Video: Go topless in BMW's 335i convertible

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Karma. Good or bad, even non-believers have to wonder if its gravity guides our lives in mysterious ways. My take on the phenomenon is this: Karma is real and earned. BMW? Good karma. Take a look at their growth over the years and it’s clear they’ve been rewarded for their engineering excellence and devotion to driving dynamics. Despite their controversial design directions, this brand has no problem selling everything coming out of their over-taxed factories. Even Mini, softly but directly brushed with the Bimmer mystique, is a homerun in a country that can’t seem to get enough of hulking SUVs.

Friends and family rightly accuse me of having especially good karma. I’ll admit my life is charmed, largely because of those people. Let’s face it, this gig ain’t too shabby for a kid who grew up drawing Mustangs and ‘Cudas in grade school and helping his father change the oil in the Pontiacs, Oldsmobiles and Buicks that paraded through our driveway.  

Apparently my luck runs out with convertibles though. I love cars without roofs and have owned one for 18 years. But whenever I get one to evaluate the cosmos go wacky. Four years ago when I was invited to sun-filled Los Angeles for the launch of the Mustang ragtop it rained so hard, CHiPs closed the Pacific Coast Highway route we were driving. My first whack at the Chrysler Sebring found seven straight days of drizzle. The next one in California to drive the current generation found similar damp conditions. VW Eos? One merciful sunny day used for photography. Volvo C70? Same fate. During the seven straight sunny days a Jaguar XK 8 graced my drive last summer, I was assigned to chauffeur four kids to summer camp. Sigh …

On the February week that a BMW 335i hardtop convertible shows up, the sky is sunny but Seattle experiences a cold snap. Dang. Cursed in a whole new way. With the temperature hovering near freezing, there’s every possibility of hypothermia with the top down. Yet, I become one of THOSE people, the kind that blissfully tool around top down in bad weather as if they were in Maui. Children giggle, adults frown. I don’t care. A warm parka, optional heated seats and sunglasses to hide my identity enable this kind of behavior.   

Let’s start with the top up. Past 3 Series convertibles were ragtops. The metal version (also available on the less powerful 328i) looks good when it’s up and protecting occupants from the elements. Compared to a soft top, it keeps road noise down and thieves with box cutters away. The giveaways that this is a hard-top drop-top are the seams on the C pillar and another on the rear flank for the cargo lid. Recalling the trunk seams found on 5 and 6 Series cars, this one doesn’t seem out of place (no pun intended there). Like Safeco Field’s retractable roof, the simple one button operation completely transforms the atmosphere. Start to finish, the flip and fold show the roof puts on takes 22 seconds. Easily enough time to entertain others at the stoplight you’re waiting for.

The real fun is reserved for the driver though. The 335i is powered by BMW's terrific twin turbo 3-liter inline-6 that pumps out 300 horsepower and 300 pound-feet of torque. Allow me to geek out for a moment. This is a wonderful direct injected powerplant with smooth, torquey, potent performance. Turbo lag? Repeated hard acceleration runs fail to find it. Even with the weight penalty for the motorized roof, this is one swift tanning bed, though no UV rays will be penetrating my down jacket. Zero to 60 times are 5.7 for the automatic and 5.5 for the 6-speed manual according to BMW. I’m finding this car drinks premium fuel at an average rate of a gallon for every 20 miles. My tester is equipped with the optional STEPTRONIC 6-speed automatic with steering wheel mounted paddle shifters for manual control. It has a sport mode for more aggressive driving styles.

Being a BMW, the rear-wheel drive chassis dynamics are borderline magic. Again back to the lid, considering the 400-pound weight gain over the 3 Series coupe and that the electric motors and hydraulics raise the center of gravity, engineers in Munich have done a commendable job of making sure this car remains entertaining to drive. Ride quality is firm but few BMW shoppers expect a Buick-like ride. Convertibles can lose rigidity in the transformation from fixed roof cars because the roof is structural. This car’s body integrity remains solid as a bank vault. A gripe - the significantly less expensive Volkswagen Eos features a roof with a glass section over the driver that slides back sunroof style. BMW lacks here.

The cabin is classic 3 series right down to the dash mounted cup holders that are a bit awkward to use for the driver. Ambiance lighting on the door and the rear side panels looks great at night. Radio presets are small even without the gloves I’m wearing. Supportive and quick heating seats are very welcome on a chilly day and I appreciate that this vehicle has come equipped without iDrive. Without BMW’s high-tech user interface, the controls are easy to decipher. Past BMWs I’ve driven sport turn signals that blink three times with a slight nudge of the stalk. Nice, but their operation makes them easy to signal in unintended ways. For better or worse they are missing from this car.  

Top down there’s little wind to ruffle the hair or ski hats of those riding in front. A folding wind-blocker easily snaps into the rear seating area to manage turbulence even better when no one’s in the rear seat. Put people in back there and average sized humans like me will find just enough room to park their bums, top up or down (and I do mean just enough). The front seat back is scalloped for maximum knee room but comfort is not the operative concept here. Anything over moderate city cruising will find the rear passengers asking for the top to be raised. If skiing is a passion, know there’s a pass though to help out  - but let’s fact it, an X5 is a better Bimmer when heading to the slopes.   

Trunk space? Not so great but hey, this isn’t minivan right? Top down, only two packs of Costco’s Kirkland bath tissue wedge in (along with the owner’s manual that won’t fit in the glove box). Also, that test is without the wind-blocker that normally stows back here. Luggage has to be stashed under a hinged plastic cover that needs to be completely closed for the roof to fold into the cargo hold. Once the top is down it’s not easy to get to stuff in or out of that space. Quick as you can say “it’s 35 degrees, put the dang top up” that small space gets 50 percent bigger and access improves.   

Sun-loving performance drivers have to be willing to pay a lot of cold hard cash to chill in this superbly engineered convertible. Prices start at around 50 grand. Go nuts with options and 65 isn’t out of the question. The 328i convertible begins at around 44K, in case you’re saving coin for sunscreen. Despite the chilly weather, the 335i leaves me with a warm feeling. Sadly I hand the keys back tomorrow. The forecast? Sixty-five and sunny.