2 02 2 B M W 2 3 0 i ~ BY E Z R A DY E R
Class of One Highs: Sneakily quick, strong brakes, fun size. Lows: No manual, options run up price, 230i means what now? BMW should have picked a name and stuck
the numbers Vehicle Type: front-engine, rear-wheeldrive, 4-passenger, 2-door coupe Base/As Tested ...... $37,345/$48,520 Engine: turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 16-valve inline-4, aluminum block and head, direct fuel injection Displacement ................ 122 in3, 1998 cm3 Power .......................... 255 hp @ 6500 rpm Torque ....................... 295 lb-ft @ 1550 rpm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Dimensions • Wheelbase ...................................... 107.9 in • L/W/H .......................... 179.0/72.4/54.8 in • Curb Weight ................................... 3554 lb
test RESULTS 60 mph .................................................. 5.1 sec 100 mph ............................................. 13.4 sec 1/4-Mile ........................ 13.7 sec @ 101 mph 130 mph ............................................. 26.1 sec Results above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.3 sec. Rolling Start, 5–60 mph ............... 6.1 sec Top Speed (mfr’s claim) ............ 155 mph Braking, 70–0 mph ............................ 152 ft Braking, 100–0 mph ........................ 309 ft Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad ..... 0.92 g C/D Fuel Economy • Observed ........................................ 28 mpg • 75-mph Hwy Driving .................. 38 mpg • Hwy Range ...................................... 520 mi EPA Fuel Economy • Comb/City/Hwy .............. 29/26/35 mpg
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THE RUNDOWN
meaning a good number of them escaped the count. As such, the 3554-pound 230i rips to 60 mph in 5.1 seconds. The 13.7-second, 101-mph quarter-mile sprint is also solidly in rowdy territory. With numbers like that and a base price of $37,345, the 230i could score a few converts coming from a Subaru WRX or a V-6 Camaro. But in this case, the engine and eight-speed automatic transmission are a means to an end, generating enough speed to showcase the chassis and brakes. As was true with the ’68 2002 and the muscle cars of its day, you wouldn’t want to pit a 230i against a Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat on a straightaway, but get down into a canyon and the BMW will run away. Wearing staggered Pirelli P Zero PZ4 summer tires, the 230i generated a healthy 0.92 g of skidpad grip and showed off the kind of balance that comes with a nearly 50/50 front-to-rear weight distribution. Its brakes, too, are up for diving deep into corners all day long. Not
only did the 230i stop from 70 mph in just 152 feet (within a yard of the Maserati MC20’s performance), but it did so time after time with no fade. Even repeated stops from 100 mph elicited consistent results (officially 309 feet) and no fade. Given its throwback vibe, the 230i works best with minimal adornment. The standard SensaTec faux leather is believable enough, and if you’re careful with options, you might build a 230i that costs less than a Toyota Supra 2.0, which uses the same powertrain. The 230i even returned 38 mpg in 75-mph highway driving. Yes, we’ve compared the 230i to a lot of cars that aren’t really its competitors. Because at this point, what is? Minimalist rear-wheel-drive European coupes aren’t exactly thick on the ground these days. So, regardless of whatever else BMW rolls out—electrified, bombastic, hypercomplicated—we’re glad that somebody in Munich still has their hymnal turned to page 2002.
P HOTO G RA P H Y BY M I C HA E L S I M A R I
with it. After our David E. Davis Jr. sang the praises of the 1968 2002, BMW might have said, “Our overachieving compact sports coupe will be called 2002 forevermore.” But no. BMW kept building cars in the 2002 idiom, joyful rear-drive coupes, but the names were inconsistent: 3-series, 1-series, 2-series, 4-series. If BMW hadn’t stopped building the 2002—and it basically didn’t— the redesigned 2022 230i would be the latest model, and we’d all know what to expect, which is to say a practical everyday car with a secret rambunctious side. Though BMW rates the 230i’s turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four at just 255 horsepower, these are Bavarian horses,
