ISF001

Actually, the word is morons. The F driver doesn't know what he is doing. On a bad day, the F will cream this car is a drag, and on the track it would be left in the dust.

The M 235 is not an M. Even Deutsche-phile magazine, Road and Track, hates the car. On a VERY good day it will run 4.5 and top off at 155. It is a $43,000 want-to-be car and certainly in a distant category.

Bimmer Enthusiasts--revel in your illusions. This is a comparison of apples to leechee nuts.

tgui

I used to live in Boulder. I had a NA V8 truck and a WRX STi. The turbo engine was far better at maintaining power at high altitude driving. Taking the truck up in the mountains made it perform like a 4 cyl.

4everkidd

iTrader: (2)

this is garbage...

Did a pull with a new 300 SRT8 and brand new 435i last night and walked away from both without issue.

SRT8 had catback exhaust and short ram intake, 21" aftermarket rims (looked heavy)

435I completely stock with 4000km on the odo

I had my 20" 3 piece forged adv1's on, HKS SSM full catback (with mid muffler removed), injen intake

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

Any fast car with a slow driver will suffer. Clearly this guy has no idea how to get the most out of the F.

It doesn't matter what Kimi Raikkonen is driving. It's performing at its best because he knows how to get the most out of just about anything with wheels. It would be interesting to see this same race with better matched drivers.

zazzn

Yawn,

Turbo's are always better at altitude, they keep power consistent since they are FI while NA's starve for air, nothing special about that. V8's are great for lots of miles and low maintenance. FI are great for power but the extra moving parts and intercooler pipes are a PIA to maintain later down the road.

Anyone with half a brain would realize why the result is like this.

BluISF

Agree. G/L with the new M3 FI when the original or ext. warranty expires - head for the hills.
I like BMW M models - so I'm not a hater or anything like that.

Altitude, heavy/unskilled driver, no sport mode, no manual shifting, no clue how to launch it and probably a full tank of 87 octane gas and a trunk full of beer and chicken wings.

WillRockwe

the 235I does a respectable 1/4 mile in 13 seconds, the F does it in 12.7. Apparently no one at that supposed automotive website noticed that a naturally aspirated car needs air to run properly.

flowrider

iTrader: (9)

Well this silliness has made it's way to Autoweek. I may cancel my subscription

http://www.autoweek.com/article/2014...n=awdailydrive

Lou

I8ABMR

The guys doing the review are the lamest I have seen on any youtube channel. I subscribe to close to 100 channels and they suck the most

AussieISF

Sigh, the ISF is such a misunderstood vehicle. But thats why people are so surprised at its performance in the right hands.

Judging by this clip of my ISF at a track cruising session, you should all rest assured the F will hold against cars in its class. Watch the whole clip to get a comparison between cars. My ISF starts at 1:21.

VtotheJ

iTrader: (2)

That is awesome Recursive!!! Wish the northeast had something like that

bobbo1978

I had a BMW as well, lemoned it too. Seems like a common theme here: had a BMW gone Lexus because of reliability issues. BMW used to be a niche vehicle with competitive advantage against other brands using a special mix of performance and quality. But combination of relentless pursuit of competitors and its own dillution to go mass market has eroded its original edge. Even if BMW still has a edge on performance nowdays that edge is so small I am not willing to give up reliability or luxury other brands has to offer. There is just no reason to trade a Japanese vehicle for a non-M BMW.

I like to drive and to me the only German manufacturer still has a laser focus on performance is Porsche, even the M3/M4 is compromising performance for practicality. Sorry BMW unless you release another limited production run like 1M I have no reason to go back.

ISF4life

iTrader: (30)

Bring him to me lolz

chrisp1

This video is awesome! So many great cars in one location. I forgot how funky looking some of those Holden cars are

BLexodus

iTrader: (1)

Its unreal how biased that video is!

I'm in the market for a newer car and the M235i and ISF are on the top of my list so I'll add a bit of what I've found...

-I've had a few Lexus cars, including an IS350, and the fit and finish and overall reliability of the Lexus is just better.

-While CL is in general biased towards Lexus vehicles, most people here seem to have some common sense when comparing Lexus to other cars. However, some of those BMW forums make Lexus out to be a soulless crappy appliance of a car, almost like an ISF is a corolla with a few more hp, its just silly! (Yet they regard the M3 as a God)

-Since BMW updated to the N55 single turbo around 2011, the -35i cars have been a bit more reliable. They can also run 360+ hp and close to 400 tq with a simple and relatively cheap tune. Add an intercooler, intake, header, and full exhaust and you are at 400 hp for $3k in mods. Not bad.

-I like smaller and lighter cars in general (I drove an S2000 for 3+ years), I could overlook some of the BMW interior if I knew it was going to be as reliable as the Lexus, but the conservative and risk adverse accountant in me says to buy the Lexus.

The M235i is a fast little car, be careful if one with a tune rolls up on you, and go drive one to see what all the fuss is about. But seriously, how much did BMW pay autoweek to do that video like that?!?!?!?