Although a standard version is offered in other countries, UK-market 2 Series Gran Coupes are all in M Sport trim, because that’s what people were buying anyway. The problem is that this also includes lower, firmer suspension, and in the UK, this gives the Gran Coupe a particularly irksome ride.
It’s fairly well-damped and not harsh or crashy, but it just never settles down. You get tossed about on B-roads, and even the motorway, there are constant up and down motions, to the point where it takes some concentration to hit the right icon on the touchscreen when you want to turn up the temperature.
The seats and driving position are very comfortable, despite the lack of adjustable lumbar support, and the cabin remains fairly quiet at a motorway cruise.
The stiff suspension does at least give the 2 Series Gran Coupe a good deal of incisiveness on a twisty road, with a notable absence of body roll. The DSC Sport Plus stability control setting also lets the car rotate on a trailing throttle, giving the handling a bit more depth than most hatchbacks and saloons.
However, we’re not convinced that this was really worth sacrificing so much comfort for. The suspension is so firm that the car can get deflected on particularly bumpy roads. There’s also not much in the way of ebb and flow of weight to the steering, making it far less interactive than you might expect from the Ultimate Driving Machine.
We’ve not tried the M235 in the UK yet. When we drove it on the international launch, we found it to be capable, with plenty of grip and traction, but similarly short on engagement.
