The 312-HP 2025 BMW M235 Gran Coupe Refuses to Be Ignored

The BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe has never been everyone’s cup of tea, but that’s OK. If it’s rear-wheel-drive, two-door thrills you want, BMW builds an actual coupe for precisely that purpose. But if you want to poke your foot into the Bimmer life with a more practical compact that’s enjoyable enough to drive, it fits the role decently. After four years, it’s finally getting a replacement, and now we’ve got our first look at the second generation.

The 2025 2 Gran Coupe will roll off BMW’s Leipzig assembly lines before the year is out, and begin reaching U.S. dealers in March. Sales will kick off with the 228 xDrive Gran Coupe and M235 xDrive Gran Coupe; the former will start at $42,775 including destination, while the latter will start at $50,675. The front-wheel-drive 228 Gran Coupe will arrive later in 2025, with a base price of $40,775. Compared to the current model year, the whole range is just over $2,000 more expensive, on average.

The compact’s new exterior isn’t a massive departure from its predecessor’s, though I’d argue it’s a step in the right direction. Many BMW fans haven’t taken to the smoother, rounder, friendlier design of the brand’s entry-level models, but I happen to think the new 2 looks nice, mostly because it reminds me of a late-model Ford Focus. The kidneys appear prominent without dominating the front end, the teardrop headlights are elegant, and the tails have been made more conventional-looking, after the existing sedan’s odd rear-end structure. I’d still prefer a hatch, as Europeans get, but this works decently as a three-box design.

The Gran Coupe measures seven-tenths of an inch longer and an inch taller than the outgoing model, but the wheelbase and width are the same. The sedan’s tacked on some mass in this new generation—117 pounds, to be precise—with the all-wheel-drive variant tipping the scales at 3,578 pounds. All trims employ the two-liter TwinPower turbo four-cylinder, which in base guise improves to 241 horsepower (up 13 hp) and a formidable 295 lb-ft of torque (up 37 lb-ft). Step up to the M235, and you get 312 hp (up 11 hp), while torque remains unchanged. That’s good for 0-60 mph in just 4.7 seconds—not bad for a little Bimmer. Both are mated to the latest-generation seven-speed Steptronic dual-clutch transmission.

The M235 also receives M Adaptive Suspension, for a supple or hard-charging ride when you want either. In fact, BMW is making a big deal out of optimizations to the 2 Gran Coupe’s chassis, touting new shock absorber tech that reduces roll during spirited driving, plus preloaded anti-roll bar mounts and a very rigid rear axle to sharpen dynamics, among a suite of enhancements. Customers can add M Compound brakes, which comprise four-piston, fixed calipers with 15.2-inch drilled rotors up front; and single-piston, floating calipers with 13-inch discs out back.

Inside, the new 2 Gran Coupe looks relatively sparse, as many modern cabins do, but also unique. The tri-color M-themed stitched stripes across the dash work better than I would’ve guessed, and the HVAC vents showcase one of the most inventive uses of BMW’s kidney motif I’ve seen yet. (And BMW’s done a lot with those shapes over the years.) A pair of roughly 10-inch displays form the instrument cluster and infotainment interfaces across a curved panel, and BMW points out that a 12-speaker Harmon/Kardon premium sound system now comes standard with every 2 Gran Coupe. Wireless device charging and auto-dimming mirrors both inside and outside the cabin are also standard equipment.

Note the seats, which are made not of leather, but cruelty-free “Veganza.” I could’ve sworn Veganza was a psoriasis drug, but nope, turns out it’s upholstery. Whatever it is, it looks good. Appearances aside, so far BMW has only provided images of the M235’s interior, and as everyone knows, the true mark of a well-designed cabin is how good the base model looks, sans bells and whistles. We’ll just have to wait and see about that.

While the 2 Gran Coupe is often overshadowed by its sibling in name only, I’d reckon that the second-gen deserves more than passive acknowledgment. The M235 may come in 13 ponies shy of the Audi S3, but it’s a match where torque’s concerned, and both rely on front-biased all-wheel drive. I’d love to know how they compare, and we’ll hopefully get our chance in the coming months.

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