The redesigned BMW 2 Series Coupe has been revealed ahead of its in-person debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on July 8, 2021.
It’ll arrive in Australia before the end of 2021, with pricing to be announced closer to launch.
At first the flagship 2 Series will be the new M240i xDrive, though BMW says its M division will introduce a flagship in 2022.
The M240i xDrive packs a turbocharged 3.0-litre inline-six cylinder engine with 275kW of power and 500Nm of torque, up 25kW on its predecessor.
There’s no manual transmission, only an eight-speed automatic.
It does the 0-100km/h dash in 4.3 seconds and features a rear-biased all-wheel drive system.
It’ll be the first time an all-wheel drive 2 Series Coupe has been made available in Australia.
Below it sits the 220i, which uses a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine with 135kW of power and 300Nm of torque, an increase of 30Nm on its predecessor. It has a 0-100km/h time of 7.5 seconds.
In Australia, it’ll come standard with the M Sport package.
A 180kW version of this engine will feature in the 230i, which will arrive after the rest of the range.
European buyers will also have the option of the turbo-diesel four-cylinder 220d, which features a 48V mild-hybrid system.
In terms of design, the 2 Series Coupe harkens back to its spiritual ancestor, the 02 Series, with its individual circular(ish) headlights.
There’s a sharply creased front bumper and an aggressive ‘power dome’ aluminium bonnet though, thankfully, the grille’s double kidneys are more wide than long.
The grille includes vertical air flaps which open electrically when more cool air needs to be drawn into the engine bay.
Full-LED headlights are standard, with adaptive LED headlights featuring BMW Selective Beam an option.
There are classic rear-wheel drive proportions, with short overhangs, a long bonnet but a short rear deck.
There’s also BMW’s trademark Hofmeister kink, while BMW says the sharp shoulder line pays homage to the first 1 Series Coupe.
Unlike the 02, the tail lights aren’t circular. Instead, they’re large, sculpted looking units with jagged LED lighting elements.
The M240i xDrive in these photos is finished in a new shade called Thundernight Metallic, which will be exclusive to the 2 Series Coupe.
The wheelbase has grown by 51mm and overall length by 105mm, while the front track is 54mm wider and the rear track 31mm wider.
It’s 64mm wider overall but 28mm lower.
Overall length measures 4537mm, while it’s 1838mm wide and 1390mm tall.
Completely unladen, a 220i weighs 1490kg and an M240i xDrive weighs 1690kg.
BMW says static torsional rigidity is up 12 per cent over its predecessor, while the 2 Series boasts almost perfect 50:50 weight distribution.
The company says it has also optimised ride comfort and acoustics to make the 2 Series a more comfortable daily driver.
BMW says the 2 Series uses chassis components originally designed for the 3 Series and 4 Series but adapted for this smaller coupe. That includes the two-joint spring strut front axle and five-link rear axle.
Firmer M Sport suspension is standard on the Australian-spec 220i, while the M240i xDrive features adaptive M suspension, M Sport braking and an M Sport rear differential as standard.
It features 19-inch alloy wheels, while the 220i uses 18-inch alloys.
Inside, there’s a more premium look than before that’s strongly reminiscent of the larger 3 Series and 4 Series.
The angular theme continues inside with trapezoidal accent surfaces on the doors, which are backlit by the optional ambient lighting.
M Sport cars feature a mix of Alcantara and Sensatec upholstery, as well as cushioned knee pads on the centre console. Vernasca leather trim is optional.
The glass area of the sunroof, standard on the M240i xDrive, has grown by 20 per cent, while tri-zone climate control is standard and a head-up display is newly available as an option.
BMW claims a total boot space of 390L, with a 35mm lower load lip than before and a standard 40:20:40 split-fold rear seat.
The 2 Series’ infotainment system runs on BMW Operating System 7.
Australian-market models will come standard with a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a 10.25-inch touchscreen, eschewing the standard 8.8-inch touchscreen and 5.1-inch colour display available in other markets.
The 2 Series will enter production at BMW’s San Luis Potosí plant in Mexico, which also produces the related 3 Series and was only opened in 2019.
Standard safety equipment includes an active bonnet, lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, traffic sign recognition and autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection.
Available safety features include blind-spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control with stop/go, rear cross-traffic alert, surround-view camera, and a remote 3D view camera.
With the 1 Series having moved to a front/all-wheel drive platform shared with the 2 Series Gran Coupe (itself also unrelated to the 2 Series Coupe), there’s nothing else with rear-wheel drive in this segment, at least in Australia.
In markets like North America, there’s just one other rear-wheel drive entry: the Cadillac CT4 sedan, which is related mechanically to the Chevrolet Camaro.
