I took delivery of my 228i Track Handling Pack (
package details) on Monday, and I've put about 250 miles on it since then. For reference, I also own a 2005 330iZHP, a 2015 M3, and I sold my Z4M Coupe last year. This car is intended to be my daily driver, while my wife will take over my ZHP for the little bit that she drives. We traded in her Mini Cooper S on the 228i. I passed on the M235i because I didn't want to make my M3 redundant, and I skipped the premium package and leather in an effort to keep the lease payment down. Here's my build:
2015 228i RWD 6MT Sport Line
Mineral Gray, Black Sensatec with Red Highlights
Track Handling Package
Lighting Package
Tech Package
Heated Seats
HK Stereo
On to the review:
Exterior: 7.5
Styling is subjective, but to me the car's proportions are just a little bit off. I didn't get the M sport package because I wanted to keep some separation between this car and my M3, but the car definately looks better with it. The Sport line helps a bit compared to a no line car, but the silver trim around the windows and less substantial sideskirts and front fascia make the car look a bit top heavy and awkward. IMO the proportions would work better in sedan or gran coupe format, and the car needs to be 10mm lower. I chose Mineral Gray because I didn't want this car to "out bling" my M3. I would have rather had MW or EB, as MG on black is kind of boring to me. Oh well . . . it's a daily driver, and a lease, at that.
Interior: 9
It's your standard F-series BMW interior, which I happen to like. I went with black Sensatec to keep the price down. The seat material is actually quite nice for what it is . . . it's softer than leather and probably more durable as well. The other interior materials are a small step down from my M3, but overall the interior is a very nice place to be. The ergonomics are perfect, the seats are very comfortable (more so than my M3's seats, but a bit less supportive). The size of this car and interior feeling is very close to my ZHP, and noticeably smaller than the F80. It's a perfect size for me. The pedals are perfectly placed for heel/toe, and the throttle is responsive enough to not have to jab the pedal to the floor to bring up the revs, even in Eco Pro mode. The manual transmission is a bit less precise than my F80, but better than most old BMW's. I have no complaints. Overall, there's nothing in the interior that I don't like.
Engine: 8
I'm still breaking it in, but so far I'm pretty impressed with the engine. There's a bit more lag than in my M3, but much less than our old Mini or GTI. The engine pulls surprisingly hard for a little 2 liter in a relatively heavy car, and it's as linear and responsive as it needs to be. In a straight line, it's noticeably faster than my ZHP, and only lacks a bit of initial response in comparison. The sound isn't anything special . . . on cold starts it can sound kind of industrial, but underway it's quiet and unremarkable. I don't feel like the car needs more power. So far after 2 days of commuting (250 miles of highway/city use) I'm averaging 30.1mpg in mostly Eco Pro and Comfort modes. Faster than my ZHP AND 5-6 more mpg. Not bad.
Ride/handling: 9?
Big caveat here: I had the dealer install my snow wheels and tires before I picked the car up, so I can't really comment on how the car handles with the OEM SuperSports. That said, the Track Handling Pack is the whole reason I bought this car. The adaptive dampers work very well, and there is more of a difference between comfort and sport than in my M3. The ride quality is better than both of my other cars, with body control equal to that of my ZHP, even in comfort mode. The car has a plush character, but is well damped and road imperfections are rarely intrusive. In sport, the body control is dialed up a notch, and there is a hint of jerkiness to the ride, but the body roll is reduced and the car becomes more responsive. If the SuperSports work as well on this car as they do on my ZHP and M3, I expect the ride and handling balance to be excellent this spring when I switch tires. The cabin is well isolated from NVH, with wind and road noise being noticeably quieter than both of my other cars. This might bump to a 9 after I swap tires in the spring.
Steering: 8?
Again, I can't fully evaluate the steering due to my winter tires. BMW's press release for the track handling package last year mentioned mechanical steering, which I read to mean hydraulic as opposed to electric assist as most other F-series cars have
(edit: Nope, it's electric). I'm not 100% sure if this is true or not. While the response is a bit out of phase due to the squishy tread blocks on my snow tires, the effort seems to build very nicely and the overall response does seem appropriate. Again, I expect to bump this to a 9 after I swap tires.
HK Stereo: 8
The HK Stereo is a step down from my F80, and does not have the full EQ controls of that car. That said, it still sounds decent, assuming you have a good source to listen to. Audio over bluetooth or heavily compressed mp3's will sound like crap no matter what, but 256kbps mp3's via iPhone USB cable is perfectly satisfactory. I'm not a total audiophile, but quality sound is important to me, and I don't have any complaints. I suspect those people who say HK sounds like shit are either listening to bad source material (XM, Bluetooth, low bitrate streams, etc.), or they may just have a different idea of what sounds good. I prefer relatively flat, natural sound, without overbearing bass, so take that how you will.
Lighting Package: 7
I'm not obsessed with LED lights like so many people here seem to be. I want my lights to work well for night driving and have nice styling that fits a $40k car. I don't give a shit that the tail lights aren't LED's, but I DO think it's ridiculous that Xenon headlights aren't standard. A new BMW with Halogen's seems ridiculous to me, so I got the lighting package. I'm glad I did, but that said, BMW's lights never seem to have enough range. All 3 of my cars have an abrupt cut-off beyond which the road is dark, and in all 3 of them, I wish that cut-off was about 15-20 yards further out. It's a bit annoying, but not the end of the world. There is definitely some margin to adjust the aim slightly up without blinding people, which I did in my ZHP.
Overall: 9.5
I've driven the A3, CLA, and GTI, and this car is simply in another league when you consider how well it does everything. As a daily driver, this car has the perfect blend of performance and comfort, as well as excellent fuel economy. I consider the ZHP to be one of the best sports sedans that BMW has every made, and I bought this car with the hopes of it being "the next ZHP." I won't know for sure until I put my summer tires on in a couple months, but so far, it's looking very promising.
