Get it into oversteer and just balance it into one long slide - I love this car, it's
so good!
There's lots of power throughout the rev-range, so it's very, very usable, but can it be as
quick around a track?
Let's find out.
Say hello to the new BMW M235i.
With it's three-litre, straight six twin-turbocharged engine, it's the most powerful 2 Series you
can buy but it costs just over £34,000 and for that kind of money you could have this
future classic: the M3 CSL.
Just over 10-years after it was launched, this car is rightly regarded as an M Car great.
But which one is going to be faster around our test-track, and which one is going to
be the purer driver's car?
Well, let's find out.
The M235i's twin-turbo engine produces 322 brake horsepower and 450 Newton Metres of
torque.
That's 78nm more than the old M3.
It weighs 1,470kg, so it's 85kg heavier than the old CSL.
Launched in 2004, the M3 CSL was the most extreme version of the E46 M3 generation.
With a carbon fibre roof, it weighed 100kg less than the standard car and it also had
upgraded springs, dampers and brakes plus extra power.
It also came exclusively with BMW's automated manual SMG gearbox.
Let's start with the M3 CSL: the reason this is quite a good comparison to the M235i is
its astonishing engine is the first thing you notice, but the reason this is a good
comparison to the M125i is a normal M3 around this age will cost you between £6,000 and
£10,000.
If you want an M3 CSL, a decent one, then you're looking at around £30,000 to £35,000
so it's very, very similar money and you're going to get an appreciating classic car that's
going to be an asset into the future.
More importantly, if you're about your driving experience, you're going to get this astonishing
engine - just listen to it.
It revs to 8,000rpm and it's staggeringly good.
This car did have an automated manual gearbox, which by modern standards is very very slow
as it shifts, so there's quite a clunk as each gear goes in.
It's not like a modern dual-clutch system, but to be honest, you'd forgive it for its
engine - it's amazing and the chassis is equally good.
There's so much balance in the chassis, you can just sense when the car is in transition
from understeer to oversteer, the body control is excellent...
here you can just sense the car is going into oversteer and you can just balance it into
one long, long slide.
It's just a beautifully balanced chassis and as I say, with amazing body control.
There's not a lot of feel through the steering, but to be honest, there's enough and where
the chassis is so good, it doesn't really matter.
So we've got a bit of heat into the tyres, we're going to come round now and try to sort
out a lap-time.
Let's see how we get on.
When these cars were new, they were famed for probably not having quite enough performance
in the brakes and suffered from a bit of brake fade, so I'm going to try and be a bit kinder
to the old girl on the brakes - she is 11-years old after all, but let's see if we can get
a good lap-time.
Now through here, the balance of the chassis is just beautiful.
Hard on the power, there's very little understeer and very little oversteer.
It's just a really lovely balance.
Just over 110mph going down to the chicane, there's a blip on that downshift, but it's
as I say, a bit slow by modern standards.
It was just transitioning into oversteer on the exit, but it didn't lose too much forward
momentum - it's just lovely, lovely balance.
Fourth gear, third...
already a little bit of a brake fade, the front end bite as you go into the corners
is just beautiful, there's lots of sense about what's going on, so you just know exactly
where you are with the chassis.
Try not to get too much oversteer, carry the speed on the exit.
This engine is just lovely...
That's 8,000rpm through these high-speed esses with amazing body control.
I love this car, it's so good!
Down through the gears and coming up to the last corner, resisting the temptation to indulge
in too big a slide, and around into the last corner putting all that 8,000rpm down onto
the road and across the line.
The M3 CSL is an absolute joy to drive on track and it lapped our circuit in 1m13.5s,
but how will the modern day M235i compare?
In the CSL you've got that amazing engine that goes ballistic about 6,000rpm, where
in this car you've just got really quick revving.
It revs to 7,000rpm, but it's really quick revving and lots of torque all the way through
the rev range.
You can have a dual clutch gearbox in the M235i, but we've got one with a manual box
and I have to say that is pretty nice because the throttle response is really good, so you
can get a really nice heel-and-toe blip on the down-change.
It's a nice manual box.
It's heavier than the CSL this car, but it should come as no surprise as modern cars
are getting heavier and heavier.
It's a really lovely road car.
It's very sort of delicate and really enjoyable on the road.
In the practice laps, I have to say it's not an ultimate track car.
It does feel a little bit heavy, it doesn't have the body control of that hard-edged CSL,
so you can feel there in the oversteer when the car comes back there's a little bit of
snapback as the lateral movement in the body starts to make itself known.
It's just not as playful or as taut as the CSL, but this then again this isn't an M3,
it's not an M2 - it's an M235i, so it's got an M badge, but it's not the ultimate.
But can it be as quick around a track?
Well let's find out.
So we're going to come and start the lap.
Again, I'm trying to keep it smooth as we come up to the last corner there.
The engine is great, I have to say.
I've got it in its sportiest settings on the chassis and obviously I've got the stability
control turned off, so across the line to start the flying lap.
I've got to say, the M3 does feel more ballistic in terms of its absolute straight-line performance.
Not that this car feels slow.
As I say, there's lots of power throughout the rev-range.
It just feels a little bit heavy if I'm honest when it's compared to the CSL.
Hard on the brakes coming up the chicane, now I am standing on the brakes a bit harder
than I was in the CSL, so we're gaining some time under braking that's for sure.
The traction is really good on the exit of the hairpin...
I mean, it's just a very nicely sorted car, but there's just a little bit too much movement
in the body to be an ultimate track car.
What it also does in these long corners, is it just loads up the front-right, so the loaded
front-tyre really works hard in this car.
It works its tyres much, much harder than in the CSL, so you're getting much more wear
on the front-tyres than you'd expect from a rear-wheel drive car.
Through the high-speed direction change there it's also pretty stable, but again some more
movement and a bit of squirm under braking.
Into the last couple of corners, just a little bit of oversteer but trying not to lose too
much time.
It feels quite compared to the CSL - very civilised - and across the line.
It's been a fascinating day driving this pair of very different M Cars: the M3 CSL has a
raucous, rev-happy engine and a super-sharp race derived chassis, whereas the M235i is
very comfortable on the road and it's got lots of torque.
Yet despite their differences, this pair recorded the same lap-time around our circuit, so which
one would I choose?
Well, to be honest, I think I'd want both in my dream garage.
I'd want the 2 Series to drive every day, and I'd want this thrilling classic as a car
I could enjoy on occasion in the sure-fire knowledge than it's going to be a better investment
than your average pension.