[ScottMZ3]

Just got an email from my contact at Roseville BMW (who I bought my X1 from) that they just received their M235i this afternoon on the truck. They are prepping it tomorrow morning and I can stop by to check it out/drive it in the afternoon! I'll try and take some photos...no idea what options or color it is yet.

I'll post more info in this thread tomorrow.

UPDATE: Just got word the M235i is Alpine White with Premium & Tech Packages.

UPDATE 2: Well I just got back from test driving the M235i...I want one! I failed at taking any photos though, there were already 2 other people in line waiting to drive it after me (I was the first non-employee to drive it). When I got to the dealership 2 salesmen were out test driving it for the first time. When they arrived at the dealer they both had that silly ass grin on their face and commented at how awesome the car was. I LOVED the sound of the exhaust as they were backing it into the parking spot...nice burble and I think a bit deeper than a stock 335i/435i.
- My salesman asked if he could drive it first since he hadn't had a chance yet. I said sure and hopped in the backseat with my 7 year old son. My wife was in the front seat. Getting in and out was a snap for my son and wasn't bad for me. The power sliding seats are nice. Once in the back my hair just barely touched the roof fabric but I had enough legroom (I'm 5'7"). My salesman was 6'1" so had the seat back a ways. I do wish there was a center armrest in the back.
- The salesman drove the car like a bat outta hell! I was surprised he hammered it so hard with only 38 miles on it...and he said it wasn't a demo car! Sucks for the person that is going to buy it.
- I instantly had a smile on my face from the first turn he took with the pedal to the floor. Sounded REALLY good inside. The car stuck like glue to the road with the Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires.
- Once he handed me the keys I started checking out the inside with a bit more detail. The inside really is a spitting image of the 3/4 series. Lots of the same parts and materials are used. There are definitely more spots were hard plastic is used, but most had a good feel to them and weren't cheap looking. The ONLY spot I noticed that looked quite cheap was the plastic surround where the rear air vents are. It had this shiny cheap plastic look about it...looked almost like a different material than the rest of the plastic.
- The iDrive screen was very nice. Same one as the 3/4 series. I instantly noticed the higher resolution screen than my 2014 X1, very pleasing! I of course went straight to the real time Horsepower/Torque displays. Very cool!
- This car had the Tech Package so it had the extended display on the instrument cluster. I hadn't spent much time with it other BMWs, but it was very nice looking.
- Seating position was great. It does seem to sit a bit higher than the 3/4 Series, but the sport seats are fantastic and I was able to get comfortable very quickly.
- Visibility was also excellent. No major blind spots. This car however didn't have PDC or the backup camera. I would definitely order those...important to me when you have kids running around.
- I switched the car into Sport mode and took it for about a 4 mile drive total. Hammered it through some nice sweeping turns and it was SO nice. Loved the way the engine pulled and sounded. If there was sound coming through the speakers it didn't bother me one bit...I could listen to it all day. I did notice that traction control seemed to be coming on almost every time I got on the gas hard, but it never seemed overly intrusive (I noticed the light flashing more than anything else).
- As for the hot topic of steering...I was equally impressed. I only drove the car in Sport mode, but the steering really did feel quite good. I could tell it wasn't hydraulic, but at the same time I felt like I had great control and feel for the car. I've driven a couple 328i F30s in the past and this steering was noticeably BETTER.
- And now for the exterior. Wow. Even better in person than in the photos. It definitely looks smaller than a 4 series...and in a good way. Looks more purpose driven. Someone else on here called it a pocket rocket and I would agree. The front end is very aggressive and the only flaw I could see was that the Alpine White color hides the hood creases (as well as some other character lines on the side of the car). Darker colors or EB I think would really show those lines better. The back of the car also is much better in person. The tail lights don't seem as big in person and the rear valance looked nice. The dark grey color worked well with Alpine White.
- The wheels were better than I thought they would be. Again on Alpine White the grey wheels looked nice and the size looked appropriate. Perhaps on darker colors they might look on the small side.

If you have any questions let me know! I may try and go back to get some photos tomorrow, but I think everyone here knows what Alpine White with Black interior looks like by now.

I probably need to wait about 6 months to take the plunge since we just got our 2014 X1 in November...but the M235i would be a fantastic car to own. No doubt about it. Everyone here who has ordered one will be in for quite a treat!!

[ScottMZ3]

Bump. Updated first post with test drive impressions.

[Husker]

I checked out a Blue one today at our local dealer...I really wanna see one in AW...Nice review.

[ScottMZ3]

Originally Posted by Husker

I checked out a Blue one today at our local dealer...I really wanna see one in AW...Nice review.

And Estoril is the one I really want to see!

[Husker]

Originally Posted by ScottMZ3

And Estoril is the one I really want to see!

What suck's is, they have 2.

[FunRevn]

Thanks Scott for the very nice review. I too loved the sound. Try to post your pics!!

[angrybears]

Great write up, thank you! Can I ask if the Michelin tires were run flats or not?

[ScottMZ3]

Originally Posted by FunRevn

Thanks Scott for the very nice review. I too loved the sound. Try to post your pics!!

I'll see what I can do. We are leaving for Disneyland on Sunday morning for a week...so schedule is a bit tight tomorrow. But I might be able to get back to the dealer for a few.

[kaputt]

Awesome. Good to know about the steering. Can't wait for someone to get their hands on a 228i M Sport.

[basiluf]

Thanks for the informative review.

[ScottMZ3]

Originally Posted by angrybears

Great write up, thank you! Can I ask if the Michelin tires were run flats or not?

The Super Sports were not run flat tires. Some of the best looking tires I have seen as well.

[ScottMZ3]

Stopped by dealer again and got photos. Lighting wasn't great...too bright. But I'll get them up here later today!

[Yanothan]

Thanks for the great review! Almost every observation of yours has made me even more excited about this car!

I know that our dealer just got their M235i, and I can't wait until I get a chance to drive it next Wednesday.

[therealm3]

Well I just got back from driving the same car! when I got there a guy was out in it with his son and there was one person in line in front of me. My sales person said they have had 12 test drives and 2 orders in one day. pretty crazy. I can see why though. the car is very engaging.

I will agree with scott on many things so I will try to not be redundant. First off, it looks really good in white. much better than I anticipated and the rear does look way better than the pictures online and in some of the commercials. going into this there were three things I was having trouble with as far as the car goes: tail lights, wheels, and steering feel/ handling. I can say the lights are no longer an issue. at least in white it looks great. the wheels I am not sold on yet. they did look much better in person and the grey color went well with a white car, but they still look small and flat. (no real concaveness to them) But all in all it was not bad. once inside the car I quickly found a comfortable position and I love that the steering column pulls out further in this car than the e9-x's and other bmws I have had. I like having the steering wheel set where my arms are almost 90 degrees when on the wheel at 3 and 9. this car easily allowed for that and I am 6'3". I jumped into the back seat and the leg room was not bad with me sitting behind the rep, but my head did hit the ceiling. so if you plan on taking people over 6 foot, keep that in mind. I agree with scott about the interior. very nice. well laid out and the new nav screen is notably better than the e9x ones. controls were where i would expect and had a good lay out.

Now for driving. anyone who has had a 135 or 335 will recognize the motor and how it drives. only the sound will be better. chalk that up to the audio system. I am ok with this. yeah, its kind of lame to make fake sounds, but in the end who cares. it does sound cool and I am not buying a race car for a daily driver so I appreciate the sound deadening for all other NVH. power delivery was smooth and pretty much what I expected. I was more there to see about the steering and handling. So right away I was a bit disappointed. in the parking lot the steering is super light. like Toyota camary numb. lock to lock is very quick and so effortless that it just feels odd. once out on the road it firms up with speed and feels more of what I am used to in a BMW. I took the freeway 270 at about 55mph and the car felt very stable and you could feel how the suspension had stiffened up. body roll was minimal. this is contrary to the roll amount I experienced rowing the wheel back and forth at 30 just outside the dealer lot. coming back from the test drive there is a sweeping 90 from one freeway to the other that I took at over 80 and the car was solid. very little roll and it was fun. I could feel the rep tense up a bit but I was in no way out of control. just having some fun. ;-) honestly I think one of the major contributing factors to how well this car rides and handles is the PSS's. they transformed my current car and I can say without hesitation the tires will help BMW sell a lot of these m235s.

I also drove the 228 they had at the dealer because I am on the fence with a 228 m sport vs. M235. this one was a premium only so really all I got to compare was the motor. the N20 does well in this car and never felt weak. with a similar suspension and brake package as the M235 I think it would be a fun car. For me I am having trouble turning away from the N55 power though. it really is addicting.

At the end of the day I am much more into this car than I was prior to the dealer visit, but not 100% convinced it will be my next car. with two kids having four doors is really nice. and I still want to see how things shake out with the M performance stuff pricing wise. I would like the 10mm lower suspension and the LSD and much rather have them come installed rather than after the fact.

Here are a couple iPhone pics I took quickly before driving the car.

[ScottMZ3]

Sweet! Yep that is the same car! Here are the photos I was able to take today. I tried to adjust best I could for white balance...taking photos in that kind of direct VERY bright sunlight with no cloud cover on a white car sucks! LOL.





















































Here is the one piece of plastic trim that to me looked ESPECIALLY cheap for some reason!




Let me know if you have any questions or want a full res version of a photo.
NOTE: I really need to switch away from using Google Picasa for sharing photos...they REALLY compress the heck out of the photos you can share. UHG...I think I need to sign up for Smugmug.

[golf_234]

Absolutely beautiful

[unintelligible]

Great pics Scott. I really like this car in AW. Would save me five hundred buckaroos and "lets" me get the Coral interior. Would throw the black grilles and M Performance Exhaust on it as well. Hmmmmm. Liking this.

Actually a question: did you happen to play around with the sliding armrest? It's the first time I've seen that feature actually make it over to a US spec car so I'm not sure how much of a difference it makes.

[Seagull]

Originally Posted by ScottMZ3

And Estoril is the one I really want to see!

Saw an EBII in person today up close. The hood creases are definitely highlighted with this colour as different angles will change the blue slightly, so it doesn't blend in. A colour like that will make this car pop more.

I think the Blacks and whites will hide the great design of the hood, or make it more low key.

[dmboone25]

Man this car looks awesome in AW.

Thanks for all the great comments and feedback.

[ScottMZ3]

Originally Posted by unintelligible

Great pics Scott. I really like this car in AW. Would save me five hundred buckaroos and "lets" me get the Coral interior. Would throw the black grilles and M Performance Exhaust on it as well. Hmmmmm. Liking this.

Actually a question: did you happen to play around with the sliding armrest? It's the first time I've seen that feature actually make it over to a US spec car so I'm not sure how much of a difference it makes.

Yep! I did try the armrest and it works as advertised. It makes it much more usable and comfortable (slides almost all the way to the iDrive controller). We also have the same sliding armrest in our X1, also works great in there too.

[FunRevn]

Thanks for the pics. Have a great time at Disneyland.

[Cosa Nostra]

You've seen white in person - some think white is a girly colour but I disagree - your thoughts? I'm torn between MW and MG. How about MW vs. AW? I think MW has more depth and is less milkly? Please post some nice big pics of the direct side views of the car. And many thx for taking the time to post all this helpful info!!!