{"id":81991,"date":"2025-04-23T12:02:52","date_gmt":"2025-04-23T16:02:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=81991"},"modified":"2025-04-23T12:02:52","modified_gmt":"2025-04-23T16:02:52","slug":"bmw-m235-gran-coupe-has-longer-wheelbase-at-auto-shanghai","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=81991","title":{"rendered":"BMW M235 Gran Coupe Has Longer Wheelbase At Auto Shanghai"},"content":{"rendered":"

They say everything\u2019s bigger in Texas, but when it comes to BMWs, nothing beats China. It\u2019s where the luxury brand builds and sells longer versions of the 5 Series and X5. But it\u2019s not just the big boys getting the stretch treatment. Indeed, the 3 Series, X3<\/a>, and even the X1 have grown longer legs in BMW\u2019s largest market.<\/p>\n

Now, the 2 Series Gran Coupe joins the club. Known internally as F78 (compared to the global F74), this stretched sedan is a spiritual successor to the nearly forgotten 1 Series Sedan<\/a>. It rides on a wheelbase that\u2019s 4.3 inches (110 mm) longer than the international version, totaling 109.4 inches (2780 mm), nearly matching the original 7 Series E23. Overall length? 183.5 inches (4663 mm), which actually makes it longer than the E28 5 Series. BMW kept the frameless doors, but stretched the rear ones to match the wheelbase growth. The M Performance variant sticks with quad exhaust tips and a subtle trunk lid spoiler.<\/p>\n

BMW unveiled the M235L as part of its 42-car showcase at Auto Shanghai, marking it as the first Gran Coupe built in China and the second locally assembled M Performance car after the X1 M35L. We still can\u2019t unsee the rear badge, though, the \u201cM\u201d and \u201c2\u201d are the same size, while the \u201c35L\u201d is squeezed in underneath in a smaller font. Just to be clear, this is not a four-door M2.<\/p>\n

BMW is showing off the M235L in Brooklyn Grey, sitting on the larger 19-inch bi-color 977 M wheels. Inside, rear seat photos highlight just how much legroom is packed into what is still technically BMW\u2019s smallest sedan. BMW says it re-angled the rear bench and beefed up the cushioning for better comfort. Other cabin highlights include discreet ambient lighting, two-tone upholstery, and a panoramic sunroof with electric shade.<\/p>\n

Under the hood, it\u2019s familiar hardware with a local twist. The B48<\/a> turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder makes a Europe-matching 296 hp, a bit less than the 312-hp version sold in the United States. Paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch auto and xDrive, it hits 62 mph (100 km\/h) in five seconds flat. It\u2019s actually a tenth slower than the Euro-spec version, likely due to the added weight from its stretched proportions.<\/p>\n

The M Performance variant might be the headliner at Auto Shanghai, but BMW is also offering a cheaper 225L version. Pricing? The M235L kicks off at 363,900 RMB (about $50,000). The math for the 225L starts at a more reasonable 259,900 RMB (around $35,500).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

They say everything\u2019s bigger in Texas, but when it comes to BMWs, nothing beats China. It\u2019s where the luxury brand builds and sells longer versions of the 5 Series and X5. But it\u2019s not just the big boys getting the stretch treatment. Indeed, the 3 Series, X3, and even the X1 have grown longer legs […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":81992,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-81991","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-industry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81991","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=81991"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81991\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/81992"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=81991"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=81991"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=81991"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}