There was a time not that long ago (I’m not that old), where you could walk into a BMW dealer, spend $35,000 on a nice E46 325i, and walk out with not just a good car, but a fun one. BMW has come a long way since then, and your chance to get a BMW 3 Series with a manual transmission, rear-wheel drive and no M3 badge has long since passed. Here before you stands such an example: a 2013 BMW F30 335i. It’s truly a unicorn.
Maybe read this before dropping $50,000 on an F80 M3…
2013 BMW 335i Quick Take
Get one:
Long live the N55. Feels like an M car with just a few mods. Looks terrific in M Sport trim. Still modern and comfy inside.
Don’t get one:
Usual F-chassis suspects are here. Smells like oil and broken dreams. Should I even bother mentioning steering feel?
Soul Score: 8
Fun. Cheap(er). Fast. Practical. The 335 with a manual was a marvelous thing.
The 2013 BMW F30 335i Overview
The F-chassis 3 Series is well documented on this site. I’ve owned two, including a 335i xDrive, and that X makes it a very different car from the one you see before you on this page.
Finding a 335i without xDrive in the Northeast is like finding a Lego you’ve dropped in the carpet: nearly impossible, and fraught with peril. One wrong step, and it’s a stab in your foot, or in the 3er’s case, a leaking N55. Nevertheless they do exist, and to make it even more incredible, this one has a six-speed manual.
In the year 2024, you know it’s impossible to buy a BMW with said row-your-own ability unless you’re in an M car. Thankfully, used examples exist.
Spoiler alert: out of the box, a 335i isn’t as good as an M3. You must mod it to achieve driving nirvana, like the example here. But this isn’t some Fast and Furious creature, there’s plenty of street-ability left. I mean, just a few mods won’t hurt anybody.
Like madness, all it takes is a little push…
Performance Score: 7. Attainable speed
To this day, an F8X remains an incredibly fast and capable car. So fast that you’d never really experience its full ability unless you want to be featured on the six o’clock news. So forget about quarter mile times, skid pad grip, and top speed – instead, let’s measure by maximum fun.
Engine
What a little hunnie. Ignite this N55 engine (with aftermarket exhaust) with a satisfying rooooaaahhhhhhh out of twin tail pipes. We have 300 horsepower available all the way up top, at 5,800 RPM. Solution: rev it. But with 300 lb-ft of torque just off idle, ease the clutch out a bit or tire-spinning antics ensue.
This car builds boost quickly thanks to a few tuning and hardware tweaks, and it feels fast. Well, it is fast – I’d call the 335i the sweet spot between speed and reasonableness.
In sport mode, a satisfying brap and burble lets out each time you take the foot off the gas. Like any other modern BMW, it needs an exhaust to really let it sing, though the sound isn’t quite as burly as an S55.
One last thing. Here at MWS headquarters, we never concern ourselves with pedestrian things like reliability. New cars are new, and shouldn’t break. Old cars are old, and will probably break. However, in this one instance, I will say that the N55 has earned its reputation. Oil leaks, check engine lights, coil packs – you name it, it goes. Still, it’s not as bad as an Alfa Romeo, and this one had over 130,000 miles on it, so don’t be scared.
No but be a little scared though.
Transmission
I’ve never driven a stock 335i with a manual transmission, though I imagine it’s like any other BMW manual – a bit clunky, with a light, vague clutch. I can understand why many (including me), select the eight-speed automatic, as it’s very responsive and matched well to the engine.
But this car had some magic done to it, namely a short shifter and heavier clutch from a BMW F10 550i (another unicorn). That short shifter does wonders, propelling the 335 beyond even my G80 in terms of feel. The clutch too – takes a little getting used to, as it catches quickly right off the floor. But it should – I don’t see why any stock BMW needs to engage the clutch so high. The result is a car that’s quick to shift, direct in feel, and fun.
It’s no Porsche, but it’s wayy better than an F8X.
Would I want to drive it every day? Sure. Would I want to drive it 120 miles a day, like I used to drive my 3? Ehh.
Steering and Chassis
I don’t think it matters much – 330i Wagon, 335i, M4 – they all stink when it comes to turning the wheel. The M4 adds heft, so maybe the 335’s system is a bit worse, with it’s vague on-center feel. I’ve spilt enough digital ink about the issue by now.
The chassis too, was a mess from the factory, but we can help. First, the fact that it’s not xDrive means the car naturally sits lower from the factory, and it’s about 150 pounds lighter than an xDrive model, at 3,555. Next, we ditch the terrible stock M Sport wheels (prone to bend easily), along with silly all-seasons and in their place, some Firestone summer tires on larger 19-inch wheels. A 255/35 size is also 10mm wider than stock.
But we can do more by dropping the car by adding a set of Bilstein B14 coilovers. The result is still not on par with an M3, but it’s much more direct than any other F30 I’ve driven. There’s also reduced body roll, and all of this helps the steering find its way a little bit. The result is a car that’s not as heavy-handed as an M3, being more toss-able and ultimately fun.
Does all of this fix the ride quality? Ha ha, cool story bro. If you’re looking for that magic ride/handling tradeoff, the E90 is the last stop for you. But I prefer it this way anyway – save the softness for a 330i.
Brakes
Standard 335i brakes are fine for daily use, but you can option these M Sport brakes with four pistons in front. This owner opted to add cross-drilled and slotted rotors, but that’s mostly a cosmetic choice. The brakes themselves still look a bit tiny, though I suppose that’s just me being used to more and more impressively-sized stoppers in modern vehicles. These are much better than anything to come on an E9X, and should you wish to track this thing, I think you’ll be fine, especially with steel-braided brake lines installed here as well.
The 335i, especially this manual, will not blow off your face or make you the king of Test & Tune night, and it’s all the better for it. Revving out the car is fun, and it brings a big grin.
Is that not the entire point of this site?
Utility Score: 8. 3’s Company
A real shame that you could never get an F31 (BMW’s chassis code for the wagon variant) with this sweet inline-six. No matter, because this sedan has almost as much room and comfort. The back seats are identical in size, and though you’re need to scoot up in the front, there’s plenty of room for the kids.
The front seats might not be M3-supportive, but they provide plenty of long haul comfort, and there is enough bolstering to hold you in place through all but the most stereotypical of BMW driver moves. I don’t think you gain much in a newer M340i in terms of comfort. Things got silly when they put these buckets in an M2, but that’s not this 335i’s concern.
Trunk space is quite nice – not as deep as a G20 but nearly as spacious, and for more room you can always fold the seats with a 60:40 split.
Fuel Economy: 8. All gain, no pain
Another area that this N55 excels is fuel mileage. 30 MPG on the highway? Yes please. Even the combined number of 24 is really good, six MPG better than an M4. And that’s not driving it like a pretty baby either.
You lose a mile because of the stick, though you’d lose two if this were xDrive, so look at us saving the planet.
Perhaps here is also the time to mention the B58, the engine this car received for its LCI. It’s more powerful and more reliable (and sounds better), but you gain nothing in terms of efficiency. If you can’t find one of those (they are expensive for nicer examples), worry not, as you save no fuel.
This car has three driving modes in Comfort, Sport…or Economy. It enables the auto-stop feature, turns off the air conditioning whenever it can, reduces engine power, and makes life miserable. If you want to save 0.27485993 gallons of fuel, be my guest.
Features and Comfort: 6. Evolution at its finest
Sometimes, BMW updates make a big difference, and they sort of do here. This pre-LCI has head- and taillights that look a bit dated, has a lot of older tech inside, and in general feels like a ten year old car. But I’m okay with that, especially considering the base price of around $46k got you the important bits.
Real Deal
What’s in here compared to that 330i tested a few weeks back? An older iDrive, smaller knob included (what is this, a car for ants?!). Slightly more pixelated HVAC controls that are orange instead of white during the day. A real deal dash board as oppose to the cool (but rare) digital one. Really, not much. I do miss the little gear indicator like on a modern M3 – I’ve gotten lazy. But leave the car in Comfort mode, and it’ll tell you when it thinks you should shift.
”Not now car, leave me alone.”
The infotainment in the 335i is getting pretty dated, but work around it with adapters and upgrades that allow more phone connectivity. You can have any ambient lighting you want as long as it’s red or white, though I dig the rear window shades. Also nice is the upgraded Harmon Kardon stereo, and an excellent owner-installed steering wheel (complete with M buttons).
The result is not quite M, but close enough.
Feeling Blue
Outside, it’s much of the same. Incandescent taillights were old when this car came out, and made no sense considering the E90 had LCI units. Xenon headlights were replaced by LED units in 2016.
To make this car its most attractive, you must add the M Sport Package as you see here, with its revised bumpers and rocker panels. Painted in Estoril Blue, its very delicious.
Missing are things like the M3’s fender flairs and more aggressive front end (this car makes a frown in the front, an M3 smiles). The lowered stance and aftermarket wheels certainly help.
Still looks great today – something you can’t say for many of its contemporaries.
The 335i makes sense as an M3 alternative, but don’t go nuts
This is a car that can grow with you. Good out of the box, a few light mods like you see here can awaken its inner M. You’ll be slower, but you’ll be smiling, and from the cockpit that’s usually better.
But hey, M + 3 isn’t just a marketing ploy, and to get a 335 up to that level of performance would take more money than is logical. You should just get an M3 at that point, and no amount of boost or tune or negative camber will change that fact no matter what the Bros tell you.
But the 335 doesn’t need to be an M3, especially one as pure as this example. Embrace the F30’s flaws, lean into its strengths, and sigh if the repair bill comes due.
So it’s RIP to the fun regular 3 Series. May it live on forever in reruns.
2013 BMW 335i Specifications
Vehicle Type: Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, five-passenger, four-door sedan
PRICE
Base: $46,450
POWERTRAIN
3.0 liter turbocharged inline-six
300 horsepower @ 5,800 RPM
300 lb-ft @ 1,3000 RPM
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 110.6 in
Length: 182.2 in
Width: 71.3 in
Height: 56.5 in
Curb Weight: 3,555 lbs
FUEL ECONOMY
24 combined / 20 city / 29 highway
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