Before settling on my 335i, I drove these:
2011 Mustang GT 5.0 - Horrible interior and quality, way to big for a sports car and does not feel fast at all until you rev the crap out of it.
2010 Infiniti G37s - Worst steering feel of almost any car I have ever driven, way too loose and lacking feedback to the driver - this is not what a proper sports car should drive like. Once, again, it felt slow due to the lack of low end torque.
2010 Evo X GSR - Best Handler of the class, amazing aftermarket for parts and tunes, not particularly fast stock (AWD has a lot to do with this) and fantastic steering feel. Sucked for every day practicality.
2010 Benz C350 - Great car overall, a little on the slow side but in terms of the whole package, I thought it was about as close to the 335i as you can get in terms of ride and steering feel.
2010 IS350 - Great car as well; however, not quite a 3 series. This is particularly seen when taking corners fast. In addition, Lexus has some of the worst lease deals ever but reliability is a major plus.
All in all, the 3 series was the best combination of everything I was looking for, there is no sacrifice in anything, be it luxury, power, handling or class, this vehicle outshined the rest by a wide margin
I though I could sacrifice luxury for more power; i.e. Mustang instead of BMW or sacrifice practicality for raw performance Evo instead of BMW, I was greatly mistaken!