LA MOTOR SHOW: BMW 2 Series

Northern Germans might stop laughing at Munich school children if BMW keeps this up...

As the new 2 Series officially breaks cover today, kids from Bavaria will have plenty more to count. They've had to make do with the numbers three, five, six and seven, but the last decade has seen white-coated BMW boffins delivering new text books to schools all over town that added one, eight, four and, from March next year, two into the mix.

While there are no hints that BMW is about to deliver the rest of the numerical Top 10, there has been plenty of excitement brewing about the new two.

Like the new 4 Series, the 2 Series is effectively a new nameplate applied to an existing model, largely to allow BMW to move it financially upstream and create a new niche multi-car family. Even so, it shares a lot of 1 Series underneath and Euro NCAP says it’s enough to give the 2 Series Coupe a five-star safety rating.

Just as the 4 Series took over from the old 3 Series Coupe, the 2 Series takes over from the 1 Series Coupe. For now, BMW will only deliver its new 2 Series in hard-top, two-door coupe form.

BMW sold 150,000 1 Series Coupes and the expectations are even higher for the 2 Series, especially with a convertible and, if rumours are to be believed, a five-door hatch version in the wings.

There will be a fast version, with the M235i hitting 100km/h in 4.8 seconds, and there will be an economical version, with the 218d diesel capable of 4.2L/100km. BMW insists there will be plenty in between, too.

While it’s still based around the core architecture of the current 1 Series, the 2 Series will arrive as a substantially larger machine than the old-generation 1 Series Coupe it replaces. Like most modern BMWs, it will arrive in Europe in Sport, Modern and M Sport packages, with the differences mostly relating to styling and trim detailing, but also a few mechanical issues.

When it lands in Europe (after making an Los Angeles motor show appearance in November) in March 2014, it will be longer and wider than its predecessor, with 19mm more front headroom and 21mm more rear legroom, along with a bigger boot.

BMW plans to bring the rear-wheel drive 2 Series to market with five different engines, two of which are diesels matched to both six-speed manual gearboxes and eight-speed automatics.

The cheapest of the 2 Series family on the radar for Australia is the 220i, which becomes the first BMW to use the new 135kW version of brand’s 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine.

This engine scores a new piston design to go with its variable valve timing and lift, variable camshaft timing, twin-scroll turbocharger and direct fuel-injection and gets to 100km/h in seven seconds.

While it reaches its power peak at 5000rpm and holds it to 6250, BMW hasn’t exactly made it a torque-rich machine because when the torque peak arrives at 1250rpm, it’s only 270Nm.

It will spin out to 235km/h and uses 6.1L/100km in manual form (or 5.7L/100km as an automatic) for 142g/km CO2.

It’s also the lightest 2 Series on the books at 1350kg, carrying the standard 52-litre fuel tank and riding on the same 205/55 R16 boots that BMW also fits as standard to all but the top diesel (the 225d) and the M235i.

The headline act is the M235i, which sits on 225/40 R18 tyres up front and 245/35 R18s at the back and comes complete with a turbocharged inline six-cylinder engine up front – the only non-four in the family.

This gives it 240kW of power from 5800rpm to 6000rpm, but it’s going to spend most of its time living in its 450Nm torque band, which arrives at 1300rpm and stays on until 4500rpm.

This helps it to hit 100km/h in five seconds in six-speed manual form, though the auto is two-tenths faster, and it will run out to a limited 250km/h.

But it’s significantly heavier than the 220i, with the engine and its strengthening requirements adding 105kg to take it up to 1455kg. This has an impact on its fuel consumption and it registers 8.1L/100km for the NEDC combined cycle (though the auto manages 7.6L/100km).

The three diesel 2 Series models all have the same 1375kg weight, all of them ride on 205/55 R16 rubber. All of them also share the same basic engine, complete with the 1995cc four-cylinder’s variable valve timing and turbocharging. You have to look closely to find the major contributor to their different power outputs, which come down to basically software and the fuel-injection pressures they can conjure up.

With 1600 bar of pressure, the 218d manages just 105kW of power (but a useful 320Nm of torque) and that only gets it to 100km/h in 8.9 seconds, which is hardly what you’d expect from a two-door BMW coupe.

The 220d lifts that pressure to 1800 bar to deliver 135kW (the same output as the 220i – must be a ‘220’ kind of power number) and 380Nm of torque from 1750rpm. It promises to be strong, rather than swift, with a sprint to 100km/h in 7.2 seconds (7.1 in auto form) and a 230km/h top speed.

Then there’s the thumping 225d, with 2000 bar of fuel pressure. This version delivers 160kW of power at a peak of 4400rpm (400rpm more than its more modest brethren) and 450Nm of torque from 1500rpm. It takes only 6.3 seconds to reach 100km/h and it is capable of 242km/h.

What really separates the diesels is their economy. Both the 218d and the 220d manage to sip just 4.2L/100km with the (heavier) eight-speed auto attached to their engines, while the auto-only 225d returns 4.7L/100km.

All the automatic 2 Series models will have standard paddle shifters on the steering wheel and a launch control system (which was used to deliver the official BMW acceleration figures).

As with most BMWs, all 2 Series variants will have the driving mode switch to change between Comfort, Sport and EcoPro modes, while a Sport+ mode is an option.

All of this power and torque is stuffed into a body that is, essentially, a massaged version of the 1 Series hatch, but that is around 13 per cent stronger (in mean strength) than the old 1 Series Coupe.

There is a five-link independent rear suspension and the front suspension is so complex that it no longer really deserves to be called a MacPherson strut system.

The only genuine possible architectural hiccups here are the standard electric power steering system and that it has an electronic differential ‘lock’, which means it uses the brakes to do the job of minimising wheelspin. You can counter that by ordering the optional M Sport limited-slip differential, but it won’t be cheap.

Neither will the other significant M Sport mechanical options. The biggest handling impact is likely to come from the optional adaptive suspension, with its electronic damper control and an 11mm drop in ride height. If you want to step it up from there, you’ll have to hit the M Performance Automobiles sports suspension, which drops the ride height 20mm, but be prepared for something of a firm ride.

The four-seat coupe might be based around the current 1 Series hatch, but it’s visually very different (so much that it gets its own B M23 codename) and is 5mm lower but almost 110mm longer.

It will be 4432mm long, which adds 72mm to the 1 Series Coupe’s length, and 1774mm wide (another 26mm). The track widths, critical to handling stability and grip, have gone up 41mm at the front and 43mm at the back.

If you don’t think a modern BMW coupe looks its best on 16-inch wheels (and we would agree with you), you can option up to an M Sport pack, which drops the ride height 10mm and delivers 17-inch alloy wheels. Or you can just pluck for the Sport line, which delivers 17-inch wheels anyway.

It’s a familiar story inside, with BMW delivering a higher specification than the 1 Series hatch to offset some of the higher cost of the coupe. Climate-control air-conditioning is standard, along with an iDrive controller (though satellite-navigation is an option in Europe).

While much of the instrument cluster is familiar 1 Series territory, there are large storage compartments in the doors, a larger-than-average glovebox and a layered feel to the dashboard. The opening to get into the rear seats is 11mm larger than on the 1 Series Coupe, while there is a two-piece split-fold to get into the boot (or a 40:20:40 optional rear seat).

The boot itself is, at 390 litres, 20 litres larger than its predecessor and, with a 38mm wider loading gap between the tail-lights, it’s more practical, too.