I've heard pretty reliable rumors that we're going to get an m 235 xi convertible with a six speed manual. Anyone care to comment on what they know?
It's been a long time since I built a car on BMW's website. Can you even get a 6 speed? I stopped looking after I saw M Performance Side sill decals $290 Really? Decals?
For the M235ic? If you zoom in the interior shot it shows a 6-spd. pattern, and the detail popup when you mouseover "Manual Transmission" on the "Options" tab says 6-spd. - I didn't see any side sill decals listed? The groan-eliciting item for me was seeing that the M235's are auto-start stop, which probably indicates this most-unfortunate feature will probably (nix probably - see next post below) be working its way all through the rest of the product line - ugh. Not the end-of-the-world exactly, but I know I'd be shutting it off every single time, and find myself frustrated when forgetting to shut it off, and if shutting it off easily wasn't an option, could well find that a deal-breaker, that is if I were ever in the market for a new bimmer w/ that. Car & Driver did a long-term test of a turbo 4-cyl. X1; if other BMW engines are to have auto start/stop, it can only be hoped the end-result doesn't turn out as bad as they found it: "But no feature was so loathed as the stop-start system. On restarts, the engine sends an uncouth jolt through the X1’s structure. At long lights, it sometimes refired while the car was still stationary, and the driver felt a sudden tug against the brake pedal." If BMW deems it worthy to make it easily de-activated with a dash-button, I fail to see why they wouldn't allow drivers to program whether they want to feature on or off all the time. I know I'd be a bit non-plussed, to say the least, if auto start/stop (hmm... A.S.S.?) suddenly fired up and caught me off-guard vis-a-vis enough brake application and lurched me forward into the back of the vehicle ahead of me in a close-quarters traffic situation, creating an unforced error of an accident, for which I'd be at fault, with both a ticket, insurance issues, and undoubtedly the ire of whoever was in the vehicle ahead. Nifty prospect, indeed. What were you saying about decals...?
Damn - a quick look at the models, and almost ALL have a.s.s. - looks like you have to get one of the Alpinas, the 760li, Z435i, X1 w/ the N55, or, oddly, the Z428ia to escape BMW's a.s.s. The manual-trans. Z428i is a.s.s., but the auto isn't - weird. Hopefully BMW has really got its a.s.s. figured out if they're bettin' the farm on it, 'cause for most of us with a lifetime accustomed to engines that keep running, such a quantum-difference kind of change might not be as welcomingly embraced as BMW apparently hopes. The M cars are a.s.s. too - really? SMH. Of much lesser note, many of the '15 models have brake regeneration - not quite sure what the point of that is on cars with engines and alternators - is BMW downsizing the alternators or something? Are new alternators clutched like a/c compressors so they can disengage and the pulley can freewheel? Could doing anything like that add enough mpg. to justify the expense and complexity? Hybrids and electric cars, brake regeneration makes sense - don't necessarily know what the benefit might be for a conventional-engined car, though. I'm assuming there's a logical rationale however - perhaps BMW has stepped past rationality & is just incorporating technology for technology's sake. "Brake Regeneration... yeah! Let's do that!"
Last summer the stick I was driving kept what I thought was stalling. Did I forget how to drive a stick? Didn't realize it was shutting off. Doesn't everyone buy an M5 or maybe it was an M6 for it's fuel economy? This is the decal I read.
Ah - the M235i coupe has the decals option, but the convertible doesn't, explaining why I didn't see it for the M235ic. I guess the 'vert isn't sporty enough for M side-sill decals!
Good news. The dealer can / will / has done a programming of the auto stop/start that will set the car to start up with the stop/start function set as the driver left it when the car was last switched off. They are not allowed to completely shut if off but, this programming really makes it pretty much a non-issue for those of us that don't want to regularly use auto stop/start. It was a relatively simple and quick programming change. Certainly better than nothing. .
Maybe I'm missing something, so please excuse this if it's irrelevant... My M235i coupe 6-speed manual came with the start/stop feature, and it was delivered to me at the PC with the mode switch that remembers it's last position. I turned the option "off" when I got the car. It automatically goes into the mode only if the Eco-drive mode is selected (which only happened once, when I wanted to see how that mode operated). Once I exited the Eco-drive mode, I turned off start/stop, and it hasn't been on since, nor have I had to do anything to keep the mode turned off. It's a non-issue...
That it's a non-issue now is of course good news; what you're both sharing is the first word I've heard about the change. Initial mentions of start/stop in reviews had the reviewers specifically stating the feature couldn't be deactivated other than hitting the dash button every time a driver started the vehicle. Given the apparent universal dislike of start/stop by the numerous folks who used the X1 Car & Driver bought for their year-long evaluation period, if it was possible to have the system retain an "off" setting, I would have expected somebody at C&D in the course of a year to pursue the obvious question if it might be able to be permanently deactivated, or set to function as you both describe. Since they made no mention that it could, it appears that sometime since C&D completed their time with the X1 and now, BMW incorporated the last-setting-memory capability - either that, or no one at C&D asked if the feature might be changed. Considering the totally negative statement about start/stop by one of the country's main auto mags, if it wasn't already possible, then who knows, perhaps the bad press spurred BMW to consider this feature might need a little further tweaking and make a relatively minor change that, thankfully, allows one to turn it off & leave it that way (which is the way it should have been from the... start!). I would guess that dealer personnel may well also have suffered a plethora of comments/complaints/function-change-requests, particularly from customers w/ the 4-cyl. turbo motors who tried it, found it to be as jarring an experience as C&D did, & then started to find having to shut it off every time a nuisance. Considering that such a feature aid's BMW's government CAFE ratings, I expect it will remain a permanent feature. I wouldn't be surprised if a dash switch disappears entirely fairly quickly, and it gets integrated into the other user-selectable settings of the car's memory/diagnostic programming, saving the expense of the dash button - which, really, is where it belongs... buried in a remote menu setting to be rarely accessed and forgotten about. Nice new ride you got there Pyewacket - congrats!
I picked my vehicle up at the PC instead of the dealer. I think that's just the way these cars come to the USA nowadays. As far as how much BMW cares about how it is perceived by its customers, I sometimes wonder... The "My BMW Remote" iPhone app has nothing but hundreds of incredibly negative reviews, but that doesn't seem to be lighting a fire under anyone at BMW. Personally, I'd think it would be terribly embarrassing for a company touting "technology" to not be able to make even the most basic app functions work. Now, I didn't buy my car for the apps, but it does concern me that a company that makes technological savvy vehicles such as the i3 and i8 doesn't seem to mind being hammered due to a nickel and dime app being non-functional. OK, enough about that... I'll get off my soapbox now. As for the M235i, it's the most exciting and fun-to-drive car I've ever owned, and seeing as I've owned over 100 cars in my 60 years, that's saying something!
Yeah, me too - negative reviews in national press with the potential to negatively affect sales, I figure that might get a little attention at the corporate level. Also, if a majority of dealers complain due to numerous customer complaints, maybe that gets corporate attention. In that sense, I suppose it could be posited that BMW's customers are the dealers, and car buyers are really the dealer's customers. Obviously BMW needs products that purchasers want, but I could see where BMW might be more responsive to dealers as a group (depending on the issue) than perhaps individual buyers. I don't have an iphone so no familiarity with BMW app, but yes, it is somewhat baffling that in today's i-world, BMW wouldn't throw some resources to address that problem. It's not as if they don't have the resources to do it right... one would hope! 100+... more than 4.4 cars/yr. since you were 16, assuming you might have started buying & selling cars that young...that's a lot of cars!! Glad you're enjoying your M235!
Just throwing in my $.02 for what it's worth. Gadgets not working as expected. Not really all that shocking. It's econ 101. Build and sell what you think most people want at the cheapest possible cost with the highest possible profit margin. It must be working, they're selling boat loads of them. Auto manufacturers can't/don't create or produce all the hundreds of gadgets that go into their cars. Many, many are farmed out and not all are completely or effectively integrated before being released in new cars. That's just life in the 21st century. (Believe me, back in the 60s, 70s and 80s it was worse.) Bluetooth System: both software and hardware issues/failures ranging through several versions and updates. BMW Navigation System: with a farmed-out database that has been referred to in such glowing terms as ... really poor -to- the blind leading the blind (and a LOT worse). At least these examples are really just nuisances and aggravations. And, gadget problems plague Every car maker. But ... High Pressure Fuel Pump: effected ~20%-30% of all models with initial N54 and early N55 engines ... that took 4 model years and an ABC National News Expose to even admit, let alone fix. That's tens of thousands of cars. Some collapsed into limp-mode on a 75 mph turnpike, in the dark, twenty four miles from the nearest town, on a Sunday night. Some left their owner stranded on the freeway in rush hour traffic, on their second HPFP. That was a disappointing time for BMW customers. But, they seem to have it worked out now. The turbo technology in today's BMWs allows us to enjoy serious performance with very good efficiency. Just wish I had waited a few years before trying it. Anyway, all that to say, perfection is not attainable. Never will be. Quality has Many definitions, seldom agreeing with everyone. And, BMWs are pretty darn good cars by today's standards. My wife is in one every day. Me too. Do they aggravate us sometimes? Sure do. Do we still enjoy them? Yea, we really do. Oh, and the M235i ... OMG that is a fun car!! I'm trying to figure out a way to put one of those in my drive. Can't make up my mind ... 8-sp automatic with xDrive for year round practicality -or- 6-sp manual with mechanical LSD for ultimate indulgence. .
My first car, if you could call it that, was what remained of a 1939 Chevy 2-door Master sedan that I got out of a junkyard when I was 14. Back in those days, lots of kids in High School got 55-57 Fords and Chevrolets that way. I bet there were a dozen metallic blue vehicles in the school parking lot on any day, with a similar number of Candy Apple Red cars as well. It was my start in vehicle ownership... My wife likes to tell friends that I pay fleet insurance rates, and believe me when I say my fascination with cars has caused several "discussions" between the two of us over the years. I must say, though, that over the years she has been very understanding of my "addiction". Perhaps she feels that collecting cars is better than collecting women...LOL!
For the most part, I agree with your assessment, with one caveat... When it comes to smartphone apps, BMW is 100% in control of what's offered, and 100% responsible for them working (or not working, as the case may be) as well. Other manufacturers seem to be doing quite well with the apps they offer. Specifically, I can't imagine a single buyer purchasing a BMW so they could get their paws on the My BMW Remote app... I know I didn't. Still, BMW offers it, and if BMW offers it, it should work. It's the old "under-promise and over-deliver" adage, not the "over-promise and under-deliver" one. So, IMO, either fix it and make it useful, or just discontinue it and remove it. For the life of me, I can't see an upside of offering a product or service that fails as completely as this app fails. Same goes for the BMW Connected app... Either make it work as advertised, or do away with it...
Well stated and I pretty much agree with your position. From my experience in the modern era, the "over-promise and under-deliver" is far less common than in the old days, but, unfortunately still not rare. That lack of attention to detail is disappointing in what are otherwise very enjoyable $50,000-$130,000 cars. And, I agree with you on the point "BMW offers it, and if BMW offers it, it should work." If it isn't ready for prime time, don't offer it. Don't do like the Motown Three did throughout the 60's, 70s and 80s ... and make the end customer your quality control department. I just don't see this kind of problem disappearing in our lifetime. There is so-oh much pressure for each manufacturer to always have the latest and greatest new stuff. The clamoring herd demands it. The next Really big thing will be the BMW that either completely drives itself or can be controlled entirely via your iPhone. There are millions of people who absolutely can't wait. I wonder if any of them ever think about ... will that newest gadget actually work when it's released? . Anyway, we're still enjoying our BMWs ... before that day comes. And, that little M235i is Very appealing. .
