2022 BMW 2 Series Coupe – What We Know So Far About the Smallest Bimmer With RWD

BMW has been working on a new RWD 2 Series Coupe for a while, albeit there were a lot of false flags concerning the newly expanded 2 Series lineup and the introduction of the front-wheel-driven 1 Series.

To keep things complicated, the current 2 Series lineup comprises no less than four models that couldn’t be more different from each other even if they tried, although they are all wearing the 2 Series moniker.

We have the aging 2 Series Coupe, on whose replacement BMW is working as we speak, the 2 Series Active Tourer, the 2 Series Gran Tourer, and the new 2 Series Gran Coupe.

Maybe BMW should also make a tiny dictionary for what the 2 Series even means, as the name has started to be thrown around on too many models.

That said, it’s the BMW 2 Series Coupe that we’re going to cover in this article, as that is the model most coveted by old-school BMW enthusiasts that enjoy driving and don’t mind compromised access to the interior, or a smaller trunk and rear-seat space.

Almost killed off to make room for even more FWD compacts with transverse engines, the second generation of the 2 Series Coupe will probably be the last bastion of RWD and longitudinal engines in BMW’s compact range.

Set to be unveiled sometime by the end of 2021, the all-new BMW 2 Series Coupe will switch from the architecture it shared with the previous generation of the 4 Series to the CLAR platform, which is shared by pretty much every modern BMW model with a longitudinal engine, from the 3 Series to the 7 Series and even the mighty X7.

In translation, this means that the car will also make use of the latest powertrains in the Bavarians’ stable, from tiny three-cylinders to the much more wrathful straight-sixes that will be sported by the mighty M2 and M240i, along with both RWD and xDrive AWD versions to suit all pockets and tastes.

Internally codenamed G42, the second-generation 2 Series Coupe model lineup will start with a revised version of the 1.5-liter three-cylinder on the gasoline front, part of a modular family of powertrains that is shared with transverse-engined compact BMWs and MINI models.

Next, there will be three versions of a 2.0-liter engine, providing from 190 to no less than 306 metric horsepower in the tentatively named 235i Coupe.

There will definitely be an M2 version as well, this time powered by a more civilian version of the recently introduced 3.0-liter inline-sixes that currently power the X3 M/X4 M and the M3/M4 beasts.

Unlike those models, the M2 will remain an RWD-only model, with both a six-speed manual and an 8-speed automatic on the transmission options list, but don’t expect it earlier than the end of 2022 or even 2023.

Despite recent backlash on devil’s fuel, the second-generation 2 Series Coupe will also feature diesel engines, with a host of mild-hybrid 2.0-liter four-cylinders, and possibly a 3.0-liter inline-six as well.

In an effort to cut down on fleet emissions, a plug-in hybrid version might also be in the works, although nothing has been confirmed yet, not to mention that it would make it the first BMW coupe powered by such an arrangement if it happens.

Design-wise we already know what to expect, with two grainy photos of a production-ready prototype having been leaked earlier this year already. The love-it-or-hate-it looks will likely matter a lot less than on a regular BMW, with the customers base being more involved with how the car drives than how it looks on the outside.

With slightly increased exterior and interior dimensions, a similar weight to the current model and more powerful engines, you can bet that the upcoming 2022 BMW 2 Series Coupe will remain a modern iteration of the 2002 in almost every sense. A convertible version should also be in the works, although pre-production prototypes have yet to start testing on public roads.