BMW 220D: BREAKING TRADITION INSTEAD OF THE BANK

We tested out the latest entry in BMW’s Indian stable, the 2-Series Gran Coupe or the BMW 220d as it aims to bring more people to the ‘propeller’ marquee.

KARAN SINGH BANSATTA

THE internet is a good thing. (?) This perfectly sums up if it is. The sentence itself means it is and the question mark is like that asterisk on special offer advertisements. The question mark also helps justify a recent phenomenon regarding a new car. BMW 220d or the 2-series Gran Coupe was just introduced and the all too easy verdict is already there. It goes something like this: ‘A front-wheel-drive BMW is no BMW’. Drive it once and you’ll disagree… with force!

First, BMW is all about premium products be it cars or motorcycles and they have a plethora of those. From the ultra-luxurious 8-series to the crazy M4 and from the K1600GT to the new M1000RR.

But times are changing and reaching more people matters too. The combined purchasing power of the upper-middle-class matters just as much as the ultra-rich, if not more. That’s why we witnessed the G310 twins are there and that’s why the 220d is there.

BMW is also being very humble about the 2-series Gran Coupe. They refer to it as kind of an entry-level BMW. An easy gateway to the world of ‘Efficient Dynamics’ and ‘Sheer Driving Pleasure’. A means to introduce people to the brand that has been known for legends like the BMW 507 Roadster and then legend killers like the BMW M3 E46 CSL.

All the hue-and-cry in regards to the 2-Series Gran Coupe mostly boils down to a few key changes. Changes that veer away from tradition and the problem with tradition is that if you stick to it too hard and don’t adapt, it’s a prison.

Anyway, in case of the BMW 220d, it is all about the engine. Tradition says longitudinal engine with rear-wheel drive, 220d goes with a transverse engine with front-wheel-drive. Voila… you have a ‘Coup’ on your hands… a Gran ‘Coup’.

What BMW has done with the 220d is not only good for the beautiful wordplay just demonstrated. It is very practical too. It saves weight. It saves space. And it stirs emotions, albeit mixed. And all of that shows when you look at the 2-series Gran Coupe.

The BMW 220d is a compact and nifty little number. Visuals have been polarizing too and it is agreeable that it may not be the prettiest BMW out there. But it is more than decent. The Misano Blue colour also helps the matters quite a bit. The quirky part here is that the car itself is polarized… about its identity.

The front of the car is busy. A tad too much probably. The grille is reasonably sized and looks good but the headlight is a bit too swept back. The chin has a lot going on too and the fog-lamps flanking the intakes on the bumper accentuate the car’s sporty intent.

It just looks a bit puffed up and the headlights do not help. But as a standalone feature, the BMW LED unit looks quite good. Move on to the side and perhaps the first thing you’ll spot is the M insignia. Good stuff. The roofline too justifies the Coupe part of the 2-series and 4 doors do justice to Gran.

Things almost get too linear in the side profile but that’s until the gates are opened. BMW 220d features frameless doors and you realize that this is something that you didn’t need until this car arrived. They look really cool and so does the BMW hologram projected under the doors and the M insignia on the door sill.