2020 BMW M235i Gran Coupe Review: What You Need To Know

The 2020 BMW M235i xDrive Gran Coupe was on the backfoot before it even hit the road. At its core, the M235 xDrive Gran Coupe goes against everything the BMW-faithful hold dear. For starters, it shares basic architecture with the X1 and X2 crossovers, which are front-wheel-drive platforms. For a brand that built its name on rear-wheel-drive sports sedans and coupes, anything other than that setup is sacrilegious to traditionalists. Even for those who don’t care about the unsolicited opinions (or feelings) of staunch BMW enthusiasts, the M235i xDrive Gran Coupe still has a mountain to climb to prove it’s worthy of an M badge. 

As much as BMW tries to shy away from its famous former slogan “The Ultimate Driving Machine” — a line that defined the manufacturer for so long — the two became synonymous. Just like a tattoo of an ex’s name crossed out, BMW is trying to move on but there’s no ignoring its history. 

Over the past decade and a half, BMW has moved further away from its straightforward driver-focused style. Each model line has swelled in size, gained weight and became increasingly cluttered in design. And at first glance, the M235i xDrive Gran Coupe is the epitome of BMW in 2020. It started life as a two-door model and was turned into a sedan. Then it was given a pinch of performance and a fistful of M badges. The overall design of the M235i xDrive Gran Coupe doesn’t do itself any favors either. 

Looking at it from the front, the proportions don’t seem to match the rest of the car behind the A-pillar. Slowly, the X2 crossover genes make themselves known and you start to wonder if this is really a sport sedan at all. 

Once you slide in and buckle up, it’s standard BMW fare: a mix of high-resolution displays, a touch screen, the iDrive dial and a few analog holdouts in tactile dials and buttons. Admittedly, it can be a bit overwhelming if you’re not used to BMW interiors but it is easy enough to get accustomed. 

Did BMW build M235i xDrive Gran Coupe to have a car with M badges in the $40,000-$50,000 range just for the sake of it? Not entirely.

If you ignore the overdesigned exterior, the cluttered cockpit, set the drive mode to Sport and get down to the business of driving, the DNA from BMWs of old outshine the modern distractions. Despite the M235i xDrive Gran Coupe weighing 3,602 lbs it feels light on its feet switching direction quickly from one corner to the next. Most importantly, it stays remarkably balanced mid-corner as long as you keep steady on the throttle. 

Modern AWD systems, including BMW’s xDrive with its limited-slip-differential, are mechanical wizardry. Getting on the gas too early with a traditional AWD system results in understeer and if you’re really pushing it, you can blow through a bend in the road altogether. Combine the M235i xDrive Gran Coupe’s balance, the AWD system’s ability to manhandle 301 horsepower and the 332 ft-lbs that comes in at 1,750 rpm, and it feels like you’re cheating physics powering through turns. 

The engine pulls fantastically and is incredibly versatile in both the city and on back roads. However, when you do open it up, the sound leaves a lot to be desired. Knowing the M235i xDrive Gran Coupe gets power from a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder, I expected a raucous soundtrack. What I got instead was an exhaust note more akin to my neighbor loudly playing Gran Turismo in the next apartment over. It’s muffled, digital, and its energy completely contradicts the verve of the handling. 

I’m not the first person to accuse BMW of abusing the M logo to help sell cars, but there is a hint of that “Ultimate Driving Machine” heritage in the 2020 M235i xDrive Gran Coupe. It just happens to be buried under a few layers of design-by-comittee contributions. And just like that crossed-out, hidden tattoo, you just have to know where to look. 

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