2016 BMW 220d xDrive Review

If you look at the BMW range today, you’ll notice that most cars grew quite significantly in size since the 1980s. That tells us a lot not only about the brand but about our buying habits as well, habits that changed and made us lose focus on what is truly important.

The E30 3 Series was admired because it was small and light, capable of agility beyond what anything else offered. It may not have been the fastest car on the road, but it was fun to drive because of these characteristics.

The new 2 Series Coupe follows in its footsteps. Regarding size, it is extremely close to the E46 3 Series Coupe, something a lot of fans of the brand will find appealing, especially since the old Bimmer model still has a rather big following today.

To be more precise, the newcomer is 56 mm (2.2 inches) shorter than the E46, 15 mm (0.2 inches) wider and has a 35 mm (1.37 inches) shorter wheelbase. And yet, inside, you get plenty of room but only for four people.

Yes, BMW was adamant about it and decided that four occupants would be the perfect upper limit in this regard. Therefore, they replaced the middle rear seat with a plastic cup holder to set things straight.

And you’ll feel cozy and familiar inside as well, with BMW using the same materials and layout for the interior as on most of its present creations. Yes, on other, more expensive cars it is becoming annoying considering their price tags but for the 2 Series range it is absolutely on par.

Wrapped in Alcantara and offering plenty of support for any type of build, they still remain one of the best choices you can get in this segment. The same can be said about the steering wheel that, in this guise, is perfect in terms of grip and thickness.

Interesting touches all around let you know how careful BMW was with making this car as comfortable as possible. While the seats will be on the firmer side of things (that may not be to everyone’s liking), there are other interesting touches here and there that you’ll notice.

The interior lighting is cozy and you can change the color of the LED strips located on the door panels and the dash in any way you like. Furthermore, there’s added padding on the center console, right where the driver’s knee rests, to make sure you don’t get bruises after long trips. That’s a trick that should undoubtedly be used by more manufacturers.

The quality of the materials is on Bavarian standards, but we were rather disappointed by the lower half of the door panels. The hard plastic used here is present on other models as well, but that doesn’t make it OK. Maybe a different approach would’ve been better.

It’s all good once you leave the parking lot, though. After all, this is a German coupe and it should drive like one, right? Well, we were rather reticent about the engine powering it at first and the fact that, since it was an xDrive version, we considered the weight factor to be an issue before setting off. As it turned out, we were wrong.

The car is on the heavier side of things, tipping the scale at 1,485 kg (3,274 lbs) due to the added 35 kilos (77 pounds) of the xDrive system and the extra 25 kg (55 lbs) of the automatic 8-speed gearbox. Then again, under 1.5 tons is more than reasonable for a vehicle of this size.

Under the hood, the 220d has a new 2.0-liter 4-cylinder diesel engine known internally as B47. It’s part of the Germans’ new approach towards engine production that sees gas and diesel mills sharing up to 40% of the parts in between them. The new B-family is also more refined than before and you can hear that as soon as you press the start button.

Of course, the trademark diesel sound is still there but it was drastically improved regarding NVH (noise, vibration, harshness). Delivering 190 HP and 400 Nm (295 lb-ft) of torque, there’s also a noticeable increase in performance compared to the what 20d models used to have in the past. As a matter of fact, this was the focus of our review, to see whether this diesel can be both sporty and economical at the same time.

The sound it makes is definitely not the best you could get in this range, especially since you have the M235i and now the M2 out there, but as far as diesel goes, it’s OK.

When it comes to pulling power, we're actually dealing with a sleeper here. During our time with the car we had the chance of meeting up with a brand new Skoda vRS at a stop light and we said to ourselves ‘What the Hell, let’s just go for it!’. Surprisingly or not, the BMW pulled away from the vRS even though there's a rather significant difference in specs involved.

The xDrive system and the brilliant 8-speed ZF gearbox helped a lot, there’s not a question about it, but even so, we didn’t expect to beat a performance model, be it even one from Skoda.

When taking a closer look at the spec sheet, we noticed we shouldn’t have been surprised at all. The BMW 220d xDrive Coupe is quick, reaching 100 km/h (62 mph) in just 6.9 seconds and going up to a top speed of 225 km/h (140 mph). By comparison, the Skoda should sprint in the same timely manner to the benchmark speed and yet, in real life, it was slower than the Bimmer.

Call it what you want, a coincidence or just bad driving but we were impressed by the pulling power displayed by the German. The same could be said about the car on the highway, where we noticed that the acceleration is firm up to 100 mph (160 km/h), which should be enough for anyone that’s not looking to break land-speed records or the law as a matter of fact.

While straight line performance was expected to be at a more than decent level, the 220d xDrive is a surprisingly capable machine in the bends as well.

The ride is harsh due to the M Sport package and its adaptive dampers, especially in Sport mode and yet, you never feel uncomfortable but rather in control. The xDrive system used is the same as on the 1 Series and the rest of the traditional RWD models and it does send most of its grunt to the rear wheels, making this a canyon carver with attitude.

Slides are easy to pull, especially due to the 295 lb-ft (400 Nm) of torque available from 1,750 RPM and the DSC system can be turned off, admittedly not fully. We felt it intervene a couple of times but only when taking the car to its absolute limit and only to keep us safe. It’s not a terribly disturbing intrusion either way.

Around town, the car is as tame as it gets. Switch it into Comfort or Eco Pro mode and you’ll be cruising around in total silence. Yes, the driveline is quiet both inside the city and on the highway and despite the windows being frameless, we weren’t disturbed by wind noise even at speeds up to 80 mph (130 km/h).

The driving position is low but due to the thin A pillars you get a good view of the road at any time. Parking the car is also rather easy, even if you’re not using any assistance system for it, such as parking sensors or even a rear-view camera. They are helpful, but you can do without them.

Since the length of the 2 Series Coupe sits at 4,432 mm (174.5 inches), finding a parking space shouldn’t be too tiresome. Of course, it’s not close to a smart or a MINI but it’s decent anyway. As for the fuel consumption, we weren’t disappointed.

If the Dieselgate scandal taught us anything, it’s that we need to be more cautious about the numbers that carmakers are feeding us. However, the 220d xDrive is not a thirsty car if you know how to treat it right.

On the highway, it will depend on how fast you want to go. Keeping the speedometer needle at around 70 mph (110 km/h) will show you a fuel consumption of around 5 l/100 km (47 mpg). Going faster, at around 80 mph (130 km/h), will get you closer to 6 l/100 km (39 mpg), a small change considering the speed increase.

Around town, you’ll have to use the Eco Pro mode to get the best out of your car. We came close to 8 l/100 km (29 mpg) a number that is off the charts when you take into consideration that BMW claims this car should return 5.1 l/100 km (46 mpg). Even so, it’s more than decent considering the performance it brings and the fact that we may not have been on our best behavior while testing the fuel consumption.

On average, during our time with this tester, we came close to an average of 7 l/100 km (33.6 mpg), which isn’t bad at all considering that about 75 percent of the time was spent inside the city.

And it was enjoyable too, especially in Comfort mode, which will surely be the one driving setup most people will prefer. That’s because it offers the perfect mix of performance and comfort, setting up the suspension to be as relaxed as you may need it to be.

Other interesting features kept us occupied during our time with the car, including the plethora of gadgets available. You can now get LED headlights that offer an incredible light at night up to 300 yards away and can be had with an adaptive feature that switches between high beam and low beam automatically.

Then there’s the Navigation Professional system that has one of the best resolutions on the market today, even though it is fitted inside one of the cheapest BMWs you can get. In select cities, you can even see the buildings around you rendered in 3D so that you can get a grip on where you’re heading a lot easier.

The iDrive touch-sensitive controller is a peach to use and you can scribble addresses and names using it without too much hassle or taking your eyes off the road. Speaking of which, the Head-Up display option might come in handy, but it’s not a must for most drivers.

The trunk is rather spacious and going for a holiday with the 2 Series Coupe won’t force you to ship your luggage, even if you and your loved one decide to take another couple with you. With 390 liters (13.8 cubic feet) at your disposal and with foldable seats in the back, you’ll even be able to carry large objects around if you need to. The only fault we could find was the shape of the trunk opening, which does limit your loading options.

As for the safety concerns you might have, you need to know that the 2 Series Coupe was rated a 2015 Top Safety Pick+ model by the IIHS, a feat that not many cars can achieve. As standard, all 2 Series models come with side airbags, rollover sensors, driver and front passenger knee airbags, electronic stability control, antilock brakes and daytime running lights.

So what’s wrong with it? Well, to our surprise, there’s little to complain about.

It was the performance it delivers while keeping fuel consumption under control. As we said, over the couple of days we enjoyed its company, the average mpg reading was over 30 and we didn’t spend a whole lot of time babying the throttle. Chip in the xDrive system as well and you get a car that has the parts it needs to keep you both safe and smiling behind the wheel.

One big issue could be the price tag, though. However, let’s face it, the blue and white roundel isn’t exactly known for its profitability so what did you expect? The 220d with xDrive and the automatic gearbox starts at €37,840 and that’s a bit steep for a 2er. Chip in the optional features our tester had and you reach the incredible sum of €52,088 including 19% VAT.

That’s a bit steep and even though we’d call the 220d xDrive the perfect sleeper, we’re not exactly sure it’s worth the money. Considering the M235i starts at €44,900, you might be better off with the M Performance Automobile for a change. That’s especially true if you’re not troubling yourself with efficiency numbers. However, even if you do limit yourself to just a couple of optional features, chances are you’re going to get pretty close to the M235i’s starting price and in that case, it’s really up to you if it’s worth the trouble.