Photo: S. Baldauf / R. Kah
Coincidently or not, BMW chose to bring its second front-wheel drive model in the company’s history to Geneva for the first time, the Swiss city probably being a good market for the MPV. The 7-seater was introduced in two bright colors: red and blue.
Both of them were wearing plenty of optional features and while the red one had a more stylish look to it, the Estoril Blue 2 Series Gran Tourer was wearing the M Sport package, probably the one that will be sold the least in the future.
Sharing everything from the platform to the engines with its older brother, the 2 Series Active Tourer, the Gran Tourer looks basically the same, with an elongated body and a similar interior. The aim inside the cabin was practicality and you get plenty of storage spaces and intelligent solutions to accommodate the 7 people this thing is supposed to carry around.
Sure, BMW is new to this MPV niche and they have a thing or two to learn before they can match up against cars that were doing this for longer but the Germans claim this is a first in terms of premium cars. Well, I don’t know about you but the Renault Espace seems like it’s already there, even though it’s not heralded as a ‘premium’ vehicle.
As far as the engine choices go, you’ll be pretty limited at first. There are only five mills you can pick from, including both petrol and diesel alternatives. The 216d comes with a 3-cylinder diesel making 116 HP and 270 Nm (199 lb-ft) of torque and it will be the entry-level choice out there, even if it seems terribly underpowered.
The entry level petrol will be the 218i with a 3-cylinder turbo mill making 136 HP. You’ll probably want the pick of the range, the 220d xDrive that can also be seen in the adjacent photos.
It has a 2-liter 4-cylinder turbo diesel plant under the metal making 190 HP and 380 Nm (280 lb-ft) of torque that can be hooked up to a FWD-biased xDrive system.
The space in the back looks rather limited for adults but it could work for children and that’s where BMW aims at right now: young families. As the children grow up, you’ll be able to switch to something a little bigger, say a future X7 but that’s a long way from production right now.
The Gran Tourer will go on sale in June, according to Dr. Ian Robertson, speaking on the Geneva floor and will have a starting price of €28,650 in Germany. No word on US availability just yet.
Sharing everything from the platform to the engines with its older brother, the 2 Series Active Tourer, the Gran Tourer looks basically the same, with an elongated body and a similar interior. The aim inside the cabin was practicality and you get plenty of storage spaces and intelligent solutions to accommodate the 7 people this thing is supposed to carry around.
Sure, BMW is new to this MPV niche and they have a thing or two to learn before they can match up against cars that were doing this for longer but the Germans claim this is a first in terms of premium cars. Well, I don’t know about you but the Renault Espace seems like it’s already there, even though it’s not heralded as a ‘premium’ vehicle.
As far as the engine choices go, you’ll be pretty limited at first. There are only five mills you can pick from, including both petrol and diesel alternatives. The 216d comes with a 3-cylinder diesel making 116 HP and 270 Nm (199 lb-ft) of torque and it will be the entry-level choice out there, even if it seems terribly underpowered.
The entry level petrol will be the 218i with a 3-cylinder turbo mill making 136 HP. You’ll probably want the pick of the range, the 220d xDrive that can also be seen in the adjacent photos.
It has a 2-liter 4-cylinder turbo diesel plant under the metal making 190 HP and 380 Nm (280 lb-ft) of torque that can be hooked up to a FWD-biased xDrive system.
The space in the back looks rather limited for adults but it could work for children and that’s where BMW aims at right now: young families. As the children grow up, you’ll be able to switch to something a little bigger, say a future X7 but that’s a long way from production right now.
The Gran Tourer will go on sale in June, according to Dr. Ian Robertson, speaking on the Geneva floor and will have a starting price of €28,650 in Germany. No word on US availability just yet.
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