2014 BMW M235i

As BMW continues its relentless march towards dominance in an ever expanding number of product niches (X1, 3, 4, 5, 6-model crossovers, i3 and 8-branded EVs) and sub-niches (328GT, 435 Gran Coupe, etc), the new M Performance lineup, starting with the M235i, brings us back towards the haloed “Ultimate Driving Machine” moniker the company has used for decades.

M Performance models slot between the M Sport trim available on most BMWs and “real” M cars like the M3. While the M235i is available in all wheel drive and with a manual transmission, the test vehicle was rear drive with the no-cost 8-speed automatic gearbox. It offers almost all the strait line performance of the outgoing M3, to wit 0-60 in 4.3 seconds and a quarter mile of 12.9 seconds at a speed of 109mph.

The engine responsible for such a feet is a lightly tweaked version of the family N55 inline turbo six, with ratings of 320hp and 330lb-ft of torque. The ZF tranny plays a role here too, with an ultra short first gear, launch control, full manual override and whip-crack shifts that make the idea of a stick shift seem silly.

BMW has uprated the hardware underneath to cope with such speed. Beefy fixed-piston brakes haul the M235i down as prodigiously as it flashes into license-loosing territory, and its springs and antiroll bars are stiffer. The superbly calibrated, variable Adaptive M Sport dampers are awesome: in Comfort the ride is firm but compliant and in full-tilt Sport+ it is starchy enough to eliminate almost all dive, squat and roll. Helping here is the use of Michelin Pilot Super Sport non-runflat tires.

The variable steering isn’t quite so successful. While the super-fast ratio makes it easy to take any corner without moving your hands form 3 and 9 o’clock, it offers no feel whatsoever, making it very difficult to judge how much grip remains from the narrow, 225-section front tires. When the M235i succumbs to understeer, a judicious lift of the throttle rotates it adroitly, but unfortunate this doesn’t open the door to glorious, tail-out antics, despite the grand drift videos BMW ha produced to suggest as much. The biggest problem is that once the M235i starts to rotate, it doesn’t hold a given angle of slip. Instead, it either continues to come around beyond what a driver might want or it snaps back into line abruptly—or can even continue into a classic “tank slapper” in a nasty way. In this way it is more like the low-production 1M than the last generations of M3.

Making a limited slip differential ($2,895 plus installation) standard would go a long ways towards curing this issue, as would adding bigger tires all around. But this might encroach too much on the forthcoming, rumored M2’s territory. An all wheel drive M235i would also probably be more benign, but as its springs, dampers and other suspension components would be different, much of the fun factor might be lost.

As it is, the M235i makes a much better fast daily driver that is great up to 9/10ths, than a true do-all, track/autocross star—which is all most drivers will ever want or need. And, this is the best sounding N55-powered BMW ever. So sweetly suggestive is the tune it plays that it elicits goose flesh from anyone with a drop of gasoline in their veins.

As far as comfort and aesthetics, the BMW appears well equipped for its mission; its frontal aspect is perhaps the best of the company’s current lineup, and its overall shape harks back to the classic 2002s of the 1970s. Inside materials are of high quality and there is lots of standard equipment, though there are some surprising omissions, such as lumber adjustment for the otherwise terrific sports seats. While lacking in that last ration of driver interaction and polish, the M235i represents a fun alternative to American muscle cars in its juvenile delinquent demeanor and stout straitline performance.

EPA ratings: 22/32mpg; 25mpg combined
Price as tested: $46,025
Here is what BMW has to say about it.

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