Compact saloon cars usually don't do so well in most west-European countries, but there seems to be an exception for premium brands.
Especially if you call that saloon car a 4-door coupé, like Mercedes has been doing for years now with their CLA.
BMW has waited a very long time before entering this very segment, which is very remarkable considering they don't mind introducing...
cars left and right, but here it is. The 2-series Gran Coupé.
With all due respect, it's kind of a saloon version of the 1-series, but it's also supposed to be a 4-door coupé.
And you can see that, because it's longer and lower than the 1-series. That means it looks a tad more stretched, even though it shares...
all of the technology and even the wheelbase with the 1-series.
At the front, the similarities between the 1-series and this Gran Coupé are clear. Despite the fact it has its own headlights and its own grille,
which has been positioned lower for a different appearance. It's at the back where we'll find the big differences.
You can also see that BMW has tried to make this the little brother of the 8-series. Look at the broad rear lights and the position of...
the license plate. That gives it a different look than the average BMW-saloon.
Another remarkable detail is this strip over here, which connects the rear lights. That's always colored in black.
You'd think it's dependant on what version you get, because the window frames can be chromed or black as well, but the strip at the back is...
always black. Also, you get these vents as standard, all of which to give it more of a sporty look.
Because of the sloped roof, you might've gotten the impression it's a liftback like the 4-series Gran Coupé, but it isn't.
This is a thorough saloon car, with a short bootlid. Incredibly short at that, so you have to put stuff in from the back. Not from up top.
However, when you finally get your stuff in there, you'll have more space to work with, because thanks to the double floor,
it'll fit 430 litres. 50 litres more than in a 1-series.
So why is this a saloon, because liftbacks are more practical. Well, BMW says, it's all about design choices. If this would've been a fifth door,
it would've had to have hinges over here. That would've compromised the headroom so the roof had to be raised, and that would've compromised...
the sloping roof.
And it's a good thing they've made that choice, because the headroom already isn't very good. It's decent, just like the legroom.
Not great, but it's a 4-door coupé. What'd you expect.
In the front, there's no lack of space. It feels like a real BMW. Even better, it feels like a BMW 1-series.
If there are any differences between the two interiors, I can't find them. It looks really identical.
That means you'll know it's a premium product. You can tell by the design and the used materials.
They have used some hard plastics though, like around the gauges. That's because you never touch that, but the bar still is high.
So what makes this seating position so great? Well, as you can tell, I'm very low in the car. The steering wheel is nice and thick and you...
are able to pull it closely towards you. It's an M-Sport-wheel, so it's not standard. The same goes for the seats.
But because of them, it's a car which'll speak to enthusiastic drives from the moment they get in.
The 2-series Gran Coupé is available in three versions at its introduction. A 218i, with a 3-cylinder petrol engine.
That's going to be the most important version for the Netherlands. There's going to be a M235i, with a 4-cylinder producing 306 horsepower.
The same engine from the M135i. Lastly, there's going to be a 220d, the only diesel-version, and the one we're driving right now.
In the Netherlands, diesel is becoming less and less relevant. Despite that, if you have to travel a lot, this is a very nice car for you.
It's a 2.0-litre producing 190 horsepower, which is quite a lot for a car of this size.
And you'll notice. It's nice and powerful, and when you put your foot down you'll get a nice torque-push in your back.
Also, it's pretty refined. Sure, you can hear it's a diesel, both in accelerating and in stationary mode,
but I don't experience that as a disadvantage. It doesn't have any shakes to it or anything, so it's a very comfortable engine.
It's connected to an 8-speed automatic gearbox, which has flappy paddles in this case. However, I wouldn't choose that option,
because it doesn't add anything for a diesel. The automatic gearbox is able to do it all by itself.
When it comes to the infotainment system, this doesn't differ a lot from other BMW's.
We already know the instrument cluster, which has some strange angles, but it still works very good. The turning knob, the touchscreen,
and the graphics are very good. The layout has been thought through incredibly well.
What's new however, but not unique to the 2-series Gran Coupé, is the fact that it now comes with Android Auto.
It has waited for years, whilst it's pretty much standard in every other car with a screen.
BMW stubbornly only offered Apple CarPlay, for some reason. Now they've done it, they've done it properly, because they're offering...
a wireless version as well. Also, if you use the Android or Apple satnav-apps, it'll display the information on the head-up display.
Next to that, you've got more apps like Spotify, so you won't even have to connect your phone to listen to music.