2025 BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe review, first drive - makes more sense now

The BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe is the easiest way to get that blue and white propeller into your garage. It makes sense on paper, a small 4-door coupe that is meant to give you a good idea of the BMW experience at an accessible price. The last gen model did many things right, but we felt it didn't fully capture the essence of a BMW sedan in a condensed form. The new generation model promises much, but does it hit the spot now?

2025 BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe dimensions, styling

No discussion of a new BMW seems to be complete without there being some strong opinions of the way it looks. The new 2 Series is no different. The sedan continues to be based on the UKL2 architecture but with improvements, so its dimensions are largely similar. It is 20mm longer and 25mm taller.

But the bodywork has been fully reworked. The compact sweptback headlamp is quite a departure for a BMW although the gloss black condensed grille is fairly traditionally shaped. We find this arrangement quite light on the eyes unlike the last car but many may find it to be too much of a departure. The M Sport styling kit gives you quite a bit of shape bumper cladding which helps with the compact look.

The visible bonnet shut line is a bit of a sore point but 2 Series Gran Coupe body panels are now flatter and the curves sharper which gives it a more athletic look. The sloping roof line is well done and its commendable that despite ground clearance now going up by 19mm to around 160mm, the small sedan looks proportionate. The typical swept and kinked BMW glass house and the larger 18-inch wheels have a role to play in this.

The rear has been made sharper to go with the new theme. It looks less bulky than before and the wide tail lamps have some neat detailing in them. There's quite a bit of gloss black going on here just like the front.

The 2 Series has a 430 litre boot. This may not sound like a lot but the deep recess and flat sides make it easy to store suitcases sideways. A week's luggage for a family will fit easily, especially with the split seat arrangement. The load lip is not very high either.

2025 BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe interiors, practicality, space

The last 2 Series' cabin came when possibly BMW's cabin quality and practicality was at its peak. It was a condensed interpretation of what you got in the last-gen 5 Series with banks of tactile controls and high grade materials.

The new car is a massive departure from this. It's taken BMW's latest interior design philosophy of flat, void surfaces and plays around with it to attract the younger buyer this car is aimed at. So you have sharp slanted surfaces brightened up with slashes of metal inserts. At first glance, the quality and fit is top tier. You see this with the soft materials on the dash and doors as well as the cold metallic surfaces. A smart touch, that adds a splash of colour, are the ambient light patterns on the exhaust style vents and below the screens.

There's a stark minimal sense that combines with this. You don't have any physical controls on the dash face, aside from those slightly flimsy roller-style vent controls. They cut out clutter but don't feel as tactile or satisfying to use as the controls they replace.

You get a similar infotainment setup as the BMW X1, with a 10.7-inch touchscreen and a 10.25-inch driver's display. The iDrive 9 gives you a more logical homescreen and climate menus. An odd trait is that the climate setting only changes by 1 degree and not 0.5 as elsewhere. With the small screen size and lack of a rotary selector, the system is not very easy to use on the move. But you can get used to it a bit quicker than some other systems with the customisable it offers.

On the other hand, the driver's display is easy to read and quite configurable. You also have a substantial HUD display that projects useful information on the windscreen, so interacting with the 2 Series for its driving functions is much easier.

That said, you have the new BMW centre console arrangement that gives you the toggle shifter and broad physical controls for the drive modes, air conditioning and audio functions. Although, certain plastic surfaces around the centre console, and door bins aren't quite of the grade you might expect in a BMW.

The 2 Series was never meant for your average Indian luxury car buyer with their focus on the rear seat, and that remans unchanged. The same 2,470mm wheelbase has been carried over. This is actually more than some C-segment SUVs but the focus here seems to be more on front passengers and boot space as you might expect with a Europe-focused small car.

So the frameless doors create a sense of occasion, but the small opening and deep floor will make entering the third-row difficult for taller adults or the elderly. Once inise, the small panoramic sunroof doesn't make the space feel as hemmed in despite the dark theme and small windows. For those under 6 feet tall, there's enough knee and foot room, with the high-paced front seats. As you will expect from the coupe shape, headroom is limited.

The seat contour is usual BMW far with first supportive cushioning, although thigh support could have been better. This space is strictly for two, with the high central tunnel and narrow width. So like before, the 2 Series is best for those with smaller families.

2025 BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe engine, gearbox, driving impressions

The 2 Series may be breaking new ground with its aesthetics but once you are sat in the driver's seat, there is no mistaking this to anything other than a BMW. With that large M Sport wheel placed in front, you sit a bit low. But visibility is still good and generally a comfortable and sporty driving position comes quite naturally. The new sport seats are supportive, especially with their side bolstering. This may make it a bit difficult for those with a wider build but the extendable squabs are great for thigh support.

You may be left a bit disappointed that the 218 version being debuted in India comes fitted with a 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol. It is the same motor as the one in the petrol X1 but outputs have gone up to 156PS and 230 Nm. It'll do 0 to 100 kmph in 8.6s. In 2025, where Rs 30 lakh SUVs give you over 200PS, this may not sound appealing but the 2 Series feels better on the move than the numbers suggest.

To start with, refinement is top-tier. There are no vibrations and a distant clatter restricted to low engine speeds. As you wring it out, the piped-in audio makes this small motor sound quite similar to any other larger-displacement BMW sedan. It does take some waking up, below 1,500 rpm it can feel lethargic and hesitant. You notice this most in stop-start traffic where a good prod of the throttle is needed to keep momentum. But as you open up the throttle, there's a clean and energetic swell of torque. So in moving traffic things are smoother.

There's also some of the typical BMW engine characteristics carried over here that make driving one of these cars more exciting than others. You find that the 218 will keep pulling right to its 6,500 rpm redline with some character. Yes, you aren't moving all that much faster than many other mainstream cars but the experience has a athletic sense to it lets you extract all of potential. Now while this is good, we think BMW could have given us the 170PS 220 trim just to make for more of a step up from any other Rs 50 lakh car on the market.

Either way, the seven-speed DCT is right on the money usually. It's not too intrusive at low speeds or focused on efficiency. You find that it doesn't quickly try to choose another gear when you push on, instead it lets the engine do its thing and only snaps in when necessary with clean, quick shifts. The Sport mode adds a dose more energy and is one you can use as a default setting if you like driving. The gearbox now always keeps the engine in its powerband, holds gears longer and shifts quicken further still. There is a boost mode too, that effectively puts the drivetrain in a heightened state of responsiveness but as we saw in the X1 it doesn't come with a performance advantage so its effectiveness is limited.

BMW has make significant changes to the suspension and added more rigidity to the chassis. The 2 Series now runs on 18-inch tubeless wheels instead of run-flats but on the same tyre-profile as the earlier 17s. This has made for the most significant transformation for the car. The 2 Series is now far more suited to our conditions and more enjoyable as a result. You don't find its being jittery and crashy on our roads like earlier. Instead, there is firm edge but supple and solid feeling that lets you carry more speed in most conditions

You find that it absorbs potholes and handles sharp bumps without a lot of its filtering into the cabin. You get the refined, solid sense that you expect from a luxury sedan. Combined with the improved ground clearance, the 2 Series is now much less nerve racking over large bumps than before.

With this front-driven architecture, the 2 Series doesn't quite have the balance of a rear-driven BMW. But as far as cars go, the 2 Series is a sharp and agile machine that enthusiasts will like. You find that it has an eager nose and good grip. So you can carry speeds around bends with confidence. The car stays level in most situations which adds to the feeling of security. The smart wheel-slip limitataion system from earlier still works great. You find that the 2 Series doesn't tend to understeer as easily as other front-driven cars, which makes for a taut and controlled experience.

BMW has also worked on improving steering response and while this generation is better than before, we wish for a bit more. The 2 Series has fairly precise steering but it can feel a bit slow at turn in and could have had more feel on centre. The brakes are progressive enough to not get in the way of the driving experience.

2025 BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe Verdict, Price

The new BMW 2 Series is now a much more complete package for India than before. Yes the looks will polarize and we wish the cabin didn't see the kind of cost cutting it has had with some of the materials and lack of buttons. The engine that makes the best of itself, enough to not turn away buyers, helps.
But the long list of features, the smart cabin ambience and the much improved ride will be a strong draw for those looking to make the jump into a luxury car. Bookings for the BMW 2 Series have begun and it should be priced from Rs 45 to 50 lakh ex-showroom