Long post alert!
This week I've been given an E89 Sdrive 35i while mines in getting some work done, so have some level of got a comparison between the two. I've had the E89 2 days now and done about 250 miles. Normally I drive an M Coupe.
The E89 is a much more grown up car that the E86, in a good and bad way. The interior is much nicer and more plush, it feels roomier on the inside, and its ride is less harsh. But on the same side it feels too relaxed for me, less focused and more of a cruiser. Fit and finish is a step up without a doubt, and it’s a very nice place to be. Saying that the seats gave me back ache today after being sat in them for 3 hours, never had that problem in the M seats. Also boot space is tight, but I’m not used to having to hide a roof in my boot.
The E89 seems a completely different kettle of fish to the E86 ///M, but it was always meant to be. The power (I think about 300ish) seems fair, but not crazy - I have heard about the torque on the new engines but to be honest it feels a little lethargic on get away, probably the delivery but I've been left underwhelmed, maybe it’s to do with it being quite a bit heavier. Probably unfair against the S54 engine, both created with different aims. The engine in the E89 I’m driving is effortless power and you don’t have to ring it’s neck at all, so I think it’s better to what more people want. Engine sounds good, but I miss the metallic chaos from the S54. Fuel economy appears about the same on the town driving, B-road blast and motorway run I’ve done, but there are less than 2k miles on this engine, so no doubt it will improve
The steering I find horrible IMHO, but I am used to mechanical power steering not electric, so against a non M E85/86 it might be less different. I think it's lacking feel and bite on initial turn in and beyond, and when added to the higher curb weight really makes it hard to 'attack' the road. It has the 19” twin spoke wheels with run flats which may affect things too (they look epic though)
The flappy paddle 7 speed box is good, effortless in manual and does what you want in manual settings. Sport mode I find a bit odd on the box as it changes too early. It was very nice in town traffic compared to the M box, which no one claims is perfect. Personally I miss the interaction, particularly on down shifts - I miss the satisfaction of getting braking just right with heal and toed shifts, not a problem with the box, just something you lose out on with the newer smarter gearboxes, especially these the non SMG boxes that retain a bit of brute force. The DCT just feels like it removes you from the process too much, also the paddles are odd, whats wrong with one for up one for down - feels very un natural the way it is.
I won't say much about the styling, as that’s purely subjective and what I like others may not. OK, I lied, I hate the backend compared to the E86, but prefer it to the E85 - but that’s just me. As I said before the optional 19” twin spokes do look really good.
The iDrive is much better than the computer on the E86, it obviously looks nicer especially on the sat nav, but also it’s easier to use. Simple thing like the rotation actually goes in the direction you expect it to, and the buttons go in the right direction (on the E86 you press up and it takes you down the list). Overall functionality is much better, but the sat nav still does the same and is still limited by the lack of full postcode search which is annoying on such an expensive option. Phone etc works just as well, but is so much easier to interact with, also you don’t have to worry about losing the pairing code! Also the front and rear parking sensors with visual display is a nice touch, I’ve got the distance displayed through the intravee but this is better – also like the way the mirror drops when you pop it into reverse.
Drop top works well and is always nice to watch it do its stuff from an engineering point of view, nothing more to add to that as I’ve never liked drop tops, hence buying a coupe…
Adjustable suspension works well, normal is very useful on the motorway and it’s nice to be able to harden things up on the twisties. Simple to operate and does what you expect without needing to keep changing it all the time.
I think you can really drive it hard without trying, as it’s so easy. I miss the instant feedback and tightness of the M, but if you want to hammer it the E89 does it with minimum fuss, it just misses out on feedback and that final 10th that makes it special.
So overall much better packaged and built as a grown up car, smooth effortless power – but at the expense of a really sporty ride and driver feedback. I’ll stick with the M for now, if I want more civilized I’ll also want more seats…
I do like it though, and if I didn’t have the E86 I might think differently… It all depends what you want from a car at the end of the day, and I think it’s fantastic, but just not right for me. If you do want a more grown up E85/86 – it’s definitely the right car.
