Quote:
Originally Posted by speeddeacon
What was surprising to me, however, was actually how close the 235 was to the M2 on track. With the M2's advantage not just in power but suspension and brake components and larger section width tires, for the 235 to be less than 0.5s slower than the M2 seems pretty remarkable. The 228i was over two seconds slower than the 235.
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Indeed.
They're really all just slightly different "attitudes" of the same platform.
Like others, I'm also perplexed at how glorious the reviews have been for the M235i compared to the clunker above. All-time highest rated BMW ever, C&D 10 best, Randy Pobst's favorite BMW in 10 years, etc. 1M performance numbers in a more comfortable, more livable, less twitchy package. The E46 reincarnate.
Now this excellent car that handles everything well (except back seat passengers), is compared with a Buick and thrown out with yesterday's news?!?
<coffee spit!>
I get that the 228i is a nimble little thing that can chase Miatta's around in the "fun" category. And that the M2 is a hard-core beast that is best-in-class for tracking.
But the M235i is a brilliant handling, mid-4-second car that can be daily driven, gets reasonable gas mileage and can keep up with many hard core sports cars costing way more. It has small compromises from its Tall and Venti brethren, but a delicious Grande blend of just the right mix!