Since the debut of the BMW 2 Series Coupe, there’s been both rumor and speculation about a four-door version. Rumors changed over the years, as have expectations. But it’s finally here — the BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe.

If you’re a bit confused, that’s okay. We’re here to help. Despite wearing the “2 Series” name, this car has nothing in common with the 2 Series Coupe we’ve come to know and love. Instead, it’s based on BMW’s new FAAR front-wheel drive architecture. So the new BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe shares its underpinnings with the new 1 Series hatchback. However, obviously, this car is not a hatchback but instead is sleek four door “coupe”. In reality, it’s a small sedan with a swoopy roof to take on cars like the Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class and Audi A3.

BMW M235i Gran Coupe Exterior

 

On the outside, there are quite a few interesting details about the new BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe. Up front, it looks similar to the 1 Series it shares its chassis with but with some tweaks. For instance, there are little notches in its headlights, which visually separates the two halos in the headlight. It’s a subtle design but one that actually looks quite nice. Another nice bit, full-LED headlights are as-standard.

Seen here in M235i-spec, the 2 Series Gran Coupe looks very aggressive. It gets massive front air intakes and little vertical vents next to them. It also gets the typical M Performance brushed aluminum-look mirror caps and the new Kidney Grille insert pattern.

In profile, it’s a sporty looking car, especially in M235i form. It looks low, aggressive and, surprisingly, almost rear-driven. Despite the fact that it’s a front-wheel drive car, and its front overhang might and tall hood-line give it away, it doesn’t look like it. Its aggressively raked roofline that leads into a sleek C-pillar and nice looking Hofmeister Kink both accentuate its rear wheels. So it sort of looks rear-driven. It’s actually quite handsome in profile.

Out back, it’s a bit interesting. It breaks away from a few small BMW norms. For instance, its taillights are skinny and wide, with a similar design and light pattern as the X6, of all things. There’s also a bit of trim atop the taillights that spans the entire width of the rear end. The BMW M235i gets a little decklid spoiler that looks pretty cool. At the bottom, two rectangular exhaust pipes give it some M Performance familiarity.

Overall, it’s not a bad looking car but it is a bit different from what we’ve come to expect from BMW. It’s also a bit chunkier than some of its competitors and looks a bit portly. But it does have some really nice angles and can be quite handsome. Is it as good looking as the CLA-Class or A3? We’ll have to see it in person to make the final judgement.

BMW M235i Gran Coupe Interior

You can tell that BMW’s marketing team had a word with the interior designers and told them to attract Millennials. While the design overall is virtually the same as all other modern BMWs, its extensive use of ambient lighting and lighted patterns built into the interior trim are young-people bate.

The seats from the BMW Z4 are a nice touch, though. They look much sportier than any other seats found in regular Bimmers and make the 2 Series Gran Coupe feel a bit more special than your average compact, as they’re also offered in the standard BMW 220d Gran Coupe. So even the base model gets very cool looking seats. Having used them extensively in other cars, we can also say they’re quite lovely to sit in.

Aside from that, it’s your standard modern BMW interior. The steering wheel is the same as every other BMW with an M Sport package, its iDrive screen is BMW’s latest and it gets the new digital dials like every other Bimmer. That’s not a bad thing, as it’s a handsome cabin and makes the 2 Series Gran Coupe feel more premium than some of its competitors but it’s not going to blow anyone away with its aesthetics. We’re sure it will features BMW’s typical bank-vault build quality as well.

BMW 220d Gran Coupe Exterior

When it goes on sale, the BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe will be the entry-level Bimmer in the US. It will also be on sale in Europe and China but will sit atop the 1 Series in those markets. In total, there will be several variants of the four-door 2er, including both petrol and diesel models.

As far as diesel models go, which will be the more popular European models, there’s only a BMW 220d announced as of right now. It will come with a 2.0 liter turbocharged diesel engine that makes 190 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque. It will burn about 4.5 – 4.2 liters of diesel for every 100 kilometers (52-56 mpg US).

There will be a handful of petrol models on offer when the 2 Series Gran Coupe first launches. The starting point is the BMW 218i Gran Coupe, which gets a 1.5 liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine. That turbo-triple makes 140 hp and 162 lb-ft of torque. There’s an overboost feature that can add an extra 7 lb-ft for a brief time in fourth gear or higher. BMW claims 0-62 mph in 8.7 seconds. It’s said to burn 5.7 – 5.0 liters of petrol per 100 km (41-47 mpg US).

Stepping things up a bit is the BMW 228i xDrive Gran Coupe, which is exclusive to the US market. It packs a 2.0 liter turbocharged four-cylinder with 231 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque. It will get an eight-speed automatic and xDrive all-wheel drive as-standard.

The top-dog of the BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe lineup will be the M235i xDrive, though. Just like the BMW M135i, the new M235i Gran Coupe will use a 2.0 liter turbocharged four-pot making 306 hp and 332 lb-ft of torque. Again, it gets an eight-speed auto as-standard, along with xDrive all-wheel drive. According to BMW, 0-62 mph takes 4.9 seconds. An optional M Performance package shaves a tenth of a second off of that time.

Customers of the lesser-engined models will have a choice of two transmissions; either a six-speed manual or a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. The idea of a BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe with a small, turbocharged petrol engine and a six-speed manual is actually kind of awesome.

The BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe also gets some trick handling tech from the BMW i3. With the i3, BMW developed a new way of managing traction, called near-actuator wheel-slip limitation (ARB). Essentially, it adds a slip controller to the engine’s ECU, which allows it to react to changes in traction up to three times faster than traditional traction control. It helps with cornering stability as well as poor traction from slippery conditions.

BMW M235i Gran Coupe Interior 

This new BMW 2 Series will be built in BMW’s Leipzig plant and will be making it public debut at AutoMobility LA in November 2019 with production starting in January 2020. Market launch in the United States is planned for March 2020.