[barbecuejoe]

Originally Posted by wdc330i

My last car (an E91 wagon) was Deep Sea Blue; my current one is Estoril. Estoril hides a LOT more dirt, for sure. Like Black, DSB looks great right after its been washed, otherwise not so great.

Picked up the 240i last night! I do love the Estoril Blue.

[p912guy]

Congrats! Looks great. You'll need to post some more pictures.

[German1967]

Looks great! Highly recommend changing the mirror caps to CF. Looks so much better.

[msej449]

Second that - CF, black or EB - anything but the grey!

[barbecuejoe]

Thanks for the suggestion, I will take a look at them.

[rightrudder]

I think the gray mirror caps work better when you've got the Ferric Gray wheels, and standard chrome-edged kidneys. I've got an EB M240i on order, have to agree on the awesome color choice!

[German1967]

Like this...

[Portadown95]

Originally Posted by crabu2

You guys are making me doubt myself on my order.. Maybe I should have ordered the M240i instead of the 230i..

Why does it seem like most everyone on this board has a I6 turbo?

No regrets here. I wish my 228's 4 banger sounded like the N58 but oh well. Make sure you ordered the THP though: adaptive dampers, staggered Summer tires, m brakes and Vss steering are a great bargain for the price.

[josedebardi]

So picked the beasty aka Rolly up 3 weeks ago. Been holding off posting so I had more than 30 mins driving experience to comment, and also had got the various M Performance bits fitted and the car detailed for pics

So a few thoughts...

Overall enjoying it a lot, especially since chopping the 2 silencers out and fitting the MPE - sounds insane now (just how I like it!). I've been on a weekend trip around South Wales which was great to get to know the car, it's been a challenge getting used to a rear end that moves after the RS3! But you can certainly lean on it pretty hard and it's very predictable and controllable at the limit I'm finding.

I'm particularly impressed with the iDrive tech and integration of Car Play/Apps etc. This is very poor in the latest generation Audi's and was one of the reasons I moved back to BMW. It all just works and the ability to look up destinations on your phone and either schedule or immediately send them to the car is great for trip planning (such as touring South Wales with multiple stop off points).

I feel like the car definitely needs a good chunk of the M Performance interior and exterior bits to make it look/feel as sporty as it is, but I see why BMW have done it like this as it gives people the option of an under the radar car or for a couple grand more they can make it look a bit more gnarly.

Negatives, nothing big. The wireless charging being too small to fit larger phones will irritate me A LOT. I think I'm going to retrofit the normal adapter dock and put the universal iPhone adapter in it for my iPhone 7 Plus to be held neatly and not have to have a long cable dangling around in the armrest.
I've had to code quite a few annoyances out, door unlock on engine off, radio off on door open, comfort open/closing/mirror folding being the main ones. I did/do a lot of VCDS coding for VAG cars so E-Sys was easy to get the hang of (anyone in Dorset I'm happy to do tweaks for beer tokens).

I'll leave you to enjoy a few pics

[M235ForNow]

Originally Posted by crabu2

How come you guys with the I6 are the ones telling me I should be good with the I4?

I started off wanting a Mustang GT convertible, but I looked at the 230i because the Ford and BMW dealership sit next to each other. I also liked the idea of getting 33 hwy mpg with AWD. If the Mustang would have gotten close to 30 hwy mpgs, I would have ordered a Mustang.

Still, I test drove the 230i, I thought it had plenty of power. I just didn't like the turbo lag. But being I drive over 130 miles a day, I figured the 230i was a better choice compared to the Mustang. I did test drive a M235i. It felt a bit quicker, but not by much... With the better mpg rating on the 230i and BMW saying it was in the mid 5's for 0-60, I thought I'd be good.. That was until this board.

You guys on the board all seem to have the I6. There are some with the I4, but most all the discussions seem to surround the M235/240. Most of the mods seems to be around the I6 too. So it's got me 2nd guessing myself... And being that I haven't taken delivery, I'm really starting to think maybe I should just request a M240 build. When I looked at the pricing, the difference was going to only be like 3 grand because I've got most all the options that come on the M240 added to the 230 order.
My sticker is already at $53K.. and the only thinks I think I'm missing is the M Sport package and the I6.. Boy would I love to get the M steering wheel.

Maybe I should stay off the forums for a while.. At least my car got built today and is waiting for a ride over to Bremerhavan... It won't be long till it's here, assuming it was built with the convertible boot cover.

Thanks all!

The reason, I believe, is that there's a preponderance of people on enthusiast forums who like POWER! Thus most of the posters have maxed out on that - which means the inline 6. If you haven't read this, you might enjoy it: http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-cult...test/?zoomable Also jalopnik opined that the 228 was the "best" choice.

I wouldn't worry.

[msej449]

Originally Posted by josedebardi

Hey, So I'm coming back to the x35i/x40i fold! .... Anyway, nice to be back!

Just to balance things out, I tried the 230i and I hated it. I thought the handling was significantly inferior to the m235i. I just don't agree about the R&T have-to-say-something-different-whatever-it-might-be view that the 230i is better weighted.

Not to say that the 230i isn't right for some people. Just like a 218d is fine if that's your choice.

Tip re wind deflector: They work really well, especially if you're doing a long motorway drive and want to talk to your passenger. It's also quite good at keeping loose stuff on the back seat inside the car with the top down ...

[M235ForNow]

Originally Posted by msej449

Just to balance things out, I tried the 230i and I hated it. I thought the handling was significantly inferior to the m235i. I just don't agree about the R&T have-to-say-something-different-whatever-it-might-be view that the 230i is better weighted.

Not to say that the 230i isn't right for some people. Just like a 218d is fine if that's your choice.

Tip re wind deflector: They work really well, especially if you're doing a long motorway drive and want to talk to your passenger. It's also quite good at keeping loose stuff on the back seat inside the car with the top down ...

Both variants can be specced with the same suspension so I'm presuming the two you drove were specced differently?

[msej449]

Originally Posted by M235ForNow

Both variants can be specced with the same suspension so I'm presuming the two you drove were specced differently?

Ummm, no idea. May be complicated in that UK spec's aren't always the same as for other countries, either.

Apologies to any M230i owners, but not one review across nine months in the UK mentioned anything about the M235i being relatively nose-heavy. Mentions of the relatively small fuel tank; comments on the steering being too neutral for a sports car (compared to other brands, this is one thing I'd concede); suggestion that stock suspension might be better than adaptive for some owners; a few people not liking iDrive; whether the 6cyl engine was worth the premium; perhaps to go for the M2 if you could afford it ; etc. ... but not one mention that the 230i handled better because of less front weight.

Then when I drove them both, all I could feel was that the 6cyl was smoother in ordinary traffic and more responsive when pushed. And that if anything, I'd like more weight on the nose, not less. I just didn't like the way the 230i handled in comparison. Although I'd be the first to say that the average driver (like me) can't necessarily isolate the individual elements that make one drive experience 'better' than another.

[M235ForNow]

Originally Posted by msej449

Ummm, no idea. May be complicated in that UK spec's aren't always the same as for other countries, either.

Apologies to any M230i owners, but not one review across nine months in the UK mentioned anything about the M235i being relatively nose-heavy. Mentions of the relatively small fuel tank; comments on the steering being too neutral for a sports car (compared to other brands, this is one thing I'd concede); suggestion that stock suspension might be better than adaptive for some owners; a few people not liking iDrive; whether the 6cyl engine was worth the premium; perhaps to go for the M2 if you could afford it ; etc. ... but not one mention that the 230i handled better because of less front weight.

Then when I drove them both, all I could feel was that the 6cyl was smoother in ordinary traffic and more responsive when pushed. And that if anything, I'd like more weight on the nose, not less. I just didn't like the way the 230i handled in comparison. Although I'd be the first to say that the average driver (like me) can't necessarily isolate the individual elements that make one drive experience 'better' than another.

In the US the 235/240 comes standard with the uprated suspension and the 228/230 comes standard with the, well, standard suspension. So it's certainly possible that you drove two cars with markedly different suspensions. In my experience the "regular" suspension on BMWs lately have been quite Lexus-like (not sporty).

[msej449]

Certainly, it could have been that the 230i had standard suspension and standard steering, while the M235i had adaptive suspension and variable sport steering, or something that made a difference. Nevertheless, it's still odd that no one in the UK expressed the view that the 230i was the better handling. Reading the available reviews ahead of purchase, few US reviewers thought so either until it was stated emphatically as A Big Deal by R&T.

I'm not saying that people are wrong in identifying the 230i as their preferred model, based on handling. Just that it strikes me as a possible syllogism i.e. I prefer the 230i handling / the 230i has a lighter engine / therefore the lighter engine means better handling.

We're all familiar with the tendency of car reviews to follow the herd so that after a while, you've got to say something provocative if it's to be an interesting read. But I appreciate also that lazy journalists often just echo previous reviews as well. When I was buying, reading reviews of the M235i got quite tedious, in terms of them being almost boringly enthusiastic. In the US, the revolt seemed to come from R&T when they said the 230i was better-balanced because of engine weight, in the UK it was more that reviewers said that the M235i 'needed' an LSD to be viable or that Adaptive Suspension was a waste of money. Both come down to recommending trying alternatives out for yourself before buying - which is fine but there are practical problems to lining-up dealer loan cars to try out.

Oh, and UK reviews were sometimes critical of the 20 seconds to fold/unfold the roof on the convertible .... this compared to my first 'vert where I had to stop the car, get the bits out, put them together, put five braces onto the frame, throw the fabric onto the frame; then unfold and attach the fabric by hand across the top. By which time I was completely soaked and the interior could double as a swimming pool. Really - even a $450,000 Rolls-Royce Dawn 'vert takes about the same time as a 2 series convertible to fold the roof.

[wdc330i]

Originally Posted by msej449

Oh, and UK reviews were sometimes critical of the 20 seconds to fold/unfold the roof on the convertible .... this compared to my first 'vert where I had to stop the car, get the bits out, put them together, put five braces onto the frame, throw the fabric onto the frame; then unfold and attach the fabric by hand across the top. By which time I was completely soaked and the interior could double as a swimming pool. Really - even a $450,000 Rolls-Royce Dawn 'vert takes about the same time as a 2 series convertible to fold the roof.

Our Boxster roof operation feels almost instantaneous compared to the 2. But, it's covering less than half the surface area and does not have the time-suck of the tonneau cover action.

PS: I also agree with you about the journalism coverage of both 2 series cars. I think the same thing is happening with coverage of the 718 Boxster. Everyone is jumping on the criticism of its sound to establish themselves as Porsche purists. Some may really feel it sounds worse than its predecessor, but it think there's some herd-think going on there as well.

[josedebardi]

On the roof time, it doesn't seem too bad to me, I've done it on the move coming up to a roundabout as the next bit of road I know is dual carriageway a few times without holding anyone up. The fact it works up to 30mph also removes a lot of the problem of it taking a 'long time'.


One other niggle I forgot to mention. When the drive mode is set to Sport it also changes the gearbox map to favour lower gears. IMO the gearbox map should only change when pushing the lever over to S. Really the car needs the individual options to set steering/gearbox/engine etc that full M cars get. This is going to kill my economy as I want all the other stuff sport gives you (weighted steering, stiffer suspension, pops n bangs) just not the gearbox map! I'm tempted to start driving in full manual around town (as there is where it's most obvious, once you get to 60mph it will go to 8th even in sport), but that does somewhat defeat the object of getting the auto box!

[gocelts]

New member. Just ordered 2018 240i MG 6MT. End of July allocation so hopefully September. First BMW after 25 years of various VWs, Audis, and Porsches. Should be interesting...already finding out lotsa info @ winter tires (A6 TDI will be daily driver thru winter -- the only non manual I have ever owned).

Harma24, I am in Billerica, perhaps I will see you on 495...in the last two months, I have spotted only 1 240 and 2 M2....seem to be very rare beasts.

[c1pher]

Originally Posted by crabu2

You guys are making me doubt myself on my order.. Maybe I should have ordered the M240i instead of the 230i..

Why does it seem like most everyone on this board has a I6 turbo?

Why not get a 2013 135i? Save some $$$ and get the I6 turbo.

[c1pher]

Doh, never mind, I did t read the whole thread before posting the other comment. Congrats!