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      03-08-2016, 03:55 PM   #1
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Any thoughts on the M2 vs M235i on power?

Obviously people have been talking about the M235i for a while. However, I was a little disappointed today:

My BMW dealer gave me a loaner M235i to tool around in while my 228i is in the shop. When I ordered my 228i, I did not test drive the M235i at all. The cars were just getting to dealerships, so all I tested was the 228i -- and, indeed, that was all I wanted at the time.

I have mentioned elsewhere on this forum, that I'm planning an ED trip next year, and I have a deposit down on a MY2018 M2.

Well, while driving the M235i today I was a little underwhelmed.* The thing has 80 more HP than my 228i, which doesn't feel as earth-shattering as I had expected. It's obviously quicker. And it sounds MUCH better. But it wasn't the night & day difference I had been expecting. I dropped off a relatively quick car this morning, and it feels like I got into a somewhat quicker car.

So, the M2 has about 45hp more than the M235i and it will have the DCT. It'll be ever-so-slightly lighter. Stiffer. I don't know what to expect, I guess. Appreciate any thoughts.


____

* the active suspension is very soft in comfort. Honestly, it's actually pretty comfortable, lol. I had forgotten the car even had active damping until I started wondering about why it was so much softer than my 228i with M Sport Suspension. In sport mode it is a little stiffer, although I actually don't think it's any stiffer than old-fashioned M Sport Suspension. Purely subjective. The car sounds awesome though. That is the one thing that, today, got me really excited for the M2; because if the M235i sounds this much better, and we know the M2 sounds even better... it's going to be great.

One other weird thing I noticed: the M235i's door sill actually says ///M 235i. Yet, the M2 is just going to say ///M instead of ///M2 ... seems kind of lame. Minor, but there it is. <shrug>

_____
Edit:
Pics for clicks.





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      03-08-2016, 04:00 PM   #2
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Oh, one other thing -- no offense to any M235i drivers (or folks who built their cars with CF trim) -- I promise i'm not trolling -- but the CF interior trim is awful. It looks so tacky, IMHO. The pictures of the M2 interior make the CF trim look a little darker. Is it going to be the same, or different? Anyone? Bueller?
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      03-08-2016, 04:08 PM   #3
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      03-08-2016, 04:10 PM   #4
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I had a 228 demo car for a day and test drove an M235i. The 228 felt like a gutless pig compared to the M235 to be honest.

Did you take the M235 out of eco mode?
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      03-08-2016, 04:13 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 3tekcorps View Post
I had a 228 demo car for a day and test drove an M235i. The 228 felt like a gutless pig compared to the M235 to be honest.

Did you take the M235 out of eco mode?
yeah. I've been driving it mostly in sport. In fairness, they gave me a convertible, so it'll be a little heavier and a little slower than the coupe.

No question it's faster than the 228i -- I just had unrealistic expectations, maybe? It just worried me that 15-or-so months from now, I'm going to be in Germany feeling bummed that my shiny new M2 isn't as fast as I imagined it to be. I don't know.
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      03-08-2016, 04:44 PM   #6
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Convertible vs Coupé makes a big difference.
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      03-08-2016, 04:45 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hoyasaxa View Post
yeah. I've been driving it mostly in sport. In fairness, they gave me a convertible, so it'll be a little heavier and a little slower than the coupe.

No question it's faster than the 228i -- I just had unrealistic expectations, maybe? It just worried me that 15-or-so months from now, I'm going to be in Germany feeling bummed that my shiny new M2 isn't as fast as I imagined it to be. I don't know.
Considering the fact that a majority of journalists prefer it over the F80/82, which has 430 hp, you are not going to be disappointed. I mean, think about the entire experience. You saw the exhaust video between the M235i and M2, right? M2 made it look like a pre puberty child.

M2 is going to be very fast, but handle very very very well. The experience compared to the M235i will be large, compared to your 228i I assure you it will be like comparing an NFL player to the Pee Wee league.
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      03-08-2016, 04:58 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hoyasaxa View Post
Oh, one other thing -- no offense to any M235i drivers (or folks who built their cars with CF trim) -- I promise i'm not trolling -- but the CF interior trim is awful. It looks so tacky, IMHO. The pictures of the M2 interior make the CF trim look a little darker. Is it going to be the same, or different? Anyone? Bueller?
Carbon Fiber interior trim isn't available on the M235i.
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      03-08-2016, 05:41 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nantucket
Quote:
Originally Posted by hoyasaxa View Post
Oh, one other thing -- no offense to any M235i drivers (or folks who built their cars with CF trim) -- I promise i'm not trolling -- but the CF interior trim is awful. It looks so tacky, IMHO. The pictures of the M2 interior make the CF trim look a little darker. Is it going to be the same, or different? Anyone? Bueller?
Carbon Fiber interior trim isn't available on the M235i.
What is this? Faux CF? Maybe I assumed because it looks like it has a weave in it.
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      03-08-2016, 05:45 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Adem1534 View Post
M2 is going to be very fast, but handle very very very well. The experience compared to the M235i will be large, compared to your 228i I assure you it will be like comparing an NFL player to the Pee Wee league.
That's what I want to hear

Expectations definitely do affect enjoyment though. I saw this was an M235i and immediately had high expectations. Compare to someone who expected nothing and was impressed. The car is the same, but the experiences can be drastically different.
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      03-08-2016, 05:49 PM   #11
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It's possible that part of the issue you were experiencing is that a lighter 228i with 240 turbocharged HP is a relatively quick little car and an M235i is only a little more than a second quicker to 60. It's not all about the motor.

M cars, on the other hand, are a step above in terms of overall performance. Simply looking at numbers will not describe the difference in the driving experience. I have owned M cars, am waiting for an M2 allocation, and drove an M235i (not an M car, an M Performance car), an M3, an M4 and M5 and M6, and a X6M (a beast but not an M car) this past Sunday. Please look at the reports from Thermal, CA for the M2 yesterday and today as well as the many other driving impressions for the M2. Many of the reviewers liked the M2 driving characteristics better than the M3/M4s which are very capable and quick cars. Everyone was smiling on Sunday after our BMW Performance Center West Experience.

If you don't see the value, you could tune the 228i, but I personally am choosing an M car over tuning my 135i.
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      03-08-2016, 05:49 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hoyasaxa View Post
Obviously people have been talking about the M235i for a while. However, I was a little disappointed today:

My BMW dealer gave me a loaner M235i to tool around in while my 228i is in the shop. When I ordered my 228i, I did not test drive the M235i at all. The cars were just getting to dealerships, so all I tested was the 228i -- and, indeed, that was all I wanted at the time.

I have mentioned elsewhere on this forum, that I'm planning an ED trip next year, and I have a deposit down on a MY2018 M2.

Well, while driving the M235i today I was a little underwhelmed.* The thing has 80 more HP than my 228i, which doesn't feel as earth-shattering as I had expected. It's obviously quicker. And it sounds MUCH better. But it wasn't the night & day difference I had been expecting. I dropped off a relatively quick car this morning, and it feels like I got into a somewhat quicker car.

So, the M2 has about 45hp more than the M235i and it will have the DCT. It'll be ever-so-slightly lighter. Stiffer. I don't know what to expect, I guess. Appreciate any thoughts.


____

* the active suspension is very soft in comfort. Honestly, it's actually pretty comfortable, lol. I had forgotten the car even had active damping until I started wondering about why it was so much softer than my 228i with M Sport Suspension. In sport mode it is a little stiffer, although I actually don't think it's any stiffer than old-fashioned M Sport Suspension. Purely subjective. The car sounds awesome though. That is the one thing that, today, got me really excited for the M2; because if the M235i sounds this much better, and we know the M2 sounds even better... it's going to be great.

One other weird thing I noticed: the M235i's door sill actually says ///M 235i. Yet, the M2 is just going to say ///M instead of ///M2 ... seems kind of lame. Minor, but there it is. <shrug>

_____
You've got loads of time before your delivery which you say is 2018.I would expect that you will be able to take a demonstrator well before this date.Don't sweat it,if you don't think it's better then you can cancel your order.

There is another thread where some German magazine tested the M2 and the M4 around the track and the M2 was only 0.1 sec down proving it's more than capable.

I think it's safe to say the M2 will live up to expectations
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      03-08-2016, 05:51 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hoyasaxa View Post
What is this? Faux CF? Maybe I assumed because it looks like it has a weave in it.
That's aluminum hexagon trim.
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      03-08-2016, 05:52 PM   #14
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That is not carbon fiber.
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      03-08-2016, 05:55 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cntzl View Post
That's aluminum hexagon trim.
Ah ok. Thank you!
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      03-08-2016, 06:52 PM   #16
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Also, it's really hard to realize the potential of a car on the street. You don't really have room to let the faster car stretch its legs.
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      03-08-2016, 06:59 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hoyasaxa View Post
So, the M2 has about 45hp more than the M235i and it will have the DCT. It'll be ever-so-slightly lighter. Stiffer. I don't know what to expect, I guess. Appreciate any thoughts.
I think you'll immediately notice how much more road-glued the M cars tend to feel when taking a turn at speed. It's like there are invisible tracks on the road. The handling is kind of inspiring and it will probably put a smile on your face.
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      03-08-2016, 07:02 PM   #18
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I currently drive an M235i with x-drive, automatic tranny.

I am expecting the 6MT M2 to feel much faster. Here's my math:

M2 6MT vs. M235xi auto = about 160-180 lbs lighter
M2 vs. M235xi auto = 330 ft-lbs vs. 369 ft-lbs for a material portion of the torque curve
M2 6MT vs. M235xi = about 5% more efficient due to less drivetrain loss

So, I figure ~5% lighter, about 12% more torque, and about 5% baseline increase in torque at wheels.

F = ma, so a=F/m = (1.12)*(1.05)/(0.95) = about 1.24.

So, I expect my 6 MT M2 to feel about 24% quicker for large portions of the RPM range relative to my current M235xi auto.

Simple physics...neglecting rolling resistance and wind resistance....
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      03-08-2016, 07:51 PM   #19
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      03-08-2016, 08:08 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by zenmaster View Post
I think you'll immediately notice how much more road-glued the M cars tend to feel when taking a turn at speed. It's like there are invisible tracks on the road. The handling is kind of inspiring and it will probably put a smile on your face.
This is exciting.

I added a few pictures, because why not.
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      03-08-2016, 08:09 PM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hoyasaxa View Post
What is this? Faux CF? Maybe I assumed because it looks like it has a weave in it.
thats called hexagon aluminum and is available on M sport or M235 cars in the bmw lineup.

i have it on my 328 and well, honestly i'm tired of it, it isnt that interesting woudl have preferred normal brushed aluminum
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      03-08-2016, 08:24 PM   #22
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Dude, you drove the convertible. That thing weighs 500 lbs more than the coupe. What did you expect?
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