All-New BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe M Sport (First Drive) Review

BMW India launched its first-ever 2 Series Gran Coupe in the Indian market with an introductory price of Rs 39.3 lakh and Rs 41.4 lakh for the top-spec model. All prices are ex-showroom (India). The new BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe in India will be placed below the 3 Series.

All-New BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe M Sport (First Drive) Review

The 2-Series Gran Coupe is offered in petrol and diesel engine options. We got our hand on the 2 Series Gran Coupe M Sport diesel variant for a couple of days and drove it around the city and a little on the highway and boy, the car impressed us in a lot of ways. Read more to find out.

All-New BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe M Sport (First Drive) Review

Design & Exterior

At first glance, the test vehicle that was sent to us was in a shade of Misano Blue Metallic and honestly, the car was looking extremely fantastic and sporty. Upfront you get BMW's signature LED headlights and they look nice especially because of the LED DRLs. The visibility from the headlights is extremely nice and it lights up the roads completely.

All-New BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe M Sport (First Drive) Review

The fog lamps, which are also LED, are placed a little lower on the bumper. Talking about the front bumper, since this is the M Sport variant, the front bumper looks extremely sporty and features active vents on either side that channel air. It also gets a fair amount of chrome at the front on the signature BMW kidney grille, but we think that if the chrome part was finished in black, then it would accentuate the sportiness of the 2 Series even more.

All-New BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe M Sport (First Drive) Review

Moving on to the sides, the car gets a set of 18-inch dual-tone M Sport alloy wheels that look really fantastic and goes overall with the size of the car. You also get the M badge on the side of the car on the front fender. The 2 Series, instead of the sharp bodyline, features subtle lines and creases that run all the way from the headlight to the taillight.

All-New BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe M Sport (First Drive) Review

The car also gets body-coloured ORVMs that have the lower half finished in gloss black. Now, as we mentioned earlier, that this is the M Sport variant of the 2 Series, it does not get any chrome garnishing on the sides. Instead of that, it gets the blacked-out finish around the windows. The car also gets frameless doors that look really cool.

All-New BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe M Sport (First Drive) Review

Moving on to the rear end of the vehicle, a couple of things will attract your attention. First up are the sleek looking taillights units and joining those is a blacked-out strip instead of chrome. The second thing is the big dual-tip exhausts (both functional) that accentuates the car's sporty look. The exhaust tips are finished in chrome and in between them is the rear diffuser.

All-New BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe M Sport (First Drive) Review

You also get the 220d badging finished in chrome. There is a rear parking camera and there are parking sensors all over the car that makes parking in tight spaces easy. Overall, on the outside, the 2 Series looks really fantastic especially with the sloping roofline and the amazing Misano Blue paint job.

All-New BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe M Sport (First Drive) Review

Interiors & Features

Step inside the car and you will be welcomed with a decent amount of cabin space. Thanks to the big panoramic sunroof, that makes the cabin look slightly bigger. The BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe comes packed with features, equipment and technology at the same time.

All-New BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe M Sport (First Drive) Review

The centre stage on the dashboard is taken by the 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system. The touch is really responsive but sadly, it does not get Android Auto, instead, it gets Apple CarPlay only. We hope that the Android Auto feature will be added by the company at a later date.

All-New BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe M Sport (First Drive) Review

The other 10.25-inch screen is fully digital. The cluster gives out a lot of information about the car and can be configured according to the driver's needs. There is also a feature that allows the displays on the instrument cluster to change as and when the mode of the car is changed.

All-New BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe M Sport (First Drive) Review

The car also gets wireless smartphone charging that is placed right in front of the gear lever. The ambient lighting is integrated neatly into the door panels and on the dashboard and has a pattern to it. There are about seven ambient lighting options that can be selected in the car.

All-New BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe M Sport (First Drive) Review

There is also dual-zone climate control, but the readouts for the temperature is finished in the basic orange back-light, which we think could have been better. There is a lot of soft-touch material on the dashboard and the door panels. Each door has a bottle holder and there is plenty of space to keep a lot of things.

All-New BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe M Sport (First Drive) Review

The steering wheel is wrapped in leather and has an excellent grip to it. Also, the steering mounted controls are placed nicely and keeps the driver's focus on the road, whenever he has to change something on the infotainment system. The steering also gets the M badge but sadly it is not a flat bottom one.

All-New BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe M Sport (First Drive) Review

Speaking about the seats, only the driver's side gets the seat memory function with two settings. The front seats are comfortable but should have had slightly more cushioning, instead, they are slightly hard keeping the sporty nature of the car. But they will not tire one out on a long journey.

All-New BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe M Sport (First Drive) Review

Coming to the rear seat, the rear section of the car is slightly cramped up and tall people will face an issue as far as the legroom and the headroom goes. The rear seat is best suited for two people, however, the third passenger will be able to sit but the centre tunnel will be an obstruction. The good thing is that, since the sunroof is big, the people sitting in the rear will not feel that cramped up.

All-New BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe M Sport (First Drive) Review

Engine & Handling

Powering the 2 Series Gran Coupe is a 2.0-litre turbocharged diesel engine. The engine pumps out a healthy 188bhp of power and 400Nm of peak torque. The engine is mated to an eight-speed automatic gearbox and the power is now transmitted to the front wheels and not to the rear.

All-New BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe M Sport (First Drive) Review

The luxury sedan is also offered with a 2.0-litre petrol engine mated to the same eight-speed automatic transmission. The engine produces a maximum of 188bhp and a peak torque of 280Nm. The engine is offered in a single 220i M Sport trim.

All-New BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe M Sport (First Drive) Review

Now since the 2 Series is a front-wheel-drive car there is a lot of torque steer when you floor the car. If you step on the gas hard, you will have to hold the steering wheel pretty tight as the car tends to go everywhere due to the torque steer and the front-wheel-drive setup.

All-New BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe M Sport (First Drive) Review

There are three driving modes on offer: Eco Pro, Comfort and Sport. In the Eco Pro mode, the steering becomes light and the throttle response becomes very laggy but saves fuel. In the Comfort mode, the steering and the throttle response improves a little and this is the mode that we will recommend buyers to drive in around the city. In The sport mode, the throttle response becomes sharp and the steering stiffens up and one can use the maximum potential of the car in this mode.

All-New BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe M Sport (First Drive) Review

The power delivery is linear, but there is a sudden boost in power if you floor the car that will throw you back to your seat. Yes, when you want the car to be fast, it is. However, the paddle shifters are really useful and came in handy when you have to downshift suddenly in manual mode.

All-New BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe M Sport (First Drive) Review

The suspension setup on the 2 Series GC is slightly on the softer side and this is because the company wanted to offer a comfortable ride along with the sporty nature of the car. The suspension setup is not bad, it absorbs all the bumps and potholes easily and very less is felt inside. Since the car was running on low profile tyres, there was some noise creeping in. Also the NVH and insulation level is excellent and when you are inside with all the windows shut, it just cuts you from the outside world.

All-New BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe M Sport (First Drive) Review

Yes, the 2 Series can cut through corners but you will feel some amount of body roll due to the soft suspension setup. As far as the fuel efficiency goes, the 2 GC left us amazed as the car delivered between 11.2 to 12.6 km/l in the city. Unfortunately, since we had the car for a short time period we could not do the highway run. However, the overall fuel efficiency is rated between 12 to 14 km/l mark.

All-New BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe M Sport (First Drive) Review

DriveSpark Thinks!

The BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe is now the entry-level offering from the German brand in the Indian market. The car is fast, comfortable and is feature-loaded and especially in the Misano Blue paint scheme, the 2 GC looks extremely sporty and beautiful. The new 2 Series Gran Coupe goes up against the likes of the upcoming Mercedes-Benz A-Class sedan once it is launched in the Indian market.

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Read more on: #review #bmw
Article Published On: Monday, January 25, 2021, 12:53 [IST]
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