[Racer20]

Originally Posted by Delnari

As it has been said many times, the M235i should have been named differently for the get go. BMW broke away from the standard naming of series name and adding it as a package item. In their defense, they knew the car was going to something special in the line-up and really didn't want to call it a 235i or 235is. Putting the "M" in front helped marketing and got more people to look at the new car. Since BMW had no intention of creating two versions, M235i and 235i it was better sell this way.

My thought, is look for the "M" to disappear in front of the 235i come 2017 model and instead be offered with the more traditional "M Package" as an extra. They really need to create separation from the upcoming M2 and having two cars carrying "M" in the name would be just wrong. Hope they don't do the same thing with the upcoming X2 and call it an MX2, wait doesn't Mazda own that name??

BMW is purposely putting marketing effort into turning their "is" models into "M Performance" models. Why would they backtrack on this just as they are getting that plan into full swing? There's no need to create separation. The mass market will be excited they can get an "M car" for so cheap and the enthusiasts will still by the real M's.

[Racer20]

Also, consider what the M235i comes with:

Pilot SuperSports in NON Runflat
EDC suspension as standard (one of the only BMW's that does this)
More power/torque than any other N55 powered car
Standard M Sport exterior/interior.

While those things don't make it a true M car, they certainly put it a notch above BMW's base .35i models.

[jbenderhof]

I'd imagine the M235i stays.

In Europe they carry the M550d and M5.

[krhodes1]

Originally Posted by Racer20

Also, consider what the M235i comes with:

Pilot SuperSports in NON Runflat
EDC suspension as standard (one of the only BMW's that does this)
More power/torque than any other N55 powered car
Standard M Sport exterior/interior.

While those things don't make it a true M car, they certainly put it a notch above BMW's base .35i models.

The functional items (suspension, brakes, and tires) are available on the 228i as the "Track Handling Package". The cosmetic items are in the M-Sport package.

What I expect to happen is that once the M2 is out, the M235 will be replaced by a 235i with Track Handling Package and M-sport Package as options, that so equipped will be identical to the current M235i.

[3.0L]

I still think the M235i will remain as a gap-filler between the more plain coupes and the all-out M cars.

However, if BMW kills the M235i (not relabel it to just 235i), then I just might end up with the only M235i in town.

[Researcher]

The M235 is what puts an end to the M2 and not the other way around!

[Researcher]

I love to eat M cars for lunch with my Stingray. Already ate a couple 4s and one 5. Love it!!!

[bimmerjph]

Originally Posted by abp689

Will BMW transition the M235 into a "standard" 235i when the new M2 enters the market? This would give the 2 series a bit more segmentation than what currently exist and add a bit more allure to the M2.

I am not up on all the prior "is" models, but it seemed to be used to stir up excitement as the brand was about to be discontinued (I am aware the 235 is new however).

They have no need to. The M235i IS a 235i. It's all marketing.

[SmallTownBoy]

Originally Posted by Researcher

The M235 is what puts an end to the M2 and not the other way around!

You should call BMW and let them know. It will save them a lot of time and trouble between now and the M2 launch.

[missxmelon]

Originally Posted by SmallTownBoy

You should call BMW and let them know. It will save them a lot of time and trouble between now and the M2 launch.

[SmallTownBoy]

Originally Posted by bimmerjph

They have no need to. The M235i IS a 235i. It's all marketing.

Not quite. There is some ///Marketing, sure, but check the specs on the other_35i models compared to the M235i and get back to us. (To get you started, the N55 variant in the M235i makes 26 hp more than the vanilla _35i motor.)

[bimmerjph]

Originally Posted by SmallTownBoy

Not quite. There is some ///Marketing, sure, but check the specs on the other_35i models compared to the M235i and get back to us. (To get you started, the N55 variant in the M235i makes 26 hp more than the vanilla _35i motor.)

Thats a simple tune.

[Killramos]

Originally Posted by Researcher

I love to eat M cars for lunch with my Stingray. Already ate a couple 4s and one 5. Love it!!!

Thanks for playing.

Run along now

[SmallTownBoy]

Originally Posted by bimmerjph

Thats a simple tune.

Not relevant to the issue, and in any event the M235i can also be tuned.

[Killramos]

Originally Posted by bimmerjph

Thats a simple tune.

Maybe to you, but the car comes as a decent performance vehicle out of the box.

Does the 335i? Don't tell me about the mppk etc.

The base 45k M235i is much better than the base 335i, which is 55k base here. Then you need to add MPPK 1 and 2 for 1,700 and 2,500 to match the M235i's performance (almost as you miss a few HP). Add on all that and it's still faster!

I was contemplating this yesterday driving through town and the 335i while a beautiful and amazing car. Doesn't have that aggressive a stance.

I feel the M235i does.

So is that what makes it a performance car compared to what a 235i would be?

I think M Performance models are out of the box performance machines. Just like you don't need to add M packages to an M3.

I personally think this is great for real ///M owners as it lets BMW focus much more on track performance for the M cars at the expense of practicality and let the M Performance cars be the volume marketing cars.

[ALMOST///M]

Originally Posted by pikcachu

5k? lol you wish.... M2 won't be less than 52-53k

The 1M which is what the M2 will be based off of cost around 45k when it came out 3 years ago and was a full out "M" car, the M2 is just BMW realizing that they undersold a great product.

I am purchasing an M235i but seriously feel cheated when looking back at the 1M three years ago and all that it came with for around the same price. The M235i was never meant to be an M car but an update 2002 tii an amazing performance car that was never truly M but carried the brand on entry level performance. The M235i is worth much more credit when being compared to the M2 which if priced as predicted will never be the happy medium that the M235i is

[missxmelon]

Originally Posted by Researcher

I love to eat M cars for lunch with my Stingray. Already ate a couple 4s and one 5. Love it!!!

What does this have to do with the thread? You already started your own thread on this, too...

[w3rkn]

The M235i with a $3,300 LSD is still stunted, against the wider, lighter & more powerful M2. Simply.. wider stance & bigger tires on the M2, means the 235is will be the same distance apart in handling as the 135is & 1M..

0~60 not being applicable.. You can only come out of the pits so fast... then 45~140 matters. That's why the 135is is quicker 0~60 than the 1M, but slower around the track. They serve a different purpose.

[Killramos]

Originally Posted by w3rkn

The M235i with a $3,300 LSD is still stunted, against the wider, lighter & more powerful M2. Simply.. wider stance & bigger tires on the M2, means the 235is will be the same distance apart in handling as the 135is & 1M..

0~60 not being applicable.. You can only come out of the pits so fast... then 45~140 matters. That's why the 135is is quicker 0~60 than the 1M, but slower around the track. They serve a different purpose.

Right. But that doesn't suddenly make the M235i irrelevant or without a market.

If you are racing with pits your car is likely so far from stock it's not even worth talking about...

Like comparing m4 to m4 dtm and saying the m4 isn't worth selling.

[w3rkn]

Originally Posted by Killramos

Right. But that doesn't suddenly make the M235i irrelevant or without a market.

If you are racing with pits your car is likely so far from stock it's not even worth talking about...

Like comparing m4 to m4 dtm and saying the m4 isn't worth selling.

Correct, it just makes the M235i a "marketing special"... until the M2 comes, then the 235i will loose it's dozen M emblems, thus illustrating it's relevance... Great car, but way over priced, even for a BMW.. it will get a discount in the spring.

M = marketing. I was unwilling to admit it, but the truth is out. The M2 is all BMW has left.

[W///]

Originally Posted by w3rkn

Correct, it just makes the M235i a "marketing special"... until the M2 comes, then the 235i will loose it's dozen M emblems, thus illustrating it's relevance... Great car, but way over priced, even for a BMW.. it will get a discount in the spring.

M = marketing. I was unwilling to admit it, but the truth is out. The M2 is all BMW has left.

Overpriced compared to a Mustang? Maybe. But the M235i is literally the only non M car that I'd consider outside of the X3 or X5.

It's a hell of a car. If they weren't releasing the M2, I would have gone for an M235i 6MT + LSD to add to my E92 and been completely happy with it. I was super impressed with the test drive, and the fact that it was not even a 6MT made it even more impressive to me.

[SmallTownBoy]

Originally Posted by w3rkn

Correct, it just makes the M235i a "marketing special"...

If by "correct" you mean, "The opposite of what I just quoted", then your post makes sense.

Originally Posted by w3rkn

...until the M2 comes, then the 235i will loose it's dozen M emblems, thus illustrating it's relevance... Great car, but way over priced, even for a BMW.. it will get a discount in the spring.

Cite a source. Everything from BMW suggests the opposite. Just your opinion? We know what to do with that. In my opinion, the M235i is an exceptional value, especially within the BMW line. But I'm biased.

Originally Posted by w3rkn

M = marketing. I was unwilling to admit it, but the truth is out. The M2 is all BMW has left.

"Correct". You've been threadjacking and dissing the M235i all over the forum for weeks, especially in comparison to Ford vapourware (S550).