Luxury car brands will never admit to chasing volume, but everyone is doing it. Audi has the A3, Mercedes sells the CLA, and BMW offers the 1 Series hatchback along with its 2 Series Gran Coupe sedan sibling. We recently talked about the M135 hot hatch arriving in South Africa, and new images show it didn’t come alone. The M235 has also landed in SA, quad exhaust and all.
Enthusiasts remember that the M235i badge once referred to a very different car. Gone are the days of the rear-wheel-drive coupe with an inline-six and a manual gearbox. In contrast, the badge has been repurposed for a four-door sedan built on a front-wheel-drive-based platform. It comes standard with xDrive and no option for a clutch pedal. The auto-only compact premium sedan also drops the “i” from its name. Why? BMW is removing the letter from all gasoline-powered models. Going forward, only electric vehicles will carry the “i.”
The M235 is one of the two gasoline-powered versions available in South Africa for the 2 Series Gran Coupe “F74.” BMW is showing off its M Performance sedan in Brooklyn Grey, equipped with optional 19-inch wheels. We also spot the M Sport Package Pro, featuring dark Shadowline accents and red brake calipers. Inside, the M Sport seats come with tri-color stitching on the seatbelts.
This isn’t the most expensive M235 Gran Coupe money can buy, as the car shown lacks M Compound brakes. The upgraded setup is also available on other mechanically related models like the M135, X1 M35i, and X2 M35i. All of them share large 385-mm drilled front discs and 330-mm rear discs, paired with gray calipers.
If you’re not a fan of the black Alcantara/Veganza interior, BMW offers a bolder red-and-black alternative in Sensatec (artificial leather). There’s still more plastic than we’d like to see, even in a 1 Series, but it is a 1 Series after all. BMW has confirmed that the iDrive knob is on its way out, and it’s already missing from several models. All of the latest compact cars have dropped it, and upcoming models won’t have it either.
Cars like the 2 Series Gran Coupe help BMW retain its sales crown and fend off competition from Mercedes, Audi, and Lexus. Having a hot M235 in the lineup also helps the M division continue breaking sales records year after year.
Photos: BMW
