2020 BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe pricing and specs

BMW has released pricing and specification for its newest four-door passenger car, the keenly awaited 2 Series Gran Coupe.

Positioned exactly between its 1 Series and 3 Series siblings for size and price, BMW has high hopes for the 2 Series Gran Coupe, which brings the number of high-roofed four-doors in the BMW range to four.

Pitched as an alternative to the four-door sedan, BMW formally revealed the 2 Series Gran Coupe at the Los Angeles motor show in late 2019.

Locally, it mirrors the 1 Series for spec and content, with the front-wheel-drive 218i kicking off at $47,990 plus on-road costs, while the M235i xDrive will sell for $69,990 before ORCs.

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For the 218i (above), this means a three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine powering the front wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox is standard fare. The diminutive engine makes 103kW and 220Nm, and uses a claimed 5.9L/100km of fuel on the combined cycle.

A digital dash cluster, wireless phone charging, cloth trim on sports seats, a leather-wrapped M-Sport steering wheel and rear USB ports are also standard inclusions.

Safety kit includes city-brake AEB, lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot warning, rear cross-traffic alert and rear collision prevention.

Exterior standard items include LED headlights and taillights, 18-inch rims and an M Aerodynamics kit.

The M235i, meanwhile (below), uses a more potent 225kW/450Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged engine that powers all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission.

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In addition to the 218i specs, the M235i scores M Sport brakes, 19-inch rims, adaptive LED headlights, a year’s subscription to a smartphone key set-up (BMW just loves the whole extraneous subscription thing) and M Sport bits like twin exhaust pipes and side mirrors.

The car is exactly 200mm longer than the 1 Series and 200mm shorter than the 3 Series, and even its luggage area is exactly 50 litres larger than the 1 Series and the same again smaller than the 3 Series.

The only real difference between the 1 and 2 Series machines is the addition of a 40-20-40 split/fold rear seat, according to Brendan Michel, head of product and market planning for BMW Australia.

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“It’s something we haven’t had in a segment where our competitors have had a presence,” said Michel during a media call in Sydney.” Australians will take to this car very, very well.”

Those competitors include the Mercedes-Benz CLA, which starts at $60,700, and Audi’s A3 sedan, which kicks off at $42,300.