BMW 220D: BREAKING TRADITION INSTEAD OF THE BANK

We tested out the latest entry in BMW’s Indian stable, the 2-Series Gran Coupe or the BMW 220d as it aims to bring more people to the ‘propeller’ marquee.

- KARAN SINGH BANSATTA

THE internet is a good thing. (?) This perfectly sums up if it is. The sentence itself means it is and the question mark is like that asterisk on special offer advertisements. The question mark also helps justify a recent phenomenon regarding a new car. BMW 220d or the 2-series Gran Coupe was just introduced and the all too easy verdict is already there. It goes something like this: ‘A front-wheel-drive BMW is no BMW’. Drive it once and you’ll disagree… with force!

First, BMW is all about premium products be it cars or motorcycles and they have a plethora of those. From the ultra-luxurious 8-series to the crazy M4 and from the K1600GT to the new M1000RR.

But times are changing and reaching more people matters too. The combined purchasing power of the upper-middle-class matters just as much as the ultra-rich, if not more. That’s why we witnessed the G310 twins are there and that’s why the 220d is there.

BMW is also being very humble about the 2-series Gran Coupe. They refer to it as kind of an entry-level BMW. An easy gateway to the world of ‘Efficient Dynamics’ and ‘Sheer Driving Pleasure’. A means to introduce people to the brand that has been known for legends like the BMW 507 Roadster and then legend killers like the BMW M3 E46 CSL.

All the hue-and-cry in regards to the 2-Series Gran Coupe mostly boils down to a few key changes. Changes that veer away from tradition and the problem with tradition is that if you stick to it too hard and don’t adapt, it’s a prison.