BMW offering Track Handling Package for 2 Series

Thu, 17 Apr 2014

After getting a chance to drive the BMW M235i earlier this year, we mentioned our regret at not being able to sample the lighter and less powerful 228i Coupe. We'd like to have seen how close the latter could get to the former, noting that "there's a lot of room for upgrades with the $11,000 retail difference." BMW is closing that performance gap slightly, announcing that a Track Handling Package will join the options sheet for the 2015 228i Coupe.

The group bolts on Variable Sport Steering, Adaptive M Suspension and M Sport Brakes behind new 18-inch lightweight wheels wearing Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires. There's no change to the 240-horsepower four-cylinder, but a coupe so equipped should be able to do plenty more with the horses it has thanks to a faster steering rack, sharper handling due to additional sensors and a ten-millimeter drop in ride height, and larger brakes and discs.

BMW has used the New York Auto Show as a venue to introduce the new Track Handling Package, and it will roll onto showroom floors in July and pricing will be announced sometime between now and then. Takers can get it with both the six-speed manual and eight-speed Sport Automatic, see it in the high-res image gallery above, and read about it in the press release below.

The BMW 228i Coupe with Track Handling Package

Race track-inspired focus for The Ultimate Driving Machine®.

Woodcliff Lake, NJ – April 14, 2014. . . BMW announced today the availability of the all-new Track Handling Package for the 2015 BMW 228i Coupe. Inspired by the original formula of BMW "S-package" vehicles manufactured in the course of the past three decades, the new Track Handling Package embraces the desires of the most enthusiastic BMW drivers. It includes the Adaptive M Suspension, Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires on unique 18-inch light-alloy wheels , Variable Sport Steering, and M Sport Brakes. The package will be available from July 2014 (production) for both 6-speed manual and 8-speed Sport Automatic transmission-equipped BMW 228i Coupe models. The Track Handling Package may be added to any 228i Coupe during the vehicle ordering process. Pricing will be announced closer to the on-sale date.

A chassis that speaks to its driver: Adaptive M Suspension.
With a starting stance 10 millimeters lower than the suspension of a standard BMW 228i Coupe, lowering the car's center of gravity, the Adaptive M Suspension adds front axle and central accelerometers. These sensors gather data instantaneously and, when combined with data from the existing steering angle sensor, throttle position, and brake pressure sensors, form a comprehensive real-time profile of damping needs at all four corners to effectively read and adapt to the road. The valves of the dampers adapt in milliseconds to the conditions of the road and the wishes of the driver, minimizing vehicle squat, dive, and roll, to ensure the BMW 228i Coupe feels equally at home on a smooth canyon road, unusually rough surfaces, or during the daily commute. The desired suspension setting can be selected using the Driving Dynamics Control switch in the center console.

BMW Variable Sport Steering.
Long suggested to be part of the mythical black magic of balanced vehicle handling, BMW Variable Sport Steering employs a mechanical steering rack with a directness ratio that varies in a prescribed way throughout its range of travel. At steering angles near center (for example, when driving straight ahead), the ratio is slower, providing maximum vehicle stability for highway speeds and straight-aways. As the driver bends the car into a corner, the mechanical ratio of the steering rack becomes faster and provides the driver with precise, lightning-quick response for mid-corner adjustments to "the line." At extreme steering angles such as those required to negotiate a hairpin turn or during "opposite lock" maneuvers, the ratio is quickest.

M Sport Brakes system.
The M Sport Brakes system features fixed, four-piston calipers at the front axle and two-piston calipers at rear, with particularly large brake discs (front disc diameter 13.4 inch, rear 13.6 in. ). The calipers are painted dark blue and carry the M logo. Brake pads chosen for sharp responsiveness, long term thermal stability and linear pedal feel on the street are fitted at all four corners. In exchange, enthusiast customers likely won't mind that the pads of the M Sport Brakes emit slightly more dust under heavy use than the standard 228i Coupe brake pads.

Race-derived tire technology.
Ultra-high performance, non-run-flat Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires, similar to those featured on the BMW M235i Coupe, are also included with the Track Handling Package. Developed with technology transferred directly from years of world championship-level sports car racing in Europe and the United States, they provide superb feedback and the ideal balance between agility and stability. The Pilot Super Sport design places top priority on giving the BMW driver massive grip in both wet and dry conditions. Wider rear tires are used as an additional traction improvement measure. A BMW Mobility Kit is featured as standard equipment, as is 24-hour BMW Roadside Assistance for the first four years of vehicle service.

The 2015 BMW 228i with Track Handling Package will make its public debut at the 2014 New York International Auto Show.

BMW Group In America
BMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since 1975. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003. The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW brand of motor vehicles, including motorcycles, the MINI brand, and the Rolls-Royce brand of Motor Cars; DesignworksUSA, a strategic design consultancy in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the country. BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is part of BMW Group's global manufacturing network and is the exclusive manufacturing plant for all X5 and X3 Sports Activity Vehicles and X6 Sports Activity Coupes. The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 339 BMW passenger car and BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 139 BMW motorcycle retailers, 119 MINI passenger car dealers, and 35 Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers. BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group's sales headquarters for North America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.

Information about BMW Group products is available to consumers via the Internet at: www.bmwgroupna.com

By Jonathon Ramsey