The BMW 1 Series M has been regarded as one of the best pieces of performance machinery to come from the halls of BMW->ke178 for decades, but sadly it was limited to a very short run of cars and it was only sold as a coupe->ke141. Now that BMW has moved its two-door models to the new naming scheme, it seems that we are at least getting a topless model that approaches the same fun and tossability as the 1M Coupe with the freshly announced 2015 M235i Convertible.

It shares many similarities with the new M235i Coupe, but with much more headroom and sunshine. It also marks the first convertible->ke144 version of an M Performance model. With a turbocharged, straight-six engine, a six-speed manual transmission and rear-wheel drive, it has all the proper bits to make for a truly memorable driving machine.

Like all machines that roll from the BMW factory, the M235i Convertible also promises to offer a sublime blend of handling ability and ride comfort. What else makes this machine different from a regular 2-Series->ke2065? Read on to find out.

Click past the jump to read more about the BMW M235i Convertible.

2015 BMW M235i Convertible

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 2015 BMW M235i Convertible
  • Engine/Motor: inline-6
  • Horsepower: 320 @ 5800
  • Torque: 330 @ 1400
  • Transmission: Eight-Speed Steptronic
  • [do not use] Vehicle Model: Array
Pros
Cons

TopSpeed.com Rendering

Creating a rendering for the upcoming M235i Convertible was pretty easy once we had the M235i Coupe. As you probably imagined all we need to do was to remove the top and we came with an image that will offer you a pretty good idea on how the sports convertible will look like.

Exterior

There have been some changes made to the overall design of the M235i in its transformation to a convertible. The front end has been made a little swoopier, the kidney grille has been stretched slightly at the top with some sharper points, and the cooling ducts that flank the bumper have been made much larger. The headlights are also a mildly revised design that are longer, and have a unique kink in the housing towards the inside.

The trunk is decidedly sedate for anything with any type of M badge, and aside from the loss of the roof, the rear of the M235i Convertible looks almost identical to its Coupe sibling.

2014 BMW M235i Coupe

Interior

The inside of the M235i Convertible will be very familiar to anyone who has seen or driven the fixed-top version of the car. The seats are special sports buckets, the steering wheel is an M version wrapped in leather, and the interior trim is a design BMW calls “Aluminum Hexagon.”

Along with the fancy, metal trim, the M235i Convertible also gets some rather attractive accent strips that come in either Estoril Blue or a gloss black. The shift boot and hand brake also get a dash of leather to class things up a bit.

Drivetrain

This is the good bit. Under the hood of the M235i Convertible is BMW’s TwinPower Turbo, 3.0-liter straight-six engine. It has been meddled with by the M Performance team to the tune of 320 horsepower and 330 pound-feet of twist. Thanks to fancy tech like variable valve timing, variable camshaft timing, direct injection and the twin-scroll design turbo, all that power is available early in the rev range and stays there until the redline. It makes the engine feel much more punchy and playful that previous BMW turbo engines that were more high-strung.

Shifting duties are being handled by your choice of a six-speed manual transmission (the right choice) or an eight-speed Steptronic automatic with paddle shifters (the wrong choice). If you row your own gears, BMW says you can get the M235i Convertible to 60 mph in five seconds flat. Thanks to the quick-shifting nature of the automatic, you can make the sprint a bit faster with a time of 4.8 seconds. Top speed for all models is limited to a very German 155 mph.

Type

3.0 liter inline-six

Output

320 HP @ 5,800 - 6,000 RPM

Torque

330 LB-FT @ 1,400 - 4,500 RPM

0-60 mph

4.8 Seconds (Auto); 5 Seconds (Manual)

Top Speed

155 mph


Suspension and Brakes

To make sure the car’s handling was not compromised, BMW has returned the suspension to accommodate for the lack of a roof. The suspension has a custom configuration for this model, and all the damping rates have been revised. Every M235i Convertible also comes standard with M Sport brakes and a variable sport steering system.

Planting the machine to the tarmac is a set of exclusive 18-inch alloy wheels with Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires. The rubber is staggered with 225-aspect tires up front and 245s in the rear.

Prices

The starting point for the 2015 M235i Convertible is $48,650, including $950 destination and handling.

Competition

Audi TTS Convertible

The Audi TTS is currently one of our favorite sports cars on the market -- and one of the best sold. It is powered by a 2.0-liter, TFSI engine that delivers a total output of 265 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. This power is enough to sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 4.9 seconds and up to a top speed is limited to 155 mph.

The TTS is priced from about $52k, which is well above the M235i Convertible. This is rather un-Audi-like for it to be so much higher than a Bimmer, but those are the facts.

Porsche Boxster S

For customers interested more in luxury than in sporty driving there is always the Porsche Boxster, in its S version of course. The model gets a 3.4 -liter, flat-six engine that delivers a total of 315 horsepower. It goes from 0 to 60 mph in 4.8 seconds and up to a top speed of 173 mph.

Luxury costs of course as the Boxster S is priced from $63,300.

Conclusion

It was a near impossible task for BMW to outdo the magic that was the 1 Series M Coupe, but the M235i goes a long way to recreating the fun. Thanks to the new convertible version, you get the added bonus of infinite headroom, lots of sunshine and all the glorious exhaust noise you can handle. It may not be as quick around a track as the old 1 Series, but I bet you that on a great back road, the new M235i would be the better choice.