BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe 2020 Review

There’s no doubt the new BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe encroaches deeper into the German luxury brand’s heartland than any of its previous front-wheel drive offerings.

The X1? Well that’s an SUV. The 2 Series Active Tourer? People-mover. Nuff said. Even the new 1 Series hatch kinda makes sense. A small car with limited space but at least the propshaft no longer gets in the way.

But the 2 Series? Now that’s really starting to hurt. A 4.5m four-door the size of the iconic E46 3 Series that is front- or all-wheel drive and never solely drives the rear wheels? What sort of BMW sports sedan is this?

Only it’s not a sports sedan, it’s a Gran Coupe. A sedan with a low roof essentially. Now, that makes sense then.

Four-door Gran Coupes have been around in the BMW line-up since 2012 when the 6 Series first appeared. The 4 Series turned up in 2014 and the 8 Series in 2019.

The idea is to offer a bridge between the even-numbered coupes and convertibles and the adjacent odd-numbered sedans. So 6 aligned with 5, 4 went with 3, and 8 goes with 7.

The 2 Series skews this concept a bit by complementing the 1 hatch rather than a sedan. In physical size it actually sits roughly equi-distant between the 1 and 3 Series, but the 2 is really a 1 in disguise as they share drivetrains and platform.

The BMW 218i is a front-driver comes with a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol triple and seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. Power outputs are 103kW and 220Nm and the claimed fuel consumption rate is 5.9L/100km.

The BMW M235i is in the same sort of gene pool as the hilarious old M240i. But instead of an inline six-cylinder and rear-drive it gets a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four, mated to an eight-speed torquer converter auto and on-demand all-wheel drive.

Power and torque outputs are a meaty 225kW and 450Nm, and claimed fuel consumption is 7.6L/100km.

The M235i claims a pretty groovy 4.9sec 0-100km/h dash time with the aid of launch control, while the 218i posts a more laid-back 8.7sec.

But then you’re paying a lot less for the 218i. It retails for $47,990, which pits it up against stuff like the $42,300 Audi A3 35 TFSI sedan and the $46,200 Mercedes-Benz A180 sedan. Yep, that all makes sense.

At $69,990, the M235i has a tougher task. For example, it sits between the enjoyable $64,200 Audi S3 and red-hot five-cylinder $83,800 RS 3.

It squares up well against the Mercedes-AMG offerings, undercutting both the $72,500 Mercedes-AMG A 35 sedan and the $85,500 CLA 35 – another ‘four-door coupe’.

But once you’re into the $70K region, the options for performance and prestige motoring open right up. Think about this. The car that won the 2019 carsales.com.au car of the year costs $71,990, is a spacious, handsome four-door sedan that handles, rides and steers with aplomb thanks to a brilliant rear-wheel drive chassis. Oh yeah, it’s the BMW 330i…

So having gone down that road let’s talk about the 2 Series drive experience.

The BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe is underpinned by the UKL platform that is shared with MINI. It rides on a 2670mm wheelbase identical to the 1 Series.

The lively drivetrain is the biggest positive. It belies its acceleration times, burbling and burping away in a friendly manner. It’s torque output isn’t big, but it’s made as low as 1480rpm to keep you on a roll.

The DCT will occasionally hesitate off the line, but for the most part is smooth. There are no paddle shifters though, which doesn’t seem right in a sporty BMW.

The stop-start system is pretty agricultural in the three-pot, vibrating back into life. It’s pretty tempting to switch it off.

Keep the drive mode in comfort and the electric-assist steering is light, prompt and accurate. Flick the drive mode to sport and it becomes stodgily heavy and artificial. Forget it, back to comfort thanks.

BMW hypes this thing called ARB (actuator contiguous wheel slip limitation … just rolls off the tongue doesn’t it?) that acts like a super-fast version of stability control to limit slip and improve traction. The drive route was mostly urban, or crowded with traffic, so there was little chance to test it out.

The suspension settings are passive so there’s no point fiddling with drive modes to try and fix the overly firm M Sport suspension the 218i is saddled with as standard on Australian speed bumps, expansion joints and rough roads. Thankfully you can no-cost option a ‘standard’ suspension for a more comfortable ride.

By the way, BMW hypes how the 218i comes with an independent multi-link rear-end set-up, unlike a competitor (read the entry-level Benz A-Class) that gets a torsion beam. Sadly, the ride issues reduce that to only a theoretical advantage.

The BMW M235i xDrive has an M Performance suspension tune with similar ride issues to the 218i. It can just roll over the obstacles at a speedier rate because of the added potency of the engine. Sadly, we couldn’t really exercise it with more than the occasional squirt of throttle because of the drive route’s limitations.

That also meant little chance to test out its bigger brakes, Torsen limited-slip diff on the front axle or more direct M Sport steering, let alone try to understand the interplay of drive between front and rear axles. Up to 50 per cent can be shuttled to the rear.

You can’t get a softer passive suspension for this model but you can pay $400 for adjustable dampers with a comfort mode. You’ll have to drop back to 18-inch alloy wheels because the dampers don’t fit the larger suspension mounts required for the 19s to meet a kerb impact test.

Go the adaptives and you’ll also have to pay an extra $2200 for the Performance Pack that includes the 18s. But as they are lighter they help – along with an engine overboost function – drop the 0-100km/h dash drops by 0.1sec to 4.8sec. Bonus!

In other ways the BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe is a pleasant drive. It’s pretty quiet, the seats are big and supportive, the dash presentation is digital and decipherable via a 10.25-inch instrument panel and centre-stack touch-screen. There is also a decent amount of storage for your knicks and knacks.

But space for people? That’s another story.

The Gran Coupe straddles a thin line between form and function. The low roofline and slowing C-pillar is designed to make it sexier than the average sedan. You can see that with the other Gran Coupes that have gone before it. They are good looking things.

Not sure the 2 GC carries off the flow quite as well as the bigger cars have more metal to work with, but that’s in the eye of the beholder. I don’t have quite the feelings of revulsion my colleague Michael Taylor confessed to during the international drive.

Where the design produces issues is in the rear seat. Headroom is limited for adults, especially if the panoramic glass roof is fitted. Legroom is also a bit on the truncated side. It’s also disappointing there are no adjustable rear air-con vents, although there are two USB-c connectors back there.

But if it’s space you want in the rear seat there are plenty of other BMW options; 1 series hatch, X1 SUV, even that people-mover thing. Do they still sell it here?

Like the 6 and 8 GCs and unlike the 4 Series, the 2 series opts for a boot rather than a hatch. It’s a small opening but offers a reasonable 430 litres of space, remembering BMWs roll on run-flat tyres and don’t offer spares. The rear seat does split/fold to grow that space.

OK, so let’s deal with the equipment you get standard and what you can option.

Standard safety equipment first. Both BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe variants come with six airbags and an autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system that will warn you of an obstacle and slow you, but not stop you. To be brought fully to a halt it’s an extra $654 (218i) or $850 (M235i) for an option pack that includes adaptive cruise control.

Neither proper AEB nor adaptive cruise should be optional in these cars at these prices. And while we’re at it, metallic paint cost $1700 or $2350. Only white won’t cost you extra. Hey, c’mon BMW!

At least Apple CarPlay is now free – you did have to pay a subscription up until late 2019 – and Android Auto will be rolled out in the second half of 2020 to all BMW models with the latest iDrive operating system 7.

You should, at some stage in the near future, even be able to see your Apple or Android nav in the instrument panel or HUD of your BMW.

Anyway, back to the safety spec. Driver assistants you don’t pay extra for include lane departure warning, lane change warning, rear cross traffic warning and rear collision prevention. There’s also parking and memory reversing assist, front and rear sensors, a reversing camera and head-up display.

Key comfort – or uncomfort features as the case may be – include the standard M Sport package. The important thing here is the overly-firm sports suspension that lowers the 218i by 10mm. But as we’ve explained already, that can be avoided.

Other BMW 218i equipment includes the latest cloth upholstery, excellent sports seats, single-zone air-con (really?), an M-Sport multi-function leather steering wheel, BMW’s Connected Dive package including emergency call web services, Live Cockpit Professional (“Hey BMW!”), a digital radio, wireless phone charging, 18-inch alloys and LED exterior lights all-round.

Key M235i xDrive additions include adaptive headlights, a digital key, 19-inch alloys, dual exhaust, leather upholstery, powered seat adjustment, dual-zone climate control, sportier and even more excellent front seats and a harman/kardon surround sound system with 16 speakers.

Phew!

Finally, BMW is sticking with a three-year/unlimited km warranty at least for now, despite Benz’s move to five years. Servicing is needs-based, but note that a five-year/80,000km ‘basic’ plan will cost $1550. The ‘Plus’ program is $4154.

The BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe adds another option for buyers in the premium small car space. It’s a more than competent, less than thrilling, addition to the genre.

The BMW 218i is kinda cute but mainly for its drivetrain which can be had in the cheaper 118i hatch. The M235i xDrive is harder to judge, primarily because our drive experience was so limited in its scope.

What was apparent is the sport suspension thing has got a bit out of hand. These cars both need a better ride. Thankfully there are options for you to achieve that, although it should be less convoluted for the M235i.

Look, I get the concept; sporty, fun, an attempt at sensuous form with four doors. But this sort of BMW makes more sense to me as a rear-driver – like the next M2 is going to be.

That’s the 2 Series I’ll be looking forward to!

How much does the 2020 BMW 218i cost?
Price: $47,990 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 103kW/220Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel: 5.9L/100km
CO2: 135g/km
Safety rating: N/A

How much does the 2020 BMW M235i xDrive cost?
Price: $69,990 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 225kW/450Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 7.6L/100km
CO2: 173g/km
Safety rating: N/A