Completely changed course with the new BMW 2 Series Gran Coupé. It is sportier, has a new undercarriage, and re-engineered elements designed to make it more dynamic; it seems to have much more BMW DNA in it.
Sportier exterior design
And that's only clear from the first moment. The nose's design is now much more compact and sporty. The shark-like flat nose with the 'overbite' makes it look rakish, and if you add in peeled-back headlamps and converging lines on the bonnet, you've got a car that's already got a lot of individual identity. There is plenty of individuality in the new 2 series Gran Coupe.
The new car does get larger wheel arches, which have been fleshed out to give room for wider and taller wheels. And that completing the neat profile of this car is the seamless flow of the roof and rear windshield into the boot.
Around the rear, the addition of new angled tail-light clusters adds freshness. The boot now has a comfortable capacity of 430 liters, but that has no spare tire, while Indian cars will get a space saver tire, thereby reducing space considerably.
Interior draws from BMW's larger sedans
Once again, making its way into the cabin is a freshened-up cabin, promising to draw from BMW's latest style sheet. The entire look and feel of the cabin are now in line with the other sedans coming from the BMW range, and the highlight is the new curved display with BMW's latest software. It's also full of clever little features like big, bold ambient lighting bars and highlights that react to temperature adjustments you make on the screen - blue when you ask for cooler temperatures and red for the warmer cabin.
The look, feel, quality, and technology of the cabin are not far removed from the top-of-the-class ones. Well, there are improvements in space at the rear and it doesn't feel quite like a coffin as the earlier car, this is still a better car to be driven in rather than travel in the rear seat.
On the other hand, BMW is saying that it has done everything under the skin to try to tune the 2 Series to achieve the sporting appeal of drivers' favorites like the 3 Series. On a front-wheel-drive platform (the M2 and the 2 Series Coupé, interestingly, use a rear-wheel-drive platform), BMW fitted stiffened front springs, constructed new multi-valve dampers, and increased the structural rigidity of the chassis. Thus, it states, the new 2 feels not only more agile but also more precise on the road.
In addition, they have increased the caster offset of the front wheels for more stabilization, and the rear anti-roll bar is now preloaded so that stabilization comes into play earlier. There is marginally more space behind, and a slightly larger seat.
New 1.5-litre mild hybrid petroleum engine
Most likely, under the hood, the Gran Coupé will feature a smaller engine. The three-cylinder 1.5 turbo-petrol, featuring mild-hybrid tech, makes up 170hp and 280Nm. This is a bit lower than the last car.
Still, what is likely to make it feel more responsive is the inclusion of 20hp from the E-motor (included in the 170 hp), which also helps the car do 0-100kph in a claimed 7.9 seconds. Good enough power, but not more. Expect the same 2.0 diesel that BMW is expected to be offering; it does have four cylinders, has power rated to 163hp (from 190hp), and torque has been a strong 400Nm. Continuation is expected with the 2.0-litre diesel engine but with reduced power.
New BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe expected price
The mid-year possibility for the new 2 Series Gran Coupé was to see recognition in the price range of between Rs 45 lakh to Rs 47 lakh, BMW, thus not disappointing the self-driven hustlers who would like to have fun, dynamic driving sessions.
However, the others would definitely be looking for something stronger and more performance-oriented.
Also Read: