BMW M235 Gran Coupe: Styling updates to entice new audience for entry-level sedan

Price: $86,600 plus on-road costs
Engine: 1998cc turbo 4-cylinder
Peak power: 233kW (from 5750rpm to 6500rpm)
Peak torque: 400Nm (from 2000rpm to 4500rpm)
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto, all-wheel drive
0-100km/h: 4.9 seconds
Top speed: 250km/h
Fuel consumption (claimed/as tested): 7.7L/100km / 7.4L/100km
Claimed CO2 emissions: 176g/km
L/W/H/WB/boot: 4546mm/1800mm/1445mm/2670mm
Bootspace: 430 litres
Tare mass: 1545kg
Warranty: 5-year/unlimited km, 3 years of roadside assistance
5-year service cost: $2380

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The BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe – not the two-door coupe, nor the Active Tourer MPV that used to be sold locally – has been a reasonable seller in Australia since its release in 2020. Serving as the brand’s entry level sedan and based on the 1 Series hatchback, the ‘2er’ – as it’s affectionately known – has sat underneath the 3 Series in both all-round ability and sales figures.

BMW clearly wants more sales for its entry-level cars, however, with this new 2 Series Gran Coupe that was recently launched locally. While it’s not an all-new car – the body and mechanicals are largely identical –BMW has blessed it with a new ‘F74’ model code compared to the pre-update ‘F44’. Thanks to revised styling, it appears new to most. Does the new styling, added features and rejigged value equation give it more of a point of difference in the BMW line-up?

Price and equipment

Currently, there are three 2 Series Gran Coupe models here: the base 218, mid-level 220 and top-spec performance M235 tested here. You’ll notice that the former ‘i’ from petrol BMW models – as in ‘220i’ – has been dropped to reduce confusion with BMW’s EVs. The 218 and M235 are in showrooms now, while the 220 is due within the next few months.

2025 BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe pricing (plus on-road costs):

BMW M235 standard equipment:

• 19-inch alloy wheels with a tyre repair kit
• Light- and rain-activated automatic all-LED exterior lighting
• Front and rear LED daytime running lights
• Rain-sensing automatic wipers
• Keyless entry with push button start
• Heated and auto-folding mirrors with automatic passenger-side dropping in reverse
• ‘Veganza’ synthetic leather upholstery
• Heated electrically adjustable front seats with massaging and driver’s memory
• Heated leather steering wheel with paddle shifters
• Dual-zone automatic climate control with rear air vents
• 10.25-inch digital driver’s display
• 10.7-inch touchscreen with inbuilt live services
• Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• Satellite navigation with live traffic
• AM/FM/DAB+ digital radio
• 12-speaker Harman Kardon sound system
• 4x USB-C charging ports
• Wireless phone charger
• Multi-colour LED ambient cabin lighting
• Head-up display
• Auto-dimming rear mirror
• Six airbags
• Autonomous emergency braking (AEB)
• Adaptive cruise control with stop and go functionality
• Lane keeping assistance with adaptive lane guidance
• Blind-spot monitoring with safe exit warning
• Traffic sign recognition
• Driver attention monitoring
• Adaptive high beam
• Rear cross-traffic alert
• Tyre pressure monitoring
• Front and rear parking sensors
• 360-degree camera

M235 options:

• M Sport Package Pro (black exterior detailing, upgraded brakes, sports front seats and M seatbelts): $2800
• Premium paint: $1385 – $2693
• Matte paint: $3847

Interior, practicality and bootspace

While the exterior of the M235 received a relatively mild refresh of the previous 2 Series – it’s only 20mm longer, for example, and that’s down to bumper shaping – the interior’s update was greater with a new dashboard design, more tech and better quality materials than before.

The quality inside the 2 Series Gran Coupe is best in class with plenty of soft touch materials and expensive-feeling switchgear and funnily enough, it actually feels better quality in some places than the larger X3, such as the door handles. The illuminated aluminium panels around the air vents look great as well – though they do reflect into your vision of the mirrors at night.

BMW’s latest Operating System 9 infotainment software has filtered down from more expensive models into a large curved display, which looks great. The infotainment portion of the display is smaller than in those models however, and like the X1 and X2 SUVs, it loses the controller wheel on the centre console so that you must touch it to interact with it.

The sheer amount of features packed into the screen can make it a bit overwhelming to use at first, as can the lack of physical climate control buttons, but it’s fine once you get used to it. The wireless Apple CarPlay was faultless in our time with it, and the 12-speaker Harman Kardon sound system is impressively punchy as well.

Front seat comfort is fabulous, with plenty of adjustment for the driver’s seat – though not the side bolsters, unlike some other BMW models. It’s also relatively practical with big door bins, a big tray for the wireless phone charger and a reasonably sized box underneath the central armrest, though with shallow cupholders. We’d also like to see the centre console raised upwards as it’s a bit of a reach from the driver.

The rear seat of the 2 Series Gran Coupe feels somewhat of an afterthought compared with the roomier S3 sedan. At six-foot tall, this writer didn’t have enough headroom thanks to the sloping roofline, while kneeroom is tight as well and there are no map pockets. On the plus side, however, there are amenities such as air vents, two USB-C charging ports, big door pockets and an armrest with cupholders.

The boot measures a healthy 430 litres – a full 105L more than the S3 sedan and 10L more than the A 35 sedan – with under-floor and side storage, as well as a few hooks to hang bags off. The rear seats split fold 40:20:40 to load longer items, though the boot opening is small.

Performance and economy

The M235 uses BMW’s ‘B48’ 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine, which uses a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission to send grunt to the road via all four wheels. It’s largely mechanically identical to the pre-updated M235i, aside from a different tune for more power (233kW versus 225kW) and less torque (400Nm versus 450Nm).

BMW claims combined fuel consumption of 7.8L/100km and CO2 emissions of 176g/km for the M235, and its 49-litre fuel tank must be filled with 98RON premium unleaded fuel. In our time with the M235, we managed to beat the claimed consumption with a 7.4L/100km result, though that did include a lot of country driving. Our roadtrip to Mudgee from Sydney and back returned an excellent 6.2L/100km result.

On the road

Based on the same ‘UKL2’ platform as the 1 Series, X1 and X2 twins and the Mini Countryman, the BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe is generally quite satisfying to drive. In M235 form, it’s feisty and handles well, though it’s not as fun as a 3 Series. It also doesn’t have the trick rear limited-slip differential of the S3, but unless you’re regularly tracking your M235, you’re unlikely to notice. Its steering feels strangely dead just off centre but it’s otherwise well weighted.

Where the M235 could use improvement, however, is in its low-speed urban ride quality, which is too firm on Sydney’s rubbish roads. It uses frequency-selective dampers and not adaptive, and we think they’d be a good addition for a softer in-town ride. Because of its performance and nicely damped higher-speed ride, the roadtrip from Sydney to Mudgee was fun and memorable.

We’d also like to see more bark from the M235’s engine because, at the moment, it’s a bit too subdued for a performance variant. Both the S3 and A 35 sound better, and in a performance car like this, that counts for a lot. But there’s no denying how fast the M235 feels from behind the wheel: 100km/h is delivered in just 4.9 seconds and its mid-range punch is impressive, despite being 50Nm down on the pre-updated model.

One big change from F44 to F74 was the addition of a new seven-speed dual-clutch transmission to replace the former eight-speed auto. We weren’t sure of this change as ZF’s eight-speed ‘box is one of the best in the business but the new dual-clutcher is impressive, with lightning fast shifts and very little of the low speed hesitancy that DCTs are known for.

Also impressive is the M235’s range of active safety features, which didn’t make themselves known the whole time we had the car and that’s exactly how they should be: there when you need them, silent when you don’t. Overall, the M235 feels very well engineered from behind the wheel, or exactly what you’d expect from a BMW.

Service and warranty

BMW covers the M235 with a five-year/unlimited km warranty with only three years of roadside assistance.

Its service intervals are decided by the car, but once-yearly/every 15,000km is given as a guide. A five-year/80,000km service pack costs $2380 ($476 per year).

Verdict: Should I buy a BMW M235 Gran Coupe?

The BMW M235 Gran Coupe impresses as a well-rounded small sedan that’s enjoyable to drive, quick but efficient and great quality. It’s also good value against its main rivals – pricier than the S3 but optioning that car to the BMW’s equipment level actually makes the Audi more expensive.

Counting against the 2er is its small back seat, a firm urban ride and that its naming will cause confusion – it’s really a 1 Series sedan and not related to the coupe with which it shares a number. The 2 Series Gran Coupe has never been a bad car, but its biggest issue is its 3 Series bigger brother.

While the $92,900 +ORC 330i isn’t as quick or as well equipped as the M235, it’s bigger and more practical, plus it uses the traditional BMW rear-wheel drive layout for superior driving dynamics. If the M235 were priced closer to the lower-spec 220, a better case would be made for it, but at current prices, we’d choose the 330i every time. Still, choice is a great luxury to have and if you’re after a small premium sedan, BMW makes bloody good ones.

BMW M235 Gran Coupe rivals

Audi S3 Sedan
Mercedes-AMG A 35 Sedan