Stunning looker from BMW

Test Drive by Graham Breeze

There’s big things going on at BMW and the arrival of a new 2 Series Coupe really has taken the company to new levels in the premium compact sector.

The company renamed the 3 Series as 4 Series and has really done the same thing by now tagging 1 Series as 2 Series – but a new design clearly differentiates the models.

And that’s not the only difference because this stunning looking car drives better and is cheaper to run.

It’s longer and wider than the outgoing 1 Series Coupe, and has a longer wheelbase too which means there’s more room inside for four. Boot space has increased by an extra 20 litres, so total capacity is 390 litres. Rear seats can be dropped in a 50/50 spilt or there is an option to specify a 40/20/40 spilt to give even more room.
But it’s the sporty drive that made this car stand out for me with a range of engines particularly chosen for this purpose. As you would expect with BMW, all Coupes are rear-wheel drive.
On test was a 225d M Sport Coupe standing proudly on 18inch alloys with M Sport suspension, a sporty body kit and stand-out chrome tailpipes.

Outwardly the car attracts admiring glances but onlookers have no idea how good things get inside.

There are comfortable and adjustable cloth and Alacantra sports seats, and a leather multi-functional steering wheel which means you can control just about everything without taking your hands off.

Handling is a dream and there’s BMW’s Drive Performance Control which allows you to set the driving characteristics you prefer via a switch near the gear lever. You can chose Eco Pro, comfort, sport or sport+ which means you’re adjusting throttle response time, steering weighting, adaptive suspension firmness and gearbox change speed.

The eight speed automatic gearbox is really versatile with changes hard to notice but it becomes a lot more fun when you switch to sport or sport+ modes and really test the characteristics  of the car.

I’d have to say the 225d is one of the most enjoyable drives I’ve had over the last 12 months - with a top speed of 150mph and 0-60mph in 6.2seconds it’s quick.

The front-engined, rear-wheel drive configuration means you can corner comfortable at speed with very little body roll even when using the sport option to the limit.

It’s not cheep though at £32,095 and that price goes through the roof if you add media, driver comfort and visibility packages while adding a few other bits here and there could see you racking up a £40,000 bill.

But you can expect to top 60mpg on the combined circuit and CO2 emissions are at 150g/km.
BMW lovers everywhere will simply love this model. I’ve just ticked it off as my favourite in the German car maker’s range.