BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe review

It’s the second generation version of BMW’s compact four-door coupe, redesigned and reworked for additional presence and performance. There’s also a greater emphasis on digitalisation with enhanced autonomous driving functionality and the now obligatory array of assistance systems. Revised suspension, an extra strut brace in the engine bay and on the rear axle and bigger tyres are part of the M235’s dynamics makeover. It’s not a full-blown M car but it promises to be closer in spirit to one than before. Or so BMW hopes.

What else is new?

The visual overhaul is more comprehensive than might first appear, which suggests BMW is serious. There’s a reworked double kidney grille, newly available with an illuminated LED surround, as seen on the 5 and 7 Series. The grille is finished in black and gives the car a hungrier stance. Then there are the details, designed to pump up the car’s status within the BMW hierarchy.

Notice the discreet ‘2’ logo on the rear window Hofmeister kink. The lower section of the rear apron is finished in a high gloss black for increased impact. There are various paint options, including a surprisingly lairy yellow and green. And there’s also the option of a high gloss black contrasting roof for extra car park kudos. Gives you some idea of BMW’s aspirations for the car: shrinking violets need not apply.

So it has more presence. It looks bigger, too. Is it?

It is. And as car designers will tell you, every millimetre matters. The 2 Series Gran Coupe is now 20mm longer than before, measuring 4,546mm, and 25mm taller. This isn’t just a cosmetic trick, it also means there’s more interior space. Meanwhile, the cockpit has been comprehensively rethought. So you now get the terrific Curved Glass touchscreen underpinned by the latest BMW OS9 software. This transports you into a dizzying digital ecosystem, as well as reducing the amount of physical switchgear. Apparently that’s progress.

Take us through the model line-up?

That won’t take long. The UK gets just two versions, although there are a pair of diesels and petrols in other territories. The entry-level 220 is front-drive only, and runs BMW’s 167bhp, 1.5-litre three cylinder turbo engine, aided by a 48V mild hybrid set-up. Prices for it start at £34,915. The car we’re driving here is the M235 xDrive – so, all-wheel drive – which is powered by the familiar 2.0-litre four cylinder turbo. That makes 296bhp and 296lb ft of torque and costs from £44,435. Both use a dual shift seven-speed automatic, the manual ’box now largely consigned to the history books. (In the BMW range, only the Z4 and M2 now have the option of manuals.)

What’s it competing against?

BMW doesn’t see the 2 Series GC as a volume model, more of a niche accompaniment to the 1 Series. In 2024, it sold 7,800 units compared to 24,500 examples of the 1er. It takes aim chiefly at the Audi S3 saloon and the Mercedes-AMG A35, though you’d be nuts not to consider the sensational Honda Civic Type R or VW Golf R if you’re in this market. OK, so it’s not a hot hatch in the strict sense of the definition, but nor is it really a coupe in the (original) Ford Capri meaning.

So how does it stack up in the long lineage of BMW coupes?

It depends how far back you want to go. It’s been a while now since BMW touted itself as the ultimate driving machine, a billing the previous 2 Series Gran Coupe singularly failed to live up to. The new car is much better, although we’d strongly recommend going for the M Dynamic Pack. It’s a £3,000 option, but it gets you all the chassis upgrades you really want.

Such as?

They’re pretty racy. There’s extra bracing that stretches from the rear axle across the floor, beefier dampers, and more rigidity. The front suspension is aluminium rather than plastic-mounted, and the geometry has been tweaked to give the car sharper turn-in. All of which adds up to something that, if not night and day better than its surprisingly stodgy predecessor, is certainly more capable.

The steering is accurate and linear without flooding your senses with feel. You can pile into a corner and brake late knowing that you’ll get through and out the other side drama-free. The all-wheel drive is largely unflappable, although you might find yourself craving a bit of old-school slidiness.

All in all, it’s a very competent, all-weather machine. Pity the engine doesn’t sound more engaging, though.

Sharper-looking though still some distance short of being an oil painting, the 2 Series Gran Coupe is unquestionably better than its rather lumpy predecessor. Go for the M Dynamic Pack and there’s much more of the handling flair that BMW built its reputation on. It remains one of the outliers in the model range, though, and call us old-fashioned but we’d still be more inclined to go for a 3 Series than one of these. It just feels like a better resolved car all-round.

That said, the 2 Series Gran Coupe undercuts its twin nemeses from Audi and Mercedes on price, though as ever caution is required when it comes to configuring the car. If you absolutely insist on something a bit different that also has four doors, then this one’s for you. But we can’t help thinking that, even in this renewed second-gen guise, BMW still isn’t fully on-board with the concept.