Second-Gen BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe Revealed With New Look, Tweaked Chassis

The new-generation BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe bowed earlier this week, with the nameplate skipping a facelift (LCI) iteration alotgether.

Skipping the usual face-lift – or ‘LCI’, as the brand terms it – altogether, the BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe sees an all-new second-generation successor bow earlier this week. With it comes a major design overhaul for a more sporting focus, plus a tweaked chassis to match.

The new 2 Series GC is closely related to the recently launched 1 Series hatch – both share the same front-wheel-drive (FWD) platform underneath.

The exterior of the new 2 Series GC sees plenty of changes, and all were driven by the push for a more 'sporting' focus and to maximise interior space.

Design changes include revamped kidney grilles up front featuring lit-up LED surround, subtle ‘2’ badge in its ‘Hofmeister kink’ section, and the option for constrasting high-gloss black rood made available for the first time. Wheel sizes, on the other hand, range between 17- to 19-inch, depending on variant and trimline.

The redesign does see the new 2 Series GC gain 20 MM in length and 15 MM in height, and it now sits some 4,565 MM long, 1,800 MM wide and 1,435 MM tall. Unchanged here is the 2,670 MM wheelbase figure. Bernhard Blattel, BMW’s compact class product management chief says these changes were made in part to maximise overall interior space.

“The rear of the previous generation was quite polarising, so we completely changed that, and we also realigned the roof to give it a better flow,” adds Blattel who also emphasised that that the aesthetic overhaul was driven by the focus to make the car “more sporting”. Visually, the results of this efforts are very telling indeed.

Like the exterior, the interior has also been revised extensively.

At launch, BMW revealed two key petrol variants – a base 220 guise and a higher-end M235 xDrive. The former employs the Bavarian marque’s 1.5-litre 3-cyl turbo petrol mill bolstered by a 48-volt mild-hybrid (MHEV) assist, granting a healthy output of 167 HP.

The M235 xDrive, on the other hand, gets a familiar 2.0-litre -4cyl turbo petrol lump that outputs 296 HP and 400 NM instead. Coupled with an all-wheel-drive (AWD) setup, this variant despatches 0-100 KM/H in just 4.9 secs. Shared across all is a 7-speed Steptronic automatic transmission.

Similar to its 1 Series hatch brethren, the new 2 Series GC benefits with revised suspension and increased rigidity, altogether boosting its on-road dynamics. Naturally, the M235 variant gains an extra strut brace in the engine bay, larger tyres, and increased caster plus reworked suspension.

The M235 variant stands as the peppiest of the lot, offering 296 HP and 400 NM and xDrive AWD to enable 0-100 KM/H in 4.9 secs. Shared across all though is a 7-speed Steptronic automatic box.

The M235 also benefits with the Adaptive M suspension and sport steering, the former boasting the ability to lower the car’s ride height by 8 MM to enhance performance and agility. Additionally, both variants also gain a reworked wheel-slip limiter and braking system.

And like its exterior, the innards of the new second-gen BMW 2 Series GC has been entirely revamped, and it mostly mirrors what’s seen in its 1 Series hatch twin. Included here is a curved touchscreen display suite powered by the latest BMW Operating System 9, hence the dramatic reduction in physical button here too.

Following its debut this week, expect the newly revamped 2 Series GC to enter markets starting early next year (2025).