2012 BMW 335

BMW still makes the best entry-level sports sedan.

Like sweet cream, energy pours out of the 335i's engine throughout the rev range.

The [2009 335i] convertible's 12-cubic-foot trunk is actually one cube larger than the coupe's, but shrinks to 7 with the top down...

The rear seat is pretty much unusable except by small children and the most petite of adults. Just imagine they're designer, leather briefcase pedestals and they'll seem much more logical.

The car will move exactly where you want it, exactly how you think it will. There's never any odd feedback or off-target steering, and there's rarely a slip of the rear wheels.

There's a precise feel to the steering and the well-sorted suspension provides exceptional confidence through even the most challenging corners.

...the powertrain has a rheostatic, dial-a-speeding-ticket quality, summoning a progressively urgent rush of power from a dead standstill until your necktie is flapping in the wind like a hurricane pennant.

One race the Infiniti [G37S] loses decisively is fuel economy, which, at 18.4 mpg on our 400-mile jaunt, trails the lighter, smaller-displacement [BMW 335i] by a whopping 3.3 mpg.

One race the Infiniti [G37s] loses decisively is fuel economy, which, at 18.4 mpg on our 400-mile jaunt, trails the lighter, smaller-displacement [BMW 335i] by a whopping 3.3 mpg.

Handling is sharp, responsive, precise, yet the ride isn't harsh, in spite of the fact that a sport suspension comes as standard equipment.

Gauges are plain, the speedometer cluttered with its dual mile/kilometer scales crowding each other.