BMW 2 Series named 10 Best Luxury Cars under $35K

Kelly Blue Book (KBB) had to lower their starting price on their 10 Best Luxury Cars under $40,000 list by $5,000 because of the growing list of smaller, more affordable luxury-brand cars. The BMW 2 Series is one of those new luxury cars that has been chosen by KBB for the new 10 Best Luxury Cars under $35,000.

KBB.com’s editors chose 10 2015 model-year luxury vehicles for their affordability, comfortable cabins, modern style, features and efficiency. More than half the entries are all-new or redesigned for 2015, and four of the five crossovers/SUVs didn't even exist in 2014.

This new BMW 2 Series has an ideal 50-50 weight distribution and we found the BMW M235i is a real joy to drive, and it’s even more fun to...read more.

The BMW 2 Series was all-new in 2014 and replaced the 1 Series from the BMW lineup. The 2 Series offers sporty performance making the new car a real head tuner. Here’s what KBB had to say about the 2 Series, “In a clear case of having your cake and eating it, too, the most affordable BMW is also among the most fun to drive. There's even a cherry on top in the form of highway fuel economy that tops out at 36 mpg. Available features like a parking assistant, Track Handling Package and BMW Apps add touches of BMW-style luxury.”

KBB’s 10 Best Luxury Cars under $35K

Each 2015 luxury vehicle on KBB’s list has a starting price under $35,000, dropping from $40,000 from the previous year's list. Here’s KBB’s list for 2015. 2015 BMW 2 Series, 2015 Acura RDX, 2015 Audi Q3, 2015 Lincoln MKC, 2015 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class, 2015 Acura TLX, 2015 Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class, 2015 Cadillac ATS, 2015 Audi A3, 2015 Lexus NX.

The 320 hp BMW M235i

We drove BMW M235i around Denver, and took it up into the mountains west of town. The 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-6 comes alive when you get your foot into it, and stayed perfectly stable at high speeds. We tossed the 2014 BMW M235i Coupe around the tight mountain corners and the sports car held its ground with very little body lean. The adaptable M sport suspension is specially tuned for the M235i and in Sport+, the coupe remained planted in the corners even at higher speeds.

On the highway, the BMW 2 Series M can get you well beyond the speed limit quickly if you aren’t paying attention. With 320 horses on tap, we were surprised to look down at the speedometer in what seemed like no time at all to find we were doing 85 mph. This car just begs to be driven hard and fast. From a standing stop, the 330 lb.-ft. of torque provides plenty of thrust to get the coupe moving quickly. Turbo lag is virtually nonexistent. Needless to say, we were sad to see the BMW M235i go after a fun week of driving the sports coupe.

The base 2015 BMW 2 Series 228i Coupe starts at $32,100, is powered by a 240 hp 2.0-liter TwinPower turbo, comes with rear-wheel-drive and the 2 Series gets 36 mpg on the highway. It’s not a surprise KBB would name the coupe to their 10 Best Luxury Cars under $35K list.