Photo: original image by autoevolution
We’re not quite sure how many of the people that walk into a BMW showroom and actually buy a car become heavy forum users who mumble stuff like E30 and E36 at night. As it turns out, BMW is on a quest to enlighten its clientele on matters concerning its sporty past. The process should be handled by the BMW M235i, a car that promises a connection with BMWs of old.
Having been extremely pleased with our time spent in the company of the BMW M135i xDrive, we were eager to see what the coupe version of this super hot hatch can do - yes, this is the modern perspective on the M235i.
If you want to stick to the retro clues, it’s best to approach the car from its rear, since this is the part that actually reminds one of BMW coupes such as the 2002. By the way, the M Sport bits do quite some work on the 2-Series’ appearance.
Climbing aboard, we salute the balanced approached. More than once, we found BMW interiors as falling behind the premium status of their cars, but the level is just right for a car like the M235i. As far as cabin room is concerned, the front seats can welcome just about anybody, but the slim-fit seats, which we adore, will make a selection. In the back, “medium” seems to be the word: two medium-sized adults can use the car for medium-sized trips.
The overall level of comfort is high - BMW’s M235i is not a sportscar, but a compact GT. Even the way in which it accelerates tells you this. The 4.8-second 0 to 60 mph sprint time is a nice figure and the way in which the car delivers this offers it the aforementioned status.
The only issue here is that the handling could’ve been much more precise without the ride being affected. Alas the suspension doesn’t manage to keep the roll in check, even in the sportier settings - our tester was fitted with the Adaptive M suspension.
We did find plenty of grip within the setup though, allowing the car to reward your spirited driving. We wished we could’ve played with the just-as-optional limited slip differential, but this wasn’t there. And since we’re talking about hardware, the xDrive isn’t available yet.
There’s a superb grip offered by the Alcantara on our tester’s BMW Performance Parts steering wheel, but this goodie also comes with its dark sides. We’ll steer you through it all in our BMW M235i review.
If you want to stick to the retro clues, it’s best to approach the car from its rear, since this is the part that actually reminds one of BMW coupes such as the 2002. By the way, the M Sport bits do quite some work on the 2-Series’ appearance.
Climbing aboard, we salute the balanced approached. More than once, we found BMW interiors as falling behind the premium status of their cars, but the level is just right for a car like the M235i. As far as cabin room is concerned, the front seats can welcome just about anybody, but the slim-fit seats, which we adore, will make a selection. In the back, “medium” seems to be the word: two medium-sized adults can use the car for medium-sized trips.
The overall level of comfort is high - BMW’s M235i is not a sportscar, but a compact GT. Even the way in which it accelerates tells you this. The 4.8-second 0 to 60 mph sprint time is a nice figure and the way in which the car delivers this offers it the aforementioned status.
The only issue here is that the handling could’ve been much more precise without the ride being affected. Alas the suspension doesn’t manage to keep the roll in check, even in the sportier settings - our tester was fitted with the Adaptive M suspension.
We did find plenty of grip within the setup though, allowing the car to reward your spirited driving. We wished we could’ve played with the just-as-optional limited slip differential, but this wasn’t there. And since we’re talking about hardware, the xDrive isn’t available yet.
There’s a superb grip offered by the Alcantara on our tester’s BMW Performance Parts steering wheel, but this goodie also comes with its dark sides. We’ll steer you through it all in our BMW M235i review.
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