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      05-20-2014, 12:27 PM   #1
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Test drove 228i Sport and M235i yesterday

I was able to find a (somewhat) nearby dealer with both a 228i Sport Line and a M235i in stock. I was really happy to find a dealer with that combo, since it would allow me to compare the non-adaptive M Sport suspension with the adaptive one on the M235i.

Unfortunately, both cars were automatics. The M235i had paddle shifters, but the 228i Sport line did not. While the BMW automatic is sportier than the one on my Ford Fusion, I still can't imagine driving a car like this without a manual transmission.

(Oh, speaking of the Fusion, there's probably going to be a lot of comparisons to the Fusion in this post, since it's my daily driver--apologies if that bothers anyone.)

I drove the 228i Sport Line first (I always prefer to drive the slower car first since I think it makes it easier to determine how much of an upgrade the faster car is giving you). I found myself immediately liking the size of the car. It's small enough to feel compact and tossable (unlike my Fusion), but isn't claustrophobia inducing (unlike, say, a Lotus Exige, or even a Porsche Cayman, for that matter).

I really liked that the 228i has more of a conventional profile instead of being a super sleek sports car. Why? Because the 228i actually has decent outward visibility! When I test drove a Cayman, I felt like I was viewing the world through a postage slot. I didn't have that feeling in the 228i.

I found the sport seats comfortable enough. They definitely weren't overly tight (unlike on the Ford Focus ST I test drove recently). But these were the power seats with adjustable bolsters--I'm not sure that the manual sport seats (which is what I would get) have the same adjustability.

Overall, though, I can see where the criticisms of cheapness arise in regards to the 228i's interior. The hard plastic on the center console, in particular, is pretty low-rent. And while the red plastic highlights on the dash that come with the Sport Line add some welcome color, they also look kind of cheap. And the way that the iDrive screen sprouts out of the dash like an aftermarket kit from Pep Boys is not exactly my favorite design feature, either.

Honestly, the interior on my Fusion looks better. But the 228i's interior is certainly not "econo car" grade, nor is it enough to put me off from buying the car.

So, how does it drive? Very nicely! It didn't take me long to realize that the 4 cylinder in the 228i is all the power I need. It's got plenty of oomph for passing on the highway, will push you nicely back into your seat if you floor it from a stoplight, and it will easily kick the tail out if you pound on the gas while turning with the traction control off (which I may have done once or twice on my test drive ).

I have to say, though, that the engine note is pretty uninspiring. Not *bad*, per se, but just not something that would make me really look forward to revving the engine (unlike the Lotus Evora I drove last year...say what you will about that thing having a Toyota engine, it still sounds fantastic). The turbo 4 in the 228i honestly didn't sound too different from the turbo 4 in my Fusion.

Luckily, the engine is so muted most of the time, it's not too much of an issue. In fact, the 228i is pretty quiet in general. Not as quiet as my Fusion, but compared to something like a Lancer Evolution, it's a library. And that is one of it's big selling points for me. Maybe I'm a bit odd, but I actually prefer my performance cars to be on the quiet side.

The non-adaptable suspension definitely seemed to be something I could live with. It was firm enough to inspire confidence in the twisties, but not so punishing that you wanted to escape the car after 20 minutes. I can see where someone who wanted a more track-oriented car would find it a bit soft, though.

The steering I thought was...good. It had nice weighting to it, but I can see where folks complain about the lack of feedback. It's not perfect (my old RX-8 definitely had better steering), but I don't think that it's something that would put me off from buying the car.

I didn't get a chance to play with the stereo much (it had the base one), but it seemed decent. Definitely better than the piece of junk that is the Cayman's base stereo. And I confirmed that you can play audio through the USB port (I was worried I'd have to get the Tech Package to do that).


Overall, I liked the 228i a lot, and I felt pretty sure that I didn't need to step up to the M235i.

Of course, I still test drove the M235i, anyway.

The M235i had the Aluminum Hexagon interior trim. That looked so much better than the High-Gloss Black trim in the Sport Line--it really added some style to the interior. I don't see a point to getting the carbon fiber interior bits when the Aluminum Hexagon looks so good. Luckily, it's available on a 228i if you get the M Sport Line.

The M235i also, of course, had the adaptable suspension. Now, I said above that I could definitely live with the non-adaptable suspension. And that's true. But, for $1K, I'm definitely tempted to spring for the adaptable suspension. In Sport mode, it seems as stiff as the non-adaptable suspension, but it rides much, much better in Comfort mode. And the roads in my area are not in the best shape.

The other big difference with the M235i is the engine. But I just did not feel or hear enough of a difference to be even slightly tempted by it. I'm sure that, after living with a 228i for a while, I could more easily spot the differences, but the back-to-back test drives tell me that there isn't a night-and-day difference between them, which there would have to be to justify the upgrade to me.


So, that's my story. Now I'm just playing around with the configurator to figure out what options I need on my 228i.
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      05-20-2014, 12:33 PM   #2
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I'm kind of going through the same drill except I have a Mustang. I haven't had a chance to drive the M235i yet though. The 228i seemed pretty peppy.
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      05-20-2014, 12:42 PM   #3
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You needed to put the M235i in sport or sport+ mode to feel the engine difference. If you do, you will find it significantly faster.

But the 228i has as much power as most people need for street driving.
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      05-20-2014, 12:46 PM   #4
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Just to let you know the sport seats ALWAYS have the inflatable side bolsters, that's NOT a feature from the "electric memory seats" option.

I actually thought the adaptive suspension would be harder on sport that the passive...
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      05-20-2014, 12:49 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DanG View Post
You needed to put the M235i in sport or sport+ mode to feel the engine difference. If you do, you will find it significantly faster.

But the 228i has as much power as most people need for street driving.

Oh, I definitely had it in Sport mode.

Maybe other folks are more sensitive to that kind of thing than I am, but I didn't feel that much difference. I didn't feel that much difference when comparing a Cayman and Cayman S, either.
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      05-20-2014, 12:51 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by one1er View Post
Just to let you know the sport seats ALWAYS have the inflatable side bolsters, that's NOT a feature from the "electric memory seats" option.
Good to know! That makes me feel even better about skipping the power seats.


Quote:
Originally Posted by one1er View Post
I actually thought the adaptive suspension would be harder on sport that the passive...
In some objective way, it could be. But based on my test drive, I didn't notice a significant difference. Maybe if you had both cars on a track it would be more obvious?
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      05-20-2014, 01:07 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Canaletto View Post
Oh, I definitely had it in Sport mode.

Maybe other folks are more sensitive to that kind of thing than I am, but I didn't feel that much difference. I didn't feel that much difference when comparing a Cayman and Cayman S, either.
Some on here seem to forget that it is not that a 228i is slow and a 235i is fast, it is that a 228i is fast and a 235i is a little faster. Either one is capable of getting your license shredded in a nanosecond. Certainly either is faster than can be safely fully utilized on a public street.

I think you did a nice job with your review! I'm planning to do Euro Delivery on a 228i in 2016. My quandary is do I go "sporting jail cell spec" like my wagon or load one up with all the toys this go-round.? I intentionally did not get much of anything on my wagon because I plan to keep it pretty much forever, and what isn't there will never break. But the 228i is more of a toy, and I may even lease it, so maybe I want all the bells and whistles this time? Certainly the fact that I am stuck with the stupid screen no matter what makes me think I might as well make the best of it and get the tech package.
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      05-20-2014, 01:09 PM   #8
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Agree with you on the exhaust note, my 228 sounds like this years Formula one cars and thats not a good thing
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      05-20-2014, 01:12 PM   #9
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Great review! Thanks for sharing and let us know what options you decide on for your 228i.
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      05-20-2014, 01:18 PM   #10
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When I drove the 228(base) and M235, the 228 had plenty of power as you say, but the 235 had significantly more--very noticeable. Glad to hear that the Sport suspension is similar to the 235 because I drove the base and that was very soft. I ordered the 228 MSport and this confirms that I made the right choice.
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      05-20-2014, 02:46 PM   #11
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If the 228 didn't have paddle shifters it means the dealer checked the Steptronic downgrade when ordering the car. In the US at least the 228 comes standard with sport automatic transmission with paddle shifters. Feel sorry for whoever ends up with a dealers mistake... But then that person probably wouldn't care anyway lol
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      05-20-2014, 02:55 PM   #12
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No one's butt dyno will feel the difference lol
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      05-20-2014, 04:13 PM   #13
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I wish I was unable to tell the difference - I could have saved some money. Base definitely lacks the pep I require. I also think the automatic is fantastic and wouldn't want a manual in my area / commute. Goes to show why options are nice.

Nice reviews. Enjoy your 2!
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      05-20-2014, 06:36 PM   #14
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I never test drove a 228 but the difference between the regular mode on 235i and the sport/sport+ mode is really significant. The cabin sound when in sport mode is to a point of annoying if you are just cruising on freeway. I certainly felt that way on autobahn, lol.
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      05-20-2014, 07:21 PM   #15
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I think you dropped more names than Perez Hilton.

Decent review. Not quite sure how you missed the difference in feel between comfort and sport+ in the M235i. It's a pretty drastic transformation, in my opinion.
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      05-20-2014, 09:23 PM   #16
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good review from an outsider (non-BMW owner). I've been overseas since the release so unable to drive either. I have driven cars with both engines. Wife drives a X1 with the N20, I drive a 335 with the N54 (but i've driven plenty of N55s).

My thoughts on the engines. The difference in power is not that significant. The difference in sound is significant, and the difference in how the 6 delivers the power is significant as well. If you are going for a lightly optioned 228 vs. 235 it makes complete sense to go for the 228. Save $10k. But if you are going fully optioned, the price difference falls to about $3-$4k. Thats a pretty small difference considering how sweet the 6 is.
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      05-20-2014, 09:54 PM   #17
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I drove them both and found the 235 to be an absolute rocket with a great exhaust note. Switching from Sport to Comfort and Vice versa is a significantly noticeable difference.
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      05-21-2014, 02:39 AM   #18
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I think the decision to go for the 228 was made before the tester drove them both.Although the two cars are not night and day. You can't help but think wow, when you try the M235i for the first time. The liner torque delivery from the 6 pots is stupid grin inducing at its best.
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      05-21-2014, 06:32 AM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by creepy coupe View Post
I think the decision to go for the 228 was made before the tester drove them both.Although the two cars are not night and day. You can't help but think wow, when you try the M235i for the first time. The liner torque delivery from the 6 pots is stupid grin inducing at its best.
I think I'm pretty good about keeping an open mind. The M235i just wasn't that different for me.

Maybe I would have noticed the difference more if they both had manual transmissions, since I'd be more aware of what the car was doing in each gear and at what RPM.
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      05-21-2014, 08:38 AM   #20
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Great review sir! I cannot judge between the 2 as I only test drove the M235i and not the 228i. I priced out the same exact options in both cars with my guy at the dealer and monthly lease payment difference was obviously significant, 228i was $450/per month versus $540/per month for the M235i ($90 difference) and less money up front since I'm paying taxes up front on the car and not rolling it into the payment.

I just couldn't picture myself yet going back to a 4 cylinder (first car was a 2003 Acura RSX Type-S) as I'm already in a 6 cylinder right now (2011 Infiniti G37S AWD Coupe) and would miss the power the 6 delivers and exhaust notes that fly out of the pipes. I also have a weird issue now with not having a car with with a dual exhaust outlet haha.
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      05-21-2014, 08:43 AM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Canaletto View Post
I think I'm pretty good about keeping an open mind. The M235i just wasn't that different for me.

Maybe I would have noticed the difference more if they both had manual transmissions, since I'd be more aware of what the car was doing in each gear and at what RPM.
Fair enough. We all have different perspectives.
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