[gio]

Well, it looks like I might have to replace my 135 with a new car. Since they don't make 135s anymore, I'm looking at the 235. As far as I can tell, it looks like it is very similar (maybe even the same car??)

What are the big differences between the two?

I noticed that the 235 comes in an all-wheel drive option. Is it worth getting. I live in Massachusetts and we do get a bit of snow and my first car (2000 Audi TT) had all-wheel drive and was great in the snow. My 135 with snow tires wasn't so bad in the snow but there definitely were times when all-wheel drive would have been nice. I don't want to sacrifice much performance or poor weight balance for the sake of all-wheel drive, though. I don't like that the all-wheel drive model comes with all-season tires standard. I still prefer to use a second set of rims with snow tires for the winter and high-performance tires in the summer. In my experience, my rear-wheel-drive 135 with snow tires was better in the snow than most cars with front-wheel-drive with all-season tires.

My second question is regarding automatic vs manual transmission. All my cars have been manual transmission cars and in the past, a manual transmission meant better performance and better fuel efficiency. I notice it is the opposite now, though, and to a fairly large degree. I still prefer to drive a manual but if the automatic transmissions are really as good as they seem, I might consider switching.

I know I must be in the vast minority but I had active steering on my 2008 135 and I absolutely loved it. I noticed they don't offer it anymore but that even the stock steering has changed. I'm curious to hear what people think of it.

[williewonkerz]

Originally Posted by gio

I don't want to sacrifice much performance or poor weight balance for the sake of all-wheel drive, though. I don't like that the all-wheel drive model comes with all-season tires standard. I still prefer to use a second set of rims with snow tires for the winter and high-performance tires in the summer. In my experience, my rear-wheel-drive 135 with snow tires was better in the snow than most cars with front-wheel-drive with all-season tires.

The M235 is awesome, and don't bother with XDrive. I live in winter hell and I'm doing fine, also believing what you said, second rims with good tires is worth is weight in gold. Plus, I'd rather have better summer tires as well.

You will not regret the purchase of one of these machines.

[SDKevin]

Originally Posted by gio

My second question is regarding automatic vs manual transmission. All my cars have been manual transmission cars and in the past, a manual transmission meant better performance and better fuel efficiency. I notice it is the opposite now, though, and to a fairly large degree. I still prefer to drive a manual but if the automatic transmissions are really as good as they seem, I might consider switching.

Like you, I've always driven a stick but also noticed that the automatic is now faster etc. I went for a test drive in an automatic and loved the performance. I'm still waiting for my 235 to arrive (January I'm told) so don't have much more than the test drive to go on. I'm past the point of thinking that the stick is the 'last vestige left of being 'truly' connected to the car'.

[gio]

Originally Posted by williewonkerz

The M235 is awesome, and don't bother with XDrive. I live in winter hell and I'm doing fine, also believing what you said, second rims with good tires is worth is weight in gold. Plus, I'd rather have better summer tires as well.

You will not regret the purchase of one of these machines.

Thanks for the advice.

I have a set of 17" rims from a 128 that I've been using on my 135 for my snow tires. Does anybody know if these will fit on the 235? I'm guessing they probably will.

[shazzy04]

Originally Posted by gio

Thanks for the advice.

I have a set of 17" rims from a 128 that I've been using on my 135 for my snow tires. Does anybody know if these will fit on the 235? I'm guessing they probably will.

They probably will.

Also, you won't regret the switch. I also got the xdrive and DCT and I drove my manual e90 for 5 years as my DD and I don't regret it as much as I thought

[gio]

Originally Posted by SDKevin

Like you, I've always driven a stick but also noticed that the automatic is now faster etc. I went for a test drive in an automatic and loved the performance. I'm still waiting for my 235 to arrive (January I'm told) so don't have much more than the test drive to go on. I'm past the point of thinking that the stick is the 'last vestige left of being 'truly' connected to the car'.

How long have you been waiting for it?

My dealer tells me it is an 8 week wait if I were to order today. That seems a bit quick.

I'll test drive one this weekend.

[SDKevin]

Originally Posted by gio

How long have you been waiting for it?

My dealer tells me it is an 8 week wait if I were to order today. That seems a bit quick.

I'll test drive one this weekend.

We ordered it on November 7th and were told 'early Jan' for delivery. I've been tracking it (obsessively) since then. It was released from manufacturing three or four days ago so currently waiting assignment to a ship. I'm assuming this will take another few days (based on current forum comments), then four? weeks on a boat to the West coast, another week or two for customs, port prep, truck to dealer etc. so I'm realistically expecting early Feb. Perhaps a total of 12 weeks?

Definitely test drive the auto.

[gio]

I might have to just take whatever they have in stock. Three months of a rental car will get really expensive. Does anybody know of cheap options for long term car rentals?

[chaswyck1]

Originally Posted by gio

How long have you been waiting for it?

My dealer tells me it is an 8 week wait if I were to order today. That seems a bit quick.

I'll test drive one this weekend.

Based on my experience, eight weeks might be a little optimistic but it depends on where you live. East Coast is at least a couple of weeks faster than West Coast. My dealer also told me eight weeks and I live in SoCal. I'm in week 8 now and my car is somewhere out in the Atlantic and due into the port on 12/27. How long it takes to get from the port to the dealer depends on whether you have any port installed equipment, how far it is from the port to your dealer, how long it takes them to get it on a truck, and whether your car incurred any damage on the trip that needs to be repaired before it's released to the ground carrier. Customs is only an issue for European Delivery cars. For new cars there are no customs delays.

[bman6074]

I cam from an 08 135i. after owning the m235i for 5 months now I have found it was built around an automatic and the manual was an after thought (imho). I think of a manual as a car that the person drives and it doesn't drive you. With all the computer/technology this car has it does most everything for you. Its just not true to manual driving as in the past.
if i could do it over i would have opted for the auto/paddles. I have driven my friends auto and it is great.
Just feel like the auto makes more sense with all the automated things going on. Its getting so close to autonomous cars. IMO I would like to be in more control at least give options to over ride the automation's. One specific thing is the rear view mirror. Its auto dimming is just not smart enough. there are times i have a bright sunlight blinding me from behind and the mirror doesn't dimm. If i had the option to (override) dim it manually it would help me see. There are few other things like this I wish there were overrides for. But otherwise its is a much nicer ride then the 135i. Not as harsh and still handles just as well. And the other technologies are pretty good after you customize what you can via coding. If it wasn't for coding i may have traded it back in.

[boostaddict305]

I live in Rhode Island and after going thru a winter with my 135 I opted for the xdrive in the 235 and the all seasons are not as bad as I thought they were going to be also I got an auto but that was only cause I couldn't find a manual and didn't wanna order one and wait forever

[Sportstick]

Originally Posted by brocklanders

Did you just get offended by a comment that some stranger put on the Internet? A little insecure are we?

It's not so much a matter of suffering offense or being insecure. Sexist and poorly thought-out comments, such as linking X Drive to one gender, implying the other gender must therefore avoid it, drag down the quality of our forum for everyone else. We can only hope those kinds of comments do not become a habit. I choose rear wheel drive with a stick, but find no plausible cause-and-effect basis from being male. Nor does my wife, who has made the same choice.

[BMW335iOn18s]

Lmao sorry if I offended you guys. Getting offended over something someone wrote is kind of childish. It was clearly a joke. But in all honesty, what's the point of getting an XDrive M235i? BMWs are meant to be RWD. You're worried about driving in the snow? Well guess what, the M235i Xdrive doesn't have ground clearance and comes with all seasons that aren't worth anything in the snow. So NOW, you're limiting yourself from the pure experience of driving a BMW 365 days a year for the 3 days a year it snows? Idk about where you guys live, but in PA/NJ/NY, if it's snowing (more than 3-5 inches), all businesses and schools are closed. So you're staying home anyways. Might as we'll get a RWD m235i, enjoy the REAL Bmw experience and get a set of high performance all seasons which are FINE in less than 5 inches of snow, OR get a set off snow tires. RWD vs AWD matters much less than what tires you're using. A 235 with XDrive is USELESS with summer tires in the snow. Just putting that out there. If you live in Canada, then get an X1/3/5.

[ORIGIN M.]

Originally Posted by BMW335iOn18s

Lmao sorry if I offended you guys. Getting offended over something someone wrote is kind of childish. It was clearly a joke. But in all honesty, what's the point of getting an XDrive M235i? BMWs are meant to be RWD. You're worried about driving in the snow? Well guess what, the M235i Xdrive doesn't have ground clearance and comes with all seasons that aren't worth anything in the snow. So NOW, you're limiting yourself from the pure experience of driving a BMW 365 days a year for the 3 days a year it snows? Idk about where you guys live, but in PA/NJ/NY, if it's snowing (more than 3-5 inches), all businesses and schools are closed. So you're staying home anyways. Might as we'll get a RWD m235i, enjoy the REAL Bmw experience and get a set of high performance all seasons which are FINE in less than 5 inches of snow, OR get a set off snow tires. RWD vs AWD matters much less than what tires you're using. A 235 with XDrive is USELESS with summer tires in the snow. Just putting that out there. If you live in Canada, then get an X1/3/5.

Get some sleep or something.

Try not being stereotypical and people won't be offended by you.

Otherwise you are clearly just another clueless stereotypical jerk.

[BMW335iOn18s]

Originally Posted by bman6074

I cam from an 08 135i. after owning the m235i for 5 months now I have found it was built around an automatic and the manual was an after thought (imho). I think of a manual as a car that the person drives and it doesn't drive you. With all the computer/technology this car has it does most everything for you. Its just not true to manual driving as in the past.
if i could do it over i would have opted for the auto/paddles. I have driven my friends auto and it is great.
Just feel like the auto makes more sense with all the automated things going on. Its getting so close to autonomous cars. IMO I would like to be in more control at least give options to over ride the automation's. One specific thing is the rear view mirror. Its auto dimming is just not smart enough. there are times i have a bright sunlight blinding me from behind and the mirror doesn't dimm. If i had the option to (override) dim it manually it would help me see. There are few other things like this I wish there were overrides for. But otherwise its is a much nicer ride then the 135i. Not as harsh and still handles just as well. And the other technologies are pretty good after you customize what you can via coding. If it wasn't for coding i may have traded it back in.

How's this car built around the automatic? I have a 6MT 2012 VW GLI, now THAT thing is built around the automatic. Rev hang lasts 4-5 seconds, soft engine mounts which make it impossible to drive smoothly...This car feels like a modern version of my old E36. It's 100x better than the e36 in every way. Just curious how you got to that conclusion...

[BMW335iOn18s]

Originally Posted by red-sauerkraut

Get some sleep or something.

Try not being stereotypical and people won't be offended by you.

Otherwise you are clearly just another clueless stereotypical jerk.

I'm not being a jerk, I'm voicing my opinion on a public forum. XDrives are good cars, but don't make sense to me. ESPECIALLY for an enthusiast.

[BMW335iOn18s]

If everyone buys Xdrives, the purist MT drivers won't have something to purchase when the next gen 2 comes out because the "take rate" will be very low. I'm just looking out for my fellow 6MTers

And BTW, Stereotypes are usually true. Not always, but usually. That's why they exist. I know a few women who drive MTs. They're more masculine than some dudes I know

Stop taking everything too seriously! Lighten up!

[Sportstick]

Originally Posted by BMW335iOn18s

And BTW, Stereotypes are usually true. Not always, but usually. That's why they exist. I know a few women who drive MTs. They're more masculine than some dudes I know

With your apology and technical points, you were doing fine digging your way out....and then this. One needs to learn how to stop when ahead. I don't think you'll find much support nor sympathy for these kinds of comments, and the implication about my MT-driving wife is absurdly untrue as well as demeaning. You have burnt some bridges here for no gain. I hope your worldview broadens as you age.

[Sportstick]

Originally Posted by BMW335iOn18s

Never said your wife was masculine. I said the ones I KNOW, ARE. Jeez..... You really need that explained to you?

No, I can grasp the literal meaning. My hope for you is that you will develop a better sense of the impact and implications of your words. This should come in time and with these kinds of experiences which don't turn out as you may have expected, and will only serve to your advantage. Best wishes.

[brocklanders]

Originally Posted by Sportstick

It's not so much a matter of suffering offense or being insecure. Sexist and poorly thought-out comments, such as linking X Drive to one gender, implying the other gender must therefore avoid it, drag down the quality of our forum for everyone else. We can only hope those kinds of comments do not become a habit. I choose rear wheel drive with a stick, but find no plausible cause-and-effect basis from being male. Nor does my wife, who has made the same choice.

So you're saying that you aren't offended but you're standing up for someone else who may be afraid to stand up for themselves while remaining nameless behind a computer screen? I see, you're just being righteous, but I like the way you separated yourself by throwing in there that you like a stick and rear wheel, I bet you do sir! I bet you do!

[BMW335iOn18s]

Originally Posted by Sportstick

No, I can grasp the literal meaning. My hope for you is that you will develop a better sense of the impact and implications of your words. This should come in time and with these kinds of experiences which don't turn out as you may have expected, and will only serve to your advantage. Best wishes.

My hope for you is that you realize I shouldn't have to worry about offending strangers who take things too personally over the internet. Best wishes to you.

[Sportstick]

Originally Posted by brocklanders

So you're saying that you aren't offended but you're standing up for someone else who may be afraid to stand up for themselves while remaining nameless behind a computer screen? I see, you're just being righteous, but I like the way you separated yourself by throwing in there that you like a stick and rear wheel, I bet you do sir! I bet you do!

I am trying to understand your point, but this may help with mine. I am not standing up for anyone else and I agree with many of the points he made about AWD vs RWD/stick. I am not clear why that is a concern. It was the callous commentary based on gender which elicited my response. I start with the premise that I am in charge of my own emotional reactions, so I can choose to feel offended or not, and I choose not. Having said that, the inherent offensiveness of the original comment remains, no matter how I choose to react to it. I usually choose to react to offensive comments by considering the source and choosing not to allow them to take charge of my feelings. But, I can observe that what they did was generally regarded as offensive, as was the case here. I can tell by the more recent reply post that I was not successful, however, in making the point to him that offensiveness, per se, whether to strangers online or to those we know, should always be avoided. Have a good day!