The replacement for the BMW 1-series has
big shoes to fill. One of our favourite drives, the One wasn’t a huge sales
success, but it was a direct descendant of the type of car that made BMW what
it is today: compact, slightly dorky, rear-drive sedans with world-dominating
powertrains, bar-setting handling, and more capability than pretense.
The new little BMW, now called 2-series,
has gained more than just a number in its name— it’s grown, up 2.8 inches in
length, 1.3 in width and wheelbase. Where it’s changed the most, however, is
styling: The new car looks so adult that it could have easily worn a 3-series
badge. It’s the same length as the E36-chassis 3-series coupe, last sold in
1999, and roughly as wide as the E46 two-door, sold until 2006.
The
BMW M235i resists oversteer strongly. Sometimes too strongly
The Two’s interior is nice, with materials
that mostly match or beat the quality of those in current 3- and 4-series BMWs.
The back seat is usable for short trips; it’s not much smaller than the Four’s
rear seat, but folding yourself into it is comically difficult. In typical BMW
fashion, the driving position is perfect, and outward visibility is better than
you’d think.
There are two 2-series models: The 228i
uses BMW’s ubiquitous 240-hp turbo four-cylinder. The M235i gets the aging, but
still breathtaking, single-turbo straight-six. Either is bolted to a six-speed
manual or that ZF-sourced eight-speed automatic that we keep telling you is the
best autobox on the planet. Making it (wait for it…) nowhere near as good as a
stick.
Don’t let the M portion of the M235i’s name
fool you, though: This isn’t an M-car. The M badges here (16 in total on our
test car) serve to justify the existence of BMW’s performance subbrand for the
company’s bean counters; it’s not a sign of how the car drives. The M235i is
simply a replacement for the outgoing 135i.
Black
leather makes for a reserved ambience. Go for no-cost red with blue accents if
you want a racier finish
Still, the 320-hp M235i rockets itself to
60 mph in 4.5 seconds, one stopwatch spasm quicker than the 320-hp,
manual-transmission 135is we tested last year, despite a 146-pound weight gain.
For that heroic performance, you can thank the automatic’s rapid-fire
gearchanges and short, appropriately spaced ratios. Aggressive Michelin Pilot
Super Sport tires help provide instantaneous turn-in and ludicrous amounts of
grip. (Foul weather prevented us from performing our standard skidpad test, but
rest assured, the results would have slaughtered those of the 135is.) Adaptive
dampers keep body motions in check but allow a much more supple ride than the
last car’s.
Like the old One, the M235i comes with an
open rear differential. At-the-limit cornering results in moderate understeer
which, at high speed, can be nixed by summoning some of the engine’s prodigious
torque. At lower speed with stability control off, adding power causes inside
wheelspin that prompts the computer to apply a rear brake. That sends power to
the outside wheel, which in turn flings the M235i abruptly sideways.
More
head and legroom back here makes for enough space for average-height adults.
Access is a bit of a squeeze, though
Luckily, the steering is quick, at 2.2
turns lock-to-lock, helping you catch the resulting slide. To preserve
high-speed stability in a straight line, the rack starts out slow on-center but
progressively quickens as you add lock—a setup we adore.
The steering is admirably accurate, and its
weighting is commendably natural. Sadly, zero feedback comes through the
electrically assisted rack. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. It’s worse in this regard
than even the 4-series, though we feared that might be the case, as the
2-series’s architecture was developed before that of the 4-series. We’ll try to
be patient as BMW slowly figures out how to fix its electric steering.
Meanwhile, the Bavarians have successfully
figured out how to make one of the world’s best-sounding engines sound louder.
The Two’s stereo speakers play a lovely imitation straight-six soundtrack
because, because . . . well, we don’t know. Because every carmaker that tries
this trick has lost its cotton-picking mind.
The
boot is 20 litres bigger than that of the old 1-series coupé. It accommodates
big suitcases with ease
But you already knew that. The good news
is, BMW’s North American operation is still sane. It plans to offer a
limited-slip differential, which will be either dealer- or port-installed. The
diff should clean up the car’s limit handling.
We long ago abandoned hope that BMW would
bring us a 1-series hatchback—and to be honest, the One hatch sold in Europe is
so jarringly styled that we don’t want it. What we do want is a 235i sedan. As
nice a car as the 2-series coupe is, it can’t match the usability of Audi’s
forthcoming S3 or the Mercedes CLA45 AMG. So we predict that, like its
predecessor, the 235i won’t be a huge seller. Pity.
