M3 to new M235 (hear me out before you judge)

[W///]

Originally Posted by Z K

I went to the dealer this past weekend to take a look at the M235i.

They had a M235i in stock that was loaded in white with 6 speed manual. MSRP was $52k as equipped. The car looks pretty good with this combo! I took the car out for a test drive.

You can definitely feel the car is smaller. It feels more nimble than the M3. Power is not as much as the M3 but it feels very quick. The engine has a good sound and plenty of grunt. The steering feels good... not as good as say a Porsche Cayman but it feels tight and precise. The shifter feels very good! It clicks into gear easily and has a more precise feel than the M3's manual shifter. Also the clutch pedal is stiffer and has more feel. It was easy to click through gears and shift fast - something that is not as easy to do in the M3. Toe-heel downshifts are also easy to do.

Overall I was pretty impressed. I asked the salesperson if the car came with an LSD... he said he didn't know.

If I ordered one, I'd get it without all the options. I don't feel like there is need for the "driver assist" package which includes blind spot monitoring and lane assist. No need for technology/nav package... smartphones all have nav now anyway. I just need the big brakes, LSD and the HID headlights.

Would I trade the M3 for one? No.. I wouldn't. But that doesn't mean I wouldn't trade for an M2 model!

I need to go test drive one. Local dealer has an Estoril 8AT sitting at the dealership.

Regardless of whether I test drive one or not, I wouldn't give me M3 up for an M235i. But for an M2, that's another story. I'd like to think that I could add an M2 and keep an M3 in a few years haha.

These 2ers look so much better IRL