There are some things that cannot be judged off of a stat sheet and the 2025 BMW M235 xDrive Gran Coupe is one of them. You see 312hp, seven speed automatic, two liters of displacement, and less than 300 lb-ft of torque and perhaps it makes you think, “meh”. Thankfully the magic of cars comes from actually driving them and this thing is a literal box of fun surprises not the least of which is a 0-60 time in the low 4-second range and a quarter mile time of 12.9-seconds . Obviously those are raw numbers that appeal to any enthusiast but what about the rest of the car? Frankly, it only gets better from there.
Sure the 2-series is the smallest BMW one can get their hands on but that doesn’t mean it’s a lesser unit than the other cars that the famed three letter brand cranks out these days and there are some gems. This one just so happens to be a smaller cut of stone but it sparkles in all the right ways.
So we have to start in a place where I normally end discussions like these, on price. This well optioned car carried a sticker of $59,175 all in and with all that it delivers, effectively everything but generous size to rear passengers, we think that this may be the smartest money to spend on any BMW in the lineup. Of course this is also the xDrive model meaning that it’s all wheel drive so the base price is $49,500 and we had about $10,000 of options on this car. The Vegas red paint was $650, the M Package was $2,550 and other options like the technology package, premium package, heated steering wheel, interior camera, etc bumped the price up. If you were more specific with the option sheet this car could be several thousand dollars cheaper, not to mentioned significantly lighter if you skipped the all wheel drive.
A BMW carrying an M badge with a transverse engine?! Yes, that’s the exact thing that you are looking at. While it first it may be freaky to think about, the fact that this is an all wheel drive car, and a small one at that starts to tell the story as to why the layout was done in this fashion. The 2.0L plant is a willing accomplice every time you hammer the gas and the dual clutch seven speed transmission is so blindingly quick that it’s a true highlight of the car. Nothing is quite as fun as pushing the car around corners while dropping down a gear before entry (or three) and then powering out by shifting into higher gears to keep the little engine in its surprisingly fat torque band. So yes, the transverse engine may be a bit of a shocker for purists but frankly when the hood is down and you are working the wheel the way the engine is laid out is not even close to entering your mind.
The interior of the M235 xDrive Gran Coupe is, to us, a very interesting split down the middle when it comes to fit, finish, and functionality. As you can see, the whole front of the car is built around the driver. Note the angularity of the screen, how the dash moves to form that cockpit feeling and the driver specific layout of all the important ergonomic elements. BMWs are drivers cars and this one is certainly that. The weight of the wheel is heavy enough to engage enthusiast minded drivers but not so heavy as to be annoying to those who are not. The seats are absolutely awesome. Even with our wide body type we fit in them snugly and the bolstering makes you feel as though you could be ripping the bus stop in Daytona maintaining full control.
As you can see though, there are limitations. We’ve not been shy to mention that this is a small car. As such, the rear space is very limited. Once you manage to get in there, it’s not bad but there’s some contorting needed for taller people to navigate the roofline and then work your legs in to find a spot where you don’t totally feel claustrophobic.
Trunk space was a little more generous than we expected judging by the tight package of the rest of the car. We mention this to say that the M235 is a functional car, it is not a toy, it is something that could and should be lived with and driven daily. This is not a machine you would simply set aside until you were motivated to go enjoy it, just the opposite. This baby is designed to make the day to day feel like anything but. Note the small exterior details on the car, the small spoiler in the rear, the blacked out roof, the dual exhaust tips. These to us are classy elements that tell the performance story but do not look lame, gaudy, or misplaced. Hey, this thing can and will run away from a lot of “performance” cars in a straight line or around the corners, so these details track.
The two most important wheels on the BMW, the top image captures the factory wheel and Goodyear rubber on the car, the bottom is the fat rimmed steering wheel that we basically had to have our hands pried off of when the car left our charge. The handling of this machine is even more fun than the raw accelerative performance. Even in cold weather on cold roads, the Goodyears showed good grip (and frankly we did not push things too hard as to not over-step the conditions) and were responsive during a bunch of driving we did over the week we had the car. Is the ride perfect? No, there is no such thing as a perfect riding car.
You make the compromise that you expect to make with a performance handling car. It’s taught, it’s tight, the ride is not plush, it is precise and the car is seemingly always asking you for more in the best of ways. A little more throttle, a little more entry speed, a little more fun.
The bottom line for us is that in a sea of cars that pretend to be things, are priced stratospherically, and fail to deliver, this is the real thing. It’s fast, it’s fun, it is functional, you can live with it every day, and beyond it all, it’s less than $60,000 and delivers far, far more than that to enthusiast drivers. We loved the BMW M235 xDrive Gran Coupe. Drive one and we bet you will too.
