THE GRAN SCHEME OF THINGS

The new BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe aims to fix some of the older model's drawbacks. Does it?

- By Pablo Chaterji Photographs Kaizad Adil Darukhanawala

I’ve always wondered what manufacturers think when they present four-door sedans as coupes; it’s almost as if the extra two doors are to be considered a state of mind.

Mercedes-Benz kick-started this odd trend in the modern era with the CLS, in 2004 (I say ‘modern’ because the Rover P5 Coupe showed up in the early 1960s), and it’s stuck around ever since. Whatever you think of it, BMW’s smallest sedan comes with the coupe moniker, and positions itself as a kind of gateway drug — the stuff that will (BMW hopes) get you hooked enough to want to up the ante and start splashing out for the 3, 5 and 7 Series. It’s aimed squarely at India’s young and loaded — tech-bros who want a Bavarian badge without draining their crypto wallets, for example. At an estimated ₹ 45-50 lakh (ex-showroom), it’s stepping into a cage match with the Audi A4 and Mercedes-Benz A-Class (and even its SUV sibling, the X1), and I took it for a spin down Chennai's East Coast Road to see what it offered over the older model.

The first 2 Series Gran Coupe, launched in 2020, was a bit of a mixed bag if I'm honest. I drove it in Portugal just before the pandemic deep-sixed the world, and although it was entertaining enough, the cabin felt a little low-rent, the rear seat was cramped and the front-wheel-drive setup was underwhelming if you were used to BMW's RWD and AWD sedans. The 2025 model, codenamed F74, is a sharper effort — at least on paper — with new styling, a plusher interior, and plenty of tech and suspension upgrades. Read on to see how things stack up.