2025 BMW M235 xDrive Gran Coupe First Drive, Specs, Price And Performance

The BMW 2-Series serves as the entry point into getting yourself an “Ultimate Driving Machine.” Now, BMW has unveiled a second generation to its “Gran Coupe” (actually a four-door), and it strives to be bigger, better, and more powerful without unduly running up the tab.

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To drive the newest 2-Series, BMW brought me to its headquarters in Spartanburg, South Carolina to get some precious seat time behind the wheel of what will be the most-performance oriented 2-Series at launch, the 2025 M235 xDrive.

After a fancy dinner, a proper reveal complete with a DJ, and chatting with colleagues about air travel, Baltimore sports icons, and everything in-between, BMW let me take the latest and greatest 2-Series around its test track at its Performance Center down the street from its main American assembly. As I was in close proximity to a lot of BMW secret projects, concept cars, and the like, I was not allowed to take any pictures over the course of the drive.

As is the case elsewhere in BMW’s line-up, the 2-Series umbrella now encompasses a number of different flavors. Initially, when the second generation 2-series arrives in the U.S. in March of 2025, it will have two trim levels: 228 xDrive and M235 xDrive. Both are equipped with all-wheel drive. The entry-level 228 sDrive — which will command a starting price of $39,600 — is two-wheel drive, and BMW expects it to launch sometime halfway through next year. 

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All three trims will be four-door “Gran Coupe” sedans — no word on a 2-Series Coupe roadmap yet — and will be powered by a twin-turbo 2.0-liter four cylinder paired with a seven-speed automatic transmission. That makes 241 horsepower in the 228, enough to propel the 2-Series to 60 miles per hour in 5.8 seconds. The power is cranked up to 312 horsepower for the M235, and in turn the highway speed sprint is shaved down to 4.7 seconds. It’s not going to blow the doors off a proper V8-powered BMW monster, but it’s no slouch.

Inside, BMW has revamped the dashboard to house a number of new screens and technological bits, that aim to make the drive a little less boring and a lot more connected. Given the short time I had on the track, I wasn’t able to mess around with the 2-Series infotainment or technology suite very much, but it very much falls in line with the rest of BMW’s 2025 offerings.

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Dimensionally, the 2-Series was made a little longer and taller to allow for a more livable passenger and storage compartment. Unlike something like a BMW Z4, this car isn’t supposed to be relegated to a weekend toy when the weather is nice. It’s supposed to be a daily driver, grocer getter, vacation car, and weekend racer all in one.

In short, it’s BMW’s mass-market car for everyone who wants a taste of either Ultimate, Driving, and/or Machine without dropping six-figures on something like an M5, or scouring FaceBook marketplace for a used 3-Series that may or may not house a family of raccoons.

When I first got to the track, I was greeted by engineers from BMW who were very helpful in answering any questions about their new pride and joy. My Q&A session with one engineer migrated to the 2-Series itself, with me in the passenger seat while he thrashed around the track for a few minutes and, in a very classically German manner, calmly explained what made the new car tick while the speedometer climbed to triple digits.

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In the hands of the people who designed it, the 2-Series was calm, competent and planted. A four-door German sports sedan doesn’t exactly scream “drama” and the 2-Series didn’t either. It ate through the banked corners of BMW’s track like a plate of dampfnudel. The tires didn’t complain, and the xDrive system and updated suspension did their best to keep the car composed.

Although I may pretend to be one while gliding through traffic, I am not a professional track driver, but the 2-Series made me feel like one when I got behind the wheel. On BMW’s Autobahn mock-up, I achieved a speed of 134 miles per hour, and the car felt like it was going highway speeds. It’s quiet and absolutely devoid of any shaking or otherwise nervousness that might strike other cars at (somewhat) high speeds.

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Through the banked and flat corners, the M235 remained stoic. Although the M235’s calm demeanor might be a drawback to people who prefer to live on the edge, one must remember that the 2-Series as a whole isn’t meant for smashing lap records. It’s meant for skipping work and going to the golf course, or sitting in traffic and pretending you’re on the starting grid at the 24 Hours of Daytona. Just like you might not want the pilot of the airliner you’re on to have a neck tattoo and an affinity for thrash metal, you don’t want your mass market commuter car to have a crazy streak.

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There’s something to be said about a car that you can absolutely wring to its limits on the track without feeling like you’re going to die, or lower the property values of every house in a several square mile radius when you mash the accelerator. The 2025 2-Series, with only a hair over 300 horsepower at its hottest, doesn’t have to be wild to be good.

My track time had about as much drama as a Southern California weather forecast, and on balance that’s probably a good thing: the 2-Series was just downright pleasant to drive. The M5 I trampled around the same course kicks you in the head with noise and enough power to put the National Guard on standby. In contrast, the 2-Series was like going on a brisk walk with a nice soundtrack of a chirping birds, and a backdrop of some nice greenery. It’s just easy.

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Right when it launches, the 2025 BMW 228 xDrive Gran Coupe will sit at a price of $41,600. The 2025 BMW M235 xDrive that I drove will set you back $49,500. Both have a $1,175 destination charge. Although there are a number of commuter Hondas, Kias, and Subarus that are a lot cheaper, the 2-Series is a tempting option for someone who wants a little more out of driving to and from the Trader Joes that shares a parking lot with a BMW dealership.