By Staff Reporter

After the successful story of four-door coupes in the BMW line-up which began with the 6 Series Gran Coupe in 2012 followed by the 4 Series Gran Coupe, and recently the 8 Series Gran Coupe, BMW has officially revealed the 2-Series Gran Coupe for the premium compact class.

Polarising?

The 2-Series Gran Coupe comes after a leak which had majority of people on social media voicing their disapproval of BMW’s baby four-door coupe design. The 2-Series Gran Coupe looks like a concoction of various offerings from BMW’s latest line-up.

Design

The low-slung four-door coupe features a contoured kidney grille on the standard models whilst the range-topping M235i xDrive has a meshed kidney grille and contrasting Cerium Grey front-bumper design elements, and mirror caps to differentiate itself visually from other trims which include Basic and Advantage, Sport Line, Luxury Line and M Sport. The Gran Coupe is fitted with hexagonal full-LED headlights as standard. There are minimal sharp lines along the frameless doors. Stand-out features at the back are the L-shaped rear-lights seen on most recent BMWs, single and dual-branch exhaust tips on standard models whilst the M235i is fitted with trapezoidal exhaust trims.

Inside

The interior looks very similar to the new 1-Series. The new design features ambient lighting with pattern design, the controversial BMW Live Cockpit and optional Live Cockpit Plus, optional 10.25-inch touchscreen (8.8-inch is standard) running the latest iDrive 7.0 system and a thick steering wheel with logically laid-out cruise control and media buttons.

BMW’s 2-Series Gran Coupe will be built exclusively in Leipzig, Germany, using high strength steel and aluminium for high body rigidity. It will share the advanced BMW front-wheel-drive architecture with the new BMW 1-Series along with other technological developments like the near-actuator wheel slip limitation (ARB) technology found in the BMW i3s. This will significantly improve traction when pulling away, cornering or accelerating on dry and wet roads.

Engines

From launch there will be a choice of three engines for the BMW 2-Series Gran Coupe – one diesel and two petrol engines, the 218i, 228i xDrive (for US only), 220d and the range topping M235i xDrive. The 218i is powered by a 1.5L three-cylinder engine producing 103 kW and 220 Nm of torque and BMW claims a fuel consumption of 5.7 – 5.0 litres per 100 KM. It takes 8.7 seconds to sprint to 100 km/h.

The 228i xDrive will be sold in the US only and will have 2.0L four-cylinder producing 170 kW and 350 Nm of torque.

The efficient yet powerful 220d generates 140 kW and 400 Nm from a 2.0L four-cylinder diesel engine. The diesel mill burns a claimed 4.6 – 4.2 litres per 100 KM. It sprints to 100 km/h in 7.5 seconds

The range topping M235i xDrive is powered by BMW Group’s most powerful four-cylinder engine which is also found in the X2 M35i and recently the new M135i xDrive. The 2.0-litre engine with TwinPower Turbo develops 225 kW and 450 Nm of torque. It takes a mere 4.9 seconds (4.8 with M Performance package) to reach 100 km/h. Fuel consumption is rated at a claimed 7.1 – 6.7 litres per 100 KM.

The baby Gran Coupe is aimed at young, urban customers who appreciate a sporty drive, the latest in connectivity and ample interior space. The 2-Series Gran Coupe measures 4,526 millimetres in length, 1,800 millimetres in width and 1,420 millimetres tall.

Local pricing is yet to be confirmed. Expect the 2-Series Gran Coupe in Mzansi in 2020.