Rein-car-nation: 2014 BMW M235i vs. 2001 BMW M3

Posted by hpayne on September 6, 2014

Do you believe in reincarnation?

Last month my favorite, 2001 BMW M3 reappeared in my driveway calling itself an M235i. I nearly called Shirley MacClaine’s agent. What does she know about rein-car-nation? Pun intended.

BMW enthusiasts have been griping in recent years that the celebrated M3 (now called an M4, I’ll explain) has gotten, well, fat. Not Marlon Brando fat. Barry Bonds fat. Muscle-bound. Loaded up on steroids. Look close at those headlamps . . . do I detect a hint of yellow? It’s a fighter jets on wheels. But a long way from the nimble, tossable E36 and E46 M3s that defined performance luxury at the turn of the century.

BMW didn’t reach the pinnacle of performance luxury by sticking cotton in its ears, of course. It’s heard the grumblings. So it added the M235i to the menu. It’s one tasty heisse-wurst.

We interrupt this review for a brief word on nomenclature. The 2-series is the latest update of the Bavarian automaker’s new, even-odd, sedan-coupe nomenclature. Odd numbers are sedans, even numbers coupes. So the once 3-series is now exclusively four-doors, and the two-doors are segregated as 4-series. Thus the M4 – formerly the M3.

Got it? Good.

So when the Bavarian automaker introduced the 2-series to the U.S. this year, the M-badged M235i would seem to be the logical next step of an M performance vehicle. Except it’s not. The M235i is a tweener. A stepping stone. A product of BMW’s separate M performance division, but without the total, full-moon transformation from base coupe into a howling M2 werewolf.

“It’s the first type of this M package that we’ve introduced,” explains BMW spokesman Dave Buchko. “It’s not a full blown M.”

A full-blown M, you see, would get lighter suspension components bolted directly to sub-frame, aluminum-center hubs, carbon fiber body panels, carbon fiber driveshaft, heat-seeking missiles (just kidding). The works.

Though BMW is mum, the M2 is coming, rest assured. Complete with $10,000 premium. In the meantime, however, enthusiasts get a cheaper M235i with suspension, brake, and steering upgrades – that make your hairs stand on end. Just like the M3 of old.

How alike? Consider:

– The 2001 M3 featured a 3.2-liter straight-6 cylinder with 333 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque. The 2014 M235i? 3.0-liter straight-6 turbo with 320 horsepower, 330 pound-feet.

– Where the 2015 M4 has expanded to 184.5 inches long and 73.6 inches wide, its older, 2001 sibling is eight inches shorter and just 70.1 inches wide. Ditto the M235i (174.5 inches wide, 69.8 across).

– 0-60 seconds? Both trip the wire at 4.8 seconds.

– Both feature stability control, 18-inch rims, battery in the trunk.

– Price? The base M3 cost $46,045 in 2001. The base M235i stickers for $43,100.

But that similarity is actually the most striking dissimilarity. Get out your inflation adjust-o-meter and the old M3 would set you back $61,076 in today’s dollars (at $63k the new M4 is not far off). So for nearly 20 grand less, you get the M3 reborn as an M235i.

And more.

The M235i’s turbo packs 25 percent more torque and 40 percent better fuel economy. This six is a caged bull. Kick the stirrups and hold tight the reins. The twin-scroll turbo delivers peak torque at just 1300 RPM.

I admit nostalgia for the manual, non-turbo, high-revving, 106-horsepower-per-liter six of old (Pop Quiz: In 2001 what other normally-aspirated engines were in the 100-ponies per liter club?*). Its glorious, raspy exhaust note at 8000 RPM crescendo should have a Grammy. But you have to rev high to go fast. Not the turbo.

Never mind those 0-60 numbers. In my fender-to-fender stoplight tests, the M235i trampled the M3 every time (I tested against both the 2001 coupe and the heavier convertible, which clocks 0-60 in 5.1 seconds). Credit the M235i’s dynamic duo of turbo and lightning-fast, paddle-shifted, 8-speed, automatic transmission.

Fun, of course, returns lousy fuel economy — your scribe’s daily, lead-footed antics returned (ahem) 13 mpg. More sensible driving will get you EPA-rated 25 mpg (and fewer traffic tickets), an improvement over the old nail’s 17 mpg.

Chassis and suspension advances also allow the new, nimbler Bimmer to achieve .97 skid pad g-loads compared to the M3’s .87. This despite the M235i’s extra 100 pounds over the 3,415-pound M3 (though less than the porky 3,835-lb. convertible) – courtesy of a decade’s blizzard of safety regulations. Metal forming has advanced as well, however, and the new M is more gorgeous than ever. The hips are sleeker, the lower front air nostrils more menacing, the headlights more alluring.

I’ll have to look into this reincarnation stuff. Maybe I’ll come back as Helio Castroneves.

*Answer: The Honda S200 and Ferrari 360 Modena

2014 BMW M235i

Vehicle type: Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, four-passenger sports coupe
Price: $44,025 base ($46,575 as tested)
Power plant: 3.0-liter turbocharged 6-cylinder
Power: 320 horsepower, 330 pound-feet of torque
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic with paddle-shifters
Performance: 0-60 mph, 4.8 seconds (manufacturer)
Weight: 3,535 pounds
Fuel economy: EPA 22 mpg city/32 mpg highway/25 mpg combined
Highs: Aggressive styling; white-knuckle acceleration
Lows: Ticket magnet
Overall:★★★★
Excellent ★★★★
Good ★★★
Fair ★★
Poor ★

2001 BMW M3

Vehicle type: Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, four-passenger sports coupe
Price: $46,045 base ($52,995 coupe as tested)
Power plant: 3.2-liter dual-overhead cam 6-cylinder
Power: 333 horsepower, 262 pound-feet of torque
Transmission: Six-speed manual
Performance: 0-60 mph, 4.8 seconds (manufacturer)
Weight: 3,415 pounds (coupe); 3,838 pounds (convertible)
Fuel economy: EPA 15 mpg city/22 mpg highway/17 mpg combined (revised from 2001 figures: 16 mpg city/24 mpg highway/19 mpg combined)
Highs: Sticks like glue; 8,000 RPM symphony of sound
Lows: Ticket magnet
Overall:★★★★

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