You Can Buy a 300-HP BMW That Looks Like A Civic For The Price Of A Civic

Image: BMW

There is an updated 2025 BMW GranCoupe on the horizon. While I still haven’t figured out who exactly the customer for this car is, if you are the type that needs a BMW badge but only has a Honda budget, there are already some opportunities in the pre-owned market.

Learn How BMW Names Its Cars In Under Four Minutes

The BMW 2 Series GranCoupe line is a bit confusing, the market for “young professionals” looking for an entry-level lease on something with a luxury badge has shrunk over the years and buyers aren’t nearly as hung up on prestige brands as they used to be. Furthermore, most people want to opt for a small crossover. Even though the Audi A3 offers a similar car with essentially the same formula, the 2 GranCoupe always seemed a bit “phoned in” especially when the 2 Series coupe has been consistently pretty good. The front-wheel-drive platform for the 2 Series GranCoupe is actually based on a Mini.

That also means that this car flies under the radar of most buyers and if you are in the market for a compact sedan with some sporty flair, the higher-spec versions make for an interesting alternative as they are pretty fun to drive. The M235xDrive GranCoupe is a mouthful of a name but offers a 2.0 liter turbocharged four that pumps out 302 horsepower with traction via BMWs xDrive all-wheel-drive system. Of course, you can opt for the 228 GranCoupes with 230 hp that come in either front or all-wheel-drive, but the value score is in the “BMW M” upgraded trim.

Nationwide there are about sixty M235xDrive units in the sub $35,000 price point. Many of these have reasonable miles and some even come with a BMW Certified Warranty. Most of these cars would have had an original spec well over the $50,000 mark.

Screenshot: Autotrader.com

I would forgo the greyscale colors and try to find one in this metallic teal that BMW calls “Snapper Rocks Blue.”

Screenshot: Autotrader.com

When you consider that a loaded Civic retails for about $33,000, an automatic Integra starts at around $34,000 and a WRX with some upgraded interior features like leather seats pushes to about $40,000, these higher-powered compact BMWs could be worth a look.

Tom McParland is a contributing writer for Jalopnik and runs AutomatchConsulting.com. He takes the hassle out of buying or leasing a car. Got a car buying question? Send it to Tom@AutomatchConsulting.com