Motor Trend Rips the 2er...

[DSSG]

Check out the latest issue of MT. The Two was a candidate for Car of the Year which the VW won. What was the problem? While MT liked the engine and suspension, they didn't like the car's high price and cost of options. They pointed out that other cheaper makes throw this stuff in with the base price.

Anyway, on to more important things. My car is now in to the dealer to have the Vanos bolts replaced and some other issues.

BMW gave me a free loaner, an X4 28i. I have given it a nick name which will tell you my feeling about this thing, The Floaty Boaty! It has gobs of rather useless electronics. The engine shuts when stopped and then resumes with a clunk! The comfort access saves a push of a button when getting in, but you still have to push a button to lock it. It has the IDrive or rotary gizmo which seems equally useless to accomplish very little. I was lucky to find a good radio station with all of this rubbish.

The engine did have a bit of zip, and it was enough to push this hulking monster around. At times, I felt embarrassed driving it. It is certainly an ugly looking beast, and I wonder exactly what marketing niche it is targeted at?

[Kgolf31]

Originally Posted by DSSG

Check out the latest issue of MT. The Two was a candidate for Car of the Year which the VW won. What was the problem? While MT liked the engine and suspension, they didn't like the car's high price and cost of options. They pointed out that other cheaper makes throw this stuff in with the base price.

Anyway, on to more important things. My car is now in to the dealer to have the Vanos bolts replaced and some other issues.

BMW gave me a free loaner, an X4 28i. I have given it a nick name which will tell you my feeling about this thing, The Floaty Boaty! It has gobs of rather useless electronics. The engine shuts when stopped and then resumes with a clunk! The comfort access saves a push of a button when getting in, but you still have to push a button to lock it. It has the IDrive or rotary gizmo which seems equally useless to accomplish very little. I was lucky to find a good radio station with all of this rubbish.

The engine did have a bit of zip, and it was enough to push this hulking monster around. At times, I felt embarrassed driving it. It is certainly an ugly looking beast, and I wonder exactly what marketing niche it is targeted at?

I'd try not to bash on the new Gen cars when you actually don't know how to properly lock the car without touching the remote.

[Overpar56]

If I recall things like Bluetooth was optional on the 1er too.

The 2er is just an evolution of the 1er. Either you like it or dislike it. I'm not a fan but the 1st time I saw a 1, I thought it was funny looking. It may grow on me. Maybe the M2 will be a better 2.

The new Audi S3 or even the VW Golf R would be cheaper than a M235i and offer more features.

[Suprgnat]

MT "rips the two"? I have but three observations:
1. Are you Ricky Bobby? "If you're not first, you're last!"
2. Renault Alliance, MT Car of the Year.
3. Renault Alliance, MT Car of the Year.

Originally Posted by DSSG

Check out the latest issue of MT. The Two was a candidate for Car of the Year which the VW won. What was the problem? While MT liked the engine and suspension, they didn't like the car's high price and cost of options. They pointed out that other cheaper makes throw this stuff in with the base price.

Anyway, on to more important things. My car is now in to the dealer to have the Vanos bolts replaced and some other issues.

BMW gave me a free loaner, an X4 28i. I have given it a nick name which will tell you my feeling about this thing, The Floaty Boaty! It has gobs of rather useless electronics. The engine shuts when stopped and then resumes with a clunk! The comfort access saves a push of a button when getting in, but you still have to push a button to lock it. It has the IDrive or rotary gizmo which seems equally useless to accomplish very little. I was lucky to find a good radio station with all of this rubbish.

The engine did have a bit of zip, and it was enough to push this hulking monster around. At times, I felt embarrassed driving it. It is certainly an ugly looking beast, and I wonder exactly what marketing niche it is targeted at?

[3002 tii]

Originally Posted by DSSG

BMW gave me a free loaner, an X4 28i. I have given it a nick name which will tell you my feeling about this thing, The Floaty Boaty! It has gobs of rather useless electronics. The engine shuts when stopped and then resumes with a clunk!

You can easily disable this feature, and it's becoming more and more common on other lower displacement vehicles.

Originally Posted by DSSG

At times, I felt embarrassed driving it. It is certainly an ugly looking beast, and I wonder exactly what marketing niche it is targeted at?

Marketing? That's easy, anyone who likes the X6 but doesn't need the size or wants something cheaper. I wouldn't be surprised if the X4 sells better than the E82/88. There's been over 30,000 X6 sold just in the US since 08.

[Cope]

I'm not a big fan of the X4, I think it looks ridiculous... but the two problems you mentioned are both easily remedied. Pretty sure autolocking on drive off can be turned on quickly in the menus and autostart/stop can be deactivated with the push of a button.

[DSSG]

Originally Posted by Kgolf31

I'd try not to bash on the new Gen cars when you actually don't know how to properly lock the car without touching the remote.

Get serious. What should I do? Say some magic words or kick the door with my foot?

New Generation Cars? Was this monstrosity designed for your age group?

[Kgolf31]

Originally Posted by DSSG

Get serious. What should I do? Say some magic words or kick the door with my foot?

New Generation Cars? Was this monstrosity designed for your age group?

You put your finger on the top of the door handle where the fat piece is to lock it. stick your hand in the door handle to unlock

[135ivert]

Originally Posted by DSSG

I have given it a nick name which will tell you my feeling about this thing, The Floaty Boaty!

I find this true of most newer BMW's. I think the new 5-series is a disappointing land yacht. I wanted to like the 3-GT but thought it's suspension & steering were terrible.

[BEAR-AvHistory]

Originally Posted by DSSG

It is certainly an ugly looking beast, and I wonder exactly what marketing niche it is targeted at?

Funny but a lot of people say that about the 1'er. It happens every time a new model comes out, some people with the old model can't deal with it & go into attack mode.

[DSSG]

Originally Posted by Kgolf31

You put your finger on the top of the door handle where the fat piece is to lock it. stick your hand in the door handle to unlock

How ridiculous! This is technological progress?

BTW, it is a loaner, and BMW didn't provide me with an owner's manual.

Incidentally I enabled daytime running lights, but they don't work unless I push a little bar below the light switch.

I see all of this stuff as overly complicated, and it doesn't add anything to my driving enjoyment or experience.

I'll be happy to return this heap back to BMW!

[BEAR-AvHistory]

Originally Posted by DSSG

This is technological progress?:

Its not progress just a continuation of exactly how the door locks work on the 1.

[Diver]

After Consumer Reports said theM235i was better than a Stingray or a Porsche it became fair game for all automotive journalists. Frankly, the 135i did not get great reviews, probably because the body lean in the pre 2012 cars. Jeremy Clarkson liked it, though. Do you drive the car or the reviews?

[mr.fabulous]

Very new to my 1, no experience with a 2. But I will echo the sentiment of the post that starts this thread... BMW lost me as a customer years ago as the cars got bigger and more bloated and more gadget-ed. Were it not for the emergence of the E82, I would have moved on.

[IEDEI]

Originally Posted by BEAR-AvHistory

Funny but a lot of people say that about the 1'er. It happens every time a new model comes out, some people with the old model can't deal with it & go into attack mode.

have you driven a 2er? or are you just estimating your repetitive judgmental opinion without even listening to WHY people don't like the 2er.

you're not better than the rest of us just because you are buying into the marketing....

[potxoli]

Originally Posted by Diver

Frankly, the 135i did not get great reviews, probably because the body lean in the pre 2012 cars.

Hi,

I did not realize there were suspension changes with 2012 model year. Do you know exactly what changed compared to a 2011 or earlier?

Thanks!

[ultimated]

My dealer sticks the owner's manual of the loaners in the trunk, under the carpet, check there.

Originally Posted by DSSG

How ridiculous! This is technological progress?

BTW, it is a loaner, and BMW didn't provide me with an owner's manual.

Incidentally I enabled daytime running lights, but they don't work unless I push a little bar below the light switch.

I see all of this stuff as overly complicated, and it doesn't add anything to my driving enjoyment or experience.

I'll be happy to return this heap back to BMW!

[RoundelM3]

Much ado about nothing...magazine "opinions" are like navels - everybody has one, and most of us would rather not see them.

[GerryL]

Originally Posted by potxoli

Hi,

I did not realize there were suspension changes with 2012 model year. Do you know exactly what changed compared to a 2011 or earlier?

Thanks!

I think hes referring to the sport suspension becoming standard on the 135i, no longer needed the sport package to get it. Did that possibly happen in 2011?

[edisapimp]

Originally Posted by Kgolf31

I'd try not to bash on the new Gen cars when you actually don't know how to properly lock the car without touching the remote.

This..

And nice thread title, doofis.

[fcman]

Originally Posted by GerryL

I think hes referring to the sport suspension becoming standard on the 135i, no longer needed the sport package to get it. Did that possibly happen in 2011?

In 2011 they switched to stiffer, linear springs.

[Overpar56]

Yeah, MT sucks.

Car and Driver, Automobile, and others liked it. I think MT dinged it for high price and option costs. They have a point there, but BMWs were never cheap to begin with. The 4 year warranty/maintenance doesn't come cheap so they build in the cost to the base. Being a BMW, something is bound to fail in 4 years.

And service loaners are rarely loaded. i should know, I had at least 6 or 7 of them the past year. One lucky devil may get a 6 series, but normally it's for the guy that comes in with the 7-series and he's in a suit and tie. Me? Torn jeans and a Mazda T-Shirt.