Video: 2011 BMW 335is

It's the coupe and the car like this makes it really easy to see why. The car is a little bit like monopoly. There's sort of a version for everyone. You can get the sedan, the coupe, the convertible, or the station wagon, or you can get the high-performance M three, which comes in all but the station wagon. The 335is is new to the lineup for 2011. It comes in coupe or convertible body style. It's worth noting that all of the coupes and convertibles have been updated this year with new stylings. So you're going to get things like revised headlights with this sort of white stripe on the top. You've got new bumpers, and you've got uniform red taillights. The I S part of that gets you a few more changes, in addition. You've got this jet black grill right here, even more, aggressive bodywork, and unique 18-inch wheels. The bumpers have the same sort of deep-set appearance as the bumpers on the M3s. You've got a larger center portion right here. No fog lights on the side, which BMW says is to provide better cooling for the engine, which brings us to the reason you're probably watching this video. The engine for 2011, the three series gets a new twin scroll, single turbocharger for its six-cylinder engine, the 335is, meanwhile, keeps the old twin-turbo six-cylinder, but adds more boost and better cooling. The result is 320 horsepower and 332 pounds-feet of torque versus 300 of each in last year's twin-turbo six-cylinder. Our manual coupe hits 60 miles per hour in just 5.1 seconds, BMW says. The shifter has nice, short, better connected throws than in the last stick-shift BMW three series we drove. And if you open it up at low RPM, the engine can go into a temporary over-boost mode, which provides up to 370 pounds-feet of torque. Real nice if you like sliding out the tail at every corner. The steering's a little bit heavy at low speeds, takes some effort to turn, but it rewards you with excellent precision and good feedback. You point this car in any new direction, and off it goes. You don't actually have to sacrifice a lot to get that. Our test car has the sports suspension, which is stiffer than this suspension in the regular three series, actually pretty comfortable. It doesn't beat you up. The trunk about 11 cubic feet cargo volume here. Definitely enough to throw a few golf bags, actually pretty impressive for what you get in a luxury coupe these days. So what don't we like? Well, the three series has always been expensive for 335is here starts at about $50,000. That kind of money gets you a very well equipped Infiniti G37 coupe or Cadillac CTS coupe. The age-old question seems to be is the BMW worth the extra money? Well, judging by the sales numbers a lot of people are saying yes. <v Announcer>For more car-related news, go to cars.com or our blog kicking tires.net.