[Wyldstyle]

Originally Posted by Maynard

If you think any interior color will make riding in the back seat significantly better for passengers you are far more optimistic than I am. They fit, but not a good option for any ride long enough to get bored with the upholstery. And r.e. the metallics, they are always harder to paint match than non-metallics, but white makes it that much tougher.

I DK if you can still get the 'sportline' interior trim, but for me it added the perfect amount of detail (IIRC, wasn't an option on the 235, but there was a leather option with red piping that is close). Others have had good results with colored wraps to match paint.

I haven't seen sportline on any of them... so I don't think it's an option any more. Actually I went through the BMW configurator as well and didn't see that as an option.

It's not that a passenger would get bored, per se. My 10yo gets carsick, and I think that on the rare occasion she has to ride in back, a lighter interior could help her out psychologically... much less cave-like. But as I mentioned, I admit that I am probably overthinking that. The goal would be that she'd never be in the back seat of this car for more than a 25-min drive, and that very rarely.

Most of all I just think the Coral Red is super pretty. But then, I also like Mineral Grey. So if I can't have both, I need to figure out which is more important.

[IchMagMunchen]

Wyldstyle I was in a similar position a few months ago when I ordered my car - trying to choose between Coral Red and Cognac Brown for my Alpine White car.

I like both the interior colors, but for this car I liked Coral Red more, and especially so with Alpine White exterior. I too deliberated if CR would be too flashy.

After giving it some thought I went with CR and I am very happy with my choice.

CR is a great color, and it is not too flashy.

1. Photos sometimes make both these interior colors look over-saturated. That is what is too flashy for CR IMO, the real life CR is not.

2. Only the seats and side trims come in red on the M240i. The lower dash and the center console are black. This is just the right amount of red IMO. I like not having too much red, and I think it helps to not make it too flashy as well.

The CR photo you posted in this thread is pretty accurate, it's not too saturated.

[4Hockey4]

Hearing late July now for 2021 order. BUT you get what you want.

I have MG/black also, and love the black...sets of MG nice.

MG/Red is awesome, and the red doesnt pop as much. Were you looking for AWD or RWD ? may have said

RWD Manual Arizona https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/d...9798/overview/

RWD Auto Houston https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/d...9403/overview/

(they could ship to you also for like $300, if I remember correctly, call and ask for 10% plus rebates..worth a shot)

[Wyldstyle]

Originally Posted by IchMagMunchen

The CR photo you posted in this thread is pretty accurate, it's not too saturated.

Great to hear because I think it looks awesome in that shot!

[Wyldstyle]

Originally Posted by 4Hockey4

Hearing late July now for 2021 order. BUT you get what you want.

I have MG/black also, and love the black...sets of MG nice.

MG/Red is awesome, and the red doesnt pop as much. Were you looking for AWD or RWD ? may have said

RWD Manual Arizona https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/d...9798/overview/

RWD Auto Houston https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/d...9403/overview/

(they could ship to you also for like $300, if I remember correctly, call and ask for 10% plus rebates..worth a shot)

AWD. :-/ And I have found a few, just nothing has worked out yet. Like a couple dealers in CA basically said they cannot sell out of state... Have run into a couple other dealers who won’t offer any discount at all.

[Sportstick]

Originally Posted by Wyldstyle

AWD. :-/ And I have found a few, just nothing has worked out yet. Like a couple dealers in CA basically said they cannot sell out of state... Have run into a couple other dealers who won’t offer any discount at all.

Realizing the Pandora's box I'm about to open from many threads with thousands of debating posts, but why are you constraining yourself to AWD (XDrive) in St. Louis? Many of us who lived in areas like Michigan don't necessarily do that.

[Wyldstyle]

Originally Posted by Sportstick

Realizing the Pandora's box I'm about to open from many threads with thousands of debating posts, but why are you constraining yourself to AWD (XDrive) in St. Louis? Many of us who lived in areas like Michigan don't necessarily do that.

Yes. We get snow storms. We get ice. We get lots of rain. Our weather can also be extremely variable/unpredictable. My commute is all highway. My first BMW was RWD and it was mostly fine except when we had a surprise midday snow & ice storm while I was at the office 30 miles from home and I had to drive home in it - terrifying. And it only takes once, and I have a kid.

I also don’t do winter tires - I have nowhere to store a set of tires.

[Sportstick]

Originally Posted by Wyldstyle

Yes. We get snow storms. We get ice. We get lots of rain. Our weather can also be extremely variable/unpredictable. My commute is all highway. My first BMW was RWD and it was mostly fine except when we had a surprise midday snow & ice storm while I was at the office 30 miles from home and I had to drive home in it - terrifying. And it only takes once, and I have a kid.

I also don’t do winter tires - I have nowhere to store a set of tires.

Respectfully, I urge you to consider that you have assessed the solution backwards. The value of AWD is to get the vehicle moving...a great convenience, but little more, especially if you drive on roads that are plowed. All of the concerns about safety, turning, being able to stop, avoid an unexpected event in your path on slippery roads are all a function of traction. Vehicles don't have traction, as no part of the vehicle touches the road. Tires have traction. You would be far better served with winter tires with compound designed to be hydrophilic and remain softer in freezing temperatures than carrying around the cost and weight of AWD all year which doesn't help with most of the concerns you mention.

As to logistics of two sets, many tire dealers will store your off-season set, so all you do is a "NASCAR" style pit stop, up on a jack, 20 lug nuts, and all four are swapped. tirerack.com provides a list of installers and many of them will provide this service. I think some Discount Tire stores do the same. This provides far more safety for your winter driving than merely adding power to turn the front wheels. As for driving in the rain, that is a function of speed and tire tread ability to channel away the water before your vehicle hydroplanes. AWD doesn't help in this situation either when you're driving on the highway.

[IchMagMunchen]

Originally Posted by Wyldstyle

Great to hear because I think it looks awesome in that shot!

I highly recommend seeing both in person if you haven't already. And just go with what you like.

[Wyldstyle]

Originally Posted by Sportstick

Respectfully, I urge you to consider that you have assessed the solution backwards. The value of AWD is to get the vehicle moving...a great convenience, but little more, espcially if you drive on roads that are plowed. All of the concerns about safety, turning, being able to stop, avoid an unexpected event in your path on slippery roads are all a function of traction. Vehicles don't have traction, as no part of the vehicle touches the road. Tires have traction. You would be far better served with winter tires with compound designed to be hydrophilic and remain softer in freezing temperatures than carrying around the cost and weight of AWD all year which doesn't help with most of the concerns you mention.

As to logistics of two sets, many tire dealers will store your off-season set, so all you do is a "NASCAR" style pit stop, up on a jack, 20 lug nuts, and all four are swapped. tirerack.com provides a list of installers and many of them will provide this service. I think some Discount Tire stores do the same. This provides far more safety for your winter driving than merely adding power to turn the front wheels. As for driving in the rain, that is a function of speed and tire tread ability to channel away the water before your vehicle hydroplanes. AWD doesn't help in this situation either when you're driving on the highway.

Great food for thought, Sportstick. I’ve done a lot of reading on this topic because it opens up more options if I could do RWD. Every time I come away from that research with the knowledge that it’s tires that matter most - but I didn’t realize they could be stored for me. So the next best thing seemed like AWD + all season tires.

What happened repeatedly on that one scary trip on an unplowed highway (on summer tires!) was fishtailing. I am certainly no expert at driving in snow - we get enough to create really dangerous conditions a few times each winter, but not enough for many people to get snow tires or to learn how to drive in it, myself included. I’m sure that’s why the great majority of BMWs around here are AWD.

[Sportstick]

Originally Posted by Wyldstyle

Great food for thought, Sportstick. I’ve done a lot of reading on this topic because it opens up more options if I could do RWD. Every time I come away from that research with the knowledge that it’s tires that matter most - but I didn’t realize they could be stored for me. So the next best thing seemed like AWD + all season tires.

What happened repeatedly on that one scary trip on an unplowed highway (on summer tires!) was fishtailing. I am certainly no expert at driving in snow - we get enough to create really dangerous conditions a few times each winter, but not enough for many people to get snow tires or to learn how to drive in it, myself included. I’m sure that’s why the great majority of BMWs around here are AWD.

Actually, another solution which comes to mind if you want one set is to replace the mediocre original equipment tires with a set of all-weather tires. These are not the usual "all season", although the terms are not clearly established yet:

https://www.michelinman.com/tires/cr...mate-plus.html

https://www.automobilemag.com/news/m...new-type-tire/

This is not a high performance tire, but I sense that is not your objective. This will be comfortable and winter/ice capable. The odd part would be discarding your new original tires, but the tradeoff would be no future swapping needed seasonally. Worth your consideration as well given the St. Louis climate versus, for example, the upper midwest or Canada.

[4Hockey4]

Also a Michelin AS3+ may be decent option...its 90% of a PS4S (not my opinion, "experts") and much better in bad weather.

Or just leave work before it gets bad 4 times a year !!!


Good luck (and I concur with AWD thoughts above)

[Wyldstyle]

Originally Posted by Sportstick

Actually, another solution which comes to mind if you want one set is to replace the mediocre original equipment tires with a set of all-weather tires. These are not the usual "all season", although the terms are not clearly established yet:

https://www.michelinman.com/tires/cr...mate-plus.html

https://www.automobilemag.com/news/m...new-type-tire/

This is not a high performance tire, but I sense that is not your objective. This will be comfortable and winter/ice capable. The odd part would be discarding your new original tires, but the tradeoff would be no future swapping needed seasonally. Worth your consideration as well given the St. Louis climate versus, for example, the upper midwest or Canada.

Thanks, I will look into this. Re: performance, you are correct in that it needs to be balanced with practicality. I won't be going to the track or anything. On the other hand, there is a little voice going, "but xDrive is like 0.2 sec faster!"

Originally Posted by 4Hockey4

Or just leave work before it gets bad 4 times a year !!!

That is my M.O.! However, that one storm really came out of nowhere, and by the time anyone realized it was getting WAY more serious than the "flurries" predicted, it was too late to avoid it.

[BimBimM2]

Originally Posted by Wyldstyle

Thanks, I will look into this. Re: performance, you are correct in that it needs to be balanced with practicality. I won't be going to the track or anything. On the other hand, there is a little voice going, "but xDrive is like 0.2 sec faster!"

That is my M.O.! However, that one storm really came out of nowhere, and by the time anyone realized it was getting WAY more serious than the "flurries" predicted, it was too late to avoid it.

Wyldstyle, @sportstick is absolutely correct about tires. Definitely look into storing a set of winter tires for this car with your local tire dealer. The storage is not expensive; in our case it is just $100 a year (local BMW dealership stores tires as well for $300 a year). In fact the tire dealer which did the tires for our SUV stores the winter set for free. All it takes is a quick tire appointment once a year (and since I have the entire wheel setup stored, instead of just the tires, it takes 20 minutes to swap them out max).

We live in MN and the snow and ice is BRUTAL here. This car SHINES on winter tires. I have a set of Blizzak WS90 (quite possibly the best studless tire) and the car is a damn tank come snow, ice, or sleet. Definitely worth an investment!

Drive this car on winter tires once, and you will never go back to all weather tires.

EDIT: just checked on Tire Rack and seems like CrossClimate+ isn't available for our vehicle.

EDIT 2: if you do seriously consider a set of winter wheels, then I would recommend 17" rims (versus the OEM 18"). More tire cushion, better, comfortable ride, crushing away all that ice. That's life!

[dradernh]

Originally Posted by BimBimM2

EDIT: just checked on Tire Rack and seems like CrossClimate+ isn't available for our vehicle.

EDIT 2: if you do seriously consider a set of winter wheels, then I would recommend 17" rims (versus the OEM 18"). More tire cushion, better, comfortable ride, crushing away all that ice. That's life!

An alternative is the Nokian WR G4 (https://www.nokiantires.com/all-weat.../nokian-wr-g4/), an all-weather tire that comes in 225/45-17 and 225/40-18.

We ran the earlier version WR G2 year-round on a FWD Volvo wagon in Northern New England, and it performed very well. The only time it fell short of a pure winter tire was on ice going up our very steep driveway. But even our 4WD/AWD vehicles on winter tires had issues with that condition.

[msej449]

I'd echo the RWD+Winters over xDrive+Summers recommendation. Here's a chart I did to illustrate the issues:



Completely subjective, but trying to convey the points that people are making. Summer on the left, winter on the right. I didn't put Winters+xDrive on the chart as I was really trying to convey that the xDrive vs 2WD discussion is parallel to this, and of course, Winters+xDrive is the best setup for slush and snow.

My other comment is that I have all-seasons on my other car, a 1.4L run-around we use locally. But for the M235i, I don't use them because they're too much of a compromise in the summer on such a powerful vehicle. Not everyone will agree, I know.

[Maynard]

I love my X drive, and would have one even in CA, but if you are looking for winter traction then there is no question that you need winter tires. I've been able to compare X drive loaners w/ All-seasons to my car on snows, and it is night and day. FAR more difference than AWD vs RWD (ditto for the improvement of winters over all-seasons). If this is your reason to limit to Xdrive then I would broaden your search. It may really open up the options - most of the people I meet who like red interiors are what I think of as 'traditionalists' (I have to admit that the original 300SL's rocked the silver/red combo); these are people who also tend to prefer RWD (and MT's) so there are perhaps more RWD with your combo.

[morphomeman]

The underlying problem is that OP asked people's opinions. By doing so, they opened the floodgates. Simply put, color choice is not subject to popular vote. We each have our preferences. Me, I drove only red cars for many years, including red BMWs (ah, the wonders of Japan Red), but I would never buy a car with a red interior unless there was no other choice. Similarly, I hate orange exteriors, while some swoon over it. My 235 is Estoril Blue with a light brown interior (I forget the official name), a combo I am very happy with on many grounds. EB is beautiful, not found in other makes, and gets a lot of comments. The interior is a good match and does not show dirt or wear much, even after five years. My wife's X3 is black on black, with contrast stitching. Not my first choice, but she loves it and ordered it that way. Also, on an SUV, with any exterior color but black, the cladding contrasts too much, IMHO.
So OP, get what YOU WANT and forget about other people's opinions. It's your car, not ours.

[wjjkoevoets]

Mineral White with Coral Red definitely. Get the red M performance brakes to go with it. Looks awesome!

[Sportstick]

Originally Posted by morphomeman

...Similarly, I hate orange exteriors, while some swoon over it. ...

OH, NO! I can't go on like this....

Originally Posted by morphomeman

OP, get what YOU WANT and forget about other people's opinions. It's your car, not ours.

Indeed, most threads could end with some variation of this admonition. But, aren't we here to share opinions, discuss/debate differences, and otherwise fill in our discretionary time just chattering away about BMWs? I think we all know our car is ours...some just enjoy talking about it more than others (seems to correlate with orange paint and red leather enjoyment?....But not together).

[Wyldstyle]

Originally Posted by Maynard

I love my X drive, and would have one even in CA, but if you are looking for winter traction then there is no question that you need winter tires. I've been able to compare X drive loaners w/ All-seasons to my car on snows, and it is night and day. FAR more difference than AWD vs RWD (ditto for the improvement of winters over all-seasons). If this is your reason to limit to Xdrive then I would broaden your search. It may really open up the options - most of the people I meet who like red interiors are what I think of as 'traditionalists' (I have to admit that the original 300SL's rocked the silver/red combo); these are people who also tend to prefer RWD (and MT's) so there are perhaps more RWD with your combo.

I really like xDrive, too. But, it’s definitely more expensive to buy, maintain, and repair... and with the limited selection of m240s out there it definitely opens up more prospects to consider RWD, especially with the red interior as you note. And as you touch on it opens up the possibility of MT which introduces another decision I must make, one that’s just as personal as color preferences!

[Wyldstyle]

Originally Posted by morphomeman

The underlying problem is that OP asked people's opinions. By doing so, they opened the floodgates. Simply put, color choice is not subject to popular vote. We each have our preferences. Me, I drove only red cars for many years, including red BMWs (ah, the wonders of Japan Red), but I would never buy a car with a red interior unless there was no other choice. Similarly, I hate orange exteriors, while some swoon over it. My 235 is Estoril Blue with a light brown interior (I forget the official name), a combo I am very happy with on many grounds. EB is beautiful, not found in other makes, and gets a lot of comments. The interior is a good match and does not show dirt or wear much, even after five years. My wife's X3 is black on black, with contrast stitching. Not my first choice, but she loves it and ordered it that way. Also, on an SUV, with any exterior color but black, the cladding contrasts too much, IMHO.
So OP, get what YOU WANT and forget about other people's opinions. It's your car, not ours.

Is there a problem??

Yes, no doubt it’s down to my preference, which I acknowledged in my original post.

I’m in an EB 440 GC now. It’s beautiful but I’ve gotten a bit tired of it... However, I like it better when there isn’t so much of it (coupe). I particularly like the combo of EB/cognac but haven’t seen any for sale that have my required options.