[Drtsk]

Originally Posted by wanofakind01

No difference, believe clutch is the same on both models. It's soft and has a lot of dead space before engaging. I installed the BMS clutchstop for both cars, and would recommend it if you're going to be commuting with it.

Thanks

[000000]

"DRTSK 230i Msport felt like a rental car. BMW should be ashamed of themselves. The only thing that felt decent was the shift knob. The ride quality was awful, maybe it was due to run flat tires. To make the long story short, it felt like your typical entry level econobox. I would take the WRX over 230i any day of the week. I see why the folks at 1addict speaks so poorly of the 228/230.


P.S. I’m sorry if I have offended the 228/230 owners. It is just one person’s point of view.[/QUOTE]"

Not offended just deeply hurt .
I guess I'll have to get use to driving a rental entry level econobox.

[champignon]

Originally Posted by Drtsk

A beautiful late autumn day in Northern Virginia today. A perfect day to test drive cars. Wife and I went to the bmw dealer and got to test drive 230i Msport, m240i and M2 all with 6MT. I was very fortunate to test drive all back to back to back. There probably isn’t another dealer in the country that has all three in a manual. All three test drives were short so cannot give extensive review.

230i Msport felt like a rental car. BMW should be ashamed of themselves. The only thing that felt decent was the shift knob. The ride quality was awful, maybe it was due to run flat tires. To make the long story short, it felt like your typical entry level econobox. I would take the WRX over 230i any day of the week. I see why the folks at 1addict speaks so poorly of the 228/230.

The m240i felt like a proper BMW. Theoretically there should be no difference in the interior between 230/240, but m240i just felt better. The m240 drove very well with plenty of power. The clutch and gearbox was nothing special, but it wasn’t bad either. I would have no issues driving the manual in DC traffic. To me, m240 was lacking something. I just can’t put my finger on it. I’m sure I can figure it out if I had more seat time. I can definitely live with this car as DD if I had to. I just wouldn’t drive it for the sake of driving. It is kinda clinical and doesn’t stir my emotion. It is your typical well executed modern car. M240 is that pretty girl I meet on the street. She is pretty but I wouldn’t stay up late thinking about her.

M2 interior felt no different then m240. It is okay but nothing special. Interior of a M car should be different, in a good way The exterior difference is obvious from the other two. It definitely is a proper M car. I expected lot more, maybe it was all the hype in my own mind. I prefer M3/M4 over the M2. Being 50+, interior comfort has become more important. I wish BMW would have spent few more dollars on the interior or given the buyers some more options for upgrades. Being that this would be my DD, interior comfort is essential. I didn’t drive the M2 hard enough or long enough to determine its capabilities. I am sure I will enjoy owning it and driving it. The SA said, it would take 8 to 10 weeks to order. And if I wanted an individual color add 2 more months. $5k deposit to get everything going. I would have bought it if they had the color I wanted. It was the LBB and that is the only color I don’t want.

As we were driving home, wife and I decided to get the M2, actually I decided and the wife agreed. She also wants me get the individual color (Probably not! I’m too cheap to do that). During dinner, my son insist I check out the RS3 before finalizing the M2. His reasoning is; “RS3 has a much nicer interior and AWD will help during winter commute. And if you want to go for a spirited driving, just take the 911. I rather have the M2 but RS3 will be a better fit for you.”
Now, I am going to check out the RS3 tomorrow ( hope the Audi dealer is open) before the final decision.

P.S. I’m sorry if I have offended the 228/230 owners. It is just one person’s point of view.

You are fortunate to have had the chance to test drive all of these cars. My dealer has an M2 and a 2017 m240i with 6MT, but I did not even bother to ask about driving the 240i, since I knew I would not buy it as my 135i coupe is better than it, when the hydraulic power steering is taken into consideration. Plus, I already own the 135i, and it only has 20K miles on it and is just out of warranty (it's a 2013), and it has the PPK1 flash to 320 hp, plus some M3 suspension components put on it.

Those run-craps are something else and anyone buying a sporty car with those on it should get them off, ASAP.

I was given a 230i as a loaner last month, and my opinion of that car is not much better than yours.

[Drtsk]

Originally Posted by 000000

"DRTSK 230i Msport felt like a rental car. BMW should be ashamed of themselves. The only thing that felt decent was the shift knob. The ride quality was awful, maybe it was due to run flat tires. To make the long story short, it felt like your typical entry level econobox. I would take the WRX over 230i any day of the week. I see why the folks at 1addict speaks so poorly of the 228/230.


P.S. I’m sorry if I have offended the 228/230 owners. It is just one person’s point of view.

"

Not offended just deeply hurt .
I guess I'll have to get use to driving a rental entry level econobox.[/QUOTE]


Like I said, I have no intention of offending 228/230 owners. It is just my opinion. For a $40k car, I expected more. Maybe the 230i was having a bad day!

[champignon]

Originally Posted by Drtsk

"

Not offended just deeply hurt .
I guess I'll have to get use to driving a rental entry level econobox.


Like I said, I have no intention of offending 228/230 owners. It is just my opinion. For a $40k car, I expected more. Maybe the 230i was having a bad day!

I think it depends on where you are coming from. If you aren't one of us fossils who are familiar with what a BMW sports sedan/coupe used to be, then the 230i might be something nice in comparison to what else is out there.

If you "grew up" with the brand, like some of us, then you would have another set of expectations. I'm less concerned about the way the interior is outfitted. For me, it is the way the car drives, and on that metric, the 230i just doesn't match up with my expectations for the brand.

I'm probably just going to have to drive my old fossil cars until their wheels fall off, and by then they will be tying me up in a wheelchair in a nursing home, where I will pee on myself, so it isn't going to matter :-)

[XutvJet]

Individual colors are not available for the M2. The Leipzig plant won't be able to support this until 2019/2020.

[Drtsk]

Originally Posted by XutvJet

Individual colors are not available for the M2. The Leipzig plant won't be able to support this until 2019/2020.

Called 2 other local dealership today and they said special color can ordered on M2. You can call them and ask yourself. They are bmw of silver spring, bmw of Fairfax an bmw of sterling.

[champignon]

Originally Posted by Drtsk

Called 2 other local dealership today and they said special color can ordered on M2. You can call them and ask yourself. They are bmw of silver spring, bmw of Fairfax an bmw of sterling.

Like Mr. Ford was reputed to have said a century ago, "you can have any color you want, as long as it's black."

:-)

[XutvJet]

Originally Posted by Drtsk

Called 2 other local dealership today and they said special color can ordered on M2. You can call them and ask yourself. They are bmw of silver spring, bmw of Fairfax an bmw of sterling.

They're wrong.

http://f87.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho...1376946&page=3

[Drtsk]

Originally Posted by XutvJet

They're wrong.

http://f87.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho...1376946&page=3

You may be right.
Just looked at my email and the SA from one of the dealer said special color is not possible. Now I don’t know what to believe. I may just call BMWNA directly and ask.