The BMW 218i M Sport is Built for Those Who Love to Drive

BMW Philippines introduced the 218i last year in response to consumer requests for more variants to the 2-Series coupe. SMC Asia Car Distributors, the company chaired by billionaire tycoon Ramon Ang that distributes the German brand in the country, initially only made one variant of the 2-Series available here—the 220i M Sport. But the company soon followed that up with the 218i M Sport plus the slightly higher spec’d M240i xDrive.

It was the 218i that I had the privilege of driving for one weekend. The two-door, four-seater coupe is as close to a dictionary definition you can get when you imagine driving a BMW— classic coupe silhouette, signature kidney grille, exciting driving features. The world may be shifting to huge, hulking SUVs and arguably more practical EVs, but anybody who loves the thrill of the drive will tell you there’s nothing like sliding behind the wheel of a coupe or convertible and just flooring the accelerator. 

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The ice blue unit was certainly an attention-grabber. There’s something sexy about the long hood, the roofline that tapers down at the rear, and the short, no-nonsense rear. Yes, it’s technically a coupe, but can automotive purists forgive us if we also call it a sports car? There’s nothing in the literature that says it’s so, but if a car looks like one and, presumably, behaves like one, is that enough to call it one? Semantics might be the death of us all, but there’s no denying just how gorgeous this car is.

Powering the car is the BMW TwinPower Turbo 2.0L inline four-cylinder petrol engine mated with an eight-speed Steptronic Automatic Transmission with gearshift paddles. Maximum output is 250Nm and 156hp, according to the literature, and can get the vehicle from zero to 100 kph in 8.7 seconds.

While speed and acceleration aren’t exactly earth-shattering, I’d argue it’s negligible when you’re outpacing all the other “regular” cars on the road. Along SLEX and the relatively new road connecting Silang to Indang in Cavite, this BMW was really able to stretch its legs and perform as well as you’d hope a BMW would. 

Driver assist features only add to the fun, carefree vibe driving the 218i. There’s cruise control with a braking function, parking assistant, electronic seat adjustment with settings you can save so you always get the perfect drive position, and widescreen infotainment display that has wireless Apple Carplay and Android Auto. In addition, the seats are upholstered in Alcantara leather, while the steering wheel is wrapped with BMW’s patented M Leather. There’s also ambient lighting, and the entire interior is decked out in HiFi Loudspeaker sound system. Clearly this is a car made for someone who can appreciate the finer things in life and knows how to have fun.

Is the 218i practical? Well, you’d definitely think twice before driving it in less-than-smooth paved roads or through any street with more than a few inches of flood water. But the idea is this is a car you’d want to take on a casual weekend road trip to a restaurant out of the city or to visit your friend’s farmhouse for a quick catch-up session. You might even take it out for a grocery run or on a night out of the town. BMW knew exactly what it was doing when it designed and crafted the 218i: wherever you’re going, it’s not exactly about the destination, but the thrill of the drive itself.

The SRP of the BMW 218i M Sport is P3.59 million.