I recently had the opportunity of a couple of hours with a G42 220i loan car. Of course, I tried it out on some favourite rural roads as well as around town.
For those unfamiliar, the G42 is based on BMW’s CLAR platform shared by the 3er to 7er cars. It is unrelated to the 2er Gran Coupe which shares the front drive/AWD FAAR platform with the 1er, MINIs, X1 and X2. The G42 is offered here in 220i, 230i and M240i versions. The 220i and 230i use the B48 4-cylinder in 135KW and 190KW versions respectively – basically the same as in the 3er – and are rear-drive only with Msport passive suspension as standard. The M240i uses the B58 6-cylinder (285KW) and has rear-biased AWD, with adaptive suspension. Overseas, a rear-drive M240i is available and may come to Australia.
The G42’s dimensions are surprising. Its overall dimensions match the E90 3er. It’s actually wider than a current G20 3er – because of the bulged wheel arches, I suspect. It’s shorter than the G20 by only 17cm with a wheelbase just 11cm shorter. The difference comes not so much in size, but in being set up more for the enthusiast.
BMW has got the passive Msport suspension right with the G42. It’s firm but not harsh, as was reportedly the case with previous models. It’s adequately comfortable around the suburbs, but stays controlled and composed even on lumpy, winding rural roads. It’s a big step forward from the F22 2er – my former 220i was floaty on lumpy roads even with its adaptive suspension in sports mode.
Handling of the G42 is wonderful. The car is agile, adjustable and playful. Weight distribution is 51/49 on the 4-cylinder models, and cornering is generally neutral, with mild understeer exiting some corners. It’s a car you can balance on the throttle quite delightfully, and trail braking works a treat. It’s much more enthusiast-oriented than the G20 3ers I’ve had as loan cars recently, good though they were. And all this with the 220i having tyres that were good but definitely not performance tyres.
Brakes were fine even on the 220i. The 230i and 240i get Msport Brembo 4-pot brakes as standard, which should be excellent. (I think those are the Brembos on my Clubman JCW, which is heavier than the 230i, and they work very well on that).
Performance was surprisingly good from 135KW, thanks I guess to its broad, flat torque curve. The 230i should be properly fast and I continue to think it’s the sweet-spot of the range, as it was for the F22.
The ZF 8-speed gearbox is magnificent, as always. No manual is available on the G42 (the new M2 will offer a manual) but the ZF is super-fast and smooth when driven as a paddle-shift manual.
On the debit side, the steering is almost completely devoid of feel. Sports mode adds just a little weight but no extra communication. Nevertheless, steering is precise and doesn’t interfere with enthusiastic driving. The light weight does make the car very easy to handle around town. BMW knows how to make feelsome steering (eg my Clubman, M cars) so the lack of feel must be a conscious decision, unfortunately.
Inside, the car is strictly a 2+2, despite its exterior size. The bonnet is unnecessarily and almost comically long, and the space is removed from the back seat. I could sit behind my seating position, but it was very snug – really only useful for older children, young teens or short trips for adults. Up front, though, the car is spacious and it appears identical in every way to a G20 3er. Very good sports seats are standard and, thankfully, are in Alcantara rather than leather as standard (much better suited to Australia in my opinion) but with leather options of course. As in the 3er, a few touch points feel a bit cheap, but mostly the interior is up to BMW’s high standards of quality. Incidentally, the 2er is built in Mexico, doubtless to help a niche model be profitable, but BMW has proven it maintains its standards wherever its cars are built. The G42 boot is large, but sadly any type of spare wheel is notable by its absence.
I should note that the optional sunroof is remarkably quiet even when open at 100km/h. It does impinge on headroom of course, although there is a short raised area behind it over the rear seats.
The G42 has a full suite of up-to-date safety features, although it still only manages 4 stars on the increasingly stringent Euro NCAP ratings, mainly due to a low score in cyclist detection (pedestrians are detected OK) and lack of a central airbag between occupants.
In summary, the G42 seems to be an excellent enthusiast’s 2+2 if you don’t want to (or can’t afford to) step up to an M car. As noted above, I think the 230i is the range’s sweet spot – rear drive, quick and reasonably priced by today’s expensive standards. The 240i would be faster and more capable, but its high price puts it in reach of some stiff competition.
Many thanks to Andrew Niemann at Waverley BMW for arranging the loan car.
Peter Williams | Member #36
BMW Drivers Club Melbourne
