The assault by the motoring press on the M235i Gran Coupe's polarising looks, change of drive train and omission of two cylinders is a disgrace. Almost all reviewers refuse to acknowledge the car is aimed at an entirely different customer base than BMW's rear wheel driven models or that it should be reviewed on its own merits. Why? Because it's not what the journalists expected, desired or surmised it should be! In fact without taking into consideration that it has been built to take a share of the the market from the CLA 35 AMG and the S3 Saloon, most reviewers are missing the mark completely.
In the absence of a realistic comparison with a similar vehicle, the all too common press pack question about the Gran Coupe rears its ugly head "What is the point of this vehicle?" The question should be "What is the point of this poor review?" Are these journalists simply Seeking validation from the RWD fanboys by regurgitating the vitriol they have fired towards the Gran Coupe online, rather than offering a rational and fair critique of a new vehicle?
Comparing a FWD/AWD 4CYL with a RWD 6CYL M2 along with the reviewers acting out some kind of pretentious affinity with the 6CYL engine is laughable and offers little insight into whether the Gran Coupe has met it's brief. Can it compete with other manufacturers models in the same segment, not BMW's own product lines. BMW did not make the Gran Coupe to replace the M2. This is made abundantly clear in that a new 6CYL RWD M2 is coming next year.
Even those journalists/YouTubers who do begin to draw comparisons with the Gran Coupe's actual market competitors continue to reflect upon the irrelevant juxtapositions with the M2, rubbishing the Gran Coupe for feeling safe and sure footed on the road, isn't that really the pursuit of any road car manufacturer? To provide safe, predictable handling characteristics that won't offer up any unexpected surprises to the driver? It's not the pursuit of every motorist to do doughnuts in the Asda/Walmart car park or slide round a roundabout putting the general public at risk!
It would seem though that in terms of performance the BMW really brings the hammer down on its peers. In spite of its predictable and safe handling. Having watched the CarWow drag race between the M135i XDrive, the Audi S3 and the Mercedes AMG 35
I have picked out some points from my observations that certainly suggest to me that at road legal speeds the engines In the M135i XDrive and M235i Gran Coupe are the strongest.
After the obligatory vehicle descriptions, some lame banter and a listen to their respective exhaust notes the action in the video begins with a standing quarter mile. All vehicles using their Launch control systems. The Audi S3 seems to take off quicker in the wet despite having the same 0-60 time as the BMW. I suspect the BMW reaches 60 quicker than the S3 though as it appears to have stretched ahead momentarily inside the first 5 seconds. The S3 sneaks past the BMW again. It looked like the BMW lost traction for a fraction of a second in the footage. However the Audi did claim the standing 1/4 mile by 2 tenths of a second ahead of the BMW the AMG35 finishing much further behind. A few more runs would have been nice here.
At motorway speeds though both the AMG and BMW leave the S3 standing, in the first of two rolling acceleration races from 50mph beginning with all cars in auto. The S3 can't catch the BMW until it reaches between 120 and 130MPH where the opportunity to overtake on anywhere but an airstrip would have long passed. Even with a full manual Shifting rolling start from 50 where the Audi still auto shifts up at red line (Not really manual mode Audi?). The S3 to was forced to power itself to over 100MPH before it could begin to pass the BMW driver who was relying on his reflexes to change gears and had already passed the AMG 35 after it's momentary leap forward.
It's evident that Audi sought out to impress with top end speed where as BMW and Mercedes gearing is focused towards real world driving speeds. You can really see the BMW"s extra torque delivers where it counts which is around motorway driving speeds. If you wanted to overtake an S3 in your M135i Xdrive or M235i Gran Coupe on the motorway it should do so with little challenge until the Speedo hits triple figures, before which if you didn't want an automatic disqualification would be braking time.
Did CarWow not want to admit that the Audi will never be overtaking anyone one at 120MPH on the road and therefore accept the BMW destroyed it? Or were they oblivious to the reality of which cars performance was best as a road car? It's incredible how simple, and pertinent facts can be overlooked by dim witted reviews or unrealistic testing not reflecting upon actual driving conditions or legal limitations. I'm guessing the majority of these cars will never see a race track let alone an airfield.
And BMW "you can thank me later for the bloody advert"