isn't just its forced induction system, but also the engineers use of special and so-called piezo fuel injectors. By precise control of the air/fuel mixture and its placement within the cylinder, BMW is able to optimize the engine's performance not just in power output but also in fuel economy and in a reduction of as much as 20 percent in harmful exhaust emissions.

Even while delivering 300 horsepower, the twin turbo engine is rated at 19 mpg in the city and 28 on the highway with the manual transmission and at 20/29 mpg with the automatic. To put those figures in context, the 230-hp engine in the new 328i, which does not have the special injectors, is rated at 20/30 in fuel economy.

Turbocharged engines often have what is known as turbo lag, a period of hesitation between the time the driver tips into the throttle and the time the turbocharger spools up to boost the power. To the driver, it feels as though nothing is happening, and then suddenly the engine explodes into action. But by using two smaller turbos, and by keeping them turning even at slow speeds, BMW was able to fine tune the system to eliminate lag. Instead, power is provided in a smooth and linear delivery as the needles on the tachometer and speedometer sweep their arcs across their respective dials.

By spooling the turbos earlier, maximum torque is achieved at just 1400 rpm and holds steady all the way to 5000, just about the point at which horsepower is reaching its peak. Thus this six-cylinder engine has torque delivery much like that of a V8. While we enjoy shifting gears, the engine is strong enough that on our drive on wonderful winding roads through the hill country between San Francisco and Bodega Bay in northern California, we could be content to simply pick third or fourth, depending on the speed we wanted to travel, and enjoy the scenery while the engine's broad power band kept the car's momentum flowing.

After driving a 335i with a manual transmission in the morning, we switched after lunch to a 335i with the automatic transmission, one equipped with paddle shifters on the steering wheel. Again, we found the car very responsive even when we let the transmission shift on its own. For those who like paddle shifting, BMW notes that it had cut the transmission's response time to the paddles in half to enhance the driver's sense of control.

To make sure power is used most efficiently, BMW uses different transmissions for different 3 Series coupes. The 328i has either a Getrag I manual or GM-sourced automatic. The 328xi gets a Getrag H manual or the GM automatic. The 335i has either a ZF Type G manual or a ZF high-performance 19 TU automatic.

Some might worry that equipping the 335i with Sport suspension as standard equipment would make the ride too harsh. It does not. Instead, with aluminum suspension arms and other changes, the Sport setup not only reduces unsprung weight, thus making the car more responsive to steering inputs, but with such a solid chassis, the suspension can be fine tuned to provide both the dynamic ride that enthusiast drivers like without sacrificing the smooth ride qualities that pleases their passengers. The Sport suspension may be jolted by potholes, but it responds immediately and maintains control rather than seesawing up and down.

Turn-in with the 335i is quick and sure, even with the standard steering gear. BMW's active steering system is available as an option and is designed to help the driver's control by providing a variable steering ratio that makes low-speed maneuvers easier but that also enhances on-center steering control at Interstate or even autobahn speeds.

Also helping the driver maintain control is the inclusion of dynamic stability control as standard equipment. This computerized technology works with the anti-lock braking system to apply individual brakes to help keep the car on the driver's intended path. BMW's newest version of this technology also does such things as keeping the brakes drier in wet weather, thus shortening stopping distances.

The 335i also has very large brakes: 13.7-inch discs on the front wheels and 13.2-inch discs at the rear. BMW is known for its marvelous brakes, and to help keep its cars from being rear-ended in emergency stops, the German automaker equips cars such as the 3 Series coupes with adaptive two-stage tail lights to signal those behind of hard and fast stops.

BMW says the 335i accelerates to 60 miles per hour in just 5.3 seconds. Even the 328s are quick, with the rear-wheel drive version hitting 60 in 6.2 seconds and the 328xi getting there in just 6.8 seconds.

Summary:

For drivers who want a two-seat sports car but need a back seat and trunk, the new BMW 3 Series coupe may indeed be the ultimate driving machine. That's especially true with the 300-hp BMW 335i. Yet the new 3 Series coupe is also available with the sure-footed traction of all-wheel drive, meaning that those living in the snow belt can enjoy their driving machines in the winter.

NewCarTestDrive.com contributor Larry Edsall filed this report from Marin County, California.