BMW 2-series Coupé
Last of its kind?
Despite rapidly increasing electrification efforts, BMW just launched another one of their iconic ‘small’ cars. LossKARn reckons, that the new M240i Coupé is an appropriate way to say goodbye to internal combustion engines.
The trend started in 1966 when BMW introduced their first sporty shorty, the 02, with the 2002 being the most desirable of them all. Nowadays a sought-after cult classic. Those cars initially gave the Bavarian brand their cult following. And what is it, that real BMW aficionados don’t like? Mainly three things: front-wheel drive, small engines, and big kidney grilles. So being Bavarian BMW said: ‘Hold my beer’. Out came the second-generation 2 Series of 2022, which might well be the last of its kind. The beginning of the end for old-school small cars out of the BMW stable. The 2 Series Coupé was first introduced in 2013 and then facelifted in 2017.
That’s why you should take full advantage of this offering and go for the top-of-the-range model of the three variants, available in SA. Don’t get me wrong, the 220i and the 200d Coupé with 4cyl. diesel/petrol engines are great cars, but the spirit of a two-door sporty BMW Coupé only really comes across in the 285kW six-cylinder version, with all-wheel drive, the M240i.
The new 2 is bigger, inside and out. It’s ten centimetres longer and five centimetres wider, the wheelbase gains 5cm. It’s lower and stiffer, with a lower centre of gravity. All this is due to the fact, that it is build on a different platform: the one, the 3 Series and 4 Series are using. With the axles borrowed from the Z4. So the new 2 is a baby M4 now, not a souped-up 1 anymore.
The power dome makes the hood look smaller, but much more aggressive. I love the Coupé-typical frameless glass in the doors and the three-dimensional rear lights. Inside it is now also more 3 or 4 than 2.
The new 2 can be ordered with an array of M performance parts of which we had one with all the trimmings at the launch. I would describe it as the Bollywood version of the M240i, with spoilers everywhere. According to a well-known local race driver, who was present during the drive, those add-ons should be rigid to create downforce. The ones on the car were rather floppy, so obviously more for pleasuring your eyes than increasing your road grip.
But the ‘normal’, less in your face version, had enough downforce already anyway. What an awesome ride. And only about R200k more than the diesel. That’s a no-brainer. With the standard 19inch wheels and four-wheel drive, it beats the bends, even the wet ones. The steering with the thick wheel is very direct, allowing scalpel-sharp turn-ins. I would go as far as to say, that this one is even more fun to drive than the 3 or 4 Series.
The rear-accented four-wheel-driven M240i features M Sport suspension as standard, the 20inch wheels are an optional extra. It’s agile, nervous, loud, and really exciting.
So will it be the very last real 2 Series BMW? Not quite, there is one more in the pipeline. The Bavarians announced their new M2 for next year. BMW.
BMW 2-SERIES COUPÉ
Engine
3.7-l. six-cylinder turbo, paired with an 8-speed auto PDK
Engine
2.0-l. 4cyl. turbo petrol/2.0-l. 4cyl. turbo diesel/3.0-l. inline 6cyl. turbo petrol, all paired with an 8-speed auto
Power
135/140/285kW and 300/400/500Nm
Top Speed
236/237/250 km/h
0-100km/h
7.5/7/4.3 seconds
Price
R771 900/R819 278/R1 062 420
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