Skip to content

Condition: Post with Page_List

Listen
Search
Please enter at least 3 characters.

Latest Stories

Auto NSider | 2022 BMW 230i Coupe

When is the best time to drive a BMW?

2022 BMW 230i Coupe
Bob Jackson

Right after driving a truck.

And that doesn't mean that I don't like trucks.   I need a truck.  I admire their solid nature.   Big, comfortable, competent and confident.


But step out of a pickup and into something like our little test 230i Coupe and it's like taking off combat boots and running barefoot across soft grass on a warm Spring afternoon.

Every BMW that I've ever driven has been a well-proportioned athlete….no matter their size.   Some just carry more people and stuff than others…and some go faster than their brothers…but all have seemed well designed for their respective missions….and rather rapid, too.

And BMW's baby 230i Coupe is no exception.

Maybe I shouldn't call it "baby".    The 230i 2-door coupe will carry 4 in relative comfort.    As with any coupe, the two in the front get the best deal, but the rear seats for two are not "pretend" seats like you find in some high-end coupes, but are actually capable of carrying two people for hours in relative comfort.

But this vehicle is not really about carrying people.   It's more about dancing with the road.   Lithe and light, the 230i's turbo four will get you to 60 in around five and a half seconds…and because of its smaller size, it feels faster than that.

Speed, tho', isn't what this vehicle is about either.   Again, it's feel…handling…braking…the verve with which a smaller rear-wheel-drive vehicle can almost make love with asphalt.   The almost 50 / 50 weight distribution is one of the key reasons that gives this car the feel that it has.    I'll confess…there were times that I didn't even brake for 90 degree turns…simply because I knew I didn't have to.

Oh…you want more?    OK.   26 city and 35 Hwy MPGs.

Pricing starts right where some economy cars leave off…right in the mid to higher $30's.

We lucked out with our test 230i and got one with M Sport and handling packages which got us sport brakes with red calipers, 19" alloys, sport suspension, ambient lighting, heated seats and steering, Harmon Kardon sound, special trim, and a few other niceties.

All in, our test 230i come in with a $46,570 window sticker…and both looked…and drove…like it might have cost a bit more.

When is the best time to drive a BMW?