BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe First Drive Review: Your First Sporty Sedan?

The 2 Series Gran Coupe has been BMW’s compact sports sedan for the youthful and driving focused buyer. It is here in a new avatar and promises to build on its energetic persona, even if the colour of the car on our test makes it look a little bland. So, is the new BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe the perfect starter sports sedan?

BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe Review: Baby Shark

Before I hop into the driver’s seat I must say I quite like the new toned look of the car where the new baby shark face doesn’t make you go do do do do but gives it a bit of a menacing character. And I am sure that the new illuminating grille, which by the way is standard for India, will add to the aggression.

But as we move along, the 2 series has toned its muscles better. It looks like it has shared any ounce of fat that it had before. And the Hofmeister Kink with the ‘2’ logo embossed on it is neatly executed.

Furthermore, this is the M Sport package that we are driving that gets these stylish 18-inch M Light alloy wheels and you will have a few M badges here and there across the car. But the rear of the car looks a little boring. Perhaps a slim lip spoiler could have gone well with the whole “I am small but take me seriously” vibe that it has going on.

Thank god that the iconic kidney grille isn’t loud or gaudy here as it is on some big Bimmers. The lighting elements do provide that little twinkle as you notice them with adaptive LED lighting being a boon during late night drives. 

BMW could have given the 2 series a more youthful palette of colours though. On our test, there was either the bland white, the unflattering black or a boring grey. It will be offered in a stunning Portimao Blue Metallic shade and that I believe will be the one to opt for such a car.

BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe Review: Classy Interiors

Things are better for the front seat occupants, though. A large single-piece curved display takes care of the driver’s cockpit as well as the infotainment screen, both of which are crisp displays with neat graphics that are easy to read and navigate through. Not much soft touch material to be found here, though. Instead you get high quality plastics and aluminium trim finishes that give the car a cool look. And the M colour treatment just adds to the sportiness quotient.

Both the driver’s and co-driver’s seats hold you in place well with extra bolstering now provided. The vegan leather treatment provides neat cushioning with a nice chunky steering wheel to grab on to. But why no ventilated seats still, BMW?

You get a sense of compactness at the rear. Despite it being 20 mm longer than before, the compact sedan size limitation does affect the rear seat occupants. You get a 40-20-40 split seat setup, two AC rear vents, two type-C seat chargers, a cubby hole large enough to store a 1-litre water bottle and a few other knick-knacks. After setting the driver’s seat to my driving position, I am 5 feet 9 inches tall; there is ample knee room present as BMW has provided recesses in the driver’s seat. Head room is lacking and under thigh support is decent. It should be okay for two adults or three small children, good enough for a small weekend trip, not a long vacation.

Also, the 430-litre boot space is only good for carrying two medium-sized suitcases well and perhaps an additional duffle bag. Anything more and you will have to be a tetris master to load it in.

BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe Review: Sets Off Rapidly!

The place to really, really enjoy the new 2 Series is from the sporty driver’s seat. All you got to do is put the transmission in sport mode, hold down the left paddle shift for 3 seconds, which engages boost mode, and then just let it rip. The 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbo petrol motor spools up quickly. It has 154 bhp and 230 Nm of tap, all of which can be harnessed via the 7-speed DCT with paddle shifters. 

It feels lively and energetic, gathering momentum very quickly. It makes you feel youthful. It makes you want to push it all the way to the red line, which is close to 6000-6500 rpm. The engine has a lot of torque on hand that can help you get to some serious highway speeds in a blink of a second, making overtakes on the highway a breeze. Hence, it shows off its sporty youthful side very well. 

And when you want to be a little sensible what you can do is you can change the driving mode to Efficient and calm things down. It then becomes very sweet and sedate. Not to say that it still is not quick in this mode but it takes a bit longer to get to the fun zone. 

BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe Review: Confident Handling

We didn’t get a good set of twisties to test out the handling capabilities of the new 2 Series. But whenever we did show it a couple of long sweepers at a good amount of pace, it held its own very well. It stayed planted and neutral. And it surely has the signs of a rather sporty car. I would have liked for a bit more feedback from the steering, though. It still feels a little light for my liking, especially in Sport mode. And hence perhaps say if BMW had made the steering a little heavier only in Sport mode, it would have been far more enjoyable as a sporty sedan or as a sporty BMW should be.

There are compromises to this fun character. The new 218 is firm, not to the extent that your teeth will start clattering and you will curse yourself whenever the roads have the slightest of ripples. But it doesn’t glide over them like a luxury sedan would. This is a trade-off that you will have to make and while you might still be okay with getting a feel of the road but your passengers might not.

BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe Review: Sporty Enough!

At the time of our test, we did not get prices of the new 2 Series Gran Coupe but BMW has clarified this will remain the entry-point into the brand. And for now, the car will come with just the petrol engine as BMW claims it has received very less demand for a diesel in this segment. Hence, maybe in the future we might get the 218d or the 220d but for now, there’s only a 218. 

Should you get the 2 Series Gran Coupe as your starter sports sedan? It makes a compelling case for itself. It looks meaner, is better suited for our Indian roads, and still maintains that accessibility factor that cars like the BMW 3 Series or even the Mercedes-Benz C-Class are no longer able to provide. Yes, you could extend your budget a smidge more and get the BMW iX1 L, which is electric, more comfy and better for the family. And that’s where the dilemma arises. So, if you have no intentions of starting a family or maybe you prefer having a car that gets your driving juices flowing, then this should definitely be on your radar.