Reddit This More Powerful BMW 2 Series is Coming, Which Sounds Like a Bad Idea

BOLD RIDE

 

Copyright © 2016 Bold Ride LLC.                                           

Posted by Andrew T. Maness

                                       

Slotting in between the definitely entertaining to drive 228i and outlandishly fun M2 is the M235i. Not a full blown ‘M’ car, but definitely something a bit more special than the run of the mill Bimmer, the M235i has become a fan favorite since its release in 2014. Hell, I liked it so much that brought one home with me, that car you see up above belongs to yours truly.

 

I’ve enjoyed every minute spent with my car over the last 9 months, and have been consistently impressed by how it performs during spirited drives. There’s not much I would change about the car, save for a few slight suspension tweaks, and the addition of a limited slip differential. The last thing I would say is that it needs is more power, and I’m a power addict. So when the news broke that BMW was replacing the M235i with a more potent model, I was left scratching my head.

In terms of having a cohesive model family, the addition of the M240i makes sense. BMW has already replaced the 335i with the 340i, and a 440i and X4 M40i are on the horizon. These are larger cars however, ones that I’m the first to admit will be more enjoyable with extra power on tap.

 The M235i however is not a large car, and there has not been a single situation I’ve been in where I thought, “Gee, I wish I had another 15 horsepower!” The car can hang with vehicles way above its price point, and far outside of its segment, but that’s just not enough for BMW.

BMW needs the car to stay fresh and relevant, and with all the buzz currently surrounding the M2, I can see how the company would feel the need to do something to once again get people riled up about the middle tier 2′er. Although the extra 15 horsepower isn’t a huge deal, the extra 39 lb-ft of torque certainly is, as that brings the M240i’s twist figure to 369 lb-ft.

 My manual transmission M235i weighs in at 3,505 pounds, which doesn’t make it crazy light, but let me tell ya, it wears its weight well. Corner entry, and exit are superb, the car feels like it is doing exactly what you want it to, when you want it to.

Like I said before, I’m addicted to power, and all that torque available from 1,520 rpm to 4,500 rpm sounds like a good time, in theory. My concern is that changing up the recipe even just a little bit, will upset the perfect balance BMW seems to have already arrived at. More power without any changes to the suspension, or addition of a limited slip diff as standard equipment, seems like an ill-informed decision to me. 

I’m sure BMW knows what they’re doing, but I’m going to remain highly skeptical of the M240i until I drive it, at which point I will probably start looking into how I can trade my M235i in for one.

Photo Credit: VisualVocab