BMW teases latest 2 Series coupe
A compact, stiff and reasonably light car with balanced weight distribution and a straight-six engine in its nose driving the rear wheels is a timeless formula for a drivers’ car and one that BMW has, over the decades, excelled at. Its current exemplar of the breed is the 2 Series, the top versions of which have earned five-star reviews and epithets like future classic. But now it’s all change for the two-door, so what’s in store for enthusiasts with this summer’s new model?
The design we don’t yet know about – the car is officially still under wraps – but we do know what the ingredients will be. All the staples (apart inevitably from a manual gearbox) appear to be present and correct, though from what we know so far not necessarily in the permutations that hard-core drivers might like.
It seems you won’t for instance be able to get a six-cylinder rear-drive model. The hottest variant so far confirmed, the M240i, gets more power than before, at 374PS (279kW), but also comes with xDrive all-wheel-drive. The most potent rear-driver is likely to be the four-cylinder 230i with 248PS (185kW). With such a spec, it could be this car is unique in the marketplace.
And the later-arriving M2? No official intel on that yet but with every M car now xDrive equipped it would be a massive surprise if it stayed rear-drive. xDrive won’t make it a lesser car, just different, though as BMW has proved many times already its all-wheel-drivers come with a strong rear-drive feeling. BMW says the fully lockable electronic M sports differential will allow the new top 2 Series to execute “easily controllable drift manoeuvres”.
Nevertheless, for purists who hanker after the BMW formula so redolent of cars like the very first BMW M3 it’s probably best to grab one of the outgoing M2 or M240 models, particularly if you want a manual ‘box.
It will be eight-speed Steptronic Sport paddleshift transmission all the way for the new M240i. Again, it won’t make it a lesser car, just different. Other elements confirmed this week about the new Two two-door range include a boost to torsional stiffness of 12 per cent, wider tracks front and rear and optional adaptive dampers and variable sports steering.
The new two-door range should be fully unveiled soon ahead of production starting late summer. As this still-disguised prototype suggests, the three-box profile and overall proportions aren’t changing much. Expect instead the latest BMW design cues and the plainer surfaces of BMW’s current “reduced” design language.
Expect too more aero elements – new front spoiler, splitter and air curtains, plus air deflectors and smoother underbody – to optimise airflow and cut front-end lift at speed; BMW says the mods have reduced that by 50 per cent.
All up then, a slightly different 2 Series coupe but with plenty of evidence that BMW isn’t about to throw out the attributes that made the old one such a rewarding drive. After all, it still recognises this model is aimed at “particularly discerning customers who are enthusiastic about unadulterated sportiness.”
Unadulterated sportiness? We’ll say yes please to that.
BMW
2 Series
