Individuality, aesthetic appeal and emotional engagement – The first-ever BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe
The first-ever BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe is a four-door coupe concept that has already enjoyed great success in the premium compact segment. This alternative to the classic sedan arrives with a fresh dose of individuality, aesthetic appeal and emotional engagement, backed up by innovative control/operation and connectivity tech, excellent everyday usability and the dynamic capability. The BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe goes on sale worldwide, the extrovert four-door coupe provides a gateway into the BMW product range. Built in Leipzig, the new model has all the ingredients to spark the enthusiasm of new, design-led customers for BMW’s hallmark driving pleasure. It represents an appealing addition to the model line-up, in particular in markets where the sedan body style enjoys strong popularity. Like its four-door coupe relatives from the BMW 6 Series, BMW 4 Series and BMW 8 Series ranges, the BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe reveals a strong focus on design with modern, sporty and bold lines, frameless side doors and a highly expressive appearance. And it joins these elements with a high level of daily practicality, including plenty of interior space and a large load compartment. As it’s sporting looks suggests, the BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe establishes a new dynamic benchmark in its class. The base for this is provided by the advanced BMW front-wheel-drive architecture.
Equipped with cutting-edge chassis technology and innovative systems, e.g. in the field of control system technology, the four-door coupe also raises the bar in terms of driving dynamics and agility and is the perfect choice for all customers for whom sportiness, cutting-edge connectivity and onboard space rank highly. The BMW M235i xDrive comes as standard with BMW xDrive all-wheel drive. The BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe brings the elegant aesthetic championed by its larger stablemates into the compact class. The standout characteristic of the BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe is its dynamically stretched silhouette which, like the all frameless side doors, is borrowed from classic coupes. The new Gran Coupe model also adds few details such as contoured kidney grille bars with an eyecatching indentation, a mesh grille for the flagship BMW M235i xDrive and, most strikingly, the all-new design of the rear lights, which extend well into the centre of the rear end. This combination of the rear lights and connecting element emphasizes the width of the car. The 2 Series Gran Coupe is 4,526 millimetres long and 1,800 millimetres wide but stands just 1,420 millimetres tall. Despite its low and sporty appearance, passengers have more than enough space, thanks to the impressive 2,670-millimetre wheelbase. The load compartment can be expanded in various ways, which significantly increases the car’s range of applications in daily use. Headlights which feature full-LED technology as standard with the option of an adaptive variant – form the prominent BMW four-eyed front look. The characteristic BMW kidney grille takes the traditional form of a large and connected element, as well as spreading out further to either side. An exclusive visual identifier of the line-up’s sporting flagship – the BMW M235i xDrive – is its striking grille design with pronounced three-dimensional mesh in place of the usual bars. The mesh design is BMW inspired by racing cars and brings extra depth and perceived quality to the front end. The outer air intakes are also larger on the BMW M235i xDrive.
Flowing roofline and bold lines in the flanks, creating a modern interplay of light and shade, emphasise the athletic proportions and trademark elegance of BMW coupe. The roofline has a graceful flow, the long window graphic visually has an elongating effect on the body. All variants of the BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe will be fitted with light-alloy wheels, with diameters ranging between 16 and 18 inches as standard, additionally polished on the M Sport model and the BMW M235i xDrive. Polished light-alloy wheels with a 19-inch diameter are available as an option, as is a large, electrically operated panoramic roof. The interior of the BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe combines sporting flair with exquisite materials and use of space designed with both family life and long-distance journeys in mind. Its modern design is underscored by contemporary detail solutions, such as the backlit trim strips available as an option – or as part of higher equipment lines – with a variety of colours.
The BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe joins its elegant coupe form with good levels of cabin space, easier entry and 33 millimetres of extra knee room for rear passengers comparing to the BMW 2 Series Coupe. The seating position is 12 millimetres higher, as well. The rear bench can be released fully from the load compartment. The tailgate opens automatically at the press of a button or in option with the wave of afoot. Cockpit have usual for BMW focus on the driver. The various controls are geared to the driver and grouped clusters. Access to the optional infotainment offering provided by the new BMW Operating System 7.0 – with optional gesture control – is via a display grouping whose two large screens are available with a diagonal of up to 10.25 inches for BMW Live Cockpit Professional, while the form and arrangement of the BMW Live Cockpit’s design reference the BMW four-eyed face. The high-resolution Control Display is centrally mounted, touch-sensitive and angled – in customary BMW fashion – towards the driver, who can configure this large screen combination to their individual requirements. The full-colour 9.2-inch BMW Head-Up Display supplies the driver with information without diverting their eyes off the road. Operation using iDrive Controller, touch, voice or gestures. The BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe allows the user to combine various operating options according to the situation at hand and their preferences. In addition to the usual buttons on the centre console and steering wheel, other frontline control elements include the iDrive Controller – with touchpad from BMW Live Cockpit Plus upwards – and the standard 8.8-inch Control. BMW Live Cockpit Plus also adds a navigation system and intelligent voice control with online speech processing.
Standout features include an adaptive navigation system and a hard-drive-based multimedia system. The optional gesture control comprises seven different gestures, two of which can be assigned to functions of the customer’s choosing. Five equipment lines and one flagship model. The dynamic new BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe offers customers an array of individualisation options in the form of a basic variant and five other equipment lines. For example, the Luxury Line model uses design elements in Aluminium satinated and seat covers in Dakota leather to shine the spotlight primarily on comfort and the car’s sophisticated looks. And then there are three levels of sporting focus. Sport Line cars bring applications in High-gloss Black and window graphic surrounds in BMW Individual High-gloss Shadow Line. The M Sport model takes owners a step closer stylistically to the flagship BMW M235i xDrive, courtesy of a front apron with specially sculpted air intakes and High-gloss Black trim elements, kidney grille bars in Aluminium satinated and a BMW M rear apron in Dark Shadow. It also shares theBMW M Sport steering wheel and standard-fit sports seats with Trigon/Sensatec covers with the range-topping model. Exclusive styling cues and colour accents in Cerium Grey underscore the status of the BMW M235i xDrive as the sporting spearhead in the line-up. The M235i xDrive also has an exclusive BMW mesh-design grille, a BMW M rear apron in High-gloss Black and a BMW M rear spoiler in body colour on the tailgate. Supreme agility and dynamic prowess.
As the new BMW 1 Series, the first-ever BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe employs BMW’s sophisticated front-wheel-drive architecture. The product of many years of experience amassed by the BMW Group with its front-wheel-drive models, this architecture also benefits from a transfer of technology from BMW i to the BMW core brand. The BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe brings together benchmark driving dynamics for its segment and a spacious interior. The exceptional agility is the result of the perfectly orchestrated interaction between cutting-edge chassis engineering, innovative technologies and the integrated components and control systems affecting the car’s driving dynamics. The fast, precise responses of the BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe are clearly perceptible and elevate the driving experience to enviable heights. Credit here goes in part to the transfer of technology from BMW i to the BMW core brand. The near-actuator wheel slip limitation (ARB) tech familiar from the BMW i3s and fitted as standard in the BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe significantly improves traction when pulling away, cornering or accelerating on dry and wet roads, in mixed, snowy or icy conditions, and allows wheel slip to be controlled much more precisely and swiftly than before. The slip controller is positioned directly in the engine control unit rather than in the control unit for the DSC (Dynamic Stability Control) system. Eliminating long signal paths means that information is relayed three times quicker, while the driver perceives wheel slip being brought under control up to ten times faster. Near-actuator wheel slip limitation works in tandem with the DSC system to significantly reduce power understeer – a typical drawback of front-wheel-drive cars – without the need for corrective inputs to stabilise lateral dynamics.
Neutral steering behaviour with BMW Performance Control. ARB is assisted in its task by the yaw moment distribution system BMW Performance Control. Also included as standard on the BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe, this feature increases handling agility by intelligently applying the brakes at the wheels on the inside of the bend before the slip threshold has been reached. This suppresses any initial understeer and ensures neutral steering behaviour. ARB technology and BMW Performance Control also feature on the BMW M235i xDrive, whose standard specification includes not only the all-wheel-drive system but also a newly developed mechanical Torsen limited-slip differential, which gives the car an even sportier edge by creating a locking effect between the front wheels. The differential is integrated into the model’s eight-speed Steptronic Sport transmission The Launch Control function puts peak torque of 450 Nm (332 lb-ft) on tap in first and second gear. The more direct ratio and the even sharper response of the M Sport steering produce a further noticeable increase in the car’s agility and add to its already healthy appetite for corners. Meanwhile, the M Sport brakes offer excellent fade resistance and abundant reserves of stopping power at all times. The M Sport steering and M Sport brakes are also available as optional extras for other BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe models. A choice of three suspension options. The standard suspension for the 2 Series Gran Coupe already has fine dynamic instincts and is specially tuned to the different engine variants. But customers can also dip into the options list to specify M Sport suspension with a 10 mm reduction in ride height or Adaptive suspension including VDC (Variable Damper Control). This particular variant lets the driver choose from two different damper response settings. The Driving Experience Control switch can be used to select either Comfort – for better ride comfort in poor road conditions – or Sport to major on dynamism. The anti-roll bar mounting with high preload is included with both the Adaptive suspension and M Sport suspension.
All BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe models from entry-level upwards have a multi-link rear axle. In order to offer all its customers a car tailored to their dynamic preferences, BMW has come up with three optional recommendations – from a comfortable setup with the standard suspension to an extremely sporty drive with the M Sport suspension, complete with M Sport steering and the M Sport brakes. Combining the Adaptive suspension including VDC with the M Sport brakes offers the broadest possible ride spectrum. Three engines from launch. The new BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe will be available from launch with a choice of three engines (one diesel and two petrol) from the latest-generation BMW EfficientDynamics family. A raft of individual measures have given them better fuel economy, lower emissions and, in some cases, more power than before. The entry-level engine is the three-cylinder unit in the BMW 218i with 103 kW (140 hp), while the two-litre four-cylinder diesel powering the BMW 220d generates 140 kW (190 hp). The line-up is spearheaded by the BMW Group’s most powerful four-cylinder engine, whose output of 225 kW (306 hp) endows the BMW M235i xDrive with super-sporty performance. The flagship model races to 100 km/h (62 mph) from rest in just 4.9 seconds (4.8 seconds with the M Performance package) en route to a limited top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph). Both the BMW M235i xDrive and BMW 218iBMW are fitted with a gasoline particulate filter, the BMW 220d with a diesel particulate filter, NOx adsorption catalyst and SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) technology. All three engines comply with the strict Euro 6d-TEMP emissions standard. The BMW 228i xDrive – whose two-litre four-cylinder engine develops 170 kW (231 hp) – is only available in the USA. Three different transmission technologies deployed.
In the BMW 218i, the engine’s power is relayed as standard via an upgraded six-speed manual gearbox, although customers can specify the highly sophisticated seven-speed Steptronic dual-clutch transmission as an option. Further improvements have been made to the shift comfort and acoustic properties of both the eight-speed Steptronic transmission fitted in the BMW 220d and the eight-speed Steptronic Sport transmission in the BMW M235i xDrive. Intelligent connectivity enables the two automatic transmissions to adapt their shift strategy according to the planned route and driving situation. Innovative support from higher model classes. The BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe benefits from an array of innovative driver assistance systems filtering down from BMW models higher up the ladder. Depending on the system in question, camera images and data gathered by radar and ultrasonic sensors are used to monitor the vehicle’s surrounding area and either alert the driver to hazards or minimise the risk of an accident by means of corrective braking and steering. Standard equipment in Europe includes collision and pedestrian warning with city braking function, which also alerts the driver to the presence of cyclists. Also fitted as standard is the Lane Departure Warning system with active lane return, which is operational from 70 to 210 km/h (44 – 130 mph). Options include Active Cruise Control with Stop & Go function that can be engaged up to 160 km/h (99 mph) and the Driving Assistant, which comprises the Lane Change Warning system, rear collision warning and crossing traffic warning. Parking Assistant with an innovative reversing assistant. Extensive assistance with parking and manoeuvring is also available as an option in the BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe in the form of the Park Distance Control (PDC), rearview camera or Parking Assistant. The latter enables automatic assisted parking in spaces that are either parallel or perpendicular to the road, as well as automatic manoeuvring out of parallel parking spaces. Also available from the options list is the innovative reversing assistant, which stores the steering movements for any section the car has just driven forward along at no more than 36 km/h (22 mph). The system is then able to steer the vehicle in reverse – for distances of up to 50 metres at a maximum 9 km/h (5.5 mph) – along exactly the same line it took when moving forward.BMW.
Turning a smartphone into a car key. Two new smart features taken from BMW models higher up the ladder are available as options: the BMW Digital Key and the BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant. The optional BMW Digital Key allows the car to be locked and unlocked from a smartphone using Near Field Communication (NFC) technology. Holding the smartphone up to the door handle opens the car – even if the phone battery is dead. The engine can be started as soon as the phone has been placed in the smartphone tray or wireless charging tray. The driver can share the BMW Digital Key with up to five other people. It is available for top-spec NFC-compatible Samsung Galaxy models running Android 8.0 and above. Natural interaction with the BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant. The BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant has first seen in the BMW 3 Series Sedan also forms part of the control/operating concept. Uttering the short prompt “Hey/Hi/Hello BMW” makes it possible to access various vehicle functions and obtain information simply by speaking. The BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant is a genuine BMW expert and also a digital character, who can learn routines and habits and subsequently apply them in the appropriate context or provide casual conversation, even throwing in the occasional joke or relating interesting stories (“Hey BMW, do you feel sporty?”, “Hey BMW, tell me an anecdote.”). One unique feature over other digital assistants is that drivers can give this one a name of their choice. Connected Navigation for a more relaxed arrival. Connected Navigation services allow internal and external information to be factored into route planning. BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe drivers will be able to send destinations from various apps straight to their car’s navigation system, store them and synchronise them. The Parking Space Assistant proposes various parking options to the driver in good time before they reach their destination. This service includes providing information on the nearest multi-storey car park and suggesting routes offering a particularly good chance of finding a parking spot close to the destination. The existing On-Street Parking Information and PARK NOW services are incorporated intelligently into the process. It is even possible to pay parking fees automatically