Hello all,
I was at my local BMW dealer last weekend and they had just received their first M235i. I am not sure exactly which black this is, or if there are more than one, so please forgive me. I only have that sort of knowledge for M3's haha. Photos were taken with my iPhone 5 so they aren't of exceptional quality. Anyway, enjoy!
Also, for what it's worth, my girlfriend recently purchased a 2012 135i w/ M-Sport package, so here are a few of my initial thoughts / comparisons regarding the cars. I only sat in the 2 and looked it over, I did not drive it. It was a nice car and looked quite good. However there are a few things that I was not super impressed with. For one, I wasn't the biggest fan of the rear of the car. It just seemed a little too boxy and plain for me. I think it looks better in other colors though.. due to the flat black valence blending so much with the black paint. Also, I was not a fan of the "black chrome" colored exhaust tips. They just looked cheap to me. Next, I don't dig the ///M badges, especially on the side front quarter panels. Not really because it "isn't a true M car," or whatever. I simply don't think that they look good. Finally, though the interior is VERY similar to the 135i, I regret to say that they are clearly trying to keep this car inexpensive in whatever ways they deem appropriate. For example, small things like the feel, fit and finish of the radio buttons, automatic gear selector, and iDrive controller just weren't quite on par with those of the 135i. I do not mean that they were "cheap" by any means, it is still a BMW, but just not QUITE as nice as on the 1. I always hope/expect that a new iteration of a car improves upon the last, not the opposite. Anyway, to finally say something positive, I think that the front end of the car is super sexy. It truly looks like a baby M4, at least based upon photos, which is awesome. All that said, I'm sure it's a blast to drive; and overall, it has an really good appearance. These are just the humble opinions of a fairly critical person. lol. Cheers.
John
