BMW has unveiled the first ever 2 Series Gran Coupe that joins the brand’s four-door coupe siblings like the 6, 4 and 8 Series range. As customary, there’s a strong focus on a design that’s bold, sporty and with emotionally rich lines and frameless side doors. The all-new 2 Series Gran Coupe combines all these with practicality, interior space and large load compartment.
Design
The kidney grille’s bars are contoured to provide a three-dimensional effect when specified in satinated Aluminium. As for the flagship M235i xDrive, the grille takes on a three-dimensional mesh design inspired by racing cars.
The head and taillights are full-LED as standard and provide an all-new take on the BMW “L” shape with a single slim light element and a distinctive sweep to the side. The roofline has a graceful flow, with a long window graphic to visually reduce the weight of the rear end.
Power
The improvement of space and lighter weight is thanks to the BMW front-wheel-drive architecture that the 2 Series Gran Coupe shares with the new BMW 1 Series. There will be three engines available from launch – one diesel and two petrol from the latest-generation EfficientDynamics family. Here the entry-level engine is a three-cylinder unit in the BMW 218i with 140 hp while the two-litre four-cylinder diesel powering the 220d generates 190 hp.
At the top of this is the M235i xDrive with 306 hp that takes just 4.9 seconds for a century sprint. Transmissions are either a six-speed manual or seven-speed Steptronic dual clutch on the 218i, eight-speed Steptronic on the 220d and eight-speed Steptronic Sport in the M235i xDrive.
Interior
The rear passengers have significantly easier entry from the increase of 33 mm of extra kneeroom over the 2 Series Coupe with a 12 mm higher seating position. The boot has 430 litres of space and can be expanded further with the 40-20-40 split folding rear seat backrests.
At the front driver’s position, the controls are in line with the latest generation design. The infotainment runs on BMW’s latest OS 7.0 with optional gesture control. Operation also includes the iDrive controller and touchpad or touchscreen. There’s also an optional full-colour 9.2-inch Head-up display that supplies the driver with information without diverting the eyes off the road.
Driving Agility
The transfer of technology from the BMW i and core brand has allowed the 2 Series Gran Coupe to have precise response and an elevated driving experience. The near-actuator wheel slip limitation (ARB) tech familiar from the BMW i3s improves traction when pulling away, cornering or accelerating on dry and wet roads, in mixed snowy or icy conditions and allows wheel slip to be controlled much more precisely and swiftly than before.
The slip controller is positioned in the ECU as opposed to the DSC control unit, and improves relayed information three times quicker, with driver perception of wheel slip brought under control up to 10 times faster. The near-actuator wheel slip limitation works in tandem with the DSC system to significantly reduce power understeer (which is typical of front wheel drive cars) without the need for corrective inputs to stabilise lateral dynamics.
BMW Performance Control
This is included as standard on the 2 Series Gran Coupe. This feature increases handling agility by intelligently applying the brakes at the wheels on the inside of the bend before the slip threshold has been reached. This suppresses any initial understeer and ensures neutral steering behaviour.
On the M235i xDrive, whose standard specification includes not only the all-wheel-drive system but also a newly developed mechanical Torsen limited-slip differential, which gives the car an even sportier edge by creating a locking effect between the front wheels.
Features and Assistant Systems
Parking Assistant with reversing assistant is available as an option on the 2 Series Gran Coupe. Standard equipment in Europe includes collision and pedestrian warning with city braking function, which also alerts the driver to the presence of cyclists. Lane Departure Warning system with active lane return, Active Cruise Control with Stop & Go function, and Lane Change Warning system with rear collision and crossing traffic warning.
To wrap the feature list, the Digital Key with smartphone NFC is also optional.
TL;DR
The locally-assembled BMW 330i M Sport is now available. Click here for more information.
Does the 2 Series Gran Coupe look like a baby 8 Series? Click here to find out more!
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