[doublevanosrc]

After months of reading reviews, magazine test, etc. I was finally able to get behind the wheel of the 235i. A buddy CA there held one for me at lunch time so I can finally feel it!! The car was pretty basic, black on black with leather and manual tranny.


Got in and fired it up, I admired the gauges and interior for a minute or two. Everything was positioned well and made of great materials. It had that tradition new BMW smell but no oil temp(WTF). Seats felt firm and comfy however the headrest seemed to be too far back. The car drove well, makes great engine sounds. I revved it and all the cars around me at a stoplight stared like it was a Ferrari. The suspension is not too harsh maybe a bit soft but very close to perfection. Spent the whole time driving in sport mode didn't want to bother with the other ones. The ride was good, power was as expected now the steering. This topic has been beaten to death so I will just state the obvious, it has no feel but is quick, direct and very precise the best in any current BMW. Everything else is pretty much standard BMW fare nothing to rave about, great cockpit everything close feels and looks good too. The throttle tip in was just awesome! I had a few issues with my 135 with the throttle but in the 235 it has been taken care of. The downside is that the great brake feel from the 135 is gone. For some reason the brake pedal feels weird like it won't brake til 90% pedal travel has been acheived. Nothing happens til the end of the pedal travel which feels very VWish.(do not like) The car seemed to handling very very well, it felt like it the tires melted to the road and then dried up forming some kind of flexible bond. There was some traffic so I really couldn't stretch out the legs on her,(hit 90mph) but power felt very similar to my 135. The one thing that blew me away was the shifter!!! Man that thing just felt awesome!! The shifts were short, precise and confident. Man i just loved rowing them for no reason. At every stoplight i would just shift through all 6 just to feel the shifter in each slot. BMW really did one hell of job there.

Conclusion:

The car was good but it didn't wow me like the 135. It sure felt more refined and "grown up". Which was good in the beginning of the drive but towards the end it felt like an E92 335i. It just didn't have that nimble "premium go cart" feeling the 135 does. All in all the car looks and sounds great but like other BMWs it has "lost that lovely feeling" of the previous model. I guess it's just a sign of the times.


Pros:
Power
engine sound
shifter
grip
interior
the steering wheel!!

Cons:
feels bigger
brake pedal
no oil temp gauge

[FunRevn]

Thanks nice write up.

[JustChris]

Good read, thank you. Ordered mine with no test drive, only tried an auto M135 but have often not driven my my BMW of choice and seldom been disappointed.

[darkerosxx]

Lost that feel, sign of the times... Compared to a 135? Have you driven an e46? Not hating on your review, but I came from an e46 and the m235 is fantastic, IMO.

[doublevanosrc]

Originally Posted by darkerosxx

Lost that feel, sign of the times... Compared to a 135? Have you driven an e46? Not hating on your review, but I came from an e46 and the m235 is fantastic, IMO.

Not sure what e46 you came from but I had a 2004 330 zhp and no current BMW can hold a light to in the feedback dept. The steering, braking, and handling where just better and more communicative. The only negative was the power, sure 235hp was great back then but a turbo inline 6 would of made it perfect!!? The 135 just feels more nimble and offers more feedback than the 235. Nothing new the 235 offers insane grip but overall its more refined and you can feel the extra size and weight.

[jeremicium]

Thanks for the write-up. I have an E92 335, and I agree with you that the 135 has more of a go-kart, lighter on its feet, nimble feeling. However, if you really want a premium go-kart feel, nothing BMW has made in recent years can come close to my other ride...S2000 baby. 2,700 pounds, steering feels almost like no power assist at all, and probably the best manual tranny of anything in the past decade. Still, I think an M235 is in my future as a daily driver replacement for the 335.

[Manboy]

Too bad you guys don't get the M135i - "nimble premium go cart feeling" personified

[valentinbmw]

Originally Posted by Pavel

Too bad you guys don't get the M135i - "nimble premium go cart feeling" personified

Sorry to disagree but my brother have an M135 i and IMHO i don't think is as nimble as my past 135i coupe, not even close, actually i think is closer to the M235 i.

[golf_234]

I strongly prefer the M235 to the M135 or 135

[Manboy]

Originally Posted by valentinbmw

Sorry to disagree but my brother have an M135 i and IMHO i don't think is as nimble as my past 135i coupe, not even close, actually i think is closer to the M235 i.

Hm, strange, I have driven the 135i many times and think its more comfortable and less nimble than the M135i. Maybe its got something to do with the fact that mine M135 is xDrive and hooks up better to the tarmac? Come to think of it, allmost all M135i's here in Sweden are xDrive versions.

Any case, hope youre happy with your M235i! It looks stunning!

[Lucky1]

So more grip for less communicative steering? Which of these is easier to fix? Maybe when my 128i gets higher in mileage I should be looking for a low mileage 2013 135i instead of an M235i as I'm not seeing a major improvement here aside from the manual transmission...

[Manboy]

Originally Posted by Lucky1

So more grip for less communicative steering? Which of these is easier to fix? Maybe when my 128i gets higher in mileage I should be looking for a low mileage 2013 135i instead of an M235i as I'm not seeing a major improvement here aside from the manual transmission...

Yeah, there seem to be a genuine consensus that the 135i is better in every way (looks aside) than M235i. Only way to decide is to drive both preferably for more than 30 min test drive.

Imo, just get the 1M and call it a day

[onatuesday]

Thank you for your honest review and for not hyping the m235i up as the greatest car ever as others have been claiming. It's good but it lacks 'wow' factor. I'm willing to bet waiting for the M2 will be worth it