RE: BMW M235i M Performance
Discussion
Wills2 said:
Dave Hedgehog said:
100% spot on
And 44k with some carbon tat ....
I think nearer 50k once you've added nav, stereo, heated seats etc....And 44k with some carbon tat ....
Unbelievable value for that performance. This tat is optional and realistically only the LSD is of serious appeal...still sub 40k!!
EricE said:
Debaser said:
What's a fake hole??
They look like golf ball dimples in the picture.Dan Trent said:
Morning all.
Apologies but we seem to have picked up a glitch on the site which means symbols and apostrophes aren't displaying properly in homepage stories. We'll raise the hamsters from their Bank Hol slumbers and look into it as soon as we can but if you see a random number appear in a story and are thinking 'eh?' mentally add a pound sign to the front and the context should become clear!
Cheers,
Dan
Find and replace allApologies but we seem to have picked up a glitch on the site which means symbols and apostrophes aren't displaying properly in homepage stories. We'll raise the hamsters from their Bank Hol slumbers and look into it as soon as we can but if you see a random number appear in a story and are thinking 'eh?' mentally add a pound sign to the front and the context should become clear!
Cheers,
Dan
’ - '
Benjaminbopper said:
Wills2 said:
Dave Hedgehog said:
100% spot on
And 44k with some carbon tat ....
I think nearer 50k once you've added nav, stereo, heated seats etc....And 44k with some carbon tat ....
Unbelievable value for that performance. This tat is optional and realistically only the LSD is of serious appeal...still sub 40k!!
Leaving aside the formatting issues.
Hmmmm, you "paid" just shy of 10k for an LSD listed at 2.5k and... some tat?
You've got to love the BMW marketeers that can get away with selling you a gearknob for 172! And the "performance" BMW kidneys for 47 per side!
A very expensive way to make an expensive car look cheap?
Hmmmm, you "paid" just shy of 10k for an LSD listed at 2.5k and... some tat?
You've got to love the BMW marketeers that can get away with selling you a gearknob for 172! And the "performance" BMW kidneys for 47 per side!
A very expensive way to make an expensive car look cheap?
Edited by Rumblestripe on Monday 26th May 14:41
Benjaminbopper said:
Wills2 said:
Dave Hedgehog said:
100% spot on
And 44k with some carbon tat ....
I think nearer 50k once you've added nav, stereo, heated seats etc....And 44k with some carbon tat ....
Unbelievable value for that performance. This tat is optional and realistically only the LSD is of serious appeal...still sub 40k!!
I passed no comment regarding discounts or whether it was a rip off not or in fact that you could take a boggo car for the base cost plus discount.
So I'm not sure what where you're going with this.
poorly escaped text said:
You know what this place needs? Less chat about the bloody M135i. I have no idea who's been constantly droning on about how much fun it is, and how fast it will go and how it makes many supposed sports cars seem a bit pointless, but they need to desist immediately. Furthermore, I have the perfect antidote & let's spend extended time in a completely different machine that will divert the conversation away from all this rather nauseating M135i worship.
It's the new M235i. A machine so profoundly different to the M135i that it has one different digit and some different suspension.
As a genuine M-car snob, I find this new sub-brand from BMW most interesting. I have always winced when I saw the blue and purple dressed on anything that wasn't built in Garching, and that's a regular occurrence in the UK because we seem unable not to buy the M Sport version of anything. But these M Performance variants are proper jobs, developed by engineers from both BMW M and the regular car teams.
Two times the fun
My interest in the M235i is twofold. First, I like the concept of a discreet little coupe with loads of performance, driven rear wheels and frankly eye-popping economy. I've been driving it for the past three weeks and smiling all the way. It's a proper BMW, proudly rear driven and somehow everything it does feels engineered around the driver a little more than rival machines. I'm a devout ZF eight-speed fan, but the six-speed manual in this car is an absolute gem & and it underlines how clever the engine calibration is because you can enjoy all those little jabs of throttle that make having a stick so enjoyable. Only the crazy torque at low engine speeds suggests that it's turbocharged. And the fake induction noise? I like it.
There's a third point of interest too: the new range of M Performance upgrades. With the gradual emasculation of modern car dealerships who can do anything more than plug in a lap top, I love the fact that BMW now wants to flog you a locking differential for one of these M Performance models, and that you will have your local dealer fit it.
So that's the idea with this car. We're having a bucket of options fitted from the parts list, some of them are mechanical, some cosmetic; some are subtle and cool, some are so over-the-top that you'll probably recoil in horror, but we need to show you what's possible.
Below is full a list of what we're going to fit, and the cost for each component.
Totting up
Now the eagle-eyed among you will have just calculated that we've fitted 9,522 of extra bits to an M235i and not really improved its performance by that much. This I agree is madness, and I didn't think BMW was going to fit quite so many cosmetic parts. They're keen to show the full breadth of what's available, and I personally think you'd be insane to apply 93 in legal tender of side stripes to obliterate the beauty of that natty blue paintwork, but each to their own.
The most important bits for me are the sports exhaust (946 with carbon tips) and of course the limited-slip diff (2,520).
I suppose we should scribble something about each cosmetic upgrade, but they really don't interest me too much. One of the M235i's greatest strengths as standard is (was) stealthy speed. Now I'm bespoilered and in possession of the silliest set of stickers imaginable, the car announces its intentions from a great distance. Some people will enjoy this; I find it problematic.
The new rear bumper treatment around the tail-pipes is neat though, and I think the front spoiler elements work well with the black kidney grilles, which I notice are sold separately.
Carlos Fandango
The interior carbon and Alcantara additions are of seriously high-quality and they do add a dash of appeal to an already attractive cabin. Again, it's all a matter of cost & all of it together is ludicrously pricy, but the smaller gear lever makes the gearshift seem slightly more precise (clearly an illusion) so that's the bit I'd pay for. Okay, the M Performance dash panel is pretty neat too.
It was very rainy the other day, and I have to admit I spent the whole time with the DSC off wondering if there was a car I'd rather be driving. In those conditions, having three pedals and 332lb ft is my idea of heaven. Before, with the open differential, the car was a little vague and you couldn't be quite sure how it would break traction. Now it does so predictably and you can enjoy the sensations of rear-wheel drive. And I'm not talking great big drifts, but building the throttle until the rear axle makes that suggestion of a movement and holding it just there. At 2,520 it ain't cheap, and in essence it's a standard differential case with a Drexler LSD slotted inside. I'm assuming this is fitted on an exchange basis for the standard unit.
The exhaust is much rowdier on start-up, and altogether louder, but it doesn't bring with it any performance gain, so I will need persuading over time of its benefit. As will the new brakes, which appear to be a tiny bit larger than before, but use the same calipers and have fake holes drilled in them. They are good, but then the standard items were already impressive.
For now, I'm going to drive it some more, continue asking myself what exactly an M4 would offer over this car for everyday UK use & initial answer, quite a bit & and report back next week.
hope this helps It's the new M235i. A machine so profoundly different to the M135i that it has one different digit and some different suspension.
As a genuine M-car snob, I find this new sub-brand from BMW most interesting. I have always winced when I saw the blue and purple dressed on anything that wasn't built in Garching, and that's a regular occurrence in the UK because we seem unable not to buy the M Sport version of anything. But these M Performance variants are proper jobs, developed by engineers from both BMW M and the regular car teams.
Two times the fun
My interest in the M235i is twofold. First, I like the concept of a discreet little coupe with loads of performance, driven rear wheels and frankly eye-popping economy. I've been driving it for the past three weeks and smiling all the way. It's a proper BMW, proudly rear driven and somehow everything it does feels engineered around the driver a little more than rival machines. I'm a devout ZF eight-speed fan, but the six-speed manual in this car is an absolute gem & and it underlines how clever the engine calibration is because you can enjoy all those little jabs of throttle that make having a stick so enjoyable. Only the crazy torque at low engine speeds suggests that it's turbocharged. And the fake induction noise? I like it.
There's a third point of interest too: the new range of M Performance upgrades. With the gradual emasculation of modern car dealerships who can do anything more than plug in a lap top, I love the fact that BMW now wants to flog you a locking differential for one of these M Performance models, and that you will have your local dealer fit it.
So that's the idea with this car. We're having a bucket of options fitted from the parts list, some of them are mechanical, some cosmetic; some are subtle and cool, some are so over-the-top that you'll probably recoil in horror, but we need to show you what's possible.
Below is full a list of what we're going to fit, and the cost for each component.
Totting up
Now the eagle-eyed among you will have just calculated that we've fitted 9,522 of extra bits to an M235i and not really improved its performance by that much. This I agree is madness, and I didn't think BMW was going to fit quite so many cosmetic parts. They're keen to show the full breadth of what's available, and I personally think you'd be insane to apply 93 in legal tender of side stripes to obliterate the beauty of that natty blue paintwork, but each to their own.
The most important bits for me are the sports exhaust (946 with carbon tips) and of course the limited-slip diff (2,520).
I suppose we should scribble something about each cosmetic upgrade, but they really don't interest me too much. One of the M235i's greatest strengths as standard is (was) stealthy speed. Now I'm bespoilered and in possession of the silliest set of stickers imaginable, the car announces its intentions from a great distance. Some people will enjoy this; I find it problematic.
The new rear bumper treatment around the tail-pipes is neat though, and I think the front spoiler elements work well with the black kidney grilles, which I notice are sold separately.
Carlos Fandango
The interior carbon and Alcantara additions are of seriously high-quality and they do add a dash of appeal to an already attractive cabin. Again, it's all a matter of cost & all of it together is ludicrously pricy, but the smaller gear lever makes the gearshift seem slightly more precise (clearly an illusion) so that's the bit I'd pay for. Okay, the M Performance dash panel is pretty neat too.
It was very rainy the other day, and I have to admit I spent the whole time with the DSC off wondering if there was a car I'd rather be driving. In those conditions, having three pedals and 332lb ft is my idea of heaven. Before, with the open differential, the car was a little vague and you couldn't be quite sure how it would break traction. Now it does so predictably and you can enjoy the sensations of rear-wheel drive. And I'm not talking great big drifts, but building the throttle until the rear axle makes that suggestion of a movement and holding it just there. At 2,520 it ain't cheap, and in essence it's a standard differential case with a Drexler LSD slotted inside. I'm assuming this is fitted on an exchange basis for the standard unit.
The exhaust is much rowdier on start-up, and altogether louder, but it doesn't bring with it any performance gain, so I will need persuading over time of its benefit. As will the new brakes, which appear to be a tiny bit larger than before, but use the same calipers and have fake holes drilled in them. They are good, but then the standard items were already impressive.
For now, I'm going to drive it some more, continue asking myself what exactly an M4 would offer over this car for everyday UK use & initial answer, quite a bit & and report back next week.
Wills2 said:
Yes are you? It lists in manual form at 34,260 I specced one with what I'd want on the car to match the spec of my frozen silver edition M3 it came to just over 40k list or 42k with the auto, add the performance extras as per the article and you get a list of around 50k,
I passed no comment regarding discounts or whether it was a rip off not or in fact that you could take a boggo car for the base cost plus discount.
So I'm not sure what where you're going with this.
My point was that to band figures of 50k around is unrealistic and doesn't set a fair baseline for the car. 90% of owners won't go near that total. Every car can be specced to a ridiculous amount, the concept of this car is a well priced, high performance car that acts as an entry point to the the full fat M cars. Considering this then speccing it to a level that will make it comparable to your M3 (which according to your profile looks comprehensive), of course will tip the scales.I passed no comment regarding discounts or whether it was a rip off not or in fact that you could take a boggo car for the base cost plus discount.
So I'm not sure what where you're going with this.
I'm sure you can build a 90k Discovery but it won't ever make it a Range Rover, nor will 50k of M235i ever make it an M3.
Anyway, we deviate. Great car - pricey accessories!
articulatedj said:
Do people realize that the M235i weighs just as much as a E46 or E92 M3? It's over 3500 lbs, for god's sake. It is definitely not the return of the 2002.
For all that, it's only 50 lbs. less than the 335i, on the same damned platform. What the hell is the point again?
that's ridiculously heavy for what it is !For all that, it's only 50 lbs. less than the 335i, on the same damned platform. What the hell is the point again?
RemarkLima said:
EBC used / still does make discs like this, supposedly has the benefits of drilled discs with a greater area for cooling but less likely to crack. Given pretty much all drilled discs seem to get small cracks with hard use (except mage expense ones) it's probably a wise choice or they'd be up against a ton of complaints and warranty replacements... Or it would cost even more for the discs.
Drilled discs crack due to thermal stress whereby the solid sections in between the holes become significantly hotter than the holed areas. I don't see the benefit of dimpling the disc TBH when all the dimples are inline so there will still be hot spots. Considering the price and that the basic calipers are very good 4 pot's anyway I do not understand why BMW wouldn't make the "performance" option a fully floating two piece bell and grooved rotor for the standard calipers. underphil said:
articulatedj said:
Do people realize that the M235i weighs just as much as a E46 or E92 M3? It's over 3500 lbs, for god's sake. It is definitely not the return of the 2002.
For all that, it's only 50 lbs. less than the 335i, on the same damned platform. What the hell is the point again?
that's ridiculously heavy for what it is !For all that, it's only 50 lbs. less than the 335i, on the same damned platform. What the hell is the point again?
Driver101 said:
Why is it so many people are so determined to make a car look expensive?
Cars they don't like they quote the price with every conceivable extra, of which many are pointless, then quote the base price of the car they favour?
Cars they don't like they quote the price with every conceivable extra, of which many are pointless, then quote the base price of the car they favour?
Same as the people who say "for the same price you could get a 2 year old.." - sure you could but it's not a fair comparison.articulatedj said:
Do people realize that the M235i weighs just as much as a E46 or E92 M3? It's over 3500 lbs, for god's sake. It is definitely not the return of the 2002.
For all that, it's only 50 lbs. less than the 335i, on the same damned platform. What the hell is the point again?
Are you making stuff up?For all that, it's only 50 lbs. less than the 335i, on the same damned platform. What the hell is the point again?
M235i 1530kg
E46 M3 1570kg
E92 M3 1655kg
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