BMW continues the numbers game with its latest model, the 2-Series coupe.
The new two-door replaces the 1-Series coupe, just as the 4-Series coupe replaced the 3-Series coupe.
The 2-Series gives BMW a numerical line-up from 1 to 7 – 1 for the smallest car, 7 for the biggest. It had an 8 in there a few years back in the form of a coupe. Perhaps there will be another 8. Maybe a 9 and 10.
BMW pretty much began with the 2002 of the 1970s. Then came the 3-Series, 5-Series, 7-Series. There was a 6 early in the piece too, the race-winning 635 CSI coupe. There was also an M1, not to be mistaken for the 1-Series M135i.
It’s okay to be confused at this point. Coming up to join the all-wheel-drive SUV fleet is the X4. It will slot in above the X1 and X3 and below the X5 and X6. BMW won’t talk about the X4 but it’s being tested as we speak.
Anyway, numbers aside, the 2-Series coupe will make its first public appearance at the Detroit motor show in January, before going on sale a month or two later.
No word yet on its arrival in New Zealand, but it will be followed by a 2-Series convertible, again being tested as we speak.
A four-door is said to be in the pipeline, too, but it’s not clear yet what badge it will wear. Think of it as a rival to the Audi A3 sedan and Mercedes-Benz CLA.
The styling of the 2-Series coupe is entirely different to the 1-Series hatch. All-new bumpers and narrow swept-back headlights create a wider, more planted stance.
From the rear, the 2-Series looks even more like a smaller 4-Series, with a subtle flick in the bootlid. The short overhangs and flared rear wheelarches are all signature BMW styling cues.
The wheelbase is the same as that of the 1-Series, but the stretched boot takes increases overall length and frees up an extra 30 litres of boot space over the hatch.
What isn’t the same as the 1-Series is the choice of engines. BMW says it’s focused on a sporty driving experience with the new car, which is why it’s left out lower-powered units.
Top of the range is the M235i, pictured here. This isn’t a fully fledged ‘M’ car, but part of BMW’s new M Performance family.
It gets a turbocharged version of the 3.0-litre six-cylinder unit delivering 240kW – a touch more than the M135i and the same output as in the original E36 M3.
And, like the others in the BMW family, the 2-Series coupe comes with an eight-speed transmission.
