I'm in the market for an M235i, but before pulling the trigger I thought I would look at an M4, and also a Cayman. I realize that the M4 and Cayman are a fair bit more expensive, but I wanted to see what the extra money gets for you. Here are some thoughts.
(1) Porsche Cayman
Firstly, I should say that the car I drove wasn't the ideal spec for me. It was a PDK to start off with, and to add insult to injury, it had steering wheel buttons instead of paddles. Those things are an ergonomic disaster. The car also had the Sports Exhaust, and I'm not into cars so loud, so that further tainted the experience. We didn't star toff on the right foot.
Despite all that, it was clearly a great car to drive. I used to own a 987 Boxster, and the Cayman felt a fair bit ahead of that car in terms of performance and chassis. Very pure, very focused, and the steering and chassis are clearly something special. It may have EPS, but I would never have noticed. This car felt great even at modest speeds.
Unfortunately I didn't have much of a run in the car, and my salesman really didn't seem that keen. He also did the usual trick of trying to get me to order a car on the spot. Lastly, Porsche's base spec and option prices are a real joke.
(2) BMW M235i
Another car with not the ideal spec for me as it was an 8-speed auto with xDrive. Saying that, it had paddles and I could easily upshift and downshift. BMW also do the gear change direction the correct way round - pushing away to change down and pulling towards you to change up. Most manufacturers do it the opposite way, including Porsche, who interestingly reverse for the GT3 ...
What struck me right away was the smoothness and tractability of the engine. I've owned an N55 engined car before, but this felt smoother and more tractable than I remember. I'm coming from an N20 so that was quite a contrast. The upcoming B58 engine is going to have to be quite something to improve on the N55. The chassis is sharp by normal standards but it did feel soft after the Cayman. On the other hand, it strikes a great compromise between handling and ride comfort for a daily driver. I could see this car being a great grand tourer, and it feels like a true successor to 3-series of old (E46 and before).
(4) BMW M4
I expected this to feel like a sharper version of an M235i, but I was surprised and impressed by how different it felt. To start off with, again, it wasn't a 6-MT, it was a 7-DCT. The 8-AT in the M235i is impressive in the speed of changes, but the 7-DCT felt instantaneous.
It was the noise and performance that struck me. The S55 makes very metallic sounds, very unlike the N55. I actually preferred the sound of the N55. In terms of power, it's definitely making a fair bit more than 425 bhp. The car felt noticeably traction limited. It doesn't take much to get the traction control light flashing on. The car is an absolute blast to drive, but truthfully it felt like it had too much power and torque for the chassis. The whole car felt very raw.
Thoughts:
I came away feeling that the M235i is actually great value for money, and it's also a great size. The M4 is now just too big, and the Cayman forces you to make too many compromises. The M235i seems to be one of those cars that hits the sweet spot and it's arguably one of the best cars BMW have made in recent years. Looking forward to getting mine all the more now.
(1) Porsche Cayman
Firstly, I should say that the car I drove wasn't the ideal spec for me. It was a PDK to start off with, and to add insult to injury, it had steering wheel buttons instead of paddles. Those things are an ergonomic disaster. The car also had the Sports Exhaust, and I'm not into cars so loud, so that further tainted the experience. We didn't star toff on the right foot.
Despite all that, it was clearly a great car to drive. I used to own a 987 Boxster, and the Cayman felt a fair bit ahead of that car in terms of performance and chassis. Very pure, very focused, and the steering and chassis are clearly something special. It may have EPS, but I would never have noticed. This car felt great even at modest speeds.
Unfortunately I didn't have much of a run in the car, and my salesman really didn't seem that keen. He also did the usual trick of trying to get me to order a car on the spot. Lastly, Porsche's base spec and option prices are a real joke.
(2) BMW M235i
Another car with not the ideal spec for me as it was an 8-speed auto with xDrive. Saying that, it had paddles and I could easily upshift and downshift. BMW also do the gear change direction the correct way round - pushing away to change down and pulling towards you to change up. Most manufacturers do it the opposite way, including Porsche, who interestingly reverse for the GT3 ...
What struck me right away was the smoothness and tractability of the engine. I've owned an N55 engined car before, but this felt smoother and more tractable than I remember. I'm coming from an N20 so that was quite a contrast. The upcoming B58 engine is going to have to be quite something to improve on the N55. The chassis is sharp by normal standards but it did feel soft after the Cayman. On the other hand, it strikes a great compromise between handling and ride comfort for a daily driver. I could see this car being a great grand tourer, and it feels like a true successor to 3-series of old (E46 and before).
(4) BMW M4
I expected this to feel like a sharper version of an M235i, but I was surprised and impressed by how different it felt. To start off with, again, it wasn't a 6-MT, it was a 7-DCT. The 8-AT in the M235i is impressive in the speed of changes, but the 7-DCT felt instantaneous.
It was the noise and performance that struck me. The S55 makes very metallic sounds, very unlike the N55. I actually preferred the sound of the N55. In terms of power, it's definitely making a fair bit more than 425 bhp. The car felt noticeably traction limited. It doesn't take much to get the traction control light flashing on. The car is an absolute blast to drive, but truthfully it felt like it had too much power and torque for the chassis. The whole car felt very raw.
Thoughts:
I came away feeling that the M235i is actually great value for money, and it's also a great size. The M4 is now just too big, and the Cayman forces you to make too many compromises. The M235i seems to be one of those cars that hits the sweet spot and it's arguably one of the best cars BMW have made in recent years. Looking forward to getting mine all the more now.
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