[hoppy6698]

So,

Some avid readers may have noted the M235i in the readings. For those who haven't, here is a link.

https://drive.google.com/folderview?...mc&usp=sharing

Edited to the article only.

Other surprises in note - Golf R ranks well, Stingray impresses all, and the M4 rides a fine line of tolerable.

[DSTR]

Originally Posted by hoppy6698

So,

Some avid readers may have noted the M235i in the readings. For those who haven't, here is a link.

https://drive.google.com/folderview?...mc&usp=sharing

Edited to the article only.

Other surprises in note - Golf R ranks well, Stingray impresses all, and the M4 rides a fine line of tolerable.

Nice link. If anyone is debating the 4cyl 2 series id also include the Golf-R in the matrix. Its a great car. Worth a look as you assess options.

[235newbie]

Top Gear giving BMW crap reviews and loving VAG...no surprise here.

Lol at getting spanked round the track by a Leon.

[Researcher]

There is a much faster car they could have used for this test: the AT8 M235.

[CF22]

Hmmm, I'm a skeptical on their comparison of the M235i, this coming from a VW person. I only read a few parts of the review but it seemed like they used every opportunity to bash the M235i.

[Killramos]

Originally Posted by Researcher

There is a much faster car they could have used for this test: the AT8 M235.

That was my opinion with the article, they screwed the m235i by ordering the wrong spec. Lsd would have been a nice choice to...

Still they picked a car that is harder to find than hens teeth (in North America) so for us for the foreseeable future the golf r is a concept car...

As a caveat I don't hate on the R, I would buy one in a second. But I couldn't. So I didn't .

[Killramos]

Originally Posted by CF22

Hmmm, I'm a skeptical on their comparison of the M235i, this coming from a VW person. I only read a few parts of the review but it seemed like they used every opportunity to bash the M235i.

Yea I am not sure why the brought the m235i into the review tbh, anyone would pick it over the other cars and you can't argue with the hp differential...

I think they were being sinister by bringing the bmw in the first place.

[USPSALIMITED]

Don't mind them slapping the BMW's, if that is their honest opinions. It is a car mag after all.

Didn't see a point to them slapping my country (or anyone else's) under the vet review.

[235newbie]

Does Top Gear even count as a car magazine? It's light entertainment for morons.

[hoppy6698]

Originally Posted by Killramos

Yea I am not sure why the brought the m235i into the review tbh, anyone would pick it over the other cars and you can't argue with the hp differential...

I think they were being sinister by bringing the bmw in the first place.

Power to weight ratio seems to be the biggest reason the M235i is there. That and the fact that if one was shopping in Europe, these all seem to be within the small sports car shot group.

Since the Audi S1 and Seat Cupra are not available in the US, I thought the Golf R v. M235i appropriate. But while both may be fun, (for me) the M235i just has more presence. Plus, coming from an Audi quattro, I wanted to get back to RWD. The pull out of corners is a different dynamic than pushing out.

Like others have said, with the AT, the M235 would have had better lap numbers, probably almost at the same time as the Golf R.

On the article, I thought taking the top two supercars, the least likely to be attained by its readers (but most enticing to the drivers), to be a let down.

I did find the reviews of the Stingray promising. Not because I want the car (it is sexy), but because US engineers have been slighted (rightly or wrongly) for the piss poor vehicles they have been producing over the years. I can only hope the new Mustang on a global platform performs as admirably.

[hoppy6698]

Welcome to the hatchback portion, where almost all contenders have a hatchback. Of course, we could have employed a strict door policy, but then the BMW M235i came along. Clearly, it’s a coupe, yet it’s based on the M135i – one of our favourite hatches – and therefore qualifies for this group. Besides, with modern platforms and whatnot, the basic hot-hatch layout can be squished or stretched, so what was once a stout five-door could now be a curvy coupe. Being a BMW, it’s also rear-wheel drive, which mixes things up a bit more. And why not? After all, it joins a front-wheel-drive Seat Leon Cupra and the four-wheel-drive VW Golf R and Audi S1. The Golf, Audi and Seat use the same – or near as dammit – 2.0-litre, four- cylinder turbo. The BMW has a 3.0-litre, straight-six turbo.

We’ll begin in the Beemer. It might have ditched the upright rear for
a swoopy roof – and it’s notably longer, lower and wider than the 1-Series Coupe it replaces – but that seems to have been lost in the translation from sketchbook to metal. It’s just a bit... pudgy, don’t you think? Alright, so it’s not supposed to be a pumped-up M car, but it could do with turning some of that visual weight into muscle. Maybe a bigger set of wheels might help. Inside, the perceived plumpness is exaggerated by a fat steering wheel, which – like everything else in the cabin – is swaddled in leather. All of this adds up to a curb weight of 1,530kg, and although that hardly makes it lardy, it’s still the heaviest of this foursome.

Good job it has that meaty straight-six up front, because once this thing gets going, you forget the fat talk. The combination of the turbo and six cylinders gives the M235i a thick spread of power, without feeling too boosty in the middle. Rather, you feel as if the turbo is there to lend a hand, not to grab all the attention. Then, where other – typically four-cylinder – turbos run out of puff, this one finds an extra pair of lungs. So you can keep going and going until it’s really growling and hungry for another gear from the ever-so-slightly gristly manual ’box.
Nothing to be scared of when it comes to corners, though.

With the power coming in such broad strokes, it rarely threatens to overwhelm the rear tyres. And although it’s
a touch stiffer than the M135i on which it’s based – more
so with the adaptive dampers set to Sport – it still takes a moment to ease itself into the appropriate posture. There’s plenty of grip, and despite the rear-wheel drive and limited- slip diff, it’s not a wilful drifter. Sure, it’ll go sideways if you want it to, but you’ll have to work for it. So, instead of showing off like you might in its big-brother M4, it’s more satisfying to settle into a tidy rhythm.

The closing:
Perhaps most telling of all is the amount of miles the Golf R did over our time at Castellolí. You can install all the timing gear you like, but ultimately you could rank these cars by the amount of time they spent on track and by the amount of squabbling over the keys. By this deeply unscientific (yet trustworthy) measure, the S1 and Golf are clear winners, with the Leon not far behind. The BMW, despite its charms, spent the most time parked in the pits.

But the TG are notably hatchback fans, so that is hardly a surprise. I am sure the Golf R, Audi S1, and Cupra are bigger sellers in the UK, but not in the US. So the need to take closer looks at the hatches is understandable. The fact that the Audi S1 caught on fire is both funny and sad. You would think the VW/Audi Group would ensure the Audi could go step for step with the Golf R.

[Diver]

In terms of what I read, Top Gear was divided on the M4. It seemed they liked the engine but not how power got to the ground. TheM4 did make the cut for the second part of the article, though. The M235i was dammed with faint praise. If the car had the wrong spec, it was the 6 speed manual and not the lack of an LSD. 0-60 times were way off. I say this because most tests of the M235i were extremely favorable and were equipped with the 8 speed auto. I know many around here will not like my analysis, but that is how I see it.

[235newbie]

I see it that Top Gear just like to rag on BMW. The M4 has gotten amazing reviews elsewhere but TG seemed to find fault...just like they do in every BMW review. Give them a dull 4wd hatch and that's their level. I'd rather listen to the opinion of Chris Harris or the like.

[IEDEI]

Originally Posted by 235newbie

I see it that Top Gear just like to rag on BMW. The M4 has gotten amazing reviews elsewhere but TG seemed to find fault...just like they do in every BMW review. Give them a dull 4wd hatch and that's their level. I'd rather listen to the opinion of Chris Harris or the like.

the 1M got Top Gear car of the year in 2011 and Clarkson said it was more fun than the 458, Gallardo, Mclaren, etc...so they don't always rag on BMWs. they also praised the M4...well at least Clarkson did.