Instrumented Test
When you’re told a red 2014 BMW M235i is parked outside and awaiting your editorial critique, it’s hard not to get at least a little excited. Keys in hand, we walked out into air that didn’t smell like Cheetos and wet socks, opened the M235i’s door, and found that it…had an automatic transmission. If you’re an enthusiast, the six-speed manual is the transmission to get. But most buyers are likely to choose the version with the eight-speed automatic, so here we are with a review.
Who Needs a V-8?
And it’s not like the car is an Afghan ox cart. Regardless of transmission, it’s hard to scoff at the M235i when it stuffs a 320-hp turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six, M sport brakes, and electronic M adaptive dampers into a compact, sub-3-series-size package. It’s also the only way to get a six-cylinder in a 2-series; the four-cylinder 228i offers an M Sport package and an M235i-aping Track Handling package but isn’t available as an M Performance model.
With 3525 pounds to punt around, the M235i puts up hero numbers; 0 to 60 in 4.3 seconds and 70-to-0 braking in 153 feet match those we recorded for a 414-hp V-8–powered 2012 M3 coupe with a manual. (Credit the M235i’s 35 lb-ft of torque advantage and slightly lighter curb weight.) The M235i held on to our 300-foot skidpad to the tune of 0.94 g, a negligible 0.01 g lower than that M3.
A launch-control function is standard, and Comfort, Sport, Sport+, and Eco Pro drive modes alter the throttle mapping, shift protocols, and suspension firmness. The suspension is always firm and the body well controlled, but the ride becomes a bit uncomfortable in Sport mode and beyond. Of course, since we’re masochists, we spent the majority of our time in Sport+. Our chiropractor thanked us.
We made our local gas-station attendant happy, too. With the car always in red-mist mode, we averaged 21 mpg, just 2 mpg better than the aforementioned M3. The automatic transmission holds lower gears in this setting, and its shifts are always firm and prompt whether called for by the steering-wheel paddles or by the car’s own electronic brain. Credit where credit is due: As far as slushboxes go, this one’s hard to beat.
BMW’s variable-ratio, electrically assisted sport steering is part of the deal. It can’t top the heavenly hydraulic setup of this car’s predecessor, the 1-series, in overall tactility, but the M235i has less bump steer, which we welcome. The 2’s rack isn’t half-bad, either, being nicely weighted and responsive, and the information spigot opens once you push the car hard.
Sweet Duds, but Couldn’t We Get Them on Sale?
The M235i occupies the niche-within-a-niche “M Performance” region between full-bore M cars and BMW’s M Sport trim line, a fact borne out by its window sticker. Access requires $11,000 over the price of a 228i, an almost absurd differential between the two versions of the brand’s entry-level car. At $46,575, the car we reviewed included three options: the $550 Melbourne Red paint, the $550 Cold Weather package (heated seats and steering wheel), and the $1450 leather upholstery because real hides aren’t standard for some reason.
So, yeah, 46 grand is a lot for a two-door BMW—a 335i sedan, larger and more practical, can be had for less—until you realize you’re getting 100 percent of the outgoing M3’s performance for two-thirds the price. As long as you’re judicious with options, that is. We would, however, probably check one more box, stats be damned: the one for the no-cost six-speed manual. As impressive as the automatic M235i is, it’ll never be as exciting to us as one in which we can row our own.
