BMW 230i xDrive evaluation

[MCompact]

I brought the i3 in for it's annual service and my Service Advisor set me up in a 2018 230i xDrive. The car was very well optioned, notably with the M Sport and Track Handling Packages. Those two packages essentially upgrade the trim, suspension, steering, and braking to the same level as an M240i, minus the sweet B58 inline six.

So, how did I like it? Quite a bit, actually. Since the facelift(what BMW calls LCI), the car has acquired minor but mostly welcome upgrades. Inside, the main instrument cluster is now a glass cockpit, with the added feature of being able to display oil temperature at all times. The iDrive is version 5.0 which gets you a touchscreen(meh) as well as a more sophisticated menu layout. Trim is a bit different but otherwise it's virtually the same as my M235i. This car had the base audio system, and-while I still prefer the Harmon-Kardon upgrade-it was surprisingly listenable.

LED headlamps aside, the exterior changes are very minor; unless you are a BMW geek-like me-they will mostly go unnoticed.

As for the driving experience, I was pretty happy with it overall. That said, I would not get any 2er with xDrive and I would only get a 230i with a manual. The AWD reins in the fun significantly as does the ZF 8HP automatic when bolted to the B48 inline four. I would probably like it better if I had never owned/driven a M235i; A 14 second quarter is just adequate these days, but it's tolerable. As noted, the xDrive doesn't allow any power oversteer antics, which is a major negative for me(the only AWD BMW car that I think I could live with would be the F90 M5, which allows the driver to select a RWD mode). As for fuel economy, the 230i averaged around 26 mpg- not much better-if any-than my M235i
If I was buying a 230i I'd option up a RWD model with three pedals, throw in the M Sport and Track Handling Packages, and delete the sunroof. The downside is it's only about $4,000 less than a similarly equipped M250i. I know which one I'd pick.

In case you are wondering, here's how I'd rate the various RWD 2 Series permutations(and yes, I've driven all of them):

1. M2 manual
2. M240i automatic
3. M2 DCT
4. 230i manual
5. M240i manual
6. 230i automatic

Out of all the above cars, an M2 manual is the only car I'd prefer to my M235i automatic(which I bought as a 2 year old CPO for a very good price).

 

[Eddie]

That I6 is a sweet engine. Ed

 

[mightymousetech]

Originally Posted By: Eddie
That I6 is a sweet engine. Ed


It's not an I6, at least in the 230.

The engine in the 240i is a better, newer engine than the M2. I would take the 240i over the M2. At least BMW has finally listened and put a better motor in the M2 and will be calling the 2019 version the M2 Competition. They finally put a real M motor in it, a slightly detuned version of the S55 from the M3/M4.

http://driving.ca/bmw/2-series/auto-show...shes-out-405-hp

https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/fu...photos-release/

The price on current M2s is going to plummet.

 

[Carmudgeon]

Originally Posted By: MCompact

1. M2 manual
2. M240i automatic
3. M2 DCT
4. 230i manual
5. M240i manual
6. 230i automatic

Out of all the above cars, an M2 manual is the only car I'd prefer to my M235i automatic(which I bought as a 2 year old CPO for a very good price).


Curious as to why you rate the two manuals #4 and #5, below #2 auto?

I've driven an M240ix (with M Perf goodies) and 230i auto. (I've also driven a 435i M Perf, and in both cases, the ride was surprisingly supple, considering the oversize wheels. I think the F chassis pays dividends at least in that respect.)

The 230 was fine, and had more than adequate performance for most people, but the motor felt competent but soulless, which again, is probably fine for most people. The 240 sounded better, and had a lot more in reserve, but again, was more competent than exciting. Perhaps I'm just not into the experience that modern turbocharged engines, their plateau-flat torque curves and electronically-controlled throttles provide.

The rear timing case on the Bxx engines scare me, but I buy cars to own and keep, not lease and dump after a few years.

I have yet to try an M2, but if the new Competition model depresses the values of the N55 models, I'm all for it.

For me, the '18 LCI with the old motor is the sweet spot. The $4400 bump for 40bhp and some nicer seats (+ some extra lbs) eliminates whatever value proposition the M2 had in my book, which for the 2 series was already tenuous to begin with. The previous gap between an optioned M235/240i and well-equipped standard M2 made the latter a much better prospect, but now that it has been widened, neither are as compelling.

I know the "real M engine" folks will get their panties in a bunch, but the reason the E36 M3 was so successful was because it was a good value, made possible by the S5xUS.

Now that the M2C has received the S55, the price has encroached into Cayman territory, and in many respects, it wouldn't be hard have second thoughts, even for a stripper 718. No manner of upgrades will turn a 218 into a mid-engined sports car.

 

[MCompact]

Originally Posted By: Carmudgeon

Curious as to why you rate the two manuals #4 and #5, below #2 auto?



I have always driven manual Bimmers prior to the M235i, but the manuals in the M240i and 230i don't feel as smooth or as precise as-for example-the close-ratio five speed in my Club Sport. In the case of the M235i/M240i I really prefer the automatic because it works so well in that application. It's relatively fast on the track yet it returns good fuel economy on the street. I'm an HPDE instructor and when I took my M235i to my home track(Putnam Park) the transmission shifted at the points I would have selected 99% of the time(in Sport+ mode for the car and Sport for the transmission). Anyway, I have the Club Sport to practice heel-toe and other techniques- and with @150 hp I can beat on it like a red-headed stepchild with no fear of attracting the attention of law enforcement.

 

[Carmudgeon]

Even if the market didn't already overwhelmingly prefer automatics, something as good as the ZF 8HP is helping drive the nails further into the coffin of manuals.

As a traditionalist, I might have expected that the new M5 would elicit complaints about going to AWD with a slushbox and not a DCT. But it hasn't turned out that way at all. The consensus is that it's just plain good.

 

[gofast182]

I simply can't place a manual with the I6 in any BMW anymore. The B58/S55 provide such fast acceleration and effectively give you "less time" to shift. Recently I drove a friend's M2 with a manual (super nice car) but the shifter had surprisingly long throws which I see it making the "time" problem worse. And while I haven't driven BMW's DCT, the ZF 8HP is so good, so capable that I can't see any downside considering it can manage the power better and faster than I can as the car covers ground and speeds rise so rapidly.