Sporty four-door eyes Mercedes-Benz CLA and will debut in Los Angeles next month.
The 2 Series lineup is like goulash…
If you compare the 2 Series family with BMW’s other even-numbered lineups like the 4 and 8 Series, it’s quite a mix of things.
There’s the 2 Series Coupe and Convertible models with longitudinally laid-out engines driving the rear axle. Then there’s the five-seat Active Tourer and seven-seat Gran Tourer MPVs with transverse motors propelling the front wheels.
And this week, BMW has announced first details of the 2 Series Gran Coupe ahead of its world debut at next month’s Los Angeles auto show.
Like in the Gran Coupe derivatives of the 4 and 8 Series, the latest 2 Series has four doors with frameless windows and a sleek profile to take the fight straight to the Mercedes-Benz CLA.
The cabin in the 2 Series Gran Coupe adopts the brand’s latest infotainment system, dubbed BMW Operating System 7.0. There’s a raft of assistant features to make driving easier.
It surely must be rear-drive…
No it isn’t, even though the 2 Series Gran Coupe has a sporty concept like the Coupe and Convertible models.
Instead, the 2 Series Gran Coupe adopts the drivetrain matrix of its MPV siblings, just like in the CLA.
Regular front-drive models of the 2 Series Gran Coupe include 150hp three-cylinder petrol 218i and 190hp four-pot diesel 220d.
While the 218i uses seven-speed dual-clutch automatic, the 220d employs the eight-speed torque-converter type.
There’s also the 228i running 231hp 2.0-litre petrol, but sales of it is confined to only the US market.
Higher up the range is the M235i xDrive equipped with 306hp 2.0-litre petrol, eight-speed auto, and all-wheel drive. It goes from 0-100kph in 4.9sec, the same time required for the AMG-fettled 306hp CLA35.
And will there be an M2 version?
As Mercedes-AMG has the CLA45 sitting on top of the range with either 387hp or 421hp in go-faster S guise, it’s most likely that BMW won’t be sitting still with no answer.
In fact, an M2 version of the Gran Coupe will be an interesting development because it remains to be seen how BMW will respond with 400hp of power from a transverse engine. It has never done so, but AMG already has.
The M2 in Coupe guise, meanwhile, utilises a six-pot longitudinal motor driving just the rear wheels. This sounds like a nice recipe for driving fun, but whether the Gran Coupe will get it is completely another thing.
Whatever, expect the regular 2 Series Gran Coupe to launch in Thailand in the first quarter of next year with prices ranging from some 2.5-3.5 million baht.
