Quote:
Originally Posted by Poochie
Quote:
Originally Posted by qnet
Ok, I will have a different perspective than most.
I would keep the M235i, mod it how you like, enjoy it, pay it off, then get the G87 M2 when it comes out.
This is an M2 forum so you will get biased opinions. I had an M235i and IMO it's not the slouch most on this forum make it out to be.
My story is, I really wanted an M2 form the beginning, but settled for a M235i, got a Focus RS, before finally getting a M2.
Long story short, in my first scenario, I should have listened to others on this forum and just got an M2 in 2016. Second scenario, I should have kept my M235i once I had it, with the mods I had done to it. I had the Dinan springs, intake, exhaust and resonator delete. Some wouldn't believe it, but the combination of all those things really changed the characteristics of the car in a positive way IMO. Reading the things you are going to do with the car, I think you would really like it.
I also had a staggered set of MPSS tires with VMR wheels for the summer and swapped them out during winter months with the stock runflats. I also ran spacers with the stock tire set after installing the Dinan springs. The M2 does ride a little stiffer than the M235i, but it's not that drastic from my experience.
On a side note; The Focus RS was a really fun car also. If I were rich I'd kept it along with the M2.
Having said all that, I love my M2 and it's no joke. It's more planted & tighter when pushed compared to my M235i, and more fun to drive. It also looks nicer and more aggressive, which goes without saying. I did one HPDE in my M235i and it was really fun. For regular people with not a lot of track experience, these modern BMWs really do a lot of electronic trickery in the background to save you, even in a M235i with an open diff. BMW sets these cars up well for the everyday person.
I can't imagine what driving my M2 at Road Atlanta will be like. I'm almost scared I'll have too much confidence because how much the car can seemingly take. The M2 is so bad-a$$, that it doesn't feel that much different than my Focus RS did, which is AWD. It in fact feels more planted and has less body roll.
|
Great perspective. Folks here act like the designated M vehicle can run circles around their standard BMW vehicles, which is not even close to true. Just check any verses YouTube video to confirm this fact.
What really handicaps most standard BMW as oppose to their M counterpart, such as the 340/240i, is the intentional lack of a mechanical LSD and smaller sized rear wheels.
Throw on a mechanical LSD and some bigger wheels on any equivalent-powered BMW to level the playing field and I bet any standard vehicle would handle just as good.
I love the M designed vehicles but when you break them down to a science, they're practically just standard BMW that where emphasized with some components skewed towards hard-core driving or track usage, which is overkill for most owners who only daily drive their vehicle here and there. |
If you think you can add lsd and bigger wheels to a M235i and it will be comparable to a M2 then you are mistaken.
BMW designs M cars from the ground up. They are based on their regular models but they are designed to be performance cars. They have different engines, different suspensions, different body panels and aerodynamics. All of the specifically designed components are put together to create a M car. It's not like you can buy a M235i/M240i, add on some bolt ons and you will have a M car - not quite!