If You Think The E46 M3 Is The Best BMW, You Might Want To Look At The M235i

The E46 model was true to the original BMW recipe because even though it wasn’t a midget, it was smaller than any other BMW you could buy in the US until the 2 Series came out. In fact, it's almost as if BMW copied the E46 coupe exactly and then stuck new and more modern looking body panels onto it.

The E46 M3 is agile on its feet, light enough to make its 343 horsepower budget feel like a cache of power, and was best friends with corners. As it turns out, the M235i is little more than a modern rendition of the E46 M3 in terms size and performance. Number nerds will be quick to point out that it does have 23 less horsepower than the E46 M3. Despite the power handicap, the M235i makes a rush from standstill to 60 mph in only a tenth of a second longer than it takes the E46 M3, completing the feat in 4.9 seconds. Fortunately, it makes up this difference in the corners because when the two cars are driven on a race track, the M235i consistently beats the old M3 despite weighing more and having less power.

This means that plenty of other cars in the M235i's class will eat its dust and see its questionable looking rear end. Good looks or not, this won’t stop photographers from capturing all the good angles. Seen here is work by Icy J Photography who used beautiful Hong Kong as a backdrop to showcase two Alpine White BMW M235i models and one contrasting Melbourne Red car. Purple skies and black tarmac only serve to make the cars truly pop. It's a good thing that fans of the M235i are capturing the car because like the E46 M3 and the 1M that predated the 2 Series, we can be sure that the M235i will be remembered as a classic. It may not be the M2, but for those who thought the E46 was perfect, the M235i is more than enough car.