BMW 2 Series M235i 2014 review: road test

There are a lot of reasons to moan about the current state of BMW's cars, including a couple of the porkier M vehicles. But the new M235i isn't one of them.

This, friends, is what the F30 should have been, at least as far as the balance between poise, ride, dynamics, and feel goes. It's just an incredibly well-sorted little sports coupe.

That's not to say a few areas couldn't be sharpened up (ahem, steering) or tightened up (there's still a fair bit of body roll), but the knife's edge cuts both ways when tuning a car, and BMW has chosen a remarkably equitable splitting point.

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• BMW 2 Series M235i 2014 review: road test
• BMW 2 Series M235i 2014 review

And that's before you notice just how much better the new M235i looks. Gone are the rather awkward curves around the rear of the roof line, the drawn-in sides, the sucked-in cheeks. The M235i wears its look honestly, and it comes off just about perfect in person

INTERIOR

Those who know the previous BMW 1-Series will also know the cave-like feeling and rather underwhelming finishes on most of the materials in the cabin. That's somewhat remedied in the new 2-Series, with inlaid trim panels in wood-like tones, as well as a moonroof that brightens up the black-on-black theme.

The rear seat is usable, even for taller folks, though six-footers will want to ride across town rather than across the country. Up front, there's plenty of head, leg, shoulder, and hip room -- even for a pair of occupants well over six feet (and one well over 100kg). The boot is about what you'd expect: enough space for some, but not too much, gear. It's better than a convertible, at least. In other words: Score some more points for the M235i's practicality factor -- a definite bonus for those having to sell a fun-car purchase to a significant other.

FEATURES

Stuck atop the dash is BMW's wide aspect ratio iDrive screen, which measures 6.5-inches in standard form, or 8.8-inches with the optional navigation system thrown in -- which looks like a large tablet is about half-buried in the dash. We like the look; others will find it annoying that the screen doesn't recess into the dash when not in use. Either way, the latest version of iDrive is the best yet, and is surprisingly easy to use -- for most ordinary functions, at least. If you want to be a power user, get used to digging through menu trees, just like nearly other complex infotainment system on the market.

For those who'd like to take their M235i to the next level, there are a number of driver assistance technologies available, including: High Beam Assistant, Adaptive Headlights, Parking Assistant, rear view camera, Driving Assistant, cruise control with braking function, real-time traffic information, and, of course, BMW's extended smartphone integration and BMW Apps suite.

ENGINE / TRANSMISSION

Under the bonnet there's a turbocharged 3.0-litre in-line six-cylinder delivering 240kW of power -- 5kW more than that M135i hatch -- and 450Nm of torque, getting to 100km/h in just 4.8 seconds, shaving 0.1 off the M135i with the same eight-speed sports auto gearbox with launch control. That's plenty for a street car, and it feels like it's every bit as stout as its rating from behind the wheel.

At the pump, BMW thinks you'll see about 10.7L/100km in city driving, 7.4L for highway, and 9.4L combined when fitted with the auto; the six-speed manual will run closer to 12.4L/100km city, 8.4L highway, and 10.7L combined.

DRIVING

During our time with the car we got a handful of laps around the tight and short infield road course, as well as a quartet of circuits of the steeply banked oval and a rive loop on the road. That's hardly enough time to judge the longer-term merits of the car, but it did give us a very good feel for its innate qualities. It's really quite good.

Flip into Sport+ mode and you're rewarded with snappy shifts that aren't quite dual-clutch quick or affirmative, but are very close; a lively throttle pedal; slightly stiffer steering feel; and a firmer ride from the M Adaptive suspension -- with the experience helped by the M Sport Braking System, variable sport steering, and Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires.

The M Performance equipment works in harmony to produce incredible fun. It's certainly not the fastest way around a track -- there's no real limited slip differential in standard form, although an option is available --  but that won't stop it from causing you to pull a pleased face or two.

However the test car was not fitted with BMW's standard run-flat tires. That smooths out the ride considerably on the street, where even in Sport+ mode, the M235i is about as unobjectionable as a sporty coupe can be. For those accustomed to high-performance cars, it's downright plush. On track, however, the tires introduce a few small issues--or at least we think that's the case from our limited testing.

Softer sidewalls produce good ride characteristics, and good grip, too, as you'd expect from a Michelin Pilot Super Sport tire. But that sidewall softness also introduces a bit of a vague sense to the car's direction changes, most noticeably through the electric power steering. Whether all of the steering's issues come down to the tires or the EPS tuning itself, the M235i exhibits only middling levels of feel as to what the contact patch is doing against the asphalt.

There's still enough information to know when the front is about to break away, and in its stock staggered-tire format, that's precisely the end that's most likely to come loose first unless you intentionally ham it into oversteer. Once braked down and setup for a fast turn, the M235i settles with a very neutral feel, seemingly rotating about an axis roughly between the driver's seat and the steering wheel--much better than the follow-the-nose dynamics in some sport coupes.

But there's the issue of curb weight: our test M235i tipped the scales at close to 1600kg in auto form (it's about 15kg less with the manual gearbox). That's pretty hefty no matter the angle you take on it, and while the car's dynamics make it feel lighter, the laws of physics will still come into play; tires, brakes, and power all have to shift that weight around.

PRICE / RIVALS

So, BMW has clearly built a very well-thought-out, well-executed little sports coupe here. But how will it take on the market?

The M235i Coupe tops the current 2 Series range arriving in Australian showrooms in March at $79,900. Further down the price spectrum, the 220i Coupe is $50,500, with the mid-range 220d diesel Coupe sitting at $52,500. The 1 Series currently offers 'M' spec only in a hatch version for $64,900, meaning you pay $15,000 extra for the coupe.

It's still competitive against the other closest prestige rivals: the $74,990 Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG hatch and $86,900 CLA45 AMG four-door coupe -- although the Bimmer is down a bit on power to the 265kW/450Nm 2.0-litre in both Mercs.

The M235i is rear-drive only, and dynamically, it's purer, even if no sharper (nor, likely, any quicker around a track) than the Benz. You can get the tail out on the M235i; the front-biased CLA45 AMG settles for neutral at best.

But the BMW is also $20,000 more than the Audi S3 many people will shop against it, although it also trumps the Audi's 206kW/380Nm 2.0-litre. However it might have some sharper competition from the Audi RS3 currently in testing and tipped to be launched this year.

VERDICT

Bottom line here: it's not the best sport coupe BMW could have built for the track, but it's big fun on the closed circuit and open road.

We've spent considerably more time in the CLA45 AMG, however, and it has yet to wipe the permagrin from our faces. Can the 2014 BMW M235i achieve the same long-term love? We'll have to drive it more to be sure, but the early feedback is promising.

BMW has built a real contender for the compact sport/luxury segment with the M235i, and a real value, too. For our money, this is the BMW to buy -- at least until we get our hands on the coming M3 and M4 or the rumoured M2.

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