2009 BMW 3 Series: New Look, U.S. Diesel Confirmed

If you just plunked down $40,000 for a 2008 BMW 3 Series don’t freak out right now. Sure, the 2009s will have a revised exterior and upgraded interior, but the improvements probably won’t be enough to completely depress owners of the previous generation. The 2009 cars, however, will feature the new generation of iDrive and more handy knobs to control different accessories.

The 2009 BMW 3 series still will consist of 328 and 335 models in both sedan and wagon form. A 335d clean twin-turbo diesel sedan has been officially confirmed by BMW USA. We’re still waiting on news of a U.S. on-sale date and final specs for U.S. models, which we expect to be nearly identical to the 2008s. The new coupe and convertibles haven’t been revealed yet — we probably won’t see them until closer to the Paris Motor Show in September — but they’ll get an optional seven-speed automatic transmission, which won’t be offered in the sedan or wagon.   

Keep reading for a bulleted list of upgrades and a full photo gallery.

2 Minute Faceoff: Infiniti G37 vs. BMW 335i

Before we start to tell you about the video above, we’re going to say right now (right now!) that we don’t want to hear any complaints out of you rascally commenters about us comparing a coupe to a hardtop convertible. We know they’re not exactly the same. But we had both cars in the same place at the same time, we had two minutes, we had Cars.com senior editor Joe Wiesenfelder in a caffeinated state, so we went with it.

There, we feel better now. Oh, and enjoy the video.

Reader Review of the Week: 2007 BMW 335i Convertible

We're kind of jealous of this week's winner of the RROTW. While we get to sit behind the wheel of a BMW M3 or 335i for a week or so to review the car, Former M3 Guy from San Diego has owned both BMW two-doors in convertible form. He lists the pros and cons in his review, saying the 335i is a match for the M3 in terms of acceleration, but "probably couldn't quite keep up in the 'twisties,' but on the other hand it is a much more comfortable everyday driver." Our own Mike Hanley recently reviewed the 335i hardtop convertible, and you can find his review here.

Suburban Dad: Rally Impressions

Earlier this month, the Cars.com reviewers brought me along to an otherwise journalist-only rally where they got an early look at dozens of new car models. They wanted to get some thoughts on new cars from a typical suburban dad, and they wanted to see what I’d consider buying for me, my wife or my teenage kids. These writers aren’t having kids yet and they’re pretty jaded about getting to drive the latest and greatest cars. I’m not. Here’s my take.

Head to Head: 2007 BMW 335i vs. 2007 Infiniti G35

The Cars.com editorial staff got to check out dozens of upcoming models at a rally in suburban Chicago on Friday. There was a ton to cover, from semi-exotics like the Jaguar XKR to the least expensive compacts on the market, like the Hyundai Accent. There was little doubt, though, that two of the models we were most interested in were the new BMW 335i, with its twin-turbo six-cylinder engine, and the redesigned Infiniti G35. Now, for a true comparison these both should be sedans, but only the 335i coupe was on hand. David Thomas and Mike Hanley had to make do as they ran the two through their paces.