Is the BMW M235 Gran Coupe a Good Car?
- Lacking a well-rounded, satisfying high-performance driving experience, the 2025 BMW M235 Gran Coupe struggles as a livable daily performance sedan.
How Does the BMW M235 Gran Coupe Compare With Other Affordable Luxury Cars?
- BMW’s own 3 Series sedan and many other competing sports sedans offer more comfort and driving engagement for similar money.
The 2025 BMW M235 Gran Coupe is a performance version of BMW’s entry-level, sleek-roofed 2 Series Gran Coupe, a four-door, five-seat sedan that is BMW’s least expensive sedan: It starts as low as $41,000 for a front-wheel-drive 228 Gran Coupe. Gasp! Front-wheel drive! Yes, this is a FWD-based BMW (xDrive all-wheel drive is available) as opposed to BMW’s usual rear-wheel-drive-based layout. And, honestly, that’s not unusual for the subcompact luxury car class, which also includes the Audi A3 and Mercedes-Benz CLA.
The 2 Series Gran Coupe has been available since the 2020 model year, and it’s been updated for 2025 with minor changes to its exterior styling, a new tech-focused interior and some under-the-hood changes. When you get to the performance-oriented, 312-horsepower M235 Gran Coupe trim level that I tested, AWD is standard, along with a BMW-estimated 0-60 mph time of 4.7 seconds. The car’s performance and driver engagement, however, was a bit of a letdown considering its as-tested price was $60,000 — which can buy a lot of fun four-doors. Let’s dig in on where the M235 went awry and what else shoppers should consider.
Related: Second-Generation 2025 BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe Gets More Power Â
Fiery Acceleration
Without a doubt, the highlight of the BMW M235 is its 312-hp, turbocharged four-cylinder engine, which is potent and entertaining. It’s a massive upgrade over the base 241-hp turbo-four. It’s highly responsive and pairs with a new seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission that offers quick, low-delay shifts in manual mode via steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters. Its EPA-estimated fuel economy of 24/33/27 mpg city/highway/combined is respectable considering the car’s punchy acceleration.
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The directness that comes with this kind of transmission also means a trade-off in everyday livability: The M235 has observable low-speed judder and jerkiness while accelerating from a stop in everyday stop-and-go traffic. It’s reminiscent of earlier cars with this transmission type, but it isn’t a trade-off shoppers should be willing to make in a vehicle that isn’t a full-on, track-focused M car. The execution just doesn’t reach the harmony that most BMW engine and transmission combos have. Keeping the M235 Gran Coupe in its sportier driving modes circumvents some of those issues, as does aggressive acceleration from a stop, which powers through those awkward starts. Hopefully, this car’s takeoff operation can be improved with software improvements down the road.
Power is up 11 hp from 2024, though the M235’s maximum torque of 295 pounds-feet is down by a whopping 37 pounds-feet. The engine has to be revved quite a bit to feel that acceleration because maximum power is now made higher in the rev range at 5,750 rpm instead of 5,000 rpm. Peak torque is now made at 2,000 rpm instead of 1,750 rpm.
Acceleration is most definitely engaging, but the auditory experience of the engine and exhaust is lacking. Instead, BMW mimics a fiery-sounding engine through selectable digitization with its Iconic Sounds feature, which simulates acceleration roar as well as burbles and pops from the exhaust on deceleration. It’s not really convincing once you roll the windows down and realize the sound and feeling is coming through the sound system’s speakers and woofers. That lack of a real sensory experience from the engine and exhaust is a layer missing from a proper performance experience.
Ride Quality and Handling
Ride quality and handling characteristics are often at odds with each other: A car may ride nicely but handle poorly, or it can handle nicely but ride poorly. This can often be mitigated with electronically controlled shock absorbers that are able to adjust their firmness, but the M235 Gran Coupe’s standard electronically controlled suspension surprisingly doesn’t help the car ride or handle very well.
I primarily drove the M235 on neighborhood and suburban streets outside Chicago where the ride was firm, but it wasn’t until I drove on Chicago’s city streets that it became too harsh. Every pothole seemed to be waiting to bend the car’s rims and pop its expensive summer tires, with massively loud impact noises and harsh hits that locked the seat-belt pretensioner. This is not a pleasant city car despite its small dimensions and good maneuverability. During my weeklong test, I chose not to take the BMW on a 380-mile road trip, instead taking one of our family cars: a 2024 Hyundai Ioniq 5 electric vehicle. Yes, I risked being stranded at the Illinois-Iowa border with a depleted battery rather than bounce up and down for six hours in the M235 Gran Coupe.
I also wasn’t thrilled with the M235’s handling; it drove more like a small SUV than a hunkered-down sports sedan. Its FWD roots surfaced when the front end pushed wide when trying to accelerate out of a corner. Add in the lack of sensation and feedback from the steering wheel, and it’s not confidence-inspiring to drive spiritedly. Perhaps it would be more eager to turn if the AWD system had an active rear-axle torque vectoring component, like the Acura TLX Type S or Audi S3, but that’s not the case.
How Big Is the BMW M235’s Interior?
I’m about 6 feet tall, and the 2 Series Gran Coupe is a tight fit for me up front. I don’t fit in the back at all, as the roof is so low I can’t sit up straight. It just isn’t a very comfortable car for someone my size, and I’m not much taller than average. I had similar limitations in the Mercedes-Benz CLA coupe (another sedan that’s called a coupe) but no such comfort issues in the S3, TLX or Cadillac CT4.
While the M235’s interior quality is up to the standards of a BMW 3 Series, the car doesn’t give you the solid, satisfying “thunk” that you get when closing the doors on other BMWs; instead, the door crashes closed with a hollow “tink.” It’s another way you’re reminded this is an entry-level BMW.
Technology
The M235’s new multimedia system is harder to use and clunkier than BMW’s typically seamless multimedia experience. A new 10.7-inch display replaces the previous 8.8-inch one, but while it looks slick, I encountered issues with its operation. The car continually didn’t recognize my phone or the car’s main profile, defaulting instead to the guest profile, which has a number of limitations in place. Those include mercilessly chiming when you exceed the speed limit by around 3 mph — and you can’t turn it off when in guest mode. You can’t switch profiles until the car is stopped, either, meaning you’ll have to pull over to stop the chiming.
BMW’s changes for 2025 also include trading physical climate controls for ones in the touchscreen, making it harder to use the climate-control system. Functions that used to be one button push away now take multiple steps to execute using a touchscreen that isn’t always responsive. This is, unfortunately, something most modern BMWs are moving toward even as other automakers are dialing back screen dependency for important controls.
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Who Should Consider the BMW M235 Gran Coupe?
If you have no expectations about what a BMW should drive like, and you like the size, price and style of the M235 Gran Coupe, give it a whirl. For $50K-$60K, however, there are some great sports sedans available that don’t compromise on performance and space the way the M235 does. The previously mentioned S3 and TLX Type S are possibilities in that price range, as is the Cadillac CT4-V. The TLX Type S may seem like an odd pick over Acura’s smaller Integra, but it has AWD and an automatic transmission (unlike the manual-transmission, front-drive Integra Type S). The TLX Type S’ amazing turbo V-6 engine and real, engaging sounds make for a dynamite performance sedan — and it’s essentially fully loaded for around $59,000.
You could also consider an electric performance four-door, like the Tesla Model 3 Performance or Kia EV6 GT, which do away with internal combustion engines and transmission funkiness without sacrificing handling and acceleration chops. The kicker, however, might be from BMW itself: A BMW 330i xDrive M Sport with 19-inch wheels, summer tires and BMW’s Premium Package is a dynamically rewarding and roomier car priced in the mid-$50,000 range.
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