Photo: SB-Medien
If you thought BMW was going to take the awesome 2 Series entry-level coupe and turn it into something practical, you were sadly mistaken. As the German rumors suggested, the 2er Gran Coupe is a cost-cutting M Sport poser based on the "MINI platform."
Sure, it would have been awesome to drive a four-door smaller than the 3 Series but still available with inline-6 engines. The only problem with that is BMW wouldn't be able to make much of profit. Apparently, Scrooge McDuck is now on the BMW board.
So instead they are developing a car based on the UKL2 platform, the same one used by everything from the Countryman to the X1. That means the engines won't be larger than 2 liters and they will send their power primarily to the front wheels.
The first such BMW was the mass-produced body roll mess that wasCitroen Picasso... sorry 2 Series Active Tourer is what they called it. Since then, they've gotten a little better at making them handle, but you still won't see the 2 Series Gran Coupe sliding its tail out at roundabouts.
This is the second time the car was spotted, and we have two separate versions in the same gallery. There's one with blue brakes and rectangular exhaust tips, which could be the M235i with 300 horsepower, while the other one has regular brakes and smaller twin pipes. We want to say that it's a 228i, but it could really be anything. Remember, the Audi TT has twin exhaust pipes on every model, no matter the output.
We still don't know why BMW bothered in the first place because the Gran Coupe doesn't look like a coupe at all. And how could it? If they'd chopped the roof enough on this compact car, the passengers in the back would have been decapitated. Still, there are no big fender flares or wings to suggest any kind of sporty attitude.
They could have just as easily sold the 1 Series sedan that was launched in China. But it's being reported that Mercedes is doing the same thing too: an A-Class sedan and a separate CLA-Class replacement.
So instead they are developing a car based on the UKL2 platform, the same one used by everything from the Countryman to the X1. That means the engines won't be larger than 2 liters and they will send their power primarily to the front wheels.
The first such BMW was the mass-produced body roll mess that was
This is the second time the car was spotted, and we have two separate versions in the same gallery. There's one with blue brakes and rectangular exhaust tips, which could be the M235i with 300 horsepower, while the other one has regular brakes and smaller twin pipes. We want to say that it's a 228i, but it could really be anything. Remember, the Audi TT has twin exhaust pipes on every model, no matter the output.
We still don't know why BMW bothered in the first place because the Gran Coupe doesn't look like a coupe at all. And how could it? If they'd chopped the roof enough on this compact car, the passengers in the back would have been decapitated. Still, there are no big fender flares or wings to suggest any kind of sporty attitude.
They could have just as easily sold the 1 Series sedan that was launched in China. But it's being reported that Mercedes is doing the same thing too: an A-Class sedan and a separate CLA-Class replacement.
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