Normally being denied another six-cylinder BMW would be a little disappointing. However, that the xDrive
M235i
probably won't be sold in the UK isn't too much of a concern, is it? Four-wheel drive makes sense on BMW's more practical stuff but on the flagship 2 Series we'd argue it should remain RWD. With
the diff
, of course. The hardware associated with sending power to the front wheels also adds another 70kg to the kerbweight.
228i a modern day 2002 Turbo?
Of more interest to PH is the 228i. No, really. Its 2.0-litre Twinpower turbo makes 245hp and 258lb ft with standard 205/40 R17 tyres that are actually a tad narrower than the famously 'skinny' GT86 rubber. It's also another 70kg lighter than the RWD M235i, giving it a 1,385kg DIN kerbweight. We had a quick chat with the BMW specialist Birds', who offered M135i/235i LSDs before the M Performance option, and they were "pretty confident" something similar could be made available on the 228i as well. Sounds promising.
So here we have a two door saloon coupe with a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine and a '2' in the name. Sound familiar? All those twos and more featured in the 2002 Turbo, remember. Alright, it's a tenuous link (and there aren't any decals in the M Performance catalogue) but it could just be the return of the small fast BMW coupe. And there we were raving about the M3...