[moldcad]

As some of you may remember, not being satisfied with my F10 528xi (especially now, when I drive it in turns with my new 300 hp Golf R), I have really hard time trying to decide between the 2 cars in question after my F10 lease expires. The 435i is larger, so certainly the difference in comfort after 3 years in the F10 would not be as pronounced. But the M235i which I finally tested yesterday is such as fun to drive! One thing let me down though: the brakes. Even being the M-Performance brakes, they are weaker and less reassuring that the regular brakes in my F10!

So: does anyone know if the M-Performance brakes that can be ordered as an option for the 435i are any better, or is it exactly the same BMW Part Number?

Also: has it been finally established whether the N55 as per M235i is a regular, slightly tuned up N55, or does it have some hardware advantages over the one in the 435i, too? Some were saying it has forged crankshaft, but I somehow don't believe it (why would BMW do it for the M235i when the M2 is so close)?

Opinions welcome!

[horsepower_and_hounds]

You know when I drive my 235 daily sometimes I think my old 128 with performance rotors and ceramic pads felt stiffer and more linear....but when you have to get on the brakes these puppies shine. When I did the braking test at my PCD I never dreamed a car could stop co confidently and controled.....

This car is all around bad ass....period

I will replace the rotors with slotted/drilled and ceramic pads when available

[webdither]

Originally Posted by ehagerty

You know when I drive my 235 daily sometimes I think my old 128 with performance rotors and ceramic pads felt stiffer and more linear....but when you have to get on the brakes these puppies shine. When I did the braking test at my PCD I never dreamed a car could stop co confidently and controled.....

This car is all around bad ass....period

I will replace the rotors with slotted/drilled and ceramic pads when available

I can second this. After doing the performance center brake test as well when you are gentle with the brakes it reacts gently. But when you stomp on them or quickly move from gas to brake they are very very sharp.

I went from a 335i to the 235i and what you lose in roominess you gain ten fold in an incredibly balance and fun car to drive. Doing the tail of the dragon drive after PCD was some of the most fun I've had driving. It's like she was on rails.

[moldcad]

Thanks guys - either the car I test drove had some problems with the brakes, or I just wasn't even close to the limits (no emergency braking situation occurred).

As to the handling and power at the 9/10 of the limit, I did test it on a tight ramp onto the local motorway. I know this particular fragment of the road as I've been driving there in my F10 almost everyday - and I can tell you that even with xDrive and less powerful engine, I often felt understeering and overall instability of this large and heavy car there. Nothing like that with the M235i - at a speed at least 20% higher, I could precisely control the car's traction with the steering wheel and (mainly) the gas pedal... This is what BMW should be about, after all!

I wonder how the 435i compares....

PS. Oh, there was something wrong with that particular M235i engine though. Very strange, as it pulled like crazy through entire rpm range through all the gears and at all speeds but the highest: when I was approaching some 240, sometimes 250 km/h, the engine stuttered intermittently. It certainly wasn't the limiter - maybe a bad injector? But then, why only at the highest speeds? Also, no CEL or any other message appeared; strange.

[abp689]

I would image you hit the cutoff; that is how it fells on my other cars.

Off topic, how did you like the R compared to the 235?

[VeryBadman]

As many critics point out, the brake system in M235i is not the greatest but it will certainly stop your car. Randy Pobst mentioned that the travel distance when you stomp on the brake pedal until the car starts to slow down was a bit far for this kind of car and I agree with him but for daily use, it should not be a problem at all.

[moldcad]

Originally Posted by abp689

Off topic, how did you like the R compared to the 235?

My R is absolutely fantastic! Have no time at the moment to elaborate on the comparison, but generally speaking it's comparable with the M235i with the following main differences:

- the M235i (even though less luxurious than my F10, of course) still has an atmosphere of more refinement inside
- the M235i- in spite of higher and more flat torque curve of its N55 engine - still has some throttle lag which the R1 doesn't exhibit at all
- the SAT is smoother and not much slower than the R's DCT
- even at suspension in Sport mode, the M235i rides a bit softer than the R (which also has adaptive suspension), but handles very well none the less
- the R being AWD with phenomenal Haldex differentials has much more grip, but of course it's the RWD M235i that gives more thrills when taking sharp curves at 9/10
- both can be led along the chosen curve using steering wheel and - above all - the gas pedal

[mmmmm235i]

I dont think you will feel much size difference in the 435 at all, that car is huge. The 235 is definitely going to be the more fun car to throw around

[bladeomatic]

Originally Posted by moldcad

Also: has it been finally established whether the N55 as per M235i is a regular, slightly tuned up N55, or does it have some hardware advantages over the one in the 435i, too? Some were saying it has forged crankshaft, but I somehow don't believe it (why would BMW do it for the M235i when the M2 is so close)?

Opinions welcome!

The M235i DOES indeed have a forged crank. You can search the archives and see an interview with a BMW engineer who speaks to this. The engine on this bad boy is something special. Sounds good, pulls hard, wide power range. Virtually every review of the car they heap high praise on the motor. The only thing that keeps it from being perfect IMO is the bit of turbo lag at the very onset of throttle. It's just not quite as NOW as a NA engine. You give up a touch of that for the freight train of torque that comes on a half-second later.

As for 235i vs 435i...I was on that fence too. For me:

-The M235i was WAY more fun to drive
-Better power, acceleration, sound
-Better around corners and has a tighter chassis
-Cheaper price
-Better gas mileage
-The seats/seating position in the 235i were better for me.
-We rarely use the back seat in our existing cars
-Every soccer mom has a 3/4 series, the M235i still turns heads
-(bonus) Every review hails it as one of the best BMW's in years
-The M235i was WAY more fun to drive

Make the decision that makes sense to you.

good luck!

[ska///235i]

M235i N55

322hp
Revised software
Revised Cooling
Revised exhaust
Upgraded camshaft

[2msport]

Remember these brakes need to be warmed up to feel the full performance. When cold they do not have great initial bite. This is typical of high performance brakes. I have 8k on my car and I noticed a substantial difference with bite and pedal travel after breaking them in. I was convinced that I would install metal brake lines but now feel it's unnecessary. Get the 235. You won't be sorry.

[brhon]

This seems like a really heavy car weighing in at nearly 3700 pounds, for its size that is a lot of weight. That seems like a lot of weight in a small package? I am also considering the M235i xdrive vs a 435i xdrive. I am past the point of having more than one other person in the car. I have not driven it yet, but cant wait.

[Cal]

+1 for the M235i. The one thing in favor of the new 435i with MPPK is that the M235i engine's MPPK is based on the older software which gave it's N55 engine 320bhp. The 435i can now be equipped with the new MPPK which supposedly gives it up to 342bhp, so it is more powerful than the N55 in the M235i. It would be interesting to see how both compared in head-2-head acceleration.

[BruceOmega]

Originally Posted by brhon

This seems like a really heavy car weighing in at nearly 3700 pounds, for its size that is a lot of weight. That seems like a lot of weight in a small package? I am also considering the M235i xdrive vs a 435i xdrive. I am past the point of having more than one other person in the car. I have not driven it yet, but cant wait.

FWIW, from what I have read the M235i xDrive has the same sport suspension as the M235i RWD. On the 4 series, the sport suspension available for RWD is not available on the xDrive.

Bruce

[Asbjorn]

A comparison chart I made recently. It is fun to speculate that the crankshaft in the N55 in the Mx35i is prepared for use in the M2.