By Paul Gover.
Everything about the newest cute BMW compact, the M235i Gran Coupe, points to a tasty little treat.
It’s a good looker with a classy cabin and a reasonably punchy four-cylinder turbo engine with all-wheel drive for grip and go.
And yet, for me, it’s not good enough or memorable enough in a class with plenty of tastier treats including the Audi S3 and Mercedes-AMG A35.
I came to the GC – it’s quicker to use shorthand for the newest of BMW’s style-forward four-door coupe – expecting something special after some impressive experiences with BMW’s all-new 3 Series and also the X3 SUV.
Then I remembered that the 2 Series is a really a Mini under the skin, and is also the 1 Series hatch with front-wheel drive – after morphing work into a BMW to save money and plug a gap with people who want a sensibly-sized city car with style.
My disappointment with the 235 is mostly down to those other models in the latest BMW showroom line-up.
The 3 Series is back to its very best, after a couple of generations where the Mercedes-Benz C-Class was better, and the X3 is genuinely very good and a reminder of why the original X5 – yes, the X3 has grown a lot over the years – was such a landmark car.
Compared with the Three and X3, the GC feels like style over substance.
It has plenty of style, that’s for sure, and that will be enough for some buyers. But it has an M badge on the back, and that should stand for something.
The luxury in the 235 means a roomy cabin for a car this size, excellent design work, an impressive infotainment system – these vary depending on the BMW model because development of iDrive is going all the time – fantastic finishing work and top-drawer materials.
The pricing starts at $69,990 and, these days, that’s decent value for a car with so much of the essential luxury material. If you want to give up some of the tastiness, and a fair bunch of the performance, there are other 2-Series choices.
As a drive, the GC is only fair. It has solid punch from its turbocharge engine and the eight-speed automatic is smooth and easily to tickle for more response through the flappy gear-change paddles.
But the chassis is nothing special, and not even some M-style wheels and brakes and suspension can save it. Pushing it in corners exposes the front-wheel drive roots which make it more of a point-and-squirt car than something for your favourite twisty road.
Does the driving really matter? Not for some people, and probably the majority who will be hooked by the looks, but a BMW M-car should be more than this.
THE BASICS
BMW M235i Gran Coupe
Price: from $69,990
Power: 225W/450Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto, all-wheel drive
Position: style-first compact coupe
Plus: looks great, excellent finish
Minus: a Mini in a BMW body
THE TICK: not for driving
Score: 6/10
