First drive review: BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe
Monday, 23 March 2020
**BMW 2 SERIES GRAN COUPE
Price range:** $58,900 to $91,400
Powertrains: 1.5-litre turbo-petrol three-cylinder with 103kW/220Nm, 5.9L/100km, 7-speed dual clutch transmission, FWD (218i), 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder with 225kW/450Nm, 7.5L/100km, 8-speed automatic transmission, AWD (M235i)
Body style: Four-door sedan.
On sale: Now.
The whole made-up 'four-door coupe' segment is polarising, but its one big advantage for car makers is that it allows them to jam new cars in under other cars that have grown bigger over the years. BMW's new 2 Series Gran Coupe is the perfect example of this, by essentially being a swoopy sedan the slips in under the 3 Series at a size that the 3 hasn't been since the E46 from 1997.
Make me an instant expert: what do I need to know?
That E46 mention is all you really need to know about where the 2 Series Gran Coupe fits into the BMW line up - it is 56mm longer than the E46, with a 55mm shorter wheelbase and fractionally more rear legroom (33mm), while front legroom is identical.
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But the eagle-eyed among you may already have picked up on the key difference between the two - the 2 Series name gives away - the Gran Coupe is, of course, based on the FWD 1 Series platform.
The 2 Series Gran Coupe will come to New Zealand in two forms initially - the 218i (in Sport Line and M Sport editions) and the M235i, with the 218i being powered by BMW's excellent 103kW/220Nm three-cylinder turbo petrol engine driving the front wheels through a seven-speed dual clutch transmission.
The M235i gets the larger 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol engine hooked up to an eight-speed automatic transmission pushing 225kW of power and 450Nm of torque to all four wheels.
With even the entry level car starting at $58,900 you might well expect them to be well equipped, and you would be right, with the 218i Sport Line coming standard with 17-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, wireless phone charging and wireless Apple Car Play, reversing assistant, lateral parking aid, a rear view camera, parking sensors front and rear, adaptive cruise control and Sport Line sport front seats.
The 218i M Sport adds 18- inch M light alloy wheels, a head-up display, a BMW Individual anthracite headline and 'Illuminated Boston' interior trim finishers, an M Aerodynamics package including aerodynamic front and rear bumper trims and side sills, an M leather steering wheel and M Sport suspension.
The M235i then tops all of that with not only the more powerful AWD powertrain, but also 19-inch alloy wheels, adaptive LED headlights, automatic dual zone air conditioning, electrically adjustable leather seats, a harman/kardon surround sound audio system and other M bits and pieces, including a rear spoiler, brakes, sports seats front and rear and M Sport steering.
Where did you drive it?
The wonderfully winding back roads north of Sydney was the location for our first taste of the 2 Series Gran Coupe, and we were straight into the hot M235i for our first few legs.
The M235i endears itself quickly, simply by being damn fast - it belts off the line with an enthusiastic aggression befitting the fitment of the hallowed M to the start of its name and keeps that aggression up right the way through its rev range.
While I had driven this particular powertrain previously in the form of the X2 M35i, the lower, wider definitely M235i felt more cohesive and enjoyable to throw around a winding road. And the X2 M35i was damn good to begin with.
Of course, being a transverse-engined FWD-based AWD car means it doesn't give the same visceral thrills as a previously RWD hot 2 Series might, but there are still many thrills to be had here, with an incredibly confident chassis being beautifully complimented by the powerful and characterful (there's plentiful belligerent bellows and bangs and pops going on all the time) powertrain.
But while you expect that from the performance range-topper, the surprise of the launch was just how well the FWD 218i stood up to comparison to its far more powerful (and far more expensive) sibling.
Interior quality is consistently high across the range, so stepping into a 218i M Sport after lunch for the trip back to the airport didn't feel like much of a downgrade at all, and while the brilliant little three-cylinder engine doesn't have the all-out aggression of the M235i's powerplant, it is more than capable of hustling the 218i along with an eager enthusiasm that little triples are so good at.
What's the pick of the range?
This is where we say that, while the hot version is nice, the cheaper, less powerful car is actually the pick, right?
Yeah, well, while the 218i is a delightful little thing, the M235i is definitely the pick of the range available at launch. The whole 'more power and AWD' thing suits the 2 Series Gran Coupe perfectly and while the M235i's $91,400 price tag may seem hefty at first glance, it is actually pretty much identical to its obvious immediate competitor, the 225kW/400Nm Mercedes-AMG A35 sedan or even a healthy $10k less than the CLA 35 'coupe', depending on what you consider it a competitor too…
Why would I buy it?
You yearn for the days of an E46-sized BMW and really don't care what wheels are being driven, or you just want a stylish, high quality small European sedan that comes fully loaded with gear.
Why wouldn't I buy it?
You prefer your small BMWs RWD or you would rather buy a Mercedes-Benz A Class sedan because, let's face it, they are pretty similar now that the BMW's RWD point of difference is gone…