The 2025 BMW M235 Gran Coupe is an “M2” that just goes to a different school

One of the biggest points of criticism against 2025 BMW The M235 Gran Coupe is said to “look like a Kia” among those who haven’t actually driven one. The other big styling flaw with this car, especially among the BMW purist crowd, is the “M235” badge on the trunk lid, which has the “M2” part emblazoned on it, making it look like an offshoot of the very real and very good M car that it is. rear-wheel drive, inline six-cylinder two-door M2.

Although the M235 GC is a four-cylinder compact sedan with a front end closer to Mini Countryman more than anything else, I wouldn’t have a problem with its ambitious gimmicky badging if the M235 reflected the spirit of the real M2. But, unfortunately, not so. It’s not even close.

Basics

I’m not against anyone calling this car a Kia (as if that’s a slur?) based on how it looks, because the Kia is actually better looking. I mean, you saw it the new K4? Super sharp car. The same can’t be said for the second-generation 2 Series Gran Coupe, which, despite looking slightly better up front, still has the proportions of a 2004 Toyota Corolla. It is chunky, narrow and clearly not luxurious in shape.

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The interior is a scaled-down and scaled-down copy of the same engineering found in most other BMWs. The two screens – 10.7 inches in the center and 10.25 inches in front of the driver – are clear and expensive. However, iDrive 9 takes some getting used to if you’re using a different brand. Changing drive modes still requires too many taps, and the climate controls are on the touchscreen. If you’re driving a non-luxury car, it may seem very upscale and futuristic, for example, during the first two weeks of ownership, but eventually you’ll see it for what it is: stressfully annoying cost reduction.

However, not everything is bad. That M color on the dash appears to be handcrafted, and the air vents are made from real, cool-to-the-touch aluminum. The seats are well-bolstered, keeping you in place during hard driving, but don’t feel uncomfortable or intrusive when you’re not.

Driving experience

I got my first taste of the M235 Gran Coupe on the closed speedway at the BMW Test Center in Spartanburg. Right off the bat, this car will accelerate to 130mph, sit and decelerate with plenty of stability and composure. The high-speed lane change feels safe and precise, and it’s very much an entry-level BMW in the sense that it might not dominate Autobahnbut it would persist. There is a Carousel-like turn at the end of this long straight, which the 2er went through at quite a speed.

It’s a pretty fast car in a straight line. BMW claims 4.7 seconds to 60 mph is worthy of a hot hatch, the 2.0-liter turbo four making 312 hp. makes a good noise for a turbo-four, and its seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox pushes aggressively with a (manufactured) grunt in high gear. But even in Sport Plus mode, none of it feels as sharp as I’d like. Yes, it was good, but less expensive Honda Civic Type R or Hyundai The Elantra N would beat it.

Where BM is just stable, those cars sit down. I distinctly remember setting it up well before exiting a corner and where the M235 Torsen front diff would wait until the car was practically straight before flying out of the banked corner, the tricky front end of these cars would start to rip as soon as you asked ’em to, pulling aggressively into the turn as if they were being tugged by a giant invisible rubber band.

Where those cars are equipped with a smooth-shifting six-speed manual transmission, the Gran Coupe 2er makes do with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission that shifts particularly slowly. It’s not bad when left to its own devices, or if you’re going for a new PB at the local track, but on lightly enthusiastic, part-throttle street driving, it takes more than a second to respond to a gear request. You can’t brag about automatic transmissions being faster than manuals if the automatic in question doesn’t shift gears faster than the manual.

This short street trip created a similar atmosphere in other areas of the able-bodied but unnoticed. It handles normal daily driving very well. The steering in Comfort mode is light and small enough to be easily maneuvered around town and in parking lots. But despite the fact that the adaptive M suspension is now standard, the M235 drives like a business on bumpy streets and over railroad tracks. On a twisty road, it moves deftly enough to be worthy of an M Performance badge—nothing more, nothing less.

The steering is responsive, but not particularly full of feedback or entertainment. The brakes, meanwhile, have plenty of power, but despite the M3-borrowed rocking pads, the pedal feel could have been lifted from just about any NPC compact car. In general, it is not a bad car treatment. It’s just not fun – definitely not enough fun to make up for the way it drives…or how much it costs.

BMW M235 Features, parameters and competition Gran Coupe

Pricing for the 2025 BMW M235 xDrive Gran Coupe starts at $50,675. Yes, a less powerful, less sporty, front-wheel-drive 228 model will arrive next year, priced from $40,775. But this car is very much an “I’d like a new BMW for as little money as possible” game, and unfortunately, this gorgeous M Performance model doesn’t stray too far from that premise.

​​​​​​​​While the car’s handling may not be as good as it should be, you can’t blame BMW for skimping on the bells and whistles. All 2 Series Gran Coupes come standard with a built-in navigation system, 12 Harmon/Kardon speakers that sound pretty good, wireless charging, auto-dimming mirrors, and the ability to use your phone as a key (it works with an iPhone and Android). A $1,500 Tech Package adds a head-up display, Park Assist Plus, a surround-view camera and augmented reality views for the navigation panel, while a $1,600 Premium Package adds a black panoramic roof and remote start.

The nearest competitor, the M235 Gran Coupe, will start at $49,995 Audi S3 and even just on paper, the S3 represents the best value. For about a grand less, it makes 328 horsepower, 16 more than the Bimmer, and sprints to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds versus the M235’s 4.7. It also weighs 29 pounds less and actually shares a chassis with a truly high-performance, a truly fantastic RS3. BMW’s value proposition becomes even more confusing when alternatives from Volkswagen, Honda and Hyundai are added to the mix.

Early verdict

As a car nut, it pains me that the M235 could have been such a great game for enthusiasts. Think GR Corolla, but from a BM friggin’ W. Yes, this M Performance 2er is pretty quick, the handling limits are high, and it can sit on Autobahn the speed is much more stable than the average car. But it’s also true rival Acura. This is also true for Volkswagen Golf R. Audi S3. Accelerating a sports car with fancy car amenities for 50k isn’t quite the achievement it used to be. And even if that were the case, the best sport compacts aren’t just fast and powerful. They have to be fun, they have to hit well above their station in the corners, and perhaps most importantly, they have to feel special.

The M235 Gran Coupe doesn’t feel special. It’s just a gorgeous compact car that has 312 hp. and makes snarling noises through the speakers when upshifting. Its completely ridiculous proportions, unstable ride and suboptimal user interface certainly don’t help.

Ultimately, the 2 Series Gran Coupe is still an exercise in how much you can charge people for a luxury badge. If you want the proper sporty driving experience of a compact car while still maintaining the looks, the Acura Integra Type S starts at $53,795 — just three grand more than this BMW for what I believe to be damn best car.

So the whole “big ‘M2′ icon” thing seems almost appropriate. The 2025 BMW M235 Gran Coupe is a car for people who buy cars for what they can design, not what they can do. Deceptively swaggering, image-obsessed and secretly hell-bent on the next lease payment, the M235 is perfect for those BMW drivers who’d consider scraping off the ’35’ part of the badge anyway. It’s the real M2, I don’t know, it’s just that he’s at a different school.

And being the closeted capitalist that I am, if that’s who BMW has to sell to pay the bills and give the green light to the next M5 CS, more power to them.

Have a tip or question for the author about the GC 2 series? You can contact him here: chris.tsui@thedrive.com