2007 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Roadster

First off, your humble servant is not James Bond. That's no Jaeger-Le Coultre Reverso (the watch from which the V8 Vantage Roadster draws its design inspiration) on the left wrist. There's no defibrillator in the glovebox. The drive isn't along the scorched-earth landscape of Iceland or to Casino Royale (though Provence's twisty roads to Mount Ventoux are no slouch).

The Aston Martin V8 Vantage Roadster most certainly isn't any manner of Ford Motor Company product nor a jazzed-up Jag or Porsche 911. You slice the iconic top off a 911, even if you're Porsche, and the car looks like an aftermarket conversion. When Aston slices the lid off the V8 Vantage, you get something that looks like its own piece of art. It's as masculine looking as the Coupe (though a couple hundred pounds heavier), the lines enhanced without the fastback roof, making this Roadster look equally at home cruising Beverly Hills or Miami Beach.

In fact, the Roadster has one clear advantage over the Coupe: its soundtrack. No need for a high-end hi-fi in the dash; the raspy WOOFLE! of the exhaust fills your ears with stereophonic sound when you've lowered the top. At speed and especially when exhaust-note-strafing a stone or cement wall alongside a two-lane in Provence, the Roadster's 380-horsepower 4.3 rumbles like a musclecar V-8 with whine added for a British accent. You'll work the gear change extra hard just to make your own music.

Speaking of gear changes, the three-pedal six-speed manual rules. Most Americans will choose the automated manual six-speed, with paddle shifters affixed to the column, just as more Americans will take the Roadster over the Coupe. Aston's automated manual is better than BMW's sequential manual gearbox, but it's not as good as Audi's DSG. Even with this tranny's built-in downshift throttle blips, it's not as smooth or as satisfying as when you row your own. The traditional six-speed manual is one of the best gearboxes extant. The clutch takeup is smooth and even, the gearshift smooth and positive.

No complaints about the engine or chassis, either. The V-8 actually feels stronger than its 302 pound-feet would indicate. With either gearbox, it pulls hard even in upper gears and gives you the confidence to fill any traffic hole with quick application of the right foot. All road imperfections make themselves known through the seat of your pants, and that translates into high cornering ability, but the chassis is at the same time silky smooth and rock steady. It informs you of the imperfections without making you uncomfortable. Steering is inspiring and quick, yet light to the touch. The Roadster is as tactile as the Alcantara placed inside the interior door pulls. Top up or down, the car is quiet until you lay into the V-8. You can keep wind roar to a minimum with the top down and the windblocker in place. Doing the nerdy thing and winding up the windows helps.

Biggest complaints concern the interior. It's snug for larger passengers. The bottom of the super-rakish A-pillar results in a front blind spot at intersections. The center stack is busy with buttons, making it hard to find such rudimentary items as the tripmeter reset. And, really now, a $127,000 car should have automatic-up power windows.

BMW 335i 2007 Coupe

The BMW 335i 2007 Coupe is distinguished by a “powerdome” hood, a deeper front air dam, illuminated surrounds for the standard xenon adaptive headlights, and horizontal LED taillights. Although the body isn’t quite as wide as the sedan’s, track dimensions are nearly identical, so the coupe requires more pronounced fender flares to cover the rubber. Maintaining the classic proportions that have distinguished 3-series coupes since 1991, it all adds up to a look that’s simultaneously sophisticated and aggressive. Not to mention drop-dead gorgeous.

As you'd expect, there's mechanical distinction to go with the sexy sheetmetal. The most obvious is a new engine, but that distinction won't last long. The twin-turbo 3.0-liter six will distinguish the 335i exclusively during its September showroom debut, but BMW plans to make the force-fed engine available in the 3-series sedan shortly thereafter.

There will be three U.S. editions of the coupe — the 328i (from $35,995), with its naturally aspirated 3.0-liter straight-six (230 horsepower, 200 pound-feet of torque); the all-wheel-drive (a first for a BMW coupe) 328xi, from $37,795; and the turbocharged 335i (300 horsepower, 300 pound-feet of torque), from $41,295. All have the same five-link rear suspension as the sedan, all come with 225/45-17 run-flat tires standard, and all but the xi include sport-suspension tuning that's far easier to live with than the unforgiving spring and damper settings of an M3. All trim levels offer an 18-inch wheel option, along with performance tires. Aside from the turbo engine's much bigger punch — an aside not to be taken lightly — the biggest dynamic distinction between the 328i and 335i is in braking, thanks to the 335's heftier rotors.

We had a chance to put a 335i through its paces in an all-too-brief tour of the Austrian Tirol near Innsbruck and emerged with three major impressions. First, the new six-speed Steptronic automatic is well matched to the turbo engine's almost bottomless torque, and its paddle shifters allow manual operation when the pilot feels playful. We still prefer the involvement of the standard ZF six-speed manual, but as automatics go, the Steptronic goes better than most and is eminently preferable to BMW's balky sequential manual gearbox.

Second, the 335's sport-suspension package provides an outstanding compromise between creamy ride and athletic response.

Third, he Alpine heights magnified the benefits of boost, but we're certain this new engine will win friends at any altitude. BMW forecasts 0-to-60-mph times of 5.3 seconds for the 335i. Judging by our Tirol touring, we thought this was conservative, a premonition that was vindicated when a 335i showed up at Hogback HQ as this issue was going to bed — just time enough for some formal test data: 0 to 60 in 4.9 seconds and the quarter-mile in 13.6 at 105 mph. Those results are almost excactly the same as the numbers posted by the last M3 we tested [C/D, May 2003]. Wow. 'Nuff said.

3-SERIES COUPE
Vehicle type: front-engine, rear- or 4-wheel-drive, 4-passenger, 2-door coupe
Base price: $35,995-$41,295
Engines: DOHC 24-valve 3.0-liter inline-6, 230 hp, 200 lb-ft; twin-turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 24-valve 3.0-liter inline-6, 300 hp, 300 lb-ft

Transmissions: 6-speed automatic with manumatic shifting, 6-speed manual
Wheelbase: 108.7 in
Length/width/height: 180.3/70.2/54.1-54.2 in
Curb weight: 3400-3600 lb
C/D test results (335i):
Zero to 60 mph: 4.9 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 12.1 sec
Street start, 5-60 mph: 5.6 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 13.6 sec @ 105 mph
Top speed (governor limited): 144 mph
Braking, 70-0 mph: 160 ft
Projected fuel economy (C/D est):
EPA city driving: 20-21 mpg
EPA highway driving: 29-30 mpg

BMW’s first U.S.-market gasoline turbo, a 3.0-liter blown six-cylinder, has two small IHI turbochargers that each pressurize three cylinders with a maximum of about nine psi of boost. Direct fuel injection, a first for a BMW gasoline turbo engine, helps to cool the intake charge and allows a high 10.5:1 compression ratio. The block is made from aluminum, not magnesium and aluminum as used in BMW’s naturally aspirated straight-sixes. Horsepower is 300 at 5600 rpm, and the peak torque of 300 pound-feet arrives at just 1400 rpm and hangs on until 5000 revs. We’ve driven the 335i, and if there’s any turbo lag, it’s infinitesimal.