MORE SPACE FOR YOUR GRAN (some text hidden) --NONE--

By Jonathan Crouch

Introductionword count: 108

BMW's 2 Series Gran Tourer was a seven-seat compact MPV built between 2015 and 2021 that offered a classier, more interesting alternative to a conventional Grand C-MAX or Grand Scenic-style People Carrier of this period. This appealing spin on ordinary family motoring attracted a ready audience amongst people who had never previously thought they'd be buying from this Munich maker. They didn't get 'the ultimate driving machine' here because BMW thought that wasn't what they need. Getting instead what may very well be 'the ultimate small people carrier' of its time though, suited many of them very well indeed. Let's check this model out as a used buy.

Modelsword count: 9

5dr MPV (218i,216d,220d,220i) [SE, Modern, Luxury, Sport, M Sport]

Historyword count: 440

Traditional thinking has always assumed that buyers in search of a compact seven-seat MPV wouldn't be interested in a premium brand. Back in 2015 though, BMW decided that traditional thinking needed a bit of a shake-up - and brought us this car, the 2 Series Gran Tourer. This was a lengthened, more versatile version of the company's original F45-era five-seat 2 Series Active Tourer, a model which was not only BMW's first MPV but also the first to break away from the rear wheel drive configuration that had previously defined the Bavarian maker. The front wheel drive set-up used here is key of course to this class of car. Without it, you can't achieve the interior packaging that People Carrier buyers need, especially if you want to keep the shape of your contender relatively compact. With front wheel drive in place though, a whole new area of deceptively spacious design can be opened up - as BMW's engineers found in developing the range of increasingly versatile models being offered by the company's MINI brand. It made perfect sense for them to use that front-driven MINI architecture in creating the 2 Series Active Tourer model we just mentioned, which launched in the Autumn of 2014. And, having created that car, it was just as logical to lengthen the platform to create this seven-seat Gran Tourer version, launched in the Summer of 2015. In one sense, this was what BMW called a 'retention car', there to keep buyers loyal who would otherwise be forced to desert the brand to meet the needs of a growing family. But it was also there to attract customers who never before had had the opportunity to buy a BMW: the brand had never previously sold a model offered as standard with seven seats. Inevitably, those people were asked to pay a little more than they'd previously had to find for a mainstream alternative, but in return with a Gran Tourer they got better quality, extra technology and a more dynamic drive. Such were the attractions of what was the first premium compact model to offer seven seats. The first to include the option of 4WD. And the first perhaps, that was truly aspirational. In 2018, both Active Tourer and Gran Tourer models got a significant update, with small updates to the engine range, styling tweaks and, perhaps most significantly, the addition of a new 7-speed auto gearbox as an option on the majority of models. New buyers could also have more camera-driven safety kit too. Otherwise, things were much as before. This F46-series Gran Tourer sold until late 2021, when it was deleted and not replaced.

What You Getword count: 547

You'll be choosing this car because you want a BMW but you need a People Carrier. Those whose priorities lie that way round probably won't mind making a few practical compromises to buy into the Munich maker's model range but as it turns out here, very few are necessary. True, this seven-seat 2 Series Gran Tourer isn't sized to regularly accommodate seven adults, but then neither are any of its rivals in the seven-seat compact MPV class. With 7-seat MPVs of this period, if you compare this car against Grand C-MAX and Grand Scenic-style models rather than bigger Galaxys and Sharans from the next segment up, practically it stacks up pretty well. That's thanks to a 210mm increase in length and a 50mm increase in height over its already pretty spacious five-seat 2 Series Active Tourer stablemate. Light, spacious and beautifully appointed, the cabin here offers a level of quality far removed from that of any other compact MPV from the 2015-onwards period. As usual in the brand's modern models, the iDrive infotainment set-up's freestanding multifunction colour screen takes pride of place in the middle of the fascia, set high enough up the dash to allow you to refer to it without taking your eyes too far off the road. In terms of the driving position, you don't sit quite as high up as you would in some rival mainstream MPVs, but you are still well positioned for a commanding view of the road ahead. The rear doors open nice and wide and once inside, there's decent space for three fully-sized adults - though they don't get three separate seats in the way that they would in some MPV rivals. For young ones, three universal child seats could clip in side by side. Adults meanwhile, will find that the seat base is split 60:40 and that each segment slides forward and backwards over a 130mm range. This means you can either prioritise your legroom or space in the compartment behind you. Plus in the rearmost position, you get almost limousine-like standards of stretching space. As for the load bay, well first impressions are encouraging. For a start, you get an electrically-operated tailgate as standard (which is pretty rare in this class). Once the hatch rises, you're faced with. well, not a lot if all seven seats are upright; there's just 145-litres of space on offer. But then that's always going to be the case with any car trying to squeeze three rows of seating into just 4.5m of body length. Much of the time of course, you're not going to need the two extra chairs and folding them into the floor increases boot space up to 560-litres. That's 92-litres more than the five-seat Active Tourer model can offer and 65-litres more than you'd get from a 3 Series Touring estate from this era. Need more room? Well if the item in question is merely long and thin, like a set of skis, it may suffice merely to flatten the middle part of the 40:20:40 split-folding rear backrest. If though, you really need to super-size your space, then the rear bench drops electronically at the touch of a button to create a 1,820-litre cargo area that delivers you 310-litres more than the comparable Active Tourer model could offer.

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