[JustChris]

Yay M235i, what a car. Shame mines going soon fir an M4!

[GJR]

Originally Posted by The long haul

Because the FRS followed the formula BMW was famous for. Power inst everything. They built a car that handles flawlessly and it's built around a driving experience, not horsepower and 5800 in car apps and electric luxuries.
That's how.

Love this comment. Truth.

[Diver]

Most automotive journalists love this car.

[W///]

Originally Posted by The long haul

Because the FRS followed the formula BMW was famous for. Power inst everything. They built a car that handles flawlessly and it's built around a driving experience, not horsepower and 5800 in car apps and electric luxuries.
That's how.

Meh, I think the car is overrated and definitely not for me. I'm not saying I need all my cars to be 400hp +. Hell my E36 M3 was not exactly considered high power when it came out, yet alone now, but I think that car is plenty quick. I also DD a 97 4Runner with 300k miles, so I'm used to slow cars.

The FRS is just dog sht slow in daily driving situations, to the point where I think it's unacceptable. I have no problem with high strung, high revving engines, but when you feel like you have to strain it just to do mundane things like merging on the highway, then it gets old real quick. If it had 250hp and just a bit more torque from factory, I would have definitely considered it. Don't get me wrong though, there were plenty of other things I liked when I test drove one, such as the handling, seating positions and gearshift.

[Qunadry]

Yes, the M235i is one of the best cars out there today and the best BMW being produced today. However it is not the best BMW.

[ska///235i]

I think the M235i gets praised is cuz of its price tag in today's $/value. My e90 325 (well optioned) almost cost as much and that was almost 10 yrs ago.

I looked at the M3/4 (online) and fell in love with it before ordering the m235i but couldnt justify the $63k base price tag...not saying that the M3/4 is not worth it, its just alot of money for any car. $20k difference is a huge gap for .8 seconds. If it wasnt about $, i want a M3

[e92_m3]

I know it's not the M235i, but I was just wondering if anyone had the same feeling I had with the 228i.

It definitely has more power than advertised by BMW and probably has one of the best steering feel besides my e92_m3.

Any 228i owners chime in since I'm definitely considering one now...

[ska///235i]

Originally Posted by e92_m3

I know it's not the M235i, but I was just wondering if anyone had the same feeling I had with the 228i.

It definitely has more power than advertised by BMW and probably has one of the best steering feel besides my e92_m3.

Any 228i owners chime in since I'm definitely considering one now...

Have you also drove a m235i? The 228 is a nice car (less weight) but the turbo I6 is just tempting...especially if you're coming from a m3

[Xach]

love it! this car is the best ive driven. other then the CL65 V12 Bi-turbo that was just a freakin rocket hahaa. but overall outstanding car.much better then my last e90 335i

[modkrazy]

What?! An automag lauding a BMW with awards?! I thought there was a giant world-wide conspiracy to denigrate all of BMW's future models because every journalist everywhere is an E9x owner and is super jealous of the F8x.

[VMRWheels]

[e92_m3]

Originally Posted by ska///235i

Have you also drove a m235i? The 228 is a nice car (less weight) but the turbo I6 is just tempting...especially if you're coming from a m3

Unfortunately no. That was the main reason I drove the 228i, since it's lighter than the M235i.

Watched videos of the M235i again online. Great reviews, so lemme go test drive the turbo 6...

Btw, thanks for the input man!

[ska///235i]

Originally Posted by e92_m3

Unfortunately no. That was the main reason I drove the 228i, since it's lighter than the M235i.

Watched videos of the M235i again online. Great reviews, so lemme go test drive the turbo 6...

Btw, thanks for the input man!

Also remember to try the comfort, sport, sport+ modes (have to set sports to both chasis and suspensions on). Skip the eco modes, I had the car for 6 months and never use eco mode lol

[ZhengHai]

Awesome!

[3.0L]

We more or less faced a similar dilemma back in the '60's muscle car era. If you wanted to have the fastest, or near fastest car on the street, you paid a price other than just dollars for the "privilege." The quickest cars back then were terrible daily drivers. The engines were so radical with their "hot" camshafts, etc., that the engine would hardly pull a hat off your head at anything below 3 or 4 thousand RPM. And they got lousy gas mileage, were noisy and lacked typical creature comforts like A/C and sometimes even a radio. In addition, the most "bad" street cars ran very low differential ratios (high numerically) to the point that the engine just screamed while cruising down the highway in top gear (we only had 3 and 4 speeds in those days).

It goes without mentioning that things have radically improved with today's high performance cars. The engines run fantastically well, even when highly tuned for gobs of HP and torque. And with 8-speed transmissions and mode selects, even the most aggressive cars can live on the interstate and still deliver at least some comfort to the occupants.

But... there still appears to be some cost to "going all out" for the highest of high performance cars in terms of a DD you can live with. I think the M235i fills the gap rather nicely.

[e92_m3]

Originally Posted by ska///235i

Also remember to try the comfort, sport, sport+ modes (have to set sports to both chasis and suspensions on). Skip the eco modes, I had the car for 6 months and never use eco mode lol

Will do man!

Thanks!

[bladeomatic]

Originally Posted by kinimod

What's so good about the M235i compared to 1M or 135is?

Most reviewers feel it's...better.

http://www.2addicts.com/forums/showp...&postcount=117

[bladeomatic]

Originally Posted by ska///235i

I think the M235i gets praised is cuz of its price tag in today's $/value. I looked at the M3/4 (online) and fell in love with it before ordering the m235i but couldnt justify the $63k base price tag...not saying that the M3/4 is not worth it, its just alot of money for any car. $20k difference is a huge gap for .8 seconds. If it wasnt about $, i want a M3

I think the price is part of the equation, but not all. It's the balance. BMW nailed the sweet spot on the slider between performance and practical. Other than the small back seat, it has few compromises.

Fast, handles great, reasonable MPG, looks great, stops amazing, tons of groceries fit in the trunk, etc.

When I look at the whales coming out of the M division (M5, M6, X5M, X6M) without the sharp handling that this little bugger has, I wonder if the M Performance division has it more right.

I drove the M4 earlier this year quite a bit. If someone offered me a trade right now for a 2014 M4, I'd turn them down. Yes, the M4 is more powerful, expensive, trackable, etc. And I'd get to TELL everyone at some country club that I drive an M4. But I don't think I'd enjoy driving it anymore than my spunky M235i.

The awards and accolades continue to pour in for the M235i...more than any other bimmer in recent memory. Yet some folks here still ponder it...without driving one. Take one out on an old country road for about 10 minutes and then to the store to run some errands.

You'll have a smile on your face when you get back.

IMO best car BMW makes right now.

[The long haul]

Originally Posted by W///

Meh, I think the car is overrated and definitely not for me. I'm not saying I need all my cars to be 400hp +. Hell my E36 M3 was not exactly considered high power when it came out, yet alone now, but I think that car is plenty quick. I also DD a 97 4Runner with 300k miles, so I'm used to slow cars.

The FRS is just dog sht slow in daily driving situations, to the point where I think it's unacceptable. I have no problem with high strung, high revving engines, but when you feel like you have to strain it just to do mundane things like merging on the highway, then it gets old real quick. If it had 250hp and just a bit more torque from factory, I would have definitely considered it. Don't get me wrong though, there were plenty of other things I liked when I test drove one, such as the handling, seating positions and gearshift.

It's certainly not fast in a straight line, but they certainly hold their own in autox and track days. Easily boostable to very high HP numbers. As a drivers car alone I find it perfect.

[W///]

Originally Posted by The long haul

It's certainly not fast in a straight line, but they certainly hold their own in autox and track days. Easily boostable to very high HP numbers. As a drivers car alone I find it perfect.

Like I said, I don't mind "not fast". I wouldn't consider my E36 M3 particularly fast, but 200hp is just not enough IMHO. I shouldn't have to drop 3 gears just to merge on the highway. I have no doubt they'd be a blast on the track or autox, but just as a dual purpose car, the FRS would drive me nuts as a DD.

I know for me personally, I wouldn't be able to buy a brand new one and then go FI with it, unless it came from factory. I don't believe they released a TRD supercharger did they?

[ska///235i]

Originally Posted by W///

Like I said, I don't mind "not fast". I wouldn't consider my E36 M3 particularly fast, but 200hp is just not enough IMHO. I shouldn't have to drop 3 gears just to merge on the highway. I have no doubt they'd be a blast on the track or autox, but just as a dual purpose car, the FRS would drive me nuts as a DD.

I know for me personally, I wouldn't be able to buy a brand new one and then go FI with it, unless it came from factory. I don't believe they released a TRD supercharger did they?

I agree, if the toyobaru would make more hp they will sell alot more cars

[sputman]

There's pros and cons to every car. The M235i x-drive fit what I was looking for the best. It's a great daily driver, 4 wheel drive for the winter, small enough to throw around and enough power to have some serious fun on the streets. Mine will never be a track car.

Personally I think some of the finishes, especially on the plastics could be nicer and I would have paid for a couple of missing features like blind spot detection, heads up display and the comfort access button to close the trunk.

I'd also like a mode in between comfort and sport which behaves like my Lexus IS350C, where as the engine stays at a lower rpm (like comfort mode) but the accelerator is much more sensitive and down shifts with much less throttle.

All and all though, love the car. It's a fun little machine.