Quote:
Originally Posted by jasonheaddinG
doesn't the N54 hold the 1M back from being a "true M"? when i got my 235i I kept telling people that it wasn't an M, a bimmer freak of a friend of mine always said it was the engine. some say transmission and I also hear suspension thrown in. I would like clarification also.
and exactly....if we are getting another "N" engine, no CF roof, what exactly will we have? we have another pseudo M for the entry level buyer that isn't limited production so it's not even as special as the 1..
|
It's exactly what you want an M to be. There's no rule book about what makes a real M car, I've always thought that was the stupidest thing ever. Exclusivity is not what makes an M car either IMO.
For me, it's always been about everything added together. Are these not M cars then? Because they have an S52. While it technically has an "S" in the code name, it's really more or less as souped up version of what was in a 328i. To me, this is hardly that different than what BMW is doing with the M2 IMHO.
I happen to really like the M235i. Which was very surprising because I test drove it literally right after I drove an M4 with 6MT. You add the brakes from the M3/4 which are much better, you add the EPS from the M3/4 (they better not skip out on this, or else that'll be a deal breaker for me) which is much better and then you add the looks of an M car. That to me is a winner. Upping the power up a little bit or whatever they do to the N55 is just a bonus for me.
What do I really wish they did? Make it lighter than the M235i. I'm not talking about adding a CF roof so that you can lose 5-10 lbs over a normal sunroof delete car, I'm talking more substantial. Something like 3350 lbs would be good for me (notice I'm not asking something ridiculous like 3000 lbs, unlike some people). We'll see what happens. I plan on ordering a stripper and will probably ditch the exhaust for something else (they're always as heavy as boat anchors).
At the end of the day, I still don't think BMW can manage to butcher this up even if they tried to. The only thing that it'll come down to for me would be the price. Start in the low 50s, I'm OK with that. Get close enough to the F80 prices, then I'm out.