BMW M235i... I thrashed it on the track. *VIDEO*
 

Hi again everyone,

I'm now an editor for BIMMERPOST.com

My first assignment was to go to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the M235i launch and abuse the hell out of the new Bimmer on the track. Here is my video review!

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5Ks0c5UB6Q"]BIMMERPOST BMW M235i Review - YouTube[/ame]


So how does it compare to the 86?

It's not as light, or as agile or quite as fun. But it's much more grown up. Not just in fit and finish and the materials and the badge, but also in the driving experience. Less NVH, more supple ride, more damping to all of the controls. Surprisingly the chassis is very playful, much more so than an equivalent 3 series and I suspect it's thanks to the shorter wheelbase. But it's not as stable and does not have the 'big car' feel as the 3 series.

There in lies the problem... it's very compact but its weight betrays this compactness. It's stubby and agile, but also so heavy (3500lbs). The engine is heroic. The 8 speed auto is slushy. It's not a DCT. Stick with the 6 speed manual.

In terms of fun, there is little out there that can beat the 86 for me in the current market. Nothing except maybe the Miata or Elise, but those cars handle very differently and are not as driftable as the 86.

The M235i is sort of a halfway point to something like an M3. But if you already own an 86, I would just wait till you can go all the way to an M3 or a Cayman S or something of that calibre. Just my two cents!

If you are interested in the full write up review, you can find it here.

So do you guys have any interest in the 2 series or M badged Bimmers in general? Would you 'graduate' to one any time soon?

The real question is...... can you drive it in a straight line?

Lovely review.

I always liked M1 and this.

M235i was on my list to replace my BMW, but after seeing the running costs of my 135i and seeing no change in weight for the M235i and also driving an N55 135i, I was not nearly as excited and ended up with the BRZ.

99 M-Coupe

Thanks for the review! Any comparison notes to a 4-series in terms of size/chassis?

I was driving a Ferrari F430 GT when I seen the red one being driven :D!

3500+ lb., what a PIG!
Pretty misleading that they show it with a 2002tii (~2200 lb.) in the commercials. The new 2 is *hardly* a modern version of that car. Modern German Buick maybe...

There hasn't really been a new BMW I've been interested in since the old Z3-based MCoupe. They can and should learn a LOT from the FRZ twins.

1- and 2-series should be a LOT smaller and lighter-weight (and less expensive!) 4-cylinder only cars. 3- and 4- should be a LOT smaller and lighter as well!

Thanks for the review. That sounds like an amazing job getting to write for the ole bimmerpost. I am definitely considering the M235i or a similarly equipped 228i with M Sport package. The price difference between the two the way I have them equipped is $44k and change for the 228i and $48k and change for the M235i. I really want to drive both with a 6 speed manual. I have driven both motors previously in 328i and 335i guise, and I found I actually preferred the turbo 4 motor. I believe it also saves around 100 lbs off the curb weight.

My father bought a series 10 frs last year as a temporary until the M4 was released but he is very interested in the M235i…. point is I think its going to be something more for the old-er demographic that enjoy rwd and want the M4.
BUT you don't really need 430hp in a daily driver and most people know that, so if you can get away with a smaller car that uses less fuel and costs less but has the same toys (The reason I didn't buy a Hyundai Genesis ;) ) then go for it.
I think this car will be fantastic and really hope we see a similar audi/merc/etc product, also very interested how the lighter frs/brz will do against the 4 cylinder!

Almost forgot to mention, that was a properly good review on the car! Camera angles were top notch!

That's really porky considering it's not even AWD and the new Mk3 Audi TT will be below 3000lbs in weight on the new MQB platform. The TT-S would have comparable performance to this M235i? Once later in the production cycle there could be a M2 vs TT-RS.

I'm actually more interested in the 228i, lighter and better balanced, cheaper, with still probably enough power. Although unfortunately there don't seem to be any reviews of it anywhere yet.

But what I would actually love to buy (if it existed) would be a 2-series with a non-turbo straight 6 and LSD...

...and this interior:

http://www.forcegt.com/wp-content/up...front-seat.jpg

I was waiting for the 'thrashing' :P


Good video man, grats on the position at BimmerPost. I used to pretty much spend all my time online on that website on the 1addicts side of things.

Close in dimensions as an E46? Damn this is a big / heavy car.

For real. I was excited until I heard it was 3400-3500lbs. Without truly amazing chassis design, a car that heavy will always feel that heavy. See? Everyone thinks it's fat.




A number of people are bringing up the 228i and turbo four engine. I'd be interested to see a comparison piece on the two, like when GRM compared the M3 and 335i on the track and autocross - after using the money saved in purchase price of the 335i to modify it, the car beat out the M3 (just barely IIRC).

I love the bimmers. Test drove the euro 125i hatchback but the GT86 was much more fun.

Nice review!

The difference is that the M235i is not an M2. You can literally make the 228i the exact same car minus the 6 cylinder turbo motor and some M235i badges. The only question is whether you can make the same hp/torque with the $4000 you save getting the 4 cylinder turbo.

Is that interior actually available on a 2 series in the US?

Nope :(

I like NVH and my 23 yr old body can handle the harshness so unfortunately that plus side seems more like an opinion and preference than anything because on the same point I can say that the FRS is better because it has more NVH.

yes.

2015 STI spanks M3 in the ass, right in the crack, where it hurts the most!

It doesn't hurt that much in the crack, can't get a nice flat surface area :iono:

wait wut

I saw the review on youtube! It was pretty good. I like the looks of it and I want to see how the manual stacks up. Looks like a very good chassis. I want to know how it stacks up to a 1M.

This guy lives in a dream world, haha. The M3 has more power, is lighter, and isn't AWD.

What is the weight of the M3 vs 15 STI again ?

Not quite. The manual 6 speeds are different, with the one on the M235i coming from the 1M. IIRC there are also differences in suspension tuning between even the sportiest 228 and the M235i - hardly surprising given the different engine weights.

+1 I was waiting for some more aggressive driving and didn't any abuse. :iono:

After I saw you get in and not put a helmet on, I had a feeling it was going to be a mediocre review. Thanks for sharing and congrats on the editor job though. :cheers:

Will probably cost less than $60K used...

Yeah but the 1M was sold out in record time and a limited production car. I imagine this won't be so I think it will depreciate differently.

Srsly. $60K? Sorry, I'm buying a Cayman, not a used BMW.

Ouch bro. I bought the BMW. :(

Interesting about the 6 speeds. I hadn't read that but I could see needing different gearing for the 4 cylinder. The 228i can be equipped with the same M adaptive suspension as an option.

You already had a Cayman though.

You're selling me on the 228i, stop it.

I already had an E92 M3 as well. Should have went with a 997.1 GT3 back when prices were reasonable and 991 GT3s could still be driven without fear of oil fires destroying your 130k car. The 228i is a great car for the money.

Don't think official numbers have been released for the STI. I expect 3450 lbs or so. The US weight number for the M4 is 3295 lbs and the M3 is 3351 lbs. Again these aren't the most real world numbers though. They are closer than I thought, however.

228i manual
curb weight: 3260lbs
weight distribution: 50/50
HP: 240
TQ: 255
Forward gear ratios: 3.7/2.0/1.31:1/1.00/0.81/0.70
Reverse gear ratio: 3.35 :1
Final drive ratio 3.91 :1

M235i manual
Curb Weight: 3505 lbs
Weight distribution: 51.9/48.1 %
HP: 320
TQ: 330
Forward gear ratios: 4.11/2.32/1.54/1.18/1.00/0.85
Reverse gear ratio: 3.73 :1
Final drive ratio: not listed

Six speed in the M235i looks better, gear ratio wise.

I liked the review! Sam, you have a good calm delivery and you come across as well-informed and intelligent.

WHAT!? I had to look this up. Yep, it's right. Less than 50 pounds lighter than my auto-equipped 2009 335i....four-door. How can this new car weigh so much? Hmm...looking at the specs, it's only 4" shorter than my car. The wheelbase is less than 2" shorter. It is the same height as my car.

I really, really, wanted to love this new car. I do love the driving feel of my sedan. (I've upgraded it, of course! M suspension bits, 385 rwhp, LSD...) But I wanted a car with all that turbo six power, but lower weight. Something significantly more agile. Figure 3300 pounds or so.

In fact, this M235i weighs almost exactly the same as the current-generation 335i sedan! And costs about the same, too. For my money I'll take the bigger package at the same cost and weight, even if the "little" car is sexier looking.

In any case, I'd wait two years for a used one to come off lease at $20,000 under the MSRP...

--Dan
Mach V