[MikeT]

     Featured on BIMMERPOST.com

2016 list is out... and our favorite little coupe is still on there.

http://www.caranddriver.com/features...t-cars-feature

The M235i takes everything BMW has traditionally done well and concentrates it into a compact, livable package. The 320-hp 3.0-liter turbo six doles out sweet, smooth power. The chassis isn’t punishing the way the M235i’s larger M-badged siblings can be. And with the M2 now on the way, the M235i should be forever freed from the need to post fantasy performance numbers.

While BMW has succumbed to selling indulgences, the M235i coupe stands as the right auto*mobile for just about any road, whether your daily commute is a stoplight horror or the sort of Alpine pass that BMW engineers slalom home on after heli-skiing weekends. The guys responsible for this wonderful thing should probably just nail a picture of the car to the front door in Munich. It worked for Martin Luther.

[Merc for hire]

Excellent!

[Xiaoxi]

[dan99]

The people there on caranddriver are true enthusiasts

[uberspeed]

Great write up as well!

[MikeT]

Checking out the rest of the 10...
http://www.caranddriver.com/features...d-more-feature

Interesting that, once again, the m235i is the only BMW that made the cut. I'm a bit biased, of course, but I agree with them. It's my favorite car in BMW's current lineup.

Also interesting that M-Benz and Audi were shut out (though the latter's sisters VW and Porsche are represented).

[Viffermike]

Originally Posted by MikeT

Checking out the rest of the 10...
http://www.caranddriver.com/features...d-more-feature

Interesting that, once again, the m235i is the only BMW that made the cut. I'm a bit biased, of course, but I agree with them. It's my favorite car in BMW's current lineup.

Also interesting that M-Benz and Audi were shut out (though the latter's sisters VW and Porsche are represented).

The reject quotes are always the best part ... scroll down for those (Jetta TDI Wagon: "Dirty Cheating Bastard"). Hilarious!

Interesting that the Tesla made the list, considering its recent issues. Reliability isn't a real prerequisite, so ...

[mbrito31]

Looks like the 2 series has replaced the 3 series on this list lol

[Viffermike]

The comments on the piece so far are fascinatingly asenine. Seem to be focusing on the lack of an LSD standard ... and the $3,200 it costs to install as an option (they all seem to think it's a dealer option, when it's actually a port option). One dude called the base M235 a 'stripper' model. Um, wow?!?!

What I wonder is: will the M2 replace it on the 2017 list?

[Luftwaffe1O1]

Originally Posted by Viffermike

The comments on the piece so far are fascinatingly asenine. Seem to be focusing on the lack of an LSD standard ... and the $3,200 it costs to install as an option (they all seem to think it's a dealer option, when it's actually a port option). One dude called the base M235 a 'stripper' model. Um, wow?!?!

What I wonder is: will the M2 replace it on the 2017 list?

Yeah, there are a lot of morons on the internet, and unfortunately, they don't keep their mouth shut.

I remember someone commenting on an article about the M2 about what a PoS the M2 is going to be, and what terrible cars BMW makes in general.

Quick peek at the kid's facebook profile (this was commentary from C&D FB article), and its some kid who drove a beat up 90s celica and was a pizza boy.

Needless to say, I had fun calling his ass out on it.

[3.0L]

Originally Posted by Viffermike

What I wonder is: will the M2 replace it on the 2017 list?

Who cares? Even if Car & Driver (and others) get a woody over the M2, it makes no difference to me about how much I enjoy my M235i. I can't even tell when any of them are driving something they deem better than my car, and I don't care.

What really matters is my satisfaction with car I am driving. And guess what? They will tire of the new M2 and eventually want something more. That's fine, but remember that those who drive the cars, someone else pays for them. (and they still don't keep them)

[doccyber]

Originally Posted by 3.0L

Who cares? Even if Car & Driver (and others) get a woody over the M2, it makes no difference to me about how much I enjoy my M235i. I can't even tell when any of them are driving something they deem better than my car, and I don't care.

What really matters is my satisfaction with car I am driving. And guess what? They will tire of the new M2 and eventually want something more. That's fine, but remember that those who drive the cars, someone else pays for them. (and they still don't keep them)

Well said.

[Viffermike]

Originally Posted by 3.0L

Who cares? Even if Car & Driver (and others) get a woody over the M2, it makes no difference to me about how much I enjoy my M235i. I can't even tell when any of them are driving something they deem better than my car, and I don't care.

What really matters is my satisfaction with car I am driving.

That wasn't what I meant to imply when I posed the question, 3.0L. It wasn't an attack on the M235i at all, nor anybody's personal enjoyment of the car.

It was meant as an editorial observation because C&D plainly has a reason to name the M235 to the list instead of all 2-series coupes (i.e., 228i), whereas in the many years that the 3-series was on the list, no specific model in the range was ever called out, IIRC.

In this list, the same all-range designation goes with the Honda Accord, the Mazda3, the Chevy Camaro, and the Porsche Cayman/Boxster -- yet in the case of the Caddy CTS-V, the Ford Mustang GT350, and the VW Golf range (the eGolf was excluded), only specific models in the range were called out.

As for the "Who cares" comment: Oh I bet BMW cares. A whole hell of a lot. These lists often make or break a car -- and you can bet that the M235i's inclusion for 2015 has had a profound positive effect on its 2015 sales.

Originally Posted by 3.0L

And guess what? They will tire of the new M2 and eventually want something more. That's fine, but remember that those who drive the cars, someone else pays for them. (and they still don't keep them)

That's not entirely true, because the editors are all car owners, too -- and these 10Best selections are often informed by what they personally purchase for themselves. Not always, but often. An anecdote, for comparison: the longtime auto reviewer for the large paper in my area (and a former co-worker) made no bones in print about his preference for American muscle cars over everything else. He owned a series of modded Mustangs -- though he rarely drove them since he had test cars frequently. Thing is, his choices for review were often biased toward those same muscle cars, and the language of his reviews frequently made his disdain for certain 'other' types of power generation plain. (An example: he HATED high-revving engines.)

[Hemisedan]

Great article, but I'm just a little bit biased as well. What I thought was very interesting was at the end of the article when they said just how they would order an m235i: Except that I opted for the Cold Package, pretty much how I ordered my Grey Ghost. Cold, M Performance LSD and pretty much nothing else, oh I opted for the M Performance Alcantara/leather interior trim.

Just got my carbon fibre shark fin antennae cover and mirror covers yesterday from Bimmerian. Nice. The grille should come today, then I'm done until the car gets here.

[3.0L]

Originally Posted by Hemisedan

Just got my carbon fibre shark fin antennae cover and mirror covers yesterday from Bimmerian. Nice. The grille should come today, then I'm done until the car gets here.

Carbon Fiber cover on the antenna? Wouldn't that block the signal?

[Hemisedan]

They say no problems at all, according to Bimmeriam as well as the manufacturer.

[Xiaoxi]

you're welcome, guys.

[//M235ixD]

Well deserved!!

[X3paul]

It wont be any more come next gen...fwd

[Alpine F31]

Still loving mine, that's for sure.

[Bosozoku]

Originally Posted by MikeT

The chassis isn’t punishing the way the M235i’s larger M-badged siblings can be.

I remember when C&D was R&T's edgy cousin. C&D poked fun at luxury, R&T rewarded it.
Are they identical comfort-hog twins now?

[Bosozoku]

Originally Posted by Hemisedan

They say no problems at all, according to Bimmeriam as well as the manufacturer.

And Consumer Reports gave it the 3rd highest automobile score of any non-Tesla.
98/100 is pretty impressive if you give any weight to CR's ratings.