M235i Gran Coupe questions

M235i Gran Coupe questions

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Boxstercol

Original Poster:

220 posts

140 months

Tuesday 30th July
quotequote all
I’ve been considering selling my current F30 320d M Sport & defecting to Audi for an S3 saloon, however the potential issues with theft risk has put me off a bit…

I’d not considered the M235i Gran Coupe as an option, but test drove one last week & think it could offer everything the Audi could but be a bit more ‘under the radar’ - being an older bloke that can’t be a bad thing!

So, before I take the plunge, I’ve got a few questions that some knowledgeable folk on here are bound to know, any help would be appreciated!

- Is there a 12v socket in the passenger footwell? My F30 has one & it’s really handy for plugging in the dashcam.

- I’ve got a tonne of music stored on the hard drive on my F30, which I’ve added over the years direct from CD. The M235i hasn’t got a CD player (I’m old school so will probably miss it!). Anyone know if there is a way of transferring this from my F30 to the new car? Perhaps via a USB?

- I know that you don’t buy a M235i for economy, but what sort of MPG does everyone get? I’ve been pretty spoilt with my F30 & don’t think I’ve ever got below 50mpg. I’m hoping I can get north of 30 in the M235i.

- Any common issues / quirks that I need to be aware of?

- Also, with regards to BMW finance, can you clear it in the cooling off period but still retain the dealer finance / deposit incentives?

Thanks all

joropug

2,700 posts

196 months

Tuesday 30th July
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I know 4 people that have this chassis (1&2) - 135,235,218 and our newly purchased 118.

3 have Harman kardon, all three amps failed (bass stops intermittently). Common fault in the older ones.

My friends 235 heater played up and was stuck hot - a mechanic found a bodge to fix it otherwise would have been quite pricy. The same 235 has some wastegate noise but bmw said it was normal.

Otherwise good reviews all around.

I have a 520d with the idrive 7 - haven’t tested the 1 series but mine has a hard drive. You plug a usb in and initiate a transfer, or just buy a really stubby usb and play direct off that - or both.

Don’t think it has a footwell 12v but I installed a dash cam completely hidden in 5 mins. Across to passenger a pillar, down the B pillar, under the rear floor mat and into the rear USB C behind the arm rest. Same set up as my 5er.

We bought new, (118 m sport) - it was cheaper than a 9 month old identical car if financing, as the rate was 3.9% vs 11.9% I think it was.



Edited by joropug on Tuesday 30th July 23:48

Anastie

193 posts

165 months

Wednesday 31st July
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I owned an m235i GC.

I really enjoyed the car and only sold it as we needed more space for dog and caravanning etc.

I can’t recall a 12v socket in the footwell. I’m sure there was one in the boot which doesn’t help you. The boot is a good size for a coupe and the seats folding flat was helpful.


The car its self was nice to drive. It was fast enough for me and handles well. On a long run I would get low to mid 40’s and driving it for fun around 30 ish. Which given over 300bhp I thought was ok.