BMW 230i

[BMWTurboDzl]

A quick review.

An true heir to older 3-seriee models. Dimensionally it sits right between the E46 and E92. Not only does the I4 make more power and torque compared to both the E46 330 and E92 328 it has less weight over the front axle which itself improves balance and handling. The weight penalty over the e92 328 is 150lbs which is nothing really.

Excellent driving dynamics and the M-sport brakes provide great stopping power.

Technology. No doubt it's packed full of features. HUD can be adjusted or turned off completely.
The 4k screen provides great resolution and the iDrive (ver8) isn't slow to respond to inputs.
I much prefer the horizonal layout of the screen rather than vertical placement in the center console that some automakers have opted to go.
Plenty of power.


The Meh,

Decades of BMW DNA have been stripped from the interior by the wide screen. It's saddening.
I don't like the fact that BMW did away with the home screen from previous version of I drive.
I don't like the layout of the gauges.
I don't like the fact that the display is a touchscreen. Yes there's still a knob with hot buttons which you can use but people will intuitively use the screen.
Comfort Mode has tuned the ZF8HP to upshift rather quickly in order to take advantage of the 295 lbs-ft of torque but I think it should hold gear a little longer and downshift a little sooner.
Some turbo lag with moderate tip in on the throttle. It is a 4cyl after all.

Verdict,

While the vehicle isn't technically a slow car I think it would fall into the category of slow cars which people like to drive fast. I think it would be a lot of fun on the track.

 

[Bailes1992]

There's a 220i by me in purple with cream leather. Looks lovely!

I really hope they come out with a gran coupe one of these. I can't manage with a 3 door.

 

[wings&wheels]

Thanks for the write up. Funny, for such a car nut I do not follow new cars since, outside of a very few, most do not appeal to me, but I like this. I also agree w/ your 'meh's'. Needs a 6 speed as do most BMW's...

 

[mosaud1998]

A quick review.

An true heir to older 3-seriee models. Dimensionally it sits right between the E46 and E92. Not only does the I4 make more power and torque compared to both the E46 330 and E92 328 it has less weight over the front axle which itself improves balance and handling. The weight penalty over the e92 328 is 150lbs which is nothing really.

Excellent driving dynamics and the M-sport brakes provide great stopping power.

Technology. No doubt it's packed full of features. HUD can be adjusted or turned off completely.
The 4k screen provides great resolution and the iDrive (ver8) isn't slow to respond to inputs.
I much prefer the horizonal layout of the screen rather than vertical placement in the center console that some automakers have opted to go.
Plenty of power.


The Meh,

Decades of BMW DNA have been stripped from the interior by the wide screen. It's saddening.
I don't like the fact that BMW did away with the home screen from previous version of I drive.
I don't like the layout of the gauges.
I don't like the fact that the display is a touchscreen. Yes there's still a knob with hot buttons which you can use but people will intuitively use the screen.
Comfort Mode has tuned the ZF8HP to upshift rather quickly in order to take advantage of the 295 lbs-ft of torque but I think it should hold gear a little longer and downshift a little sooner.
Some turbo lag with moderate tip in on the throttle. It is a 4cyl after all.

Verdict,

While the vehicle isn't technically a slow car I think it would fall into the category of slow cars which people like to drive fast. I think it would be a lot of fun on the track.


View attachment 134693

That things ugly. I think BMW lost there footing after the late 2000s.

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

That things ugly. I think BMW lost there footing after the late 2000s.

In person it looks pretty good. The power dome is a nice nod to M3's of the past.

Darker colors such as this is sapphire black really mute some of the more edgy lines. At least it has a shark nose albeit small one.

 

[Dr_Dr3i]

Is this a loaner or did you buy?

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

Is this a loaner or did you buy?

Lease.

 

[wemay]

I don't find it ugly at all. I think the 2-series a sharp looker.

 

[MCompact]

The new 2er is definitely a nice car; it’s one of the very few remaining BMWs that look and drive like the BMW cars Munich built its reputation on.

 

[Dr_Dr3i]

Lease.

Smart man. Enjoy!

I think the 2er will win you over such that your "Meh..." feelings will be short-lived.

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

UPDATE:

Just ticked over 3k miles and I figured I'd provide an update being that warm weather has hit us.
Some observations:
- It's incredibly easy to speed in this thing. I find myself hitting 90 mph like it's nothing and doing less than that feels so so slow.
- The A/C is really good at cooling down the interior but there's this annoying feature where the system will push warmer air out of the center vents while keeping the outer vents cold. I don't know if it's trying to maintain the set temp or if it's trying to keep the evap coil from freezing. I have to mess around with it in manual mode. It drives my wife nuts.
- Buffeting seen at the center rear section of the hood at high speeds. I've never seen this on other cars but I'm assuming it's because this section of the hood is almost perfectly flat from front-back.
- OTA updates. BMW has pushed out two updates since acquisition and it'll reset some features (ex, Remote Start) to the default "OFF" status.
- Perfect size. Although we're one door ding in the car is extremely easy to park and avoid obstacles on urban streets. No problem avoiding potholes of protruding manhole covers. Easy to parallel park. Reminds me so much of my ZHP E46.
- PDC (Parking Distance Control) is a nice feature. I've never optioned on my cars for cost reasons.

-I still despise the dashboard w/huge touchscreen.

 

[drtyler]

UPDATE:

Just ticked over 3k miles and I figured I'd provide an update being that warm weather has hit us.
Some observations:
- It's incredibly easy to speed in this thing. I find myself hitting 90 mph like it's nothing and doing less than that feels so so slow.
- The A/C is really good at cooling down the interior but there's this annoying feature where the system will push warmer air out of the center vents while keeping the outer vents cold. I don't know if it's trying to maintain the set temp or if it's trying to keep the evap coil from freezing. I have to mess around with it in manual mode. It drives my wife nuts.
- Buffeting seen at the center rear section of the hood at high speeds. I've never seen this on other cars but I'm assuming it's because this section of the hood is almost perfectly flat from front-back.
- OTA updates. BMW has pushed out two updates since acquisition and it'll reset some features (ex, Remote Start) to the default "OFF" status.
- Perfect size. Although we're one door ding in the car is extremely easy to park and avoid obstacles on urban streets. No problem avoiding potholes of protruding manhole covers. Easy to parallel park. Reminds me so much of my ZHP E46.
- PDC (Parking Distance Control) is a nice feature. I've never optioned on my cars for cost reasons.

-I still despise the dashboard w/huge touchscreen.

With regards to the AC vents - did BMW do away with the center vent temp control (not sure how else to describe it)? I'm sure you know what I'm talking about.

Is it quieter than the older BMW's that you've driven/owned? Wondering if that is why its easier to speed.

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

With regards to the AC vents - did BMW do away with the center vent temp control (not sure how else to describe it)? I'm sure you know what I'm talking about.

Is it quieter than the older BMW's that you've driven/owned? Wondering if that is why its easier to speed.

Yes it's gone. I haven't noticed whether or not they buried it under the climate menu but I don't remember see it.

Hard for me to say if it's quieter because I have the M-Performance exhaust on my 4 series but it's similar to my 335d. I think it's the rather flat hood which is responsible for the perception of going slow. It reminds me of the days when I drove a Jeep and a Chevy pickup.

 

[MCompact]

The M240i made it to my final three; my primary complaint was the digital dash display; not only is it unattractive but BMW decided to remove several physical switches and bury them in submenus. In the end I found it to be too similar to my F22 M235i; that’s not a knock on the M240i, I just wanted something different.

 

[tvaughn]

With regards to the AC vents - did BMW do away with the center vent temp control (not sure how else to describe it)? I'm sure you know what I'm talking about.

Is it quieter than the older BMW's that you've driven/owned? Wondering if that is why its easier to speed.

They are still there, within a setting in iDrive- quite annoying because it defaults to the "middle" so you don't get as cold air blowing out of the vents. I can only imagine how many BMW drivers wonder why their AC isn't colder.

 

[edyvw]

VW is dropping digital buttons on steering wheel and AC is going back to physical buttons.
They did study and overwhelmingly people complained about touchscreen etc.
Eventually there will be balance between touchscreen and physical buttons.

 

[97prizm]

A quick review.

An true heir to older 3-seriee models. Dimensionally it sits right between the E46 and E92. Not only does the I4 make more power and torque compared to both the E46 330 and E92 328 it has less weight over the front axle which itself improves balance and handling. The weight penalty over the e92 328 is 150lbs which is nothing really.

Excellent driving dynamics and the M-sport brakes provide great stopping power.

Technology. No doubt it's packed full of features. HUD can be adjusted or turned off completely.
The 4k screen provides great resolution and the iDrive (ver8) isn't slow to respond to inputs.
I much prefer the horizonal layout of the screen rather than vertical placement in the center console that some automakers have opted to go.
Plenty of power.


The Meh,

Decades of BMW DNA have been stripped from the interior by the wide screen. It's saddening.
I don't like the fact that BMW did away with the home screen from previous version of I drive.
I don't like the layout of the gauges.
I don't like the fact that the display is a touchscreen. Yes there's still a knob with hot buttons which you can use but people will intuitively use the screen.
Comfort Mode has tuned the ZF8HP to upshift rather quickly in order to take advantage of the 295 lbs-ft of torque but I think it should hold gear a little longer and downshift a little sooner.
Some turbo lag with moderate tip in on the throttle. It is a 4cyl after all.

Verdict,

While the vehicle isn't technically a slow car I think it would fall into the category of slow cars which people like to drive fast. I think it would be a lot of fun on the track.


View attachment 134693

And like usual the bmw crowd must be getting old. No manual transmission option and the morons at BMW got rid of the dct. Supposedly the ZF 8-speed shifts just as fast as the previous dct. I really doubt that. One of the heads of product development mentioned that the customer base wanted smoother performance. The dct got rid of the low speed lurching and some clunkines of the smg transmission.

 

[tvaughn]

And like usual the bmw crowd must be getting old. No manual transmission option and the morons at BMW got rid of the dct. Supposedly the ZF 8-speed shifts just as fast as the previous dct. I really doubt that. One of the heads of product development mentioned that the customer base wanted smoother performance. The dct got rid of the low speed lurching and some clunkines of the smg transmission.

I prefer manual but did find DCT in the city a bit annoying, I pounded on the new M3 Comp with the ZF at BMW Performance Driving School and the Autobahn (Germany) and felt it did a fine job- not Porsche PDK but still quick. At least you can still get the manual in the M2/M3/M4.

 

[edyvw]

And like usual the bmw crowd must be getting old. No manual transmission option and the morons at BMW got rid of the dct. Supposedly the ZF 8-speed shifts just as fast as the previous dct. I really doubt that. One of the heads of product development mentioned that the customer base wanted smoother performance. The dct got rid of the low speed lurching and some clunkines of the smg transmission.

It is as fast. ZF8 is an absolute gem of transmission. No transmission comes close to ZF8.
They are still offering manuals in some models. There could be changes; a manual sale is like 700% up compared to last year. It is cool again to have a manual.

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

And like usual the bmw crowd must be getting old. No manual transmission option and the morons at BMW got rid of the dct. Supposedly the ZF 8-speed shifts just as fast as the previous dct. I really doubt that. One of the heads of product development mentioned that the customer base wanted smoother performance. The dct got rid of the low speed lurching and some clunkines of the smg transmission.

DCT was still kinda lurchy in city traffic in any case manuals disappeared because the take rate over the last two decades had been steadily dropping. If people aren't buying manuals then there's no reason to spend the money getting a manual certified for sale.

The ZF 8HP is really good and is more the sufficient for 99% of the owners. People seem to think that transmission engineering is frozen in time.