GRAN IDEAS (some text hidden) --NONE--

By Jonathan Crouch

Introductionword count: 55

Back in 2020 with this first generation 2 Series Gran Coupe F44 model, BMW belatedly joined the market for compact four-door coupes that previously Mercedes had almost to itself with their CLA. It shared nearly all its engineering with the 1 Series hatch, which meant it was front-driven. But it was very much more aspirational.

Modelsword count: 10

5dr Hatch (118i,M135i xDrive - petrol / 116d,118d,120d - diesel)

Historyword count: 321

Looking for a car from the 2020-2023 era that's compact, premium, very fashionable and just a little bit dynamic? BMW hoped it had your number with this model, the MK1 F44 version of its 2 Series Gran Coupe You might well be a little unfamiliar with BMW's 'Gran Coupe' formula, even though it's been around since 2012. That was when the Munich maker launched its 6 Series Gran Coupe, basically a four-door coupe based on a 3-box saloon shape for executives wanting something a little more fashionable. Following that model, BMW made 4 Series and 8 Series Gran Coupe models. But strangely in this century's second decade, never attempted a smaller take on the four-door coupe concept that would have taken on the car that most tend to think of when it comes to a more compact interpretation of this kind of design, the very profitable Mercedes CLA. This 2 Series Gran Coupe model though, was that car. The '2 Series' tag gives off mixed messages these days because it can mean lots of different things in BMW's model hierarchy. At the time of this car's launch in 2020, it was still being used for the brand's ageing 'F22'-series rear-driven Coupe and Convertible models, cars that were due for imminent replacement by another rear-driven design. More relevant to what we're looking at here though, was the fact that at the time of this F44 design's launch, the '2 Series' moniker was also being used by the company's 'Active Tourer' and 'Gran Tourer' compact MPVs, which had a front-driven 'FAAR' platform shared with the MINI Hatch - which was in turn donated to BMW's 1 Series. Which was engineering used in its entirety by this 2 Series Gran Coupe. A 1 Series dressed to the nines for an evening out? That's about what we have here. This car sold until late 2024, when it was replaced by a second generation F74-era model.

What You Getword count: 506

You'll buy this car because of the way it looks - no question. Like most four-door coupes, this one is distinguished by frameless side windows and a swept-back silhouette which makes the car look a fraction more compact than it actually is. And it offers plenty of overtaking presence. The large corner air intakes hint at performance potential, while the slightly angled full-LED headlamps draw attention to the familiar BMW kidney grille, which extends almost the full width between those lights and features bars contoured with eye-catching vertical indentation. The rear isn't perhaps, quite as eye-catching, but the full-LED L-shaped tail lamps (another classic BMW design cue) have distinctive night time illumination. Is this a proper coupe? This frameless door certainly makes it feel like one. But the slightly lower-slung driving position that genre might lead you to expect doesn't really materialise once inside. Instead, cabin architecture from the 1 Series hatch was carried over virtually unaltered. Still, that's not necessarily an issue because it's very nice indeed. No, it doesn't have the space age feel of a Mercedes CLA with all its twinkling lights and screens. Or the knurled classy coolness of a sporty Audi A3 Saloon. But as a quality compromise between these two approaches, this cabin takes some beating. Soft-touch surfaces and the solid feel of all the fixtures and fittings is matched on plusher models by things like contrast stitching and intricate 'Extended lighting' door panel strips. There's plenty of luxury segment technology too, particularly if you get a car whose original owner paid more for the 'Live Cockpit Professional' package, which matches a 10.25-inch virtual instrument binnacle screen with a classy centre-dash iDrive monitor of the same size. There's some clever stuff incorporated into this extra-cost set-up, including what BMW calls an 'Intelligent Personal Assistant', which is there to answer questions you can voice to the car as you drive it. Even the lesser 'Live Cockpit Plus' media package gives you quite a lot, including 'Apple CarPlay' and 'Android Auto' smartphone-mirroring. As usual with a coupe, rearward vision is somewhat compromised by the sloping roof and angled rear screen, so you'll need the standard parking sensors. But finding the ideal driving position is easy, the seats are very comfortable and there's plenty of interior storage space. In the back, the headroom figure is 870mm, 40mm less than you'd get in a 1 Series but 10mm more than in a rival Mercedes CLA. The scalloped seat backs create a bit of extra space for your knees and as for legroom, well there's 670mm of it - which is the same as a CLA but here, you get a bit more space to tuck your feet beneath the seat ahead. Inside the trunk, you're provided with a reasonable 430-litres of cargo capacity (50-litres more than a 1 Series hatch but 30-litres less than that Mercedes CLA rival). The rear seat back has a versatile 40:20:40 split, so you'll be able to push long items like skis through between a couple of rear-seated folk.

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