Anyone moved from 3.0 Si to 35is?

Maniac said:
original guvnor said:
I am a bit surprised they didn't rework the 35iS into the M35iS when they face lifted the E89. By that I mean do one of those M-performance jobs on it and offer an LSD as an option.
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Same old story, limited market and they're concentrating on mainstream and high end M stuff.
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I guess so. Unfortunately it really is starting to look like the Z4 is going to be canned and go the way of the Z3. Surely we would've seen spy shots of the new one by now if it was being developed. The last model had a 6-year lifespan and we are now 5 years into this car and no spy photo, no rumour even.
 
Maybe thats good no new model to lust after and spend more loot on keep the one we've got :thumbsup: although my son asked at christmas why I had'ent ordered an F Type Jag yet :lol:
 
TitanTim said:
Never mind, can't wait to be all electric :)

Tim.
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If by all electric you mean cars full of batteries, it'll never happen.

We're already not producing enough electricity as it is, we have very little spare capacity at peak times as we speak. However the vast majority of cars would be charged during the night (off peak) so this may be less of a problem. I have no doubt that technology will extend to the point that even a long commute to and from work will be possible on one charge so it will, really only need to be charged at home.

However the usefulness of fuels cannot be ignored, this means that they effectively have an unlimited range, something that is a necessity for many people. This means that IMO the future of cars is in the manufacture of fuels either by bacteria or algae or any other the other possibilities companies like Shell are pouring money into. The only other viable alternative to fossil fuels IMO is Hydrogen, this effectively ends up being an electric vehicle with its own built in power station. The advantages of this are that the hydrogen can be distributed using our current system of petrol stations and hydrogen is the most abundant element on our planet. The disadvantage is that he have not yet developed a method of creating a large amount of it except electrolysis with requires electricity, which we currently need fossil fuels to produce.

I am very confident in saying that I don't believe that I will ever buy a car that can only gain power and range by me plugging it into an electrical power source.

Now THAT was off topic. Sorry :oops:
 
I made the move from a 2006 3.0si to a 2010 35is 3 months ago - here is my take on it.

3.0si - loved it. Seemed small, great interior, very quick & agile. The only problem was that I looked at a e89 a few months after I bought the e85 & it ruined it for me.

The e89 just seemed so much nicer inside (where you spend all your time) so I test drove one & that put the last nail into the e85 & it had to go.

The 35is isn't quite as 'alive & agile' as the 3.0si, but leagues ahead in the interior quality. Overall performance is on another level - it feels genuinely much much faster with a huge shove in the back (where the e85 was more of a wind up to the performance rather than instant).

The metal roof is overall much better - the pluses being the better isolation & solidity with it up & the overall coupe type look, but it is a pain in the arse having to take up so much boot space with it down. Overall I'm happier with the metal than the cloth, so all good.

The e89 has all the modern bits that I was missing from the e85 - Bluetooth, decent nav (idrive), heated steering wheel - just feels like a more modern vehicle.

Fuel consumption is worse on the 35is (by a long way). I was averaging around 34mpg (75% city / 25% motorway) on the 3.0si, with the same mix of driving I only get about 26mpg from the 35is. Not great, but I put up with it because the overall experience is just so much better.

I was looking forward to the paddle shift - but on a 2010 car they are very disappointing (push /pull change on both sides). The feel was... 'clicky'... and just not intuitive. Easily changed for the shifters from a 2012 car (same as on theM3 I believe) so just pull/pull one side does down, one side does up. Then it is perfect.

The combination of DCT with the adaptive suspension (standard on a 35is) makes it a real jeckle & hyde car. Fast at all times, but can be comfy & smooth with a real blatant step up to a more aggressive ride & become a proper 'play car' when in sport plus, shifting with the paddles. On a lot of cars the change is subtle - on the 35is it is like having a completely different car. Brilliant & super flexible.

At illegal speeds on B roads, the e85 felt more planted - the 35is is definitely more twitchy. I change the tyres to Mitchel pilot sports, and it is better - but I still thing the e85 was better dynamically.

The noise from 35is is really addictive - very rorty exhaust note that is quiet when pootling around town, but you can provoke a lot of noise very easily. I love it. Get the roof down & it is a great experience all by itself.

The car I was actually going to buy was a 2010 M3 - but after driving one & the 35is a few times, I didn't like the lack of low down grunt on the M3. It went round corners better (for sure). But the interior & fuel consumption were much less impressive. Noise at low revs was not a patch on the 35is either.

In the real world most of my driving is sub 60mph, with the engine at 2k - 4k rpm. Within that range the 35is feels much faster than an M3, sounds a shedload better, consumes much less fuel, looks nicer inside - all the things that matter to me. I'm never going on a track, where the M3 would own it I'm certain.

I think the bottom line is that you need to drive a 35is if you are considering the switch. It will immediately clarify which you prefer & for me it completely ruined the e85 experience & I changed straight away & have not regretted it. There is no other car I would switch to under £50k (second hand budget for me) & that says a lot!

Matt
 
matsmith749 said:
I made the move from a 2006 3.0si to a 2010 35is 3 months ago - here is my take on it.

3.0si - loved it. Seemed small, great interior, very quick & agile. The only problem was that I looked at a e89 a few months after I bought the e85 & it ruined it for me.

The e89 just seemed so much nicer inside (where you spend all your time) so I test drove one & that put the last nail into the e85 & it had to go.

The 35is isn't quite as 'alive & agile' as the 3.0si, but leagues ahead in the interior quality. Overall performance is on another level - it feels genuinely much much faster with a huge shove in the back (where the e85 was more of a wind up to the performance rather than instant).

The metal roof is overall much better - the pluses being the better isolation & solidity with it up & the overall coupe type look, but it is a pain in the arse having to take up so much boot space with it down. Overall I'm happier with the metal than the cloth, so all good.

The e89 has all the modern bits that I was missing from the e85 - Bluetooth, decent nav (idrive), heated steering wheel - just feels like a more modern vehicle.

Fuel consumption is worse on the 35is (by a long way). I was averaging around 34mpg (75% city / 25% motorway) on the 3.0si, with the same mix of driving I only get about 26mpg from the 35is. Not great, but I put up with it because the overall experience is just so much better.

I was looking forward to the paddle shift - but on a 2010 car they are very disappointing (push /pull change on both sides). The feel was... 'clicky'... and just not intuitive. Easily changed for the shifters from a 2012 car (same as on theM3 I believe) so just pull/pull one side does down, one side does up. Then it is perfect.

The combination of DCT with the adaptive suspension (standard on a 35is) makes it a real jeckle & hyde car. Fast at all times, but can be comfy & smooth with a real blatant step up to a more aggressive ride & become a proper 'play car' when in sport plus, shifting with the paddles. On a lot of cars the change is subtle - on the 35is it is like having a completely different car. Brilliant & super flexible.

The noise from 35is is really addictive - very rorty exhaust note that is quiet when pootling around town, but you can provoke a lot of noise very easily. I love it. Get the roof down & it is a great experience all by itself.

I think the bottom line is that you need to drive a 35is if you are considering the switch. It will immediately clarify which you prefer & for me it completely ruined the e85 experience & I changed straight away & have not regretted it. There is no other car I would switch to under £50k (second hand budget for me) & that says a lot!

Matt
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Sums it quite nicely Matt for a first post :thumbsup:

Agree with interior and tin top roof, the interior is one of the best of any roadster and why I prefer the E89 over a Porsche Boxster or BMW over Porsche generally. Like yourself the tin top roof whilst adding a little extra negligeable weight wins hands down over a fabric roof.

Tim.
 
I'd be disappointed if you didn't think it was more modern and better fitted out as it is a 4 year newer car and circa £15-18k more expensive to buy.

In summary the E89 suits some people more others less. The sales volumes suggest it suits less people than the old model did. Maybe the sports car market is just in terminal decline though. Porsche sold 160k cars worldwide last year and only 55k of them were from their sports car ranges (991/boxster/Cayman).
 
Nicely summed up Matt, I went looking to buy an M3 to replace my Boxster with having had a M3 a few years ago but we saw this 35is and decided virtually straight away that was the car we wanted. (Sounds like we bought them about the same time)
 
I'd love to drive one with an after market LSD fitted. With the available power it should have had one as standard but hey ho.

For now, the M is still my preferred toy (I looked at both) as it's a more raw sports car. No idea what I'd replace it with. Maybe an Aerial Atom 300.
 
I drove a few M class cars Stuart, they are a different kind of proposition to the e89 35is Z4 though in my eyes.

You are right in that they are more focussed & raw sports cars - but that brings with it a whole new bag of compromises & costs.

I personally use the 35is as a single vehicle daily driver, and prefer the 'instant oomph' of the high torque twin turbo unit to the 'high revs gain' of the normally aspirated Z4M. Plus the ability to switch the adaptive suspension to comfortable (against always harsh) is nice in traffic & on bad roads. And the DCT transmission is also a big plus in my eyes. Fuel economy on the M's is another issue, and the need to run higher in the engine range to get at decent torque is not my cup of tea either.

Don't get me wrong - on the right day, with the right conditions, an M (either a M3 or a Z4M) would be a great car - but it's not perfect (for me) for everyday use.

For me the Z4M is drifting out of the equation also due to age of vehicle available, I would really prefer to be in something a max of 5 years old (again just a personal preference) & like the newer options available on more recent cars.

Matt
 
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