BMW has released what the new 2 Series Gran Coupe will cost. With three options at launch, this is BMW’s competition for the Mercedes-Benz CLA and the Audi S3 Sedan. Does it beat the competition or fall short, we’ll let you decide. 
It’s not the Gran Coupe concept but it still looks good.
Overall, it’s a nice looking car although it’s not the most exciting new BMW. What is a bit disappointing is that BMW’s concept for the 2 Series Gran Coupe was stunning and now it’s a lot boxier and flatter. It’s not necessarily a bad thing though, the new honeycomb grille stands out with the rest of the angles BMW used throughout the exterior design.
The top of the range model has got more aggressive bumpers that have actual air vents too. If money is not an issue and you want more of a looker then I’d recommend this one.
Inside is as great as you’d expect from a BMW. Lots of high-quality soft-touch material and comfortable seats. Lower down there are some harder scratchier surfaces but you’re not going to be touching those.
The centre console is well organized and intuitive to interact with. There are 3 USB ports and a 12-vault socket for your connectivity and a very responsive touch screen infotainment system. As additional options, you can get the BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant and gesture controls to make using the features of the car even easier. There are also other options like a Digital Driver’s Display and one of my favourites, a Heads-Up Display.
In the back, there is a good amount of legroom for your passengers, but your taller friends might complain about the sloping roof. The boot is great though offering 430-litres. If you want to light things up inside for everyone, you could pay more and get a panoramic glass roof. Speaking of lighting, this car has one of the coolest ambient lights out there. They shine through the trim to show off the design.
While not a typical 2 Series, it still does the job.
With three models, we get the option of 2 petrol engines and 1 diesel. They range in power but are all automatic and we will start from the lowest.
218i is the name of the standard model. It has a 1.5-litre 3-cylinder turbo petrol engine that gives 103 kW and 220 Nm. It’s reported to go from 0 to 100 km/h in 8.7 seconds.
Next up is the 220d, a 2-litre 4-cylinder turbodiesel engine that can get 140kW and 400Nm. It’s sprint to 100 km/h is 7.5 seconds.
The top of the range model is the M235i xDrive and with its 2-litre 4-cylinder turbo petrol engine, it has 225 kW and 450 Nm. This gets it to 100 km/h in just 4.9 seconds according to BMW. Although, I have seen it do it in 4.1 seconds.
Not based off the regular 2 Series, this BMW Gran Coupe is actually more like the 1 Series with front-wheel drive only. The M235i does get 4-wheel drive though.
Models for the 2 Series Gran Coupe
The 218i and 220d will have 5 different trim options with the M235i being above all of them. BMW has not yet revealed what is standard for this 2 Series Gran Coupe in South Africa yet, however, we do know what some of the cool features we could be seeing are.
We can expect to see Active Cruise Control with Lan Departure Warning and a system to steer you back into the lane. More warning features if you get a Driving Assistance package that has Lane Change Warning, route-ahead assistant and rear collision and crossing traffic warning. Thank you, BMW for keeping us safer.
There will also be a Parking Assistant option that provides semi-autonomous parking and you can get a Reversing Assistant that remembers your steering for 50 metres and retraces tour steps to get you out of the bad place you got yourself in. 
Prices in South Africa
218i Petrol R515 000
220d Diesel R595 000
M235i xDrive R725 000