The first-generation BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe was arguably the second-worst thing to come out of the year 2020. It was BMW’s first front-wheel-drive car ever sold in the United States, and everything from its styling to its driving experience was viciously criticized by the press. Fast forward to the present, and we’ve learned how to navigate life with the horrors brought upon us by that wretched year. Now BMW has unveiled the second-generation 2 Series Gran Coupe. Is it going to be the vaccine that cures the ills of the first-generation car, or is it just a new variant? I got to sample the new car very briefly at BMW Test Fest this year, and initial impressions are good.
Full Disclosure: BMW flew me out to its facilities in South Carolina for the annual BMW Test Fest event. I sampled upcoming tech and drove several models, but I was only given about five minutes on a closed course in the new 2 Series Gran Coupe. This isn’t a full review or even a first drive story; it’s more of a preview of a first drive. We will let you know as soon as we get more time with it.
I drove a 2025 BMW M235i xDrive Gran Coupe for five minutes on a closed course at BMW’s test track in South Carolina, and from those five minutes I could tell the new car is a more cohesive vehicle than the first-gen model. When performing a few high-speed lane changes and long fast turns the M235i was stable, solid and responsive. It felt playful, and mercifully it didn’t understeer into oblivion; if anything it was more eager to oversteer. The new interior is slightly more upscale than the outgoing car’s, and it feels more spacious.
One of the biggest demerits against the first-gen 2 Series Gran Coupe was its frumpy styling. The new car isn’t what I’d call a looker, but it is an improvement, especially at the rear. The new design better masks the platform’s front-wheel-drive roots, with a slightly lower nose and more flattering body lines that feel more cohesive than before. The silhouette is aided by a more graceful slope to the C-pillar, and an ass-end that looks less like a swollen forehead over awkward creased design elements. Overall it’s more closely related to the rest of the BMW lineup. All new 2 Series Gran Coupes will come standard with an M Sport exterior design package to keep the theme sporty and elevated, where the previous design’s base trim looked more like an economy car than a luxury car. Dimensions remain mostly the same as before, though it’s grown an inch in height and just under an inch in length.
Beyond improving the looks, BMW gave most models more power, too. The base 228i now comes with a turbocharged 2-liter Miller cycle inline-4 that produces 241 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque, which is up 13 horses and 37 torques when compared to the first-gen car. The M235i also has a two-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, but with 312 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque, up 11 horsepower and actually down 37 pound-feet of torque versus the previous model. Both engines are mated to a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. BMW claims the 228i now goes from 0 to 60 mph in 5.8 seconds, 0.2 second faster than before, while the M235i takes the same claimed 4.7 seconds as the outgoing car.
Of course the tech quotient is up, with the 2 Series now featuring BMW’s latest curved driver’s display and infotainment screen running the newest version of BMW iDrive. New standard features for all 2 Series Gran Coupe models include a 12-speaker Harmon/Kardon stereo, keyless entry, wireless charging, phone-as-key technology, adaptive suspension, automatic emergency braking, blind spot monitoring, a parking assistant, and adaptive cruise control with lane-keeping assist. M235i models get a standard M Sport Brake package that features four-piston front calipers developed for full-fat M models, a package that’s optional on the 228i.
Most new 2 Series Gran Coupes will start going on sale in March, though base front-wheel-drive 228i models will arrive a few months later. Prices for that base FWD 228i will start at $40,775 including the $1,175 destination charge. Adding xDrive brings the price up to $42,775, while the top-of-the-line M235i xDrive starts at a pricey $50,675 before options.
The second-generation BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe is an improvement over the outgoing car, but is it going to light driving enthusiast’s hearts on fire? Not likely. It is a solid entry-level luxury car with a reinvigorated sporty edge, and new looks that do a good job of righting the wrongs of its predecessor. If I was in the market for a new 2 Series Gran Coupe, though, I would much rather buy a used 3 Series if I really needed four doors, or I’d buy a proper rear-wheel-drive 2 Series coupe.
