[RobTaylor]

     Featured on BIMMERPOST.com

Look what is on the list as most fun:

Full review: http://www.automobilemag.com/feature...bile-all-star/

BMW 2 Series: AUTOMOBILE All-Star

Imagine if the very first BMW you ever drove was the 5 Series Gran Turismo, the sedan with more bass in the trunk than even Chris Bangle could have stomached. The 550i xDrive GT weighs approximately a jillion pounds and makes even a hippo look gainly by comparison. That first-time driver would wonder what all the BMW fuss is about and might come to believe that automotive journalists really do receive a monthly stipend from Munich.

Now let’s pretend that the rear-wheel-drive BMW M235i coupe came to you instead. Here’s what you’d be in for: the sound of an inline-six ripping to 6,000 rpm in gear after gear, zinging its 3,500 pounds down a road so quickly that tires kissing asphalt sound like a hamburger hitting a hot grill.

The suspension crouches low so you feel near to the road rather than apart from it, and your passenger is close enough that you can nudge him with your elbow knowingly. Because this is fun, right?

And it is. The 2 Series is BMW’s most intimate car, at least distantly related to the 2002 model, and it’s diminutive by today’s supersized standards. The 3.0-liter turbo is one of the sweetest engines made today, partly because it’s potent but not pretentious, and intensely responsive. Like the entire car, it’s not out to make a big statement. This car is for the true Bimmer believers or, better yet, the car to create a new crop of believers.

The BMW M235i is not a true-blue M model -- gods willing, an M2 will arrive soon -- but even the base 228i is a total blast. The engine and power are downsized (a 2.0-liter turbo-four with 240 hp), but the fun isn’t. Equipped with a manual, it weighs less than 3,300 pounds. It will teach you a lesson in rolling momentum, using the brakes only when necessary and negotiating the highest cornering speed while mitigating understeer. Any decent driver can go quickly with 600 hp and carbon-ceramic brakes; it takes old-school skills to do the same in a 2. The beauty is that you’ll murder heavier, high-horsepower cars in the corners.

Editor-in-chief Mike Floyd and I drove the BMW 2 Series and VW GTI back to back along a twisty, dippy section of deserted road, and then we switched cars halfway. At the end of the run, he got out red-faced and said, “Man, those really are fun cars.” The 2 and GTI might be starting from two polar opposites—a rear-wheel-drive coupe trying to downsize and simplify, the front-wheel-drive hatch trying to muscle up -- but the goal is roughly the same. Fun for real people on actual roads.

Which brings us to the other good stuff. The BMW 228i gets up to 36 mpg highway and starts at $33,025. The BMW M235i is steeper, jumping off at $44,025. Not cheap, but $28,300 less expensive than the 550i xDrive GT and a zillion times more fun.

[Vervain]

That's great to hear! Can't wait to get in one of them..

[dan99]

Love the pics

[Diver]

I guess they really liked it.

[3M TAPE]

any news?

[phoenixbmwlife]

I love reading reviews like this one. Makes me remember why I love my car so much.

[ManiacGT]

Why? It might be good dynamically but it looks a bit average.

[AWZOOM3]

Drove the M235i during a Car Control Clinic in Los Angeles and all I can say is that it's a great car to drive. A really fun car!

[WWM3]

Got to drive an M235i xDrive and it was sweet - wish they offered it with a stick though. I'm happy it's getting the recognition it deserves.

[VMRWheels]

Nice!

[Geektechlive]

Love my M235i. I am glad others are also seeing the positives of the car even if it's an M-Sport line. Fun is still fun no matter what car it is.

[nzw212]

Well deserved. Very few new cars today are as rewarding to drive while offering so many amenities. Despite our insatiable desire to modify and improve our own vehicles, BMW really got this car right.

[Sean@PSI]

Very well deserved!

[bladeomatic]

Originally Posted by nzw212

Despite our insatiable desire to modify and improve our own vehicles, BMW really got this car right.

Indeed.

Sitting in a dog park a few weekends ago some idiot walks up to me, looks at my M235i and asks when I'm gonna slap on a JB4.

Not taking away from any of my brethren here that have slapped on a tune/DP or other bolt-ons…but I bought the M235i so I wouldn't have to touch any of this.

320+ HP, 0-60 ~4.5, 32 MPG, livable daily driver, amazing brakes, great cornering, factory service for 4 years. BMW got it SO right with this car.

[Sportstick]

Originally Posted by ManiacGT

Why? It might be good dynamically but it looks a bit average.

It's a car....not a piece of artwork. Buy a 2 Series to drive and hang a photo of something you find more attractive in your garage.

[BEM-S4]

I just test drove the 5-series GT last week, what a whale! The thing is so bad.

[JRV]

Sweet, the M2 should be a blast

[2+3=5]

"It will teach you a lesson in rolling momentum, using the brakes only when necessary and negotiating the highest cornering speed while mitigating understeer..." daily!

[doublevanosrc]

Well deserved

[dharo1]

Sooo happy to have this babe in my garage!!! It smiles back everytime I take it for a spin.

[mike@x-ph.com]

Great news

[uberspeed]

Written with enthusiasm, thanks for sharing!