MULTIMEDIA

The BMW M235i – Little Blue Booster (Part 1)

9/12/2014 11:38:30 AM

BMW adds another tempting M Performance machine to its ranks with the invigorating M235i coupe. Think of it as an M4 lite

Sorry about the Stones reference in the title, but a little rock 'n roll allusion doesn't hurt occasionally. It's appropriate for the car in question, a blue BMW M235i with a turbocharged inline six, but unlike the cockerel in the Stones ditty, this little rocket is anything but lazy. We picked up the M235i after two fast days spent with the M3 and M4 and you'd think it would be too hard an act to follow for the M235i, but we found that this sawn-off M can stand proudly next to its more hallowed M brothers in the car park.

The BMW M235i resists oversteer strongly. Sometimes too strongly

The BMW M235i resists oversteer strongly. Sometimes too strongly

The M235i picks up from where the old 135i coupe left off, and joins the current M135i five-door in the local line up. It follows the new directive for BMW coupes being positioned as more exclusive, better specified and more expensive than the conventional models they are based upon. Where BMW charges 'just' $86,900 for the M135i, the coupe breaks the six figure mark but does comes with a rear view camera, front and rear parking sensors, electrically adjustable heated seats, upgraded audio, and M adaptive suspension as standard, which are all optional on the M135i. But it still leaves interested buyers with a $10k premium to pay for the privilege of a better looking though less practical coupe. It does have five extra kilowatts however, enough for BMW to shave a tenth off the claimed 0-100km/h sprint time, down to 4.8sec. We didn't quite manage to replicate that on the day- the Launch Control mode failed to deliver the promise - but we came close enough without its help, and it was the only minor blemish on what is a thoroughly impressive performance package.

M235i's kidney grille has 16 vertical bars and leans forward very slightly as it rises, shark-nose style

M235i's kidney grille has 16 vertical bars and leans forward very slightly as it rises, shark-nose style

M Performance models are a bridge between BMW's regular fare and full-blooded M machines. They are developed by BMW M GmbH with around 30 per cent of the parts being unique, and these relate mainly to the body, the chassis and engine tuning.

The body work comprises the new front bumper sporting bigger vents to supply the necessary cooling air, and the aero slits on the outer edges, and there are also side sills and a discreet boot spoiler. M Performance cues include the dark grey 18s to match the side mirror caps and the exhaust tips. You could never accuse the former 1 Series two-door of being beautiful whereas the form of the new 2 is much more agreeable, and from just about any angle. It's understated in M Performance model fashion, the 18s just the right size, and the scoops and flares not overblown.

The BMW's optional adaptive Xenon headlights are superb on high beam and very good on dipped

The BMW's optional adaptive Xenon headlights are superb on high beam and very good on dipped

It's riding lower too, the M235i dropped 20mm on its model specific suspension settings which feature stiffer spring rates and revised bushings and geometry on the front end. The M variable dampers deliver a dual character of a mini GT when set to Comfort and a back road racer when dialled up to Sport Plus mode via the centre console mounted 'Driving Experience Controller'. It's a handy switch for altering the disposition of the M235i to suit the task, but we wish they could make room for it on the steering wheel somehow. You also get sports steering with its variable ratio, and bigger brakes, the front rotors moving up to 340mm in diameter with four-piston callipers.

The boot is 20 litres bigger than that of the old 1-series coupé. It accommodates big suitcases with ease

The boot is 20 litres bigger than that of the old 1-series coupé. It accommodates big suitcases with ease

The six is BMW's N55 unit with its single twin-scroll turbo and a forged crank. It loves to spin, heading to just past 7,000rpm on the tacho. It has Valvetronic variable valve lift along with dual vvt, while fuel is directly injected into the cylinders via solenoid-type injectors. Turbo lag isn't really a feature of this silky operator and with 450Nm available from 1,300rpm, it provides stupendous pull no matter what gear the eight-speed auto is in. The M235i gets five extra kilowatts, probably at the insistence of the marketing department, coming courtesy of an ECU revision. The engine gets a better cooling system too, and the exhaust is tuned for a more liberal note. With the central silencer removed, the M235i gains an exhaust flap to help silence its tone in Comfort mode, while it pops open in Sport to let the six sing. A glorious note it is too.

 

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