BMW has crowned its expanded compact car line-up with the new 2 Series Gran Coupé, its first small four-door coupé – and the model has made its first public debut at this year's Los Angeles motor show.
Available to order now priced from £25,815, with UK deliveries in March, the new Mercedes-Benz CLA rival expands the 2 Series line-up alongside the existing Coupé, Convertible and Active Tourer – although it is built on a different platform from those models. While the Coupé will continue as rear-wheel drive, the new Gran Coupé is front-wheel drive and uses the same FAAR architecture as the recently launched – and closely related – 1 Series.
The Gran Coupé model designation started with the 4 Series and 6 Series in 2012 and has recently expanded with an 8 Series version. The 2 Series Gran Coupé product manager, Gernot Stuhl, said BMW “felt there was room for a smaller Gran Coupé model that would sit below the 3 Series in terms of size”.
Although Stuhl said the “emotional concept” is aimed at a younger, design-focused audience, he insisted “the key focus is on driving dynamics”. He added: “We wanted to stress the design and sportiness with this car but, unless it offers strong driving performance, it’s not a real BMW.”
There will initially be three variants of the 2 Series Gran Coupé in the UK. The entry-level 218i features a 138bhp, 162lb ft 1.5-litre petrol unit and the 220d is powered by a 188bhp, 295lb ft 2.0 diesel. The 218i gets a six-speed manual or seven-speed automatic gearbox but other models have an eight-speed auto.
The range-topping M235i xDrive (pictured here) gains all-wheel drive along with a 2.0-litre four-cylinder twinturbo petrol engine producing 302bhp and 332lb ft. BMW claims a 0-62mph time of 4.9sec with a limited top speed of 155mph.
The 2 Series Gran Coupé has the same mechanical underpinnings as the 1 Series, with the M235i featuring a Torsen limited-slip differential, BMW’s ARB traction control system, M Sport brakes and extra bracing for stiffness. The new four-door coupé is 4526mm long and 1800mm wide, making it 94mm longer and 26mm wider than the 2 Series Coupé, although the 2670mm wheelbase is 20mm shorter. It is 183mm shorter and 27mm narrower than the current 3 Series.
Join the debate
Add your comment
Sorry but
its not a Coupe, its a small fwd saloon a bit like a VW Jetta, but its not really that small, its the same size, as an E90 (2005-2013) 3 series. In 2009 the UK OTR price for an E90 318i M Sport (which was a 2.0litre 4 cylinder with 143bhp) was £24,735.
Not my cup of tea but
This is not my cup of tea but as someone who gave up on the 3 Series after the E90 because they were just getting to big (fat) for threading around narrow lanes I can see that this model will fill a gap in the BMW line up.
Here comes the pain
mckmcr wrote:
Indeed, let's hope so since BMW needs to sell cars in volume rather than appeal to the ever-decreasing number of us that care about RWD. It's a negative or irrelevant to 82% of new car buyers, yes 18% of buyers have a preference to RWD from the last syndicated study I used. I was surprised - I thought it would be lower.
The Gran Coupe is supposed to
The Gran Coupe is supposed to be the stylish counterpart to the standard saloon range.
On the evidence of this, style isn't a high priority. It remains overdetailed and awkwardly proportioned.
Its interior is as inspiration-free as the rest of the current BMW range.