BMW 2 SERIES GRAN COUPE

DOES THE SMALLEST BMW HIT THE SPOT?

- TUHIN GUHA

The BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe is the easiest way to get that blue and white propeller into your garage.

It makes sense on paper, a small 4-door coupe that is meant to give you a good idea of the BMW experience at an accessible price. The last gen model did many things right, but we felt it didn't fully capture the essence of a BMW sedan in a condensed form. The new generation model promises much, but does it hit the spot now?

Styling

No discussion of a new BMW seems to be complete without there being some strong opinions of the way it looks. The new 2 Series is no different. The sedan continues to be based on the UKL2 architecture but with improvements, so its dimensions are largely similar. It is 20mm longer and 25mm taller.

But the bodywork has been fully reworked. The compact sweptback headlamp is quite a departure for a BMW although the gloss black condensed grille is fairly traditionally shaped. We find this arrangement quite light on the eyes unlike the last car but many may find it to be too much of a departure. The M Sport styling kit gives you quite a bit of shape bumper cladding which helps with the compact look. The visible bonnet shutline is a bit of a sore point but 2 Series Gran Coupe body panels are now flatter and the curves sharper which gives it a more athletic look. The sloping roofline is well done and its commendable that despite ground clearance now going up by 19mm to around 160mm, the small sedan looks proportionate. The typical swept and kinked BMW glass house and the larger 18-inch wheels have a role to play in this.