The new BMW 2 Series Coupé is now available to order from £34,980, ahead of a market launch in the coming weeks.
The range opens with the 220i, with prices climbing to £36,900 for the diesel-powered 220d and topping out a £45,795 for the hot M240i, which heads up the range with 396bhp until the arrival of the full-bore M2 Competition later this year.
The petrol 220i uses a 2.0-litre turbo four sending 181bhp and 221lb ft to the rear axle; the 220d gets a mild-hybrid 2.0-litre diesel four making 188bhp and 295lb ft; and the M240i xDrive brings a 3.0-litre petrol straight six and four-wheel drive.
Retaining rear-wheel drive as standard and a cab-rear silhouette, the new two-door model is pitched at “customers at the sporty end of the driving system seeking an emotionally rich driving experience”.
Each model uses an eight-speed automatic gearbox with Launch Control and Sprint mode functionality. The BMW M240i prototype, which Autocar recently drove, adds an electronic rear differential in line with its heightened handling focus, and its xDrive four-wheel drive system is programmed to give a rear bias in true BMW sports car fashion. A mid-rung 241bhp 230i variant, due in summer 2022, will also be available with a differential on the rear axle.
With 34bhp more power than the previous BMW M240i, the new range-topper hits 62mph from rest in just 4.3sec and tops out at an electronically limited 155mph. Efficiency, meanwhile, is pegged at 32.1- 34.9mpg, which compares with 41.5-44.8mpg for the 220i and 55.4-60.1mpg for the 220d.
Designed with agility and dynamism as top priorities, the coupé is slightly larger than its predecessor, at 4537mm long and 1838mm wide, but stands 28mm shorter, at 1390mm tall.
Its wheelbase has also been extended by 51mm for a “powerful and athletic appearance”, while wider front and rear tracks along with a 12% improvement in torsional rigidity and a near-50:50 frontto-rear weight balance help to enhance cornering abilities.
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"customers at the sporty end of the driving system seeking an emotionally rich driving experience”.
Simply cannot be true if there is no manual gearbox.
The rear seems heavy
I will have to go to BMW to draw their future cars.
4537 is too large ! Bad trend. It has become a barge.
I reckon this looks cool. Chunky, squat, and purposeful. Like the old 1 series, and further back the 2002. Compared to the rest of the current BMW range, especially X2, X4 and X6, this is a freaking Rembrandt!