MODEL TESTED 220i COUPE M SPORT
Price £36,010 Power 181bhp Torque 221lb ft. 0-60mph 7.3sec 30-70mph in fourth 8.5sec Fuel economy 34.0mpg CO₂ emissions 148g/km 70-Omph 44.8m
We like
- Perfect cabin and infotainment ergonomics
- Balanced rear-wheel-drive dynamics
We don't like
- Passive M Sport suspension lacks some sophistication
- Noise isolation
Think of any of its recent high-profile new models, such as the iX, 1 Series, 4 Series or recently T revealed 7 Series, and today's BMW might not strike you as a company that is particularly nostalgic, or one that cares much about its heritage. All the typical BMW hallmarks a long bonnet, rear-wheel drive, subtle kidney grilles, and the Hofmeister kink - have been either ditched or substantially reinterpreted.
And then there is the new 2 Series Coupé. It doesn't get much more 'traditional BMW' than this. All the aforementioned traits are present and correct. There are no hybrids and you can even get it with a straight-six petrol engine.
Is this design one that the old guard sneaked through while the new kids weren't looking? Not at all. It's a deliberate strategy to retain the more traditional buyer as well as appeal to younger buyers, head of BMW design Domagoj Dukec told us last year. It's why the tweaked 5 Series didn't sprout a big grille either when it was facelifted.
Dukec added: "There's a reason why the BMW Neue Klasse is a very typical three-box silhouette. That's the case for every car we're doing today. The 2 Series Coupé is the best example: we have a rear-wheel-drive proportion but we treat it as a three-box. There are no other cars like it in the segment."
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der June 01, 2022-Ausgabe von Autocar UK.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der June 01, 2022-Ausgabe von Autocar UK.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
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