BMW 2 Series Coupe Review (2022-present)
BMW 2 Series cars for sale
5.0
Expert review
Pros
Lithe handling
Smart interior
Roomy by coupe standards
Cons
No hatchback boot
Length and width make it less manoeuvrable in town
Not as practical as its four-door rivals
The CarGurus verdict
There aren’t many small coupes left on the market these days, but among those that are, the 2 Series Coupe reigns supreme.
It’s more practical than most two-door cars of its size, with a surprising amount of room inside and a large, versatile boot.
It feels as upmarket as a BMW should inside, too, not to mention as well equipped, and while you could hardly call it cheap to buy, it’s actually very accessible for a car that offers as much as it does.
But its trump card is, quite simply, fun. Whichever form you order it in, the 2 Series sparkles. It manages a brilliant balance between the deftness of a Toyota GR86, the playfulness of a Ford Mustang, and the solid usability of an Audi TT. And with promising signs about its reliability, it’s a car that shouldn’t disappoint.
What is the BMW 2 Series Coupe?
People don’t tend to make cars like the BMW 2 Series Coupe any more. Though it was once extremely popular, this sort of small two-door coupe has largely gone by the wayside in favour of the SUV and, latterly, the SUV coupe.
BMW, however, hasn’t totally abandoned the genre. Indeed, it’s doubling down with the latest 2 Series, which is bigger, sportier and more aggressive than the last version, as evinced by its flared arches, its wider track and its angry snout.
Its main rival is the Audi TT, but it also seeks to win over buyers who might otherwise be swayed by the swagger of the Ford Mustang or the delicacy of the upcoming Toyota GR86. Think of the 2 Series, then, as a mid-point between all of the above, a car that aims to be all things to all coupe buyers.
How practical is it?
As with any two-door coupe, the 2 Series is hampered by its lack of rear doors; in that regard, four-door coupes like the Mercedes-Benz CLA, or even the 2 Series Coupe’s stablemate, the 2 Series Gran Coupe, will always be more practical.
But with that constraint set aside, this is a pretty spacious two-door, with far more room in the back than you’ll find in an Audi TT. In fact, there’s almost as much space inside the 2 Series Coupe as you’ll find in the much larger Ford Mustang, and that means there’s more than enough room for two child seats to fit side-by-side in the rear seats.
The boot’s a decent size at 390 litres, and while it lacks the wide-opening hatch of the Audi TT, there’s much more volume to play with. What’s more, practicality is further boosted by the way the back seat’s backrest splits in a 40/20/40 format, which means you can load longer items through the folded-down centre section while still retaining space for two passengers in the back.
What's it like to drive?
The 2 Series Coupe remains rear-wheel drive, unlike the larger four-door 2 Series Gran Coupe. This should please driving purists, who tend to prefer rear-drive, because it means the front wheels don’t have to handle both steering and getting the power down on the road at the same time.
The 2 Series is, consequently, brilliant fun, with a wonderfully neutral chassis that delivers loads of feedback and grip, yet can also be deliciously playful if you ask it to be. Even the entry-level 220i sparkles as a result, while more powerful models are true performance cars with real driver appeal.
Happily, the 2 Series doesn’t ride too firmly either: yes, it’s taut, as you’d expect from a sporty car, but never becomes uncomfortable, and it isn’t as harsh as a TT. The result is a car that keeps you informed about the state of the road surface beneath you without letting it spoil your day, and won’t get knocked off its line by mid-corner bumps.
Technology, equipment & infotainment
There’s only one variant of the 2 Series (unless you opt for the top-spec M240i xDrive, that is): the M Sport. Standard kit is pretty generous, with triple-zone climate control, adaptive LED headlights, heated seats, front and rear parking sensors, and cruise control all included, and there’s a long and wide-ranging options list to choose from.
The 2 Series features the previous generation of BMW’s iDrive touchscreen infotainment system, rather than the latest version fitted to the BMW 2 Series Active Tourer. But that’s no bad thing, because the newer system is fiddlier to use, and doesn’t give you the option of a rotary controller between the seats for more precise control.
What’s more, you get proper, physical buttons with which to adjust the climate control, which makes doing so far easier than with the newer setup, which requires you to do so via a separate menu on the screen.
BMW 2 Series Coupe running costs
No surprises here: it’s the diesel version of the 2 Series that’s the most affordable to run, with average real-world fuel economy in the region of 50mpg a very real possibility, perhaps more if you treat it gently on a long-distance cruise.
It’s worth pointing out, too, that this is pretty much the only car of this size and price now that offers the combination of a slinky coupe body with a fuel-sipping diesel engine. So if that’s what you want, this is where you’ll have to find it.
Most buyers will choose the petrol instead, though, and in doing so, their fuel economy figures will naturally drop off. They can expect to see 35-40mpg on average in daily use from the 220i, and a few mpg less from the 230i.
Even the M240i is pretty efficient when you consider the sort of power it offers, mind you. It’s possible to achieve 30mpg in the real world, which is quite remarkable when you consider it’s a near-400bhp performance coupe.
The chances are that you will find the 2 Series Coupe a little more expensive to service than its rivals, though. BMW’s servicing costs are generally a little higher than Audi’s, and much higher than Ford’s or Toyota’s, though you do at least get the option to spread the cost by paying monthly with one of BMW’s service plans.
At least you won’t have to pay to change the timing belt on your 2 Series, because there isn’t one. All 2 Series engines come with a metal timing chain, which should last for the lifetime of the car.
BMW 2 Series Coupe reliability
The 2 Series Coupe is still so new we’re a long way from having any concrete reliability data on it, so for the time being, the jury’s out.
However, there are some clues we can turn to for a very rough preliminary idea of how reliable the 2 Series Coupe is going to be.
For example, the petrol 3 Series saloon – on which the 2 Series Coupe is based, and with which it shares all of its engines – managed a very impressive 97.3% score in the latest What Car? Reliability Survey, with the diesel model scoring a similarly respectable 97% dead. That meant petrol and diesel models came 3rd and 4th respectively, out of a field of 18 executive saloons to feature in the study.
What’s more, BMW finished above average in the rankings of all the car manufacturers to take part: there were 30 in total, and BMW came 13th, with a creditable score of 94.7%. It’s worth noting that in doing so, it beat Audi, Ford, Mercedes and Jaguar, though Toyota and Lexus did even better.
Like all new BMWs, the 2 Series Coupe comes with a three-year, unlimited-mileage warranty. That’s not bad, but a way off the maximum 10-year, 100,000-mile warranty Toyota will give you on a GR86.
- Under the skin, you’ll find the reason why the new 2 Series is more spacious than the old one, and why it’s still driven from the rear. It’s all because the new car no longer sits on the BMW 1 Series hatchback’s platform (the latest version of which is front-wheel drive). Instead, it sits on a shortened 3 Series saloon chassis. That means it’s still rear-wheel drive, and it also means it’s notably bigger than before – 10cm longer and 5cm wider, to be precise, with 5cm of that extra length in the wheelbase – which goes some way toward explaining why it’s so roomy inside.
- The standard 2 Series Coupe comes with a choice of three engines: two petrol and (somewhat surprisingly in this day and age) one diesel. The petrol engines are both 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbos; badged 220i, you get 181bhp, while the 230i gives you a heady 242bhp to play with. The 220d, meanwhile, gets a 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel with a boost from a 48-volt mild hybrid system, which takes its total power output to 188hp. The entire line-up comes as standard with an eight-speed automatic gearbox.
- At the top of the 2 Series Coupe range sits the BMW M240i xDrive Coupe. Now, this is something a little bit special, because it gets the basic powertrain from the larger M440i version of the BMW 4 Series Coupe, which means a deliciously creamy turbocharged six-cylinder engine capable of producing 370bhp, and a rear-biased four-wheel drive system that allows the M240i to switch from a progressive tail-happy grin machine into a precise, grippy, all-weather performance car at the drop of a hat. 0-62mph comes up in just 4.3 seconds, making this one of the fastest coupes of its kind, and that big six-cylinder engine makes it one of the most characterful, too.
- The 220i M Sport is the most affordable version in the 2 Series Coupe range and, happily, it’s also the best all-rounder. No, it isn’t as fast as more potent versions, but it still feels pretty sprightly, and without a surfeit of power on tap you can have a lot of fun without fear of getting yourself into trouble. You get plenty of kit, too.
- If you do lots of motorway miles, though, you might be better off with the 220d M Sport instead. It looks identical to the petrol version, but the big difference is, of course, the diesel engine which, with its mild hybrid gubbins, is far more economical. The extra weight means it’s a bit less agile, but it’s actually faster than the petrol car, so fuel-efficiency doesn’t have to mean lethargy.
- Of course, if you want a properly quick car, then nothing but the M240i will do. It’s one of the finest performance cars available for the price, and with all-wheel drive on tap, it’s one that’s genuinely usable all year round.
