BMW M235 xDrive Gran Coupé review

Driving position

Like the standard 1 Series or 2 Series, you sit low to the ground in the M235 Gran Coupé, giving you the sporty feel we’re used to from driver-focused BMWs of old. 

There’s plenty of adjustment in the seat itself, despite being a sportier (and huggier) M Sport bucket seat, which by the way, is not only supportive but genuinely comfortable. 

Like with almost all BMW sports cars, the steering wheel falls to hand easily and it’s the perfect shape. And it comes with physical buttons that work so much better than touch-capacitive ones found in some rivals.  

The adjustment in the seat and the wheel means you can get the perfect driving position for making your way up and around a glorious Spanish mountain road. That’s what we found during our test anyway. 

Tech and features 

Inside, BMW made sure to make this 2 Series feel just as premium as the full-fat M2 but with a smidge more refinement. 

Basically, it feels like a normal 2 Series Gran Coupe with smatterings of brushed metals and flashes of that iconic BMW M blue and red stitching. 

Spanning the dashboard are two screens – a 10.7-inch infotainment display and a 10.25-inch instrument screen. These both operate on the latest version of BMW’s iDrive software (‘Operating System 9’ for the tech nerds). 

This is a really smooth system that’s responsive and incredibly crisp. In fact, it’s the same great system we recently tested in the MINI Cooper Convertible (minus the funky circular screen and MINI-specific graphics). 

You get wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard too, of course.  

Now, while you do get a lot of kit as standard in the M235, you do need to pay extra if you want to unlock top-tier features.  

For example, the Technology Pack (£1,550) adds wireless charging, comfort access, logo projection from the exterior mirrors, a frameless automatically dimming rearview mirror and adaptive LED headlights. We think it’s a box worth ticking. 

A car of this calibre should have wireless phone charging as standard, but charging with one of the USB-C ports will stop your phone from getting too hot in fairness. 

There’s also the Technology Pack Plus (£2,750), which adds a head-up display and parking assistant plus, but this probably isn’t worth the added cost unless you really want those features. 

In our test car, we had the 205-watt 12-speaker Harman/Kardon sound system, which is standard on the M235.. The standard six-speaker system is still more than enough for most casual listeners though. 

Engines and power 

Now for the fun bit. Purring away under the M235’s bonnet is a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine with 300hp and 400Nm of torque. This takes it from 0-62mph in just 4.9 seconds. Basically, it’s very quick.  

And it’s not just fast on paper, take it out on the open road and it continues to deliver what its engineers promised. 

Thanks to BMW’s clever M TwinPower turbocharger, there is no noticeable turbo lag when you put your foot down – the power is on tap throughout the rev range. 

The xDrive all-wheel drive system comes as standard on all M235 models, which is clever enough to feed power to whichever wheel it needs to help you avoid spinning off into one of Barcelon’s many panadería. 

Should you want any more power, simply pull the left paddle to enter ‘boost’ mode which unlocks ’dynamic acceleration’ for overtaking – in other words, hold onto your hat. 

And to think we all thought removing the ‘i’ from the name badge would make this less of a car. 

Handling and ride comfort 

Since the xDrive system is so good, the car fills you with confidence when tackling any road surface – even some of the rougher ones in the UK.  

This means you can (largely) forget about losing traction because there’s so much of it and enjoy the steering, which is also sublime by the way. 

While agile and precise steering is great in certain scenarios and on fancy press trips, what would it be like in the real world? 

Well, driving at slower speeds and around town, it adapts and isn’t too heavy, so manoeuvring is in traffic is a breeze. 

The firmer suspension might take a bit of getting used to, but it’s what you expect from an M-badged Beamer. It’s not to everyone’s taste though.  

BMW says it’s improved the ride over the old car with new shock absorbers, but the M235 will always be firmer than a standard 2 Series. 

Boot space 

The M235 can talk the talk but can it store your golf clubs (or whatever else you need to carry around)? Well, yes. 

You get a 430-litre boot (more than the standard 220 Gran Coupé’s, which is only 360 litres because of its mild hybrid tech) which is plenty of room for most people. 

For reference, its Audi A3 saloon rival gets 425 litres and the standard two-door 2 Series gets 390 litres. 

Rear seats 

Like with all ‘Gran Coupé’ BMWs, it’s great you get a bigger boot but that doesn’t always translate into more rear-seat space. 

Don’t get us wrong, there’s still more than you’d get in a three-door MINI Cooper, but if you’re a taller passenger, you may want to call ‘shotgun’ for a longer road trip because of that sloping rear roofline. 

The back seats are easier to get into thanks to the extra doors compared to the standard 2 Series though.  

Storage solutions 

As far as cabin space is concerned, it’s very similar to what you’d get in a 1 Series or 2 Series Coupé, so it’s not massive but not tiny either. 

There’s a decent amount of space under the central armrest as well as sizeable door bins for bottles of water or snacks. 

The glovebox isn’t the biggest, but enough for the standard paperwork and maybe a pair of... gloves? 

Safety 

There are loads of safety features as standard, which you’d expect from a new BMW. 

Some of these include front-collision warning, pedestrian and cycling warnings, cruise control, speed limit assist, emergency steering intervention and lane departure warning. 

This isn’t exclusive to the M235 and all of the above is also available on the standard 2 Series Gran Coupé. 

Fuel economy 

Chances are, if you’re buying a BMW M235, you already know it has worse fuel economy than the standard car, although it’s not bad considering the power. 

The less powerful 220 has a claimed fuel economy of between 51.4 and 53.3mpg, whereas the 300hp M235 gets between a totally achievable 34.4 and 37.7mpg. 

Reliability 

BMWs are consistently reliable cars, they almost always have been, and the new M235 Gran Coupé is no different. 

It’s got a similar engine you’d find in models like the 1 Series, 2 Series Coupé, X1 and 3 Series, so it’s safe to say it’s tried-and-tested. 

Every new BMW comes with a standard three-year/unlimited mileage warranty, which will keep you covered in the beginning – and check out cinchCover for an extended warranty if you’re buying a used one.