[Crowden]

This car sucks.

No, wait, that's the Pontiac Phoenix from my youth I'm thinking of. THIS car is, without a doubt, the best BMW I've owned evahr. Or driven.

Points of reference. Many 3ers, E36 through F20. Couple Z3's. Z4. M Coupes (both the Z3 variant and Z4). 5ers. GTI's (1st, 6th, 7th). And a bunch of others.

Was THIS CLOSE to ordering a Cayman. Had it specced to within an inch of its life. But the seats just didn't fit me, the car itself didn't fit me (well) and I just wasn't hearing/feeling the mystical Porscheness of it. Went to my number one BMW dealer directly after testing the Cayman yet another time and he sent me on a 25 minute back road, high(ish) speed jaunt in a loaded 228. And then in a 235.

Oh my, oh my. Just perfect. The seats: great. Exactly right. The driving position: perfect. The responsiveness, the sound, etc etc. Being a genius, he had ordered the car I drove with the performance exhaust. Niiiice.

So I specced my car with mostly all the bells and certainly all the whistles. Estoril and Terra interior. Perf exhaust and LSD. After a long break in and wet weather, I finally took it out for a real test on my favorite set of twisty roads Christmas afternoon. Everything I thought it'd be and more.

Just love this car.

[overcoil]

Liked the review. Because I also almost ordered a Cayman. (back in May 2014 almost ordered a Cayman but went with the 235 that I've had since August 2014)

[och]

Thanks for the review. Makes me feel a lot better about not being able to afford a Porsche.

[MikeT]

Once or twice every decade or so, a car comes along that just hits the sweet spot... just nails it in pretty much every way. For me, the m235i is one of those cars.

[Crowden]

Originally Posted by och

Thanks for the review. Makes me feel a lot better about not being able to afford a Porsche.

Glad to hear it. I really tried to convince myself the Porsche was "it". And it just fell short. Given the overwhelming love shown for Porsche it kind of confuses me that that's the case but it was/is.

There were only two points that I preferred for the Cayman. First is looks. I think the 235 looks great but the Cayman looks better. Very focused, beautifully styled.

The second was the turn-in. I could definitely feel the mid-engineness of it and it felt great. But the 235 feels very, very good as well. Not quite as nice but easily "good enough".

After making the decision completely ignoring the price difference I was nonetheless tickled to realize the BMW was so much less. The Porsche would have been around $75K; the BMW ended up at around $57.

[och]

Originally Posted by Crowden

Glad to hear it. I really tried to convince myself the Porsche was "it". And it just fell short. Given the overwhelming love shown for Porsche it kind of confuses me that that's the case but it was/is.

There were only two points that I preferred for the Cayman. First is looks. I think the 235 looks great but the Cayman looks better. Very focused, beautifully styled.

The second was the turn-in. I could definitely feel the mid-engineness of it and it felt great. But the 235 feels very, very good as well. Not quite as nice but easily "good enough".

After making the decision completely ignoring the price difference I was nonetheless tickled to realize the BMW was so much less. The Porsche would have been around $75K; the BMW ended up at around $57.

Congrats on your 2er. I absolutely love mine, and the more I drive it the more I love it.

[DfVgyCjmFQnu]

I think I would prefer the Cayman regardless, and I own a m235.

But alas, I could not afford the Cayman. I got an ENZO tune, catless downpipe, custom stereo, upgraded brakes, etc on the m235 for less than the price of the Cayman specced out the way I wanted it. Is the m235 better? I doubt it, but it is very fast and handles great and I like it very much so far. It is also the perfect size for the city I live in.

[DfVgyCjmFQnu]

BTW, I think the LSD is really, really important on this car.

[Crowden]

Originally Posted by Ligament

I think I would prefer the Cayman regardless, and I own a m235.

But alas, I could not afford the Cayman. I got an ENZO tune, catless downpipe, custom stereo, upgraded brakes, etc on the m235 for less than the price of the Cayman specced out the way I wanted it. Is the m235 better? I doubt it, but it is very fast and handles great and I like it very much so far. It is also the perfect size for the city I live in.

I thought I would as well. That's why test drives are so important.

[Crowden]

Originally Posted by Ligament

BTW, I think the LSD is really, really important on this car.

That's one option for which BMW took a page from the Porsche play book. My oh my but it's a pricey extra. Happy I have it but definitely a chunk of change.

And the performance exhaust, although not necessarily much in terms of performance, sure does sound nice.

[och]

I wonder how much difference the performance exhaust makes over the standard exhaust? I find even the standard exhaust sounds awesome.

I was afraid to order mine with the LSD because I know way to many people that crashed their cars (not BMWs) after getting an LSD. Seems like LSD can cause havoc on wet roads.

[Crowden]

Originally Posted by och

I wonder how much difference the performance exhaust makes over the standard exhaust? I find even the standard exhaust sounds awesome.

I was afraid to order mine with the LSD because I know way to many people that crashed their cars (not BMWs) after getting an LSD. Seems like LSD can cause havoc on wet roads.

Originally Posted by och

I wonder how much difference the performance exhaust makes over the standard exhaust? I find even the standard exhaust sounds awesome.

I was afraid to order mine with the LSD because I know way to many people that crashed their cars (not BMWs) after getting an LSD. Seems like LSD can cause havoc on wet roads.

Well, I can address that question because after my extensive test ride I asked my dealer to put two 235's side by side, one with and one w/o perf exhaust and goose them. I was immediately convinced. Nothing obnoxious but just a deeper and more vwum vwum vwum note. And in the morning when it's cold, nice pops as well. My wife loves it and she's not usually into such things.

As for the LSD, I wish there was a magical way to turn it on or off to evaluate. My dealer said it's totally worth it and certainly it handles great. But the regular 235 handles great as well. I haven't done really hard/fast cornering to really work it enough to opine for sure one way or the other.

As far as crashing, that's something I have zero concern with. The stability controls BMW's implemented will work with or w/o the LSD. Unless you fully disable everything. THAT I'm not planning to do unless there's nothing nearby to crash into.

[jaboyd]

I just purchased my M235 (auto) and had looked at Cayman and 911s. The Caymen was very interesting but as I've gotten older the height and fit of the car was just a little "off". The 911s was very nice and the adaptive suspension provided a similar experience as the M235....but the price!

Never been a Porsche or Vette owner but have always thought they were intriguing at least from an observer perspective. Owned 2 M3s, and an M5 so this little number hit a sweet spot and after a drive (tight twisty backroads) it seemed like old home week....so I got it.

Pleased with it and like the way it handles DD and can hold its own on the twisty and mtn backroads but still civilized. Wife likes it ...especially in comfort mode.

So it has joined the stable: 2011 STI, stage II w/race suspension...my hair on fire weekend toy, Audi S4 - general driver but snappy and always a pleasure to cruise the interstate, and now a little quick stylish M235 that is a beautiful mistress that slots in between the other 2 cars.

[pimp4cheddar]

Originally Posted by Crowden

Oh my, oh my. Just perfect. The seats: great. Exactly right. The driving position: perfect. The responsiveness, the sound, etc etc. Being a genius, he had ordered the car I drove with the performance exhaust. Niiiice.

Auto or 6spd?

[Crowden]

Originally Posted by pimp4cheddar

Auto or 6spd?

Auto. Sorry about that. 30 years of manuals but it's just too big a pain for my wife to be unable to drive it when needed.

Since you brought it up, I'll note that I haven't missed the stick at all. They said this 8 speed box was amazingly good and ... it is. Most impressive.

I figure if I get too strong an itch for a manual box I'll pick up a used Miata for that purpose.

[1LegitM235i]

I definitely concur with you that this car is well rounded responsive car. I too fell in love of its balance between track, street and eco performance. Congrats on your recent ownership of it! I've had mine since 30 Jul 15 and have put the best miles of 9k and not regretted a single mile. The car is remarkable!

[Crowden]

Originally Posted by 1LegitM235i

I definitely concur with you that this car is well rounded responsive car. I too fell in love of its balance between track, street and eco performance. Congrats on your recent ownership of it! I've had mine since 30 Jul 15 and have put the best miles of 9k and not regretted a single mile. The car is remarkable!

It hasn't failed to bring a smile to my lips each time I fire it up.

[Transfer]

Great short review! I drive 90% of the time in urban crawl and no matter what car I drive, I feel I want something different because my typical drive is always so boring. In my M235i, it seems to do DD duties a little better than average with the great auto, well tuned adaptive suspension, super comfy sport seats, and excellent torque.

Then on the rare occasion that I actually get to light the fuse and keep it between 4-7k for prolonged periods, the magic of the ultimate driving machine really comes alive. My previous bimmer was an E90 M3 and while I miss that car (mostly the engine ) my city just killed the love for that car. The 235i feels as good and often better in my city (but can't beat the sound of 8400 rpms of V8). This 2er is a real winner.

[csg]

Originally Posted by Crowden

This car sucks.

No, wait, that's the Pontiac Phoenix from my youth I'm thinking of. THIS car is, without a doubt, the best BMW I've owned evahr. Or driven.

Points of reference. Many 3ers, E36 through F20. Couple Z3's. Z4. M Coupes (both the Z3 variant and Z4). 5ers. GTI's (1st, 6th, 7th). And a bunch of others.

Your post has boosted my excitement for my upcoming delivery in May! I also have a similar car history to yours, so it will be interesting to compare our opinions. I've been through a Z3M roadster and coupe, a MK6 GTI and a ton of others and I will hold onto my E30. Unfortunately I couldn't order mine with an LSD (using the military sales program) but if I end up tracking it more than 1 weekend per year, that may be added.

Congrats on the purchase!

[Crowden]

Originally Posted by csg

Your post has boosted my excitement for my upcoming delivery in May! I also have a similar car history to yours, so it will be interesting to compare our opinions. I've been through a Z3M roadster and coupe, a MK6 GTI and a ton of others and I will hold onto my E30. Unfortunately I couldn't order mine with an LSD (using the military sales program) but if I end up tracking it more than 1 weekend per year, that may be added.

Congrats on the purchase!

Kewl! I actually hemmed and hawed for my 6th gen GTI whether to go for that or the 1 series. Decided to go back to the FWD GTI fold for a bit. It was a great car. Preferred it to the Gen 7 (which my wife now drives) although to be fair mine had autobahn package and hers doesn't. It's the seats which bug me the most in her car. Basically I just started to miss the RWD character. I felt a strong pull to be logical and practical and get the 228 but ultimately decided to burn the gas while the burning's good.

Didn't know military sales precluded LSD. Then again, I didn't know at the start that the LSD was a port installed option and still don't really get that part. It's more cost effective to install a diff and then uninstall it and then install a new one? Kinda weird.

How did you spec your car?

[pimp4cheddar]

Originally Posted by Crowden

Auto. Sorry about that. 30 years of manuals but it's just too big a pain for my wife to be unable to drive it when needed.

Since you brought it up, I'll note that I haven't missed the stick at all. They said this 8 speed box was amazingly good and ... it is. Most impressive.

I figure if I get too strong an itch for a manual box I'll pick up a used Miata for that purpose.

I ask because I wrote about the transmission in a few of my posts...truly great auto trans.

I came from a 6speed E92 335i...and this car is amazing. I'm in love.

I sometimes wonder if I will regret not waiting and getting an M2...but fuck it. There will always be something faster or more race focused. Part of owning a car is enjoying the car and not longing for something else.

Congrats on the purchase - it's an amazing car. Truly the perfect size. I drove a 435i and it felt huge...very disconnected and I didn't like it at all...

[Crowden]

Originally Posted by pimp4cheddar

I ask because I wrote about the transmission in a few of my posts...truly great auto trans.

I came from a 6speed E92 335i...and this car is amazing. I'm in love.

I sometimes wonder if I will regret not waiting and getting an M2...but fuck it. There will always be something faster or more race focused. Part of owning a car is enjoying the car and not longing for something else.

Congrats on the purchase - it's an amazing car. Truly the perfect size. I drove a 435i and it felt huge...very disconnected and I didn't like it at all...

Ah, understood.

Agree re the 435. The 3ers and 4ers are, to me, "big" cars - what I still think of as a 5er (E39 vintage). The E46 ZHP was always one of my lust cars and the 235 takes that and mixes it with some E46 M3 as well. Can't argue with that!