[angelbones]

There are good threads about how often we see other 2 series out in the wild (i.e., not including dealer lots), but I've noticed it often varies by region (for example, California will have more Tesla sightings than any state I'm sure). There are several new cars out that have been out for at least 6 months to two years, and I was wondering how often, you see some of these other vehicles that are generally comparable to the 2. I hope for, but don't expect, immediate answers, as usually you're not looking unless, you're like me, and are always looking at new and different cars, so it may take some time to start looking. Feel free to add cars you think you should be added, but I limited it to those that are brand new (not replacements of older models unless clearly distinguishable), under $80k or so (i.e., no exotics although I've seen more Ferraris and Lambos than I have 2s) , and are known to be low sellers, which means approx equal to the 2-series in sales. Therefore, I excluded the Corvette, and although I think the 2015 Mustangs are distinguishable, I've already seen way too many of them to count. Here's my list followed by either exact or approximate numbers:

BMW 2 series: 3 confirmed
Cadillac ATS coupe: Zero
Lexus RC coupe: Zero
Alfa Romeo 4C: Zero
Tesla Model S: Approx 25 in 1.5 years
Hyundai Genesis coupe (2013+): Approx 40 in past 2 years
Chevy SS: Zero
Jaguar F-type: 1
Audi A3 convertible: Zero
VW Golf R: Zero (although I know they're sold out)
Cadillac ELR: One (I know completely different car, but interesting I've seen more of these in the wild than some others above, even though they only sold less than 2000 in two years).

As I said, feel free to post right away if you know, also check in to add to the list. Just think it's interesting since so many people either say they see a lot of 2s or no 2s. International contributors feel free as well.

[Zooks527]

Well, I don't pay a lot of attention, except with a limited range.

Of the above, plus an adder:
- BMW 2 Series: Zero in the wild, several that I've been sitting in.
- Teslas, at home in Massachusetts: Zero
- Teslas, visiting daughter in Palo Alto: Freaking everywhere. One every 10 minutes.
- Chevy Volts: 2 or 3

The only reason I've noticed the Volts is because they've been sitting in the left lane going 67 or less.

[Cyberdemon]

I've seen a steady increase in the number of 2's over the past few months. Keep in mind as the car is out for longer, more will appear. Was cruising next to a black 235 on the way home on Friday.

Teslas are a dime a dozen here in NY. They get HOV lane access which means rich people who commute no longer need to drive Priuses.

No one ever bought the ELR it was a POS.

The current Gen Golf R just released so they really have not hit our shores yet. The previous gen I've seen plenty, I park next to one at work.

The F type is pretty common around NY. Can't say I've seen too many ATS's but it's a very bland car so I can't say it would jump out at me over a CTS.

[angelbones]

Originally Posted by Zooks527

Well, I don't pay a lot of attention, except with a limited range.

Of the above, plus an adder:
- BMW 2 Series: Zero in the wild, several that I've been sitting in.
- Teslas, at home in Massachusetts: Zero
- Teslas, visiting daughter in Palo Alto: Freaking everywhere. One every 10 minutes.
- Chevy Volts: 2 or 3

The only reason I've noticed the Volts is because they've been sitting in the left lane going 67 or less.

I almost threw in the Volt because sales-wise they only sell a couple hundred more per month than the 2-series. But since it's been out for 4-5 years, I probably see at least one per week.

[atxlos]

Saw my first EB M235i in Austin parked at a garage 6 days after getting mine. Only seen 2 other 228is in town.

Austin is packed full of Teslas, I swear I see more Teslas than I do Scions in this town. Atleast 1-2 a day.

Saw an i8 once, and a couple of i3's here and there.

[Viffermike]

The 4C is just now hitting U.S. roads; it's been out in Europe more than a year. I've been fortunate enough to ride in one (couldn't fit my 6-4, with-a-bum-knee frame in it to drive it!) ...

... and I don't think it's a direct competitor at all. It's a hardcore car; basically a baby Ferrari, especially with the engine six inches from the back of your head ... and my GOD does it sound awesome. (It doesn't have a muffler. Seriously. Just a cat.) Best-sounding four banger on Earth right now.

I've seen half a dozen RCs, dozens of GenCoupes, probably two dozen F-Types, and pretty much everything else on that list in multiples except the 4C and Golf R, which also just hit these shores. I've only seen two other 2-series so far.

[MikeT]

Within a 60 mile radius of San Francisco...

BMW 2 series: ~80
Cadillac ATS coupe: 1
Lexus RC coupe: 1
Alfa Romeo 4C: 1
Tesla Model S: Too many to count
Hyundai Genesis coupe (2013+): ~25
Chevy SS: 0
Jaguar F-type: 4
Audi A3 convertible: 0
VW Golf R: Don't pay enough attention to distinguish from regular Golf
Cadillac ELR: 0

[DCastaneda]

BMW 2 series: See them more often - maybe once a week outside of work. There's one almost identical to mine at the office and a no-line 228 in the adjacent lot.
Cadillac ATS coupe: Not sure, all Cadillac's look the same to me
Lexus RC coupe: ~10
Alfa Romeo 4C: Zero
Tesla Model S: < 5 a week
Hyundai Genesis coupe (2013+): ~20? See more of them sitting on the dealer lot than anything.
Chevy SS: 1
Jaguar F-type: ~30
Audi A3 convertible: Zero; ~5 A3 non-vert
VW Golf R: Zero
Cadillac ELR: Zero? See above

Being from South FL, I guess we see more of these cars on the road than the norm?

[angelbones]

Interesting. Keep the responses coming. I think of all the cars I listed, the ones that surprise me the most that I haven't seen despite being out for several months and selling slightly better than the 2 series are, the ATS coupe (if you see one you wouldn't mistake it for the sedan), the Lexus RC, and this being Florida, I'm surprised that I have yet to see a single A3 vert.

[3PedalMINI]

I'm seeing more and more 2ers, 1-2 a week!
Teslas are a dime a dozen now, 1-2per day easily.
Ats-8-9
Genesis coupe, 1-2 per day
RC coupe, 2
4c, none
F-type 1 per day
A3s-5-10 per week

[wjones14]

Have yet to see another 2er of any kind on the road, and that's including the 900 mile road trip from SC to CT coming home from the PDC.

This Sunday was at a car meet in Milford CT. On hand was an M4, three M3s (including one wrapped in olive drab military green), an M Performance 435, a Porsche GT3, several C7 Vettes, a row of Camaros including a 600 hp ZL1, a Maserati 4.7, three Ford GTs!!!, a deTomasso Pantera, a GT-R, a VW R32. As rare as my 2 series was at this meet, it honestly wasn't getting much attention in this crowd.

[CF22]

In South Florida this is roughly what I see of some notable cars:

2 Series: About 1 per week, the great majority 228i's, have seen about 4 other M235i's.
A3: 1 or 2 per day that I notice, I sure there's more.
S3: Apart from a dealership visit last year only 1 on the road. I love this car, reminds me so much of the B4 S4.
A3 Convertible: I think I saw one the other day but wasn't paying much attention.
3 Series: Way to many to count.
4 Series: 3 to 5 per day.
F8X M3/M4: About 1 per day, saw 2 today.
Alfa 4C: Only once or twice, might be the same car, love what I saw and heard.
Lexus RC-350: About 3 per week, there's more everyday, they don't looks as bad in person.
Lexus RC-F: 1 bright orange. I'm still wondering why anyone would choose this over a similarly priced M4 or C63?
MK7 Golf R: Zero. The initial 500 were delivered almost 2 months ago and they've sold more since then. I hope to drive one soon.
MK7 GTI: 1 to 2 per week. I had an MK6 GTI before the M235i and even those are scarce after 5 years.
Tesla Model S: There's about 5 in the garage at work, and I've seen hordes of them in LA and SF, Miami is not far behind.
Cadillac ELR: 1, looks like someone chopped off the ass of the already bad looking XTS.
Cadillac ATS: There's plenty, about 1 per day or is it the CTS?
Jaguar F-Type: Goes up and down, sometimes I see too many, sometimes none for extended periods of time.
Infiniti Q50: Not too many, saw one the other day, not too bad but too big for my liking.
MB C300: About 5 per day, more everyday.
MB CLA250: Way too many.
MB CLA45 AMG: 1 parked at work.
New Mustang: Too many as well.
2015 Mini: Haven't noticed many.

[Iceman51sn]

Originally Posted by wjones14

As rare as my 2 series was at this meet, it honestly wasn't getting much attention in this crowd.

That sucks! My 2er usually gets some attention at track days with a lot of the cars you just mentioned in attendance. Back on topic, lots of Teslas, new Mustang every damn block it seems like, 1 RC, close to 10 2 series, and a couple of ATS.

[1smokehouse]

Actually just saw the first 2er on island the other day. It was running around with no license plate lol...

Lexus RC-F coupe: One on island
Alfa Romeo 4C: Zero
Tesla Model S: Zero
Hyundai Genesis coupe (2013+): A few each day...
Chevy SS: Zero
Jaguar F-type: Zero
Audi A3 convertible: Zero
VW Golf R: Zero
Cadillac ELR: Zero
Lexus IS-350C: Everyday - My wife has one...
Nissan GT-R: 1

[BarryJI]

I am looking forward to catching my first glimpse of the Alfa 4C. Living in Los Angeles, I won't have to wait long.

I toyed with the idea of getting this car because it goes for $55k and is therefore semi-attainable but in addition to certain practical considerations, it's not available with a manual transmission and I believe the power delivery up through the gears is very non-linear. It's pretty striking though.

[Alpine F31]

For the sake of simplicity I'll copy and paste your list with my own tally for each model.

BMW 2 series: at least 10
Cadillac ATS coupe: Zero
Lexus RC coupe: 1
Alfa Romeo 4C: 1
Tesla Model S: a jillion
Hyundai Genesis coupe dozens
Chevy SS: 2
Jaguar F-type: 12 or more
Audi A3 convertible: Zero
VW Golf R: Zero
Cadillac ELR: 1

Cool thread

[silverado]

Originally Posted by Zooks527

Well, I don't pay a lot of attention, except with a limited range.

Of the above, plus an adder:
- BMW 2 Series: Zero in the wild, several that I've been sitting in.
- Teslas, at home in Massachusetts: Zero
- Teslas, visiting daughter in Palo Alto: Freaking everywhere. One every 10 minutes.
- Chevy Volts: 2 or 3

The only reason I've noticed the Volts is because they've been sitting in the left lane going 67 or less.

Interesting. I have seen zero 2 series (other than mine) in Massachusetts, but I have seen many Teslas, on average 3 or so a week.

[Zooks527]

Originally Posted by silverado

Interesting. I have seen zero 2 series (other than mine) in Massachusetts, but I have seen many Teslas, on average 3 or so a week.

I'm out in the burbs along 495. Are you in-town?

[angelbones]

Great discussion. The regional differences are much starker than I expected. Outside of California, I'm surprised at the number of Teslas people are seeing. Mustang numbers don't surprise me too much. I remember when the 2004 Mustang was the ultimate throwback vehicle. I once considered it, but I thought that it may become too common. Boy, did I underestimate that thought. The 2015 is a nice looking car, but in 1-2 years, I'm sure I'll be as sick as seeing the new ones, as much as I was a decade ago.

Wanted to point out a couple errors above. There are a million Lexus IS, but I was asking about the RC coupe. Regarding the Cadillac coupe, the CTS coupe, there are a lot out there, but it is an older model. I was asking about the ATS COUPE, which just came out last fall. Again, I still haven't seen any ATS coupes either. I've checked sales figures and they are selling more than the 2-series, but haven't seen them. Yet, like many, but not all, I've only seen 3, possibly 4, 2-series in the wild. Like most of us, I do enjoy the fact that there aren't many out there, but with the sport/luxury coupe making a mini comeback, it will be interesting to see how the 228 and 235 makes out over the next few years.

As a side note, when I research some of the other vehicles I mentioned, the 2 is never listed as one of their competitors, even if price and/or performance are similar.

[silverado]

Originally Posted by Zooks527

I'm out in the burbs along 495. Are you in-town?

Yes, I live very close to Boston and commute 128 north/south. I see Teslas in Boston and along 128. Wish I could see a 2 series, though. Haven't yet.

[Viffermike]

Originally Posted by BarryJI

I am looking forward to catching my first glimpse of the Alfa 4C. Living in Los Angeles, I won't have to wait long.

I toyed with the idea of getting this car because it goes for $55k and is therefore semi-attainable but in addition to certain practical considerations, it's not available with a manual transmission and I believe the power delivery up through the gears is very non-linear. It's pretty striking though.

'Toyed' is a fine word choice. The 4C is a striking work of kinetic art, but it's good for little more than weekend back-road blasts. The trunk is about the size of a single piece of carry-on luggage plus a plastic grocery bag or two. No exaggeration ... and the hood doesn't open because, well, it's not a hood.

I will say, though, that it's a fun feeling climbing over a structurally functional carbon fiber sill into the cockpit. Then you see the stereo (if it even has a stereo): a DIN unit with a removeable faceplate a la the best of Crutchfield circa 2004. The glove box? A piece of nice elasticized leather under the passenger dash ...

... like I said: Baby Ferrari. Very much reminded me of an F430 with a digital dash pod.

[krhodes1]

Saw my very first M235i on the road today, going through the York tollbooth in Maine today. Mineral white, Maine license plate F22M235. I have only seen one base 228i on the road here too. My local dealer has only sold a couple of each.

As for other rare cars, I have yet to see an ATS coupe, I think I have only seen one or two ATS sedans. Non-CUV Lexi are non-existant around here, I can't remember the last time I saw any IS, never mind an RC. I am sure there will be plenty of Golf Rs, but I might not notice them. There are a couple Teslas around Portland.

And really not holding my breath for a 4C. Which is a shame, if that car was available with a stickshift, I probably would have bought one. I really, truly loved my Abarth.