[Deaner]

Hey guys, I am wondering if you guys believe the 2 series imitates the iconic E46 the most in terms of size, looks, feel, weight, etc. If not, please also share what you believe is today's most similar car to the beloved E46.

Cheers

[X54TH]

My son has ordered an M235xDrive which is replacing his 2005 E46 Coupe. On the weekend I replaced his winter setup with his summers.His has the Sport Package with an M strut bar with 18" staggered setup. I just love driving that car. The driving experience is exceptional! For the most part we felt the M235 was the alternative for his E46 with a considerable enhancement in technology and safety. I loaded the thing up with all the options. The new car should hit the Halifax port on April 19th.

[B_Rice]

I think it's the closest one out of all the cars.

All the dimensions are within 2 inches of the E46 and the weight isn't too far off.
It just makes a lot more power (withholding the m3)

I think one of the youtube channels did hot laps with a m235i and a e46 m3 CSL and it had the same lap time.


http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...t-drive-review

"a past perfect conjugation of the m3"

[Mywifes335]

Most think the F22

[savethemanuals]

I'm going E46-F22 as well, only took the M235i on a brief test drive so I can't really compare how they drive, but in terms of size I think they're pretty comparable. I noticed the width...somehow the F30 seems so wide compared to the E46, but the F22 seems just the right size.

[1LegitM235i]

I was going to write a thread about this and ask for people's feedback also. After buying my M235i three months later i found a rare 05' 330ci ZHP. I end up buying it for my son and wouldn't you know it as both cars parked side by side, they were many resemblance as far as body lines, height, width, wheel base and so on. It got me thinking that BMW used the ZHP model for the inspiration of the M235i. I believe the design was so close that they needed to downplay the M235i's diffuser to not make it too noticeable. I've got some pics of design similarities worth showing where the inspiration came from that I'll post later. The front fascia are close but was updated with more aggressive line. I swear these two cars are fraternal twins with a decade of upgrades between them.

[supernova72]

I'm coming from an E46 M3. It's close yes but 70 more ft lbs of torque is amazing. It won't get the style points of the M3 but I'm OK with that.

[DanG]

Hmmm. No real comparison. I'll take my current M235i over my 2003 E46 M3 any day. Even a 228i has much more low end power than an E46 330i.

[Deaner]

Originally Posted by 1LegitM235i

I was going to write a thread about this and ask for people's feedback also. After buying my M235i three months later i found a rare 05' 330ci ZHP. I end up buying it for my son and wouldn't you know it as both cars parked side by side, they were many resemblance as far as body lines, height, width, wheel base and so on. It got thinking that BMW used the ZHP model for the inspiration of the M235i. I believe the design was so close that they needed to downplay the M235i's diffuser to not make it too noticeable. I've got some pics of design similarities worth showing where the inspiration came from that I'll post later. The front fascia are close but was updated with more aggressive line. I swear these two cars are fraternal twins with a decade of upgrades between them.

Please post!

[Mjosh]

I think both are really great vehicles in their own ways. Owning both at the same time (2015 M235i 6 spd & 2004 e46 m3 smg) I enjoy driving both but depending on the situation.

For example by myself I'll take the e46 out but with the wife or client I'll take the M235. They are very similar in size and performance kind of.. Like others said low end torque vs high rev but overall different personalities. Also the obvious M235 feels much more updated compared to the e46 m but the steering feedback on the e46 is rough and raw.

I personally prefer the e46 m body style over the M235 but that's just me however the M235 interior and amenities is far superior. I don't know how to pin point or explain it clearly but it's kind of like what do you feel like today... A blond or brunette today (beer that is)

Either route both great choices and I'm sure you will enjoy regardless!

[Mjosh]

Here's the both of them

[chattanooga240]

Having owned them both (2001 M3 and a 14 235) the F22 is definitely the closest.

[jaboyd]

Owned an E36 and E46 M3 and now M235. It has the styling and general feel of the 46 but the handling of the 36. What I like most is the midrange power and nimble handling and feel.

Favorite handling BMW was the E36, favorite body style was the E46 and best general driver is M235.

[1LegitM235i]

Okay, as I mentioned earlier, IMO, BMW did not want to "reinvent the wheel" too much with the 2 series as far it's exterior design. Engineering is about efficiency and using less is more.

The 330ci ZHP model was one of BMW's most popular model lineup of all E46. I hate to say this, but there were probably more love to it's design than the base M3. After a decade and two generations of 3 series after the E46, many enthusiast began to demand for a BMW that is not only heavy, but also not too bulky. Also not too little, but still roomy. So what does the engineers of BMW vision for that kind of demand...the 2 series! What was interesting, the engineers didn't have to reinvent the wheel much using the ZHP's design foundation. My theory is that they went back to the E46 models and saw the ZHP model to use it as the foundation.

The ZHP's body lines runs parallel to the ground whilst the F22's bodyline were pulled down towards the front, running a rake like body line if you will design. The headlights are very close in design as well. Just pulled in the inside and widen out to wrap to outside panel. The open center grill was lightly modified and where the fog light openings were enlarged for the oil coolers. If you look at the pics I've attached, you can see the almost same window lines of both cars. If it's not 100%, it has to be about 98% close. The rear lights, again, follows suit to the ZHP's structure. Now for the chassis, the ZHP has a boxy roundish flair to it since its lines are following the ground. The F22's chassis rake lines were pulled in to accentuate the flairs a bit, creating a nice accentuated shadow lines.

I've got another pic to post later that's a designer signature added to show that they are siblings by design. Could be a coincidence, but I think not, it's pretty cool and incognito to best explain it.

[1LegitM235i]

Originally Posted by jaboyd

Owned an E36 and E46 M3 and now M235. It has the styling and general feel of the 46 but the handling of the 36. What I like most is the midrange power and nimble handling and feel.

Favorite handling BMW was the E36, favorite body style was the E46 and best general driver is M235.

You said it right brother! Definitely has the E36 handling/E46 styling/feel in many ways. The power though is a cross between an E39 540i and an E90 M3 IMO.

[jaboyd]

Yeah, owned an E39 M5 too, sooooo much torque!

[Lucky13]

I owned 3 E46 M3's and they are close to the M235i but with a few big differences. The M235i suspension is much softer yet handles about the same and the engine characteristics are totally different. The E46 was fun as hell to run the revs way up with a manual but the downside was you had to get high in the rev range to generate power. For relaxed driving clearly the M235 for all out fast hard driving a slight advantage in fun to the E46 M3 but that's only with the manual.

[1LegitM235i]

Okay, here's the incognito signatures that these two car share. I'm sure not many 2 series owners noticed this. Noticed the ZHP (Red) side mirror top and the F22 side mirror inner part. The ZHP has five notches on top and the F22 has two notches on the inner side. I haven't seen it on any other BMWs, so this could be a signature that only these two shares.