For another view on the 335is, we turn to our friends at Kilometer who had a chance to sample the 335is at the same track in Portugal last week. Here ‘s a quick excerpt:

>Purists will likely want the six-speed manual transmission that comes standard, but new seven-speed DCT gearbox will actually get you up to speed more quickly. There’s simply no beating a pre-selected gear and computer-controlled clutch for shifting speed and accuracy. I was able to pull an honest 0-to-60 time of 5.0 seconds on the cool, damp surface of Estoril’s front straight (measured with a vBox performance meter), and that was without the gearbox’s launch control program (which was deactivated in our pre-production cars). On top of being faster, the DCT engages quite smoothly; even lugging around at low speeds it never exhibited the jerkiness that other cars with dual-clutch transmissions often do.

>At the other end of the car, the 335is get a bespoke exhaust system with a pair of black tips peaking through the rear valence. BMW insists the setup is unique to the is, though it appears to be a piece from their performance catalog. Either way, it delivers a hearty burble at idle that may be reason enough for some buyers to make the leap, and under acceleration generates a sporty (but not obnoxious) rasp.

+ 2011 335is Coupe – BMW Builds One For the Enthusiasts
 / Autoblog