[sputman]

After waiting for 4 months, my new 2015 M235i X-Drive finally arrived and I picked it up Monday!

It's Black Sapphire Metallic with Oyster interior, 461M Ferric Grey wheels, Aluminum Hex and Estoril Blue Matte highlight trim. It has every option except for storage and smokers option.

The speed limit detection is neat, but really not needed. I haven't tested the auto parallel park feature yet... I'm not sure how often it'll be used, but thought I'd order it anyhow just to try it out.

Just had it tinted 30% all around today and the black grills and M pedals should arrive in a couple days.

I ordered some carbon vinyl to see how it'll look on the mirror caps and the standard rear diffuser. Not 100% sure on this, but it'll be easy to remove if it looks too fake.

Now I'm just waiting for the winter tires to come in so it'll be an awesome 4-wheel drive winter machine and an even more exhilarating summer speedster.

The winter tires will go on the stock rims as I'm planning to put some nice 405M wheels come spring... but the Ferric Grey 461M wheels actually look better in person than I though. Ugh, I'll figure it out in the spring.

Thankfully I've had some coding practice on our X3 so for the M235i I've done:

• Disabled initial seatbelt warning
• Radio off with door open
• Unlock doors when engine stops
• Door handle lights on in reverse
• Change iDrive startup animation to M Logo
• Disable iDrive startup and reverse legal disclaimers
• Display full text messages
• Removed decoding for Variable Light Distribution and Anti Dazzle

I haven't disabled active sound yet as I'd like more time to really test the difference and decide which I prefer.

The anti-dazzle seems pretty neat but I haven't been able to test very much yet. The highways here are pretty well lit and it's weird with the high-beams moving and turning on and off with so much traffic. It seems more suited to back roads or on the highway at 2am with less traffic.

[Nick 92]

Congrats ,high beam assistant works great in the dark lanes much better than I thought it would be,don't forget the pics.

[golf_234]

Pics!

[sputman]

Sorry for the delay.... all nice and shiny now :-)

[Iceman51sn]

Looks great! Love the color combo. Congrats!

[FunRevn]

Very nice... Enjoy

[mmmmm235i]

I want to trade someone for these wheels

[Mark's M]

Beautiful....and you picked a good weekend with the weather to show it off!! Congrats on the xDrive version, great choice and I've decided to do the same thing when it comes time for purchase in the spring. We'll have to become friends lol, I don't know anyone who does coding in the area and I'd love to do what you've done when the time comes....but haven't a clue.

Nicely done all around, enjoy it!!

[todd hollander]

Congrats! I am still waiting for mine.

[nzw212]

I've driven both rear wheel drive and Xdrive. Both terrific but the Xdrive has incredible grip and inspires confidence when pushing the car hard. Enjoy!

[Sportstick]

Originally Posted by nzw212

I've driven both rear wheel drive and Xdrive. Both terrific but the Xdrive has incredible grip and inspires confidence when pushing the car hard. Enjoy!

Don't want to ...but XDrive, or any AWD system, has zero "grip". Traction is generated by the tires. Were they the same on both cars you drove? A vehicle with RWD with winter tires has more traction than AWD with all-season tires. Old information and repeatedly proven, but occasionally helpful to bring up. AWD with winters is superior to RWD with winters due to the front winter tires' ability to develop motion at front powered wheels if rear winter tires lose traction. The winter tires make the difference for braking and turning. Lots of over-confident AWD SUV drivers on all-season tires can be found in ditches each winter.

[Mark's M]

You are quite correct but the thrill of being able to push the xDrive harder, under almost any road/weather conditions, and get away with it without any drama is what's attracting a fair number of people to the xDrive version of this car. It's a beautiful sunny day here in southern Ontario but it's 0 degrees and the roads are spotted with dried salt and sand in places. Not to mention some of the moisture that'll form when the sun warms up the asphalt in the a.m. With the proper tires this car can be driven almost as if it were a warm, dry summer day.

And fear not M235 xDrivers.....your xDrive system was slightly massaged by ///M as a part of the overall M Performance Division's efforts to diminish the sometimes "under performing" quirks of AWD on their global Mxxx vehicles. Same as Benz did with their 4Matic system on the E63 AMG. Read the reviews and comparos on that one to see what a properly tuned AWD system can do in terms of confidence inspiring performance. At the end of the day a properly tuned AWD system "might" give up a little bit on the track to an equivalently tuned RWD vehicle but for the 99.99% of the time that I'm on the road, whether dry, wet, warm, cold, icy, dirty or anything in between, the xDrive version of the M235 should be badged "Evil Twin" 'cause it's just that capable.

[Sportstick]

Originally Posted by Mark's M

With the proper tires this car can be driven almost as if it were a warm, dry summer day.

[Mark's M]

C'mon.....just 1???... that's better. Cheers sir!!!

[sputman]

No one's too rich as to throw away a friend :-)

If you pick up a BMW ENET cable on ebay I'd be happy to help code your vehicle. They're less than $20.

Originally Posted by Mark's M

Beautiful....and you picked a good weekend with the weather to show it off!! Congrats on the xDrive version, great choice and I've decided to do the same thing when it comes time for purchase in the spring. We'll have to become friends lol, I don't know anyone who does coding in the area and I'd love to do what you've done when the time comes....but haven't a clue.

Nicely done all around, enjoy it!!

[Mark's M]

Originally Posted by flyguyscott

No one's too rich as to throw away a friend :-)

If you pick up a BMW ENET cable on ebay I'd be happy to help code your vehicle. They're less than $20.

Very kind of you...and a sincere thanks! In the meantime, as you pile on the km's, post your impressions once in awhile. Nice to know how the minority version of the car is doing out in the real world. Cheers!

[nzw212]

Originally Posted by Mark's M

You are quite correct but the thrill of being able to push the xDrive harder, under almost any road/weather conditions, and get away with it without any drama is what's attracting a fair number of people to the xDrive version of this car. It's a beautiful sunny day here in southern Ontario but it's 0 degrees and the roads are spotted with dried salt and sand in places. Not to mention some of the moisture that'll form when the sun warms up the asphalt in the a.m. With the proper tires this car can be driven almost as if it were a warm, dry summer day.

And fear not M235 xDrivers.....your xDrive system was slightly massaged by ///M as a part of the overall M Performance Division's efforts to diminish the sometimes "under performing" quirks of AWD on their global Mxxx vehicles. Same as Benz did with their 4Matic system on the E63 AMG. Read the reviews and comparos on that one to see what a properly tuned AWD system can do in terms of confidence inspiring performance. At the end of the day a properly tuned AWD system "might" give up a little bit on the track to an equivalently tuned RWD vehicle but for the 99.99% of the time that I'm on the road, whether dry, wet, warm, cold, icy, dirty or anything in between, the xDrive version of the M235 should be badged "Evil Twin" 'cause it's just that capable.

+1.

[nzw212]

Originally Posted by Sportstick

Don't want to ...but XDrive, or any AWD system, has zero "grip". Traction is generated by the tires. Were they the same on both cars you drove? A vehicle with RWD with winter tires has more traction than AWD with all-season tires. Old information and repeatedly proven, but occasionally helpful to bring up. AWD with winters is superior to RWD with winters due to the front winter tires' ability to develop motion at front powered wheels if rear winter tires lose traction. The winter tires make the difference for braking and turning. Lots of over-confident AWD SUV drivers on all-season tires can be found in ditches each winter.

I agree with you and have often made the same case to others. I assumed 2addicts.com members understood the reference was to four tires clawing at the pavement instead of two. Assuming the cars have the same tires, the grip would be superior in the Xdrive. Specifically, I drove my car and a RWD but otherwise identical M235i back to back. The RWD was a blast to drive because, well, it's RWD. My car was fun in a completely different, unflappable and confidence inspiring way.

But hey, you know what they say about those who assume.

[nzw212]

And fear not M235 xDrivers.....your xDrive system was slightly massaged by ///M as a part of the overall M Performance Division's efforts to diminish the sometimes "under performing" quirks of AWD on their global Mxxx vehicles.

Hey, I've been searching for information on how the Xdrive was "tuned" for this vehicle. Do you have any reading material to refer me to on this subject? I'd love to learn more about the messaging you say was done by ///M!

Thanks!

[Mark's M]

Originally Posted by nzw212

And fear not M235 xDrivers.....your xDrive system was slightly massaged by ///M as a part of the overall M Performance Division's efforts to diminish the sometimes "under performing" quirks of AWD on their global Mxxx vehicles.

Hey, I've been searching for information on how the Xdrive was "tuned" for this vehicle. Do you have any reading material to refer me to on this subject? I'd love to learn more about the messaging you say was done by ///M!

Thanks!

No problem. Go to M-Power.com and browse through the tech highlights of the Mxxx series available in Europe. You'll see the references to M-specific tuning of suspensions, xDrive, etc. for these vehicles. Some old friends in Garching confirmed the subtle differences in the M235 xDrive vs the same system in the 228 and 228 M Sport versions, even those with the track pack - done to preserve the brand identity of the M Performance vehicles. Bottom line is that your system is less intrusive, i.e. tuned to provide a RWD feel in dynamic driving situations (using Sport+ of course) with additional tweaks to lessen and in some cases eliminate the tendency that an AWD car has to understeer more than a RWD car does when pushed to the extreme, especially in track situations. And the M235 xDrive suspension, like those in the euro M550d vehicles, is properly lowered and tuned for the lower ride height.

IMO not as well done as the Benz system in the E63 AMG but a close 2nd. Which is not a problem in my books because the 2er is a much lighter and more agile car. When we ultimately see the M Division tackle a full-blown xDrive system in the next generation M5, you'll no doubt see a more aggressively biased AWD setup with torque vectoring, etc. that's tuned to somewhat satisfy the demands of the typical RWD M car enthusiast.

Hope that helps.

[nzw212]

Originally Posted by Mark's M

No problem. Go to M-Power.com and browse through the tech highlights of the Mxxx series available in Europe. You'll see the references to M-specific tuning of suspensions, xDrive, etc. for these vehicles. Some old friends in Garching confirmed the subtle differences in the M235 xDrive vs the same system in the 228 and 228 M Sport versions, even those with the track pack - done to preserve the brand identity of the M Performance vehicles. Bottom line is that your system is less intrusive, i.e. tuned to provide a RWD feel in dynamic driving situations (using Sport+ of course) with additional tweaks to lessen and in some cases eliminate the tendency that an AWD car has to understeer more than a RWD car does when pushed to the extreme, especially in track situations. And the M235 xDrive suspension, like those in the euro M550d vehicles, is properly lowered and tuned for the lower ride height.

IMO not as well done as the Benz system in the E63 AMG but a close 2nd. Which is not a problem in my books because the 2er is a much lighter and more agile car. When we ultimately see the M Division tackle a full-blown xDrive system in the next generation M5, you'll no doubt see a more aggressively biased AWD setup with torque vectoring, etc. that's tuned to somewhat satisfy the demands of the typical RWD M car enthusiast.

Hope that helps.

Very helpful, thank you! I will definitely peruse M-Power.com. I appreciate the suggestions.