BMW M235i Reviewed Against CLA45 AMG and WRX STI (Motor Trend) |
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03-21-2014, 04:29 PM | #111 | ||
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03-21-2014, 04:48 PM | #112 |
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If this is going off-topic, I'll chime in.
I was not impressed with my 08 335xi with all-season tires this winter. My 06 Pontiac GTO with snow tires was way better.
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03-21-2014, 05:07 PM | #113 | |
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03-21-2014, 05:21 PM | #114 | |
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That doesn't sound like a fun issue.
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03-21-2014, 05:32 PM | #115 |
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03-21-2014, 05:42 PM | #116 | |
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I have no issues plowing through 8" of the white stuff in my RWD 335i with Blizzaks on all four corners. I've owned a 2005 STi and 2006 Legacy GT (also with Blizzaks in the winter, as you would have to be a blithering idiot to try and drive the STi in winter with the factory Bridgestone 070 tires) and haven't had an occasion where I missed the AWD. That said, I do find the 2015 WRX with the FA20DIT motor very intriguing. |
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03-21-2014, 06:05 PM | #117 | |
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If I lived in snow country, no contest, Subaru all the way. You don't have to like something to see its effects. The BRZ/FRS, STI, Mustang GT are keeping manly cars alive. If Subaru STI'd the M235i, I would be all over it, and my guess is that it would have an oil temp gauge too. |
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03-21-2014, 06:35 PM | #118 | |
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Also in Subaru you don't have 3-times-blink turn indicator which makes changing lanes a chore. Moreover the gas pedal is top-hinged causing difficulty in consistent throttle control (translation: your shifting is not so smooth). And if you look at Subaru specsheet the car has surprisingly low ground clearance at only 125mm (compared to BMW's 130mm). This means that in winter it will double as a snow plow: 4WD notwithstanding. At least the previous Subaru STI had 150mm ground clearance, what are they trying to achieve with the new one ? Subaru looks good in magazine ads until you start analyzing it in detail and then the magic bubble bursts. That car has some serious ergonomic and functional deficiency even compared to lower-specs BMW like my 128i. In short: STI feels like a step down from what we take for granted. The new M235i doesn't because it only improves and builds on things that make BMW, well, a BMW. |
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03-21-2014, 06:38 PM | #119 |
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RWD still sucks with winters on, I have them on my M3 and it's no replacement for AWD with winters on. Back on topic, I would love to tune a M235i with xdrive. Proper traction with massive torque.
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03-21-2014, 06:41 PM | #120 |
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I traded my tuned WRX (more power than standard STi) for the M235i. No regrets! Loving my new BMW more so than I did the WRX. Will miss the snow plowing fun the WRX could do, even with A/S tires on.
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03-21-2014, 07:40 PM | #121 |
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Nothing can help u stop on ice no matter what tires you have. Unless u have metal spikes or chains LOL
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03-21-2014, 07:45 PM | #122 | |
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Anyways the STi should not be compared to the other 2. Totally different animal. Yes, they have used the same engine for the past decade. But why? There must be a good reason for it. Yes, the car is a rice burner, yes it doesnt look as good as the 2. But I have not heard a bad review on the way the car drives. There should be no discussion on the review at all cause it was idiotic comparing all 3. Another thing...the STi sounds siiiiiiiiiiick with a stock exhaust. Even better with an aftermarket. Its fun to tune them and mod them.
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03-21-2014, 08:15 PM | #123 | |
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03-21-2014, 08:18 PM | #124 |
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I tired of people talking about how BMW is not making good, drivers cars anymore. The 2 series is getting nothing but great reviews. I'm anxiously awaiting the M2. That is going to be screamer.
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03-21-2014, 09:03 PM | #125 | |
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You should also read what is actually AWD and how it works. When four wheels are moving you have two more wheels with traction, you do the math and see how is that better than a RWD, especially with a system that is capable to transfer properly the power. |
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03-21-2014, 10:07 PM | #126 | |
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And I'm going to go with the pro's opinion. He drives them all. |
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03-21-2014, 10:08 PM | #127 | |
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I wouldn't drive any car, with any drive configuration, on snow or ice without winter tires. For the last few years I've been driving a 300+hp RWD car in Canadian winters w no problems. |
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03-22-2014, 12:44 AM | #128 | |
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I drove all cars with all the tires. I found that regardless of tires an AWD will ALWAYS move and stop better in the snow; you release the power slowly, all wheels are doing a job, not only two and other two just follow whatever. AWD is made for winter. I also find out that you can have the guru of the winter tires, when two wheels are stuck on black ice, the other two can push you through; if you have them. I went from FWD to RWD with all-season and winter tires. Now I can afford to have a dedicated winter vehicle. I also live in Canada, and I am going skying and all that jazz. Guess what? I hate taking the vehicle to any mechanic or shop and for that reason I am keeping my OEM wheels with winter tires inthe garage. I am running some good all-season tires on an AWD vehicle and I never got a problem. And I passed a lot of RWD vehicles on winter tires on my way. Actually, a Camaro last week lost control right in front of me and smashed on the wall. Tires can do that much, after a certain point RWD vehicle has certain limits regardless. If I will need to pick one car only, regardless how much fun a RWD can bring (in the summer) that will be an X vehicle for me. And even so, XDrive is RWD biased so the fun is still there. I drove an AWD Jaguar for years with all season tires and never got stuck. |
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03-22-2014, 08:26 AM | #129 | |
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Anyway, we won't agree on this, and we've hijacked the thread. Sorry - let's get back to the topic. |
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03-22-2014, 09:34 AM | #130 | |
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On a side note, Auto Bild test one more time shows that even with AT or DCT and both with launch control, neither M235i nor Cayman S are able to walk away from a stock 1M which was not only with a classical manual transmission but also with inferior tires at the time of Auto Bild's test back in late 2011. Only Cayman S starts pulling away around 200 km/h shows these tests, and that is due to a much better aero starting to kick in at those speeds. I would expect both being quicker than 1M to at least 50 and even to 100 km/h with the auto boxes and launch control doing their trick. Also, Auto Bild's Contidrom track lap with the 1M (tires PS2) was quicker than the tested M235i (1:35.76 vs. 1:36.53) despite new car's auto box, tires as PSS and adaptive dampers, all important advantages over 1M's fundamentals. 1M was considerably faster than the M235i with manual box on the Sachsenring (Hockenheim too?, not sure if that is released too), yet again done by the same Auto Bild. There is also another (1:34.56) time of 1M clocked on Contidrom which is not only further quicker (almost 2 sec) than the M235i, it is also merely 0.3 seconds shy of the PDK Cayman S time by Auto Bild and I would bet that it would really threaten the Cayman S on tracks, simply with a tire other than the misfit factory PS2s, i.e. the PSS. Obviously manual transmission M235i is not a threat to track performance of the 1M as it has been tested till now. Maybe M235i fits better on longer, different tracks, can't comment on that before seeing some results. While M235i and M135i are definitely great value performance oriented cars, BMW needs a M2 sooner than later. M3/M4 may be wonderful too and will certainly better the 1M on performance data by a mile; but they also are really big cars. Just my 2c. Last edited by ozinaldo; 03-22-2014 at 05:17 PM.. |
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03-22-2014, 10:21 AM | #131 |
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03-22-2014, 12:51 PM | #132 | |
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When the 1M came out one complained the vanity mirror light was deleted in the 1M! True story! One day I'll tell my grandkids the story about the missing vanity light in a sports sedan and missing three spot blinker...which I never liked anyway. I guess that's the real issue here. We have a group that values some things more than others but BMW is confusing the market by putting ///Ms on their cars which were for the guys that valued oil temperature gauges, steering feedback, firm suspensions and lighter weight and even the dinosaur manual transmission. Then there is the other group that wants good engineering in a car that is comfortable but can go fast and has cool stuff to play with in the cockpit and an auto transmission that lets you play with sometimes if you track or find a nice mountain road. The latter group actually has the most pragmatic view and we all know it the problem for the first group is that there are soooooo many cars that can go fast, have cool gadgets, adjustable this and adjustable electronic that already and little the options for the first group are going away. So it's not that we hate anything or disagree that M235i is an awesome little car from BMW but they take away things that like the oil gauge which is important to those with "mechanical empathy" that want to track their cars or drive them hard but care about keeping their car safe. I work in IT and spend 10 hours a day solving computing bugs, looking at code, reading manuals and trying helping others resolve complex computing issues. I get home and my kids want help with Excel, the Web and the wife's computer needs an OS refresh. When I get in my car, I don't want a three point blinker or to read a manual on launch control and customize steering and suspension and throttle settings. I want to hit the gas, shift the gears and have the steering, engine and suspension speak to me. That's why we need a proper M2 still and why I respect the STI. Even if it is "inferior" they are trying to build cars that appeal to the first group and unfortunately I'm in it. I truly wish I was in the second because BMW makes so many cars in different shapes and sizes for them and my "first world" life would be simpler. |
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