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By Jonathan Crouch

BMW's 2 Series Gran Coupe is a small four-door Coupe that gets a little more sophisticated in this second generation form. Jonathan Crouch takes a look.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 39

The 2 Series Gran Coupe is BMW's idea of what a small, stylised premium sports saloon should be. This second generation F74 version is a little sharper-looking, a little sharper to drive and quite a lot more sophisticated inside.

Backgroundword count: 187

Small saloons don't sell well here. In fact, they don't sell at all unless they come with a premium badge. But Audi made the concept work with its conventional A3 saloon of 2013, before Mercedes developed it further, shortly after pioneering the idea of a car of this kind as a 'four-door coupe' with their CLA. Both those models progressed into second generation form and, forced to respond by creating what would be in effect a saloon version of the 1 Series Hatch, BMW followed the CLA style-conscious route with their contender, the 2 Series Gran Coupe in 2021. That first F44 design proved to be somewhat divisive in its looks and some were disappointed that it adopted the front-driven platform of the 1 Series, rather than the rear-driven format of the 2 Series Coupe. With the second generation F74 2 Series Gran Coupe we look at here, BMW hasn't changed the engineering much, but most other areas of this design have received a thorough revamp, including the styling which the Munich maker hopes is now a lot easier on the eye. Let's take a closer look.

Engines and Tech Specword count: 226

The drive dynamics here are no different to those of the 1 Series, but as with that Hatch have been lately sharpened with revised suspension and extra bracing to increase rigidity. The engine choices are the same as those of the 1 Series too, which means there aren't now many of them. The base front-driven 220 model gets much the same 1.5-litre three cylinder petrol engine that featured before, but it's been embellished with 48V mild hybrid tech and makes 170hp, enough to get the car to 62mph in 7.9s. The other option is the top M235 xDrive, which uses a 2.0-litre four cylinder turbo petrol unit with 300hp. This makes 62mph in 4.9s. Either way, drive is via a 7-speed auto gearbox. Diesels and other petrol units are offered in other markets, but we're unlikely to see those here. Obviously, the M235 is the version for enthusiastic drivers. It gains an extra strut in the engine compartment (which is optional on the 220), plus larger tyres and an increase in the camber offset of the front wheels to improve handling. The shock absorbers have been re-tuned to reduce body roll and the wheel slip limiter and the braking system have also been revised. In addition, sharper Sport steering and Adaptive M suspension are available on this top model, the latter lowering the car by 8mm.

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