ARE you ready for summer? If you say yes, and you haven’t thought about owning a 2018 BMW 230i Convertible, your life might actually not be complete, because this could just be the best bit of summer fun on the road.
Powered by the BMW TwinPower 2.0-litre turbo 4-cylinder, which features a twin scroll turbocharger, high precision injection, valvetronic variable valve contorl and double-VANOS variable camshaft control, the 230i pushes out 185kW of power and 350Nm of torque in a very tidy package capable of a 5.9 second 0-100km/h time.
It’s coupled with an 8-speed sport automatic transmission, with gearshift paddles on the steering wheel, launch control, and gearshift indicator for manual mode, that when combined with the car’s rear wheel drive system, makes it bucket loads of fun to drive, particularly in Sport+ mode, where its performance pedigree shines.
It’s especially comfortable, particularly on a long drive. As a sports coupe with a retractable roof, the team at Exhaust Notes Australia really liked what the BMW was offering up in terms of comfort, despite the fact it’s only a two door – because the doors are so long it’s easy to get in and out of.
It’s practical too, with more than enough room for a family grocery shop in the boot, in spite of the roof housing, as long as you don’t have six kids or your rear seat passengers are 180cm tall – but let’s face it, the 230i is aimed at couples, or smaller family units with maybe one or two smaller children.
Our resident 5-year-old was a massive fan of putting the roof down and cranking the tunes. And that right there, is the key to the 2018 BMW 230i Convertible. It’s fun. Fun to drive, fun to look at, fun to simply mess about on your way to the beach in. Fun to listen to music in. It’s even fun in the rain, with the roof up.
The LCI model, which is essentially BMW’s way of saying a mid-life cycle update, gets LED headlights as part of its new look and feel, along with one-piece LED tail lights, with some shiny new wheel options and an expansion of the colour pallet. Our test car was fitted with the new 18-inch V-spoke style 387 light-alloy wheels.
BMW’s new iDrive 6 8.8-inch infotainment system is also new to the 2018 230i, as is a range of new stitching, chrome trim finishes, and a new look centre console. There’s a 14-speaker Harman-Kardon sound system too. In fact the upgrade and specs list is quite extensive, and worth a wrap up.
On board in the Luxury Line edition of 2018 BMW 230i Convertible are fine-wood ‘Fineline’ interior trims with silver oxide matte highlights, chrome line exteriors, exclusive chrome trims, switchable ambient interior lighting, heated electric seats and Dakota leather upholstery – in cognac and brown in the case of our test car.
It also gets DAB+ digital radio capability, interior and exterior mirrors with anti-dazzle function, automatic climate control, rear view camera, front and rear park distance control, and BMW ConnectedDrive, which provides a suite of assistance functions including ConnectedDrive services, remote services, tele-services, emergency e-call and real-time traffic information.
Safety is paramount here too, with six airbags including dual-front, front-side and rear-side protection, ABS, ESC, pre-collision and pedestrian warning, lane departure warning, low-speed autonomous emergency braking, front and rear parking sensors, and a surround-view camera.
On the down side, there were minor issues, things that are more noticeable because the rest of the car is such a complete package. The retractable roof means increased road noise, and while it’s better than expected, it’s definitely there.
It’s an under performer in terms of engine idle and general engine noise in Comfort and Eco mode, as we found that when we got off the gas, the idle sounded very noisy and a little spluttery, but that could be down to the tuning. The test car was quite rattly, and we noticed a number of rattles over rougher roads.
It’s also dearer than some of its rivals, and even some performance model options in the BMW stable, including the M140i. We found the air conditioning and ventilation controls a little painful to get right too, but if we were an owner, I’m sure we’d have got the hang of it.
The 2018 BMW 230i Luxury Line Convertible comes in 10 colours, including Seaside Blue (as tested), Mineral White, Alpine White, Black, Melbourne Red, Glacier Silver, Black Sapphire, Mineral Grey, Sparkling Brown, Mediterranean Blue and Sunset Orange. It’s priced at just over $79,000 drive-away, depending on the options you choose.
Our 2018 BMW 230i Luxury Line Convertible (LCI) was supplied by BMW Australia. To find out more, contact your local BMW dealer.
