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BMW’s 1 Series Coupe successor, the 2 Series, has officially landed in South Africa. The new baby-coupe for the Bavarian brand looks to follow on from the success of the 1 Series Coupe, not only with newer styling, but with further enhanced dynamics.
The 2 Series Coupe retains compact dimensions, as the 1 Series Coupe did; measuring 4432mm long (72mm longer than the 1er Coupe), 1774mm wide (26mm wider than the 1er Coupe), has a 30mm longer wheelbase at 2690mm, and sits 1418mm high. Interior space is larger as a result, and boot space has also been increased to 390 litres.
Locally, the 2 Series Coupe is available in 3 guises at launch, 220i, 220d, and a range-topping M235i sub-M car. The M235i features BMW’s single twin-scroll turbocharged inline-6 petrol engine, developing 240kW and 450Nm, which BMW claim is good enough for a 0-100km/h sprint of 5.0 seconds when equipped with a 6-speed manual transmission, and 4.8 seconds with the 8-speed ZF automatic gearbox. Consumption on the biggest 2 series is claimed to be only 8.1l/100km.
The 2 smaller engines both feature a power output of 135kW, while torque figures sit at 270Nm and 380Nm for the petrol and diesel models respectively. The 220i is good for 6.3l/100km, while the diesel sips only 4.8l/100km. the 220i claims a 0-100km/h sprint time of 7 seconds dead, whilst the 220d is only fractionally slower at 7.2 seconds in manual guise, and 7.1 with the 8-speed automatic transmission.
In September 2014, we will see the introduction of the 228i Coupe, which will be powered by an uprated version of the 220i’s engine, developing 180kW and 350Nm, which BMW claim is good enough to accelerate the 228i from standstill to 100km/h in 5.6 seconds with the auto ‘box, 0.1s quicker than the manual variant, while consuming 6.6l/100km.
The 2 Series Coupe comes standard in Sport Line trim, with the M235i only available in M Sport. All variants are available with either a 6-speed manual or 8-speed automatic transmission (8-speed Sports auto for the M235i). This trim includes all sport badging, 17-inch alloys standard, and interior trim in gloss black. The Coupe is also available in Modern Line and M Sport package.
Pricing at launch for the M235i, 220i, and 220d in manual guise is R512 500, R376 000, and R406 000 respectively.
