New 2021 BMW 2 Series Coupe launched with 369bhp M240i variant

The new BMW 2 Series Coupe has been revealed. It’ll go on sale in the UK early in 2022 priced from £34,980. Unlike the four-door 2 Series Gran Coupe, which is based on the brand’s UKL platform, the two-door Coupe is built on the same platform as the 3 Series and 4 Series, so rear and four-wheel drive are offered, while six-cylinder power features in the range-topping M240i.

The new car is longer, wider and lower than its predecessor, while its weight has been trimmed down thanks to the use of more aluminium in its construction. Unlike the larger 4 Series, the 2 Series Coupe also has a more conventional front end, with a shallower kidney grille design.

This features BMW’s active air control flaps, which automatically open and close subject to the needs of cooling or greater aerodynamic efficiency. The lower air intakes pair off with triangular air curtains, while the LED headlights are said to be inspired by BMW’s 02 series of small cars.

All UK cars will be available only in M Sport trim, which adds a sporty looking front apron, dark gloss exterior trim and dark metallic finishes on the lower sections of the skirts and rear diffuser, while 18-inch wheels will be standard. The M240i version will look sportier still, with more aggressive bodywork, a rear lip spoiler, 19-inch wheels and a dual-exit exhaust.

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Inside, M Sport cars come with Alcantara and Sensatec man-made leather upholstery, which is black as standard, but is available in three further colours. There’s also plusher Vernasca leather offered as an optional extra. 

The dashboard shares much with the 4 Series, with buyers getting the same 12.3-inch central screen and 10.25-inch digital instrument panel, which has been loaded with specific M Sport graphics. Elsewhere in the cabin, there’s M-branded treadplates, pedals and floor mats, as well as an M-specific anthracite headliner.

New 2021 BMW 2 Series Coupe: engines and drivetrains

The 2 Series Coupe range kicks off with the petrol-powered 220i. It uses a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder unit, which develops 181bhp and 300Nm, and achieves 0–62mph in 7.5 seconds with a top speed of 146mph.

Diesel power remains in the line-up with the 220d model. It’s priced from £36,900 and gets 187bhp and 400Nm of torque courtesy of a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel engine. The extra torque cuts the car’s 0–62mph time to 6.9 seconds, although top speed stays the same at 147mph.

Thanks to a new 48-volt mild-hybrid system, the 220d claims up to 60.1mpg and between 122 and 132g/km of CO2.

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With the absence of an M2 version for now, the range-topping model from launch is the £45,795 M240i xDrive. It’s powered by the same turbocharged 3.0-litre straight-six petrol engine found in the BMW M440i, which has an identical output of 369bhp and 500Nm of torque. Like its larger sibling, it’ll send drive to all four wheels through BMW’s xDrive all-wheel drive system and an eight-speed automatic gearbox. 

BMW says the powertrain has enough grunt to shove the coupe from 0–62mph in just 4.3 seconds, before it runs into an electronic buffer at 155mph. It isn’t even desperately inefficient, with fuel economy standing at a claimed 34.9mpg and emissions sitting between 185 and 200g/km of CO2 according to WLTP homologation.

Purists needn’t fret about the new four-wheel drive system, either, as BMW has stressed that the M240i’s drivetrain will be heavily rear-biased. It also comes with an electronically locking M Sport differential on the rear axle, which the firm says will allow for “easily controllable drift manoeuvres.”

To cope with the extra power, the M240i gets a few more chassis tweaks, such as M Sport brakes, extra chassis bracing and a wider front and rear track. Adaptive M suspension and electronically controlled dampers can also be specified as an optional extra.

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