There is a saying that good things tend to come in small packages and if you need evidence of how true that is, then look no further than the mighty BMW M235i.
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This is a 2 Series coupe on steroids; it’s not actually a fully fledged M but it’s not far short. It has the body kit, wheels, exhaust and the most powerful petrol engine developed so far for a BMW M Performance car, which means this little beauty packs an incredibly impressive punch.
This is one of those cars which, if you like a healthy helping of performance with your driving, makes an immediate impression and you just know it is going to be exceptional.
To look at, the car is perfectly formed and the M body kit which optimizes the car’s aerodynamics just gives it a ‘come and have a go if you think you’re fast enough’ attitude with its deep front apron with large air intakes, contoured side skirts and rear apron incorporating the carbon fibre wrapped twin exhaust pipes. Our test car also had carbon fibre wing mirrors.
Inside, the car meets the now trademark high luxury standards of BMW interiors. There is not a lot of room in the 2 Series and the back seats are really a waste of time because of the ridiculously small amount of leg-room but that doesn’t matter one jot because this vehicle is all about the driver.
Once you park yourself in the extremely comfortable sports seats you almost become part of the car because it is so compact, which just adds to the pleasure of driving this machine.
The instrument cluster is nicely designed and everything, including the infotainment system which operates via an eight-inch screen and looks a bit like an i-ad stuck on the dash, is easily accessed.
Our car also had an Alcantara trimmed sports steering wheel with paddle-shifters which completed the sporty feel of the cabin. The real joy of this car, like all BMWs, is the drive experience because, although it might be small, this is one potent piece of kit.
The power comes from a 3-litre, six-cylinder in-line engine which has M Performance twin-turbo technology.
It pushes out 326 bhp with torque of 450nm which means this car is incredibly responsive. It has a 0-100kmh time of just 4.8 seconds which makes it as fast as a Porsche Cayman but with a little bit more practicality in that it is more spacious and has a half decent boot.
Although this is a powerful engine it delivers decent fuel efficiency with consumption calculated at a claimed 7.6 litres of fuel per 100 kilometres.
The bhp is delivered to the rear wheels via either a standard manual gearbox or, as in the case with our test vehicle, a very impressive optional eight-speed sports automatic with launch control.
The handling of this car is kart-like in that it sticks to the road like glue thanks to its bespoke chassis and suspension technology taken from BMW’s motorsport programme which gives it outstanding agility and precision.
You can drive the car in three modes – Eco which nobody is going to bother with, Sport which is the one which suits this car best, or Sport Extra which turns off the traction control and you can have some real fun.
I stuck with Sport and I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed pushing this car through corners at speed because it handled everything thrown at it brilliantly and the noise that comes from that engine completes a very satisfying driving experience.
This lairy little 2 Series is even more impressive than the incredible successful BMW 1 Series Coupe which accounted for more than 150,000 sales worldwide.
It delivers everything you would expect of a BMW M Performance car and I have no hesitation in saying that it is one of the best small coupes I have driven this year. I can only imagine how good the fully fledged M2 will be.
Verdict:
The compact premium car sector is incredibly competitive with all the German manufacturers producing impressive machines but this is one very special motorcar. It doesn’t come cheap at Dh280,000, and there is not a lot of room in it but it is spectacularly good to drive. A great car.
