New BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe 2025 review: updates offer only minor improvements

Verdict

For a car that isn’t one of BMW’s big sellers, the 2 Series Gran Coupé has been subjected to a pretty hefty overhaul. While the new cabin introduces fantastic quality and the in-car tech is class-leading, we’re left unconvinced by the drive. The M235’s powertrain is effective but lacks excitement, and the same can be said of its chassis. Plus a new performance pack doesn’t deliver huge changes, despite the extent of its upgrades. After driving the M235 against the base 220, we came to the conclusion that the latter is the one to have; not only is it much cheaper, but despite giving up some performance, it’s more fun too.

This is the BMW 2 Series Gran Coupé, a car which for 2025 has been subjected to one of the most comprehensive mid-life facelifts we’ve seen in recent years. 

It’s a model that, in the UK at least, doesn’t find as much love with buyers as its hatchback equivalent, the 1 Series. However, with the ever-increasing size of modern cars, a four-door saloon whose footprint is nearly identical to the mid-Noughties E90-generation 3 Series has some appeal.

Onto the changes, then, and from whatever angle you approach the 2 Series Gran Coupé, its look has changed fairly drastically. The front-end design has now been brought more closely in line with the recently revised 1 Series – so the headlights have become slimmer and sharper, while the front grille is a little less pronounced than before, and the two elements have blended into one piece. We’re not sure the latter detail is the best move; there’s now more than a hint of Kia’s ‘tiger nose’ grille design that graced the front of most of the Korean brand’s cars a while back. To us, it feels like the 2 Series has lost some of BMW’s clear brand identity. 

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The changes around the back are even more drastic. Indeed, the extent of this update extends to a new pressing for the entire roof frame. The large panel which goes from A to C-pillar has been revised in order to present a more distinct interpretation of another BMW signature, the Hofmeister Kink, at the tail end of the side windows, as well as introduce an overhauled rear-end design to accommodate completely reshaped tail lights. 

In hottest M235 form, it’s a car which aims squarely at the Audi S3 saloon and the Mercedes-AMG A 35 Saloon, and BMW has graced this model with plenty of sporty exterior garnish to lend it a more menacing presence. The front bumper features a deep lower air dam, with vents to each side emphasising the car’s width. Those vertical vents are mirrored on the rear bumper, and between them sits a deep rear diffuser section flanked by quad tailpipes. 

Regardless of the engine variant, it’s inside where things have changed the most. There’s an all-new dashboard design inspired by the iX and X3, lending the cabin a much less cluttered and more modern appearance than before. Unfortunately, this streamlining has come at the expense of the old car’s physical climate controls – as with other current BMWs, the temperature now needs to be adjusted on the touchscreen. The touchscreen itself is among the best in the business, though, with rapid loading times, sharp graphics and logical layouts. Even muting the speed limit warning bong is easy – a long hold of the ‘Set’ button on the steering wheel does the trick.

The central console gets a revised panel with a smaller toggle switch replacing the previous chunky gear shifter, further tidying up the design, and BMW hasn’t skimped on the quality, either. The iconic three-colour M Sport stripes have been hand-stitched into the dash top, and those new air vents are milled from a single piece of solid aluminium. Small etchings in the metal allow the ambient lighting to glow through the panel from behind. 

Add in shift panels that look just like the ones you’ll find in an M3, a smart (if, typically of BMW, still too thick) steering wheel, and redesigned, supportive sports seats and the quality feels genuinely superb. The sense of occasion here lifts it well above the A3’s slightly dull cabin and the borderline chintzy Mercedes A-Class. 

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Under the skin, the 2 Series Gran Coupé is fundamentally the same as before and – by extension – the 1 Series hatch. However, the pair have marginally different tunes for the electronic stability and damping systems to account for the small differences in axle weights. 

Ever-tightening emissions regulations have seen BMW struggle to maintain the M235’s previous output. Power now stands at 296bhp – some 6bhp down on the old car’s peak, although that maximum rate is now available across a wider band of revs. However, torque has taken a bigger hit, falling from 450Nm to 400Nm. 

Despite the drops, we don’t have too many complaints about how quickly it can get down the road – 0-62mph takes 4.9 seconds after all, and each upshift snaps quickly into place via the responsive seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox. However, the way it delivers that power feels a little bit flat. The driver doesn’t have much incentive to rev the car to the red line, and when they do, they’re exposed to a rather rough-sounding engine that can be quite unpleasant to listen to. 

Like most turbocharged four-cylinder cars you can buy just now, sportier driving modes introduce some pops from the exhaust on the overrun, but even these are odd; the backfires are so soft that each one feels more like your ears have just popped than some trickery from the exhaust. While rivals like the Audi S3’s EA888 engine aren’t exactly bursting with character either, the BMW’s powerplant is particularly disappointing.

The chassis is more convincing, although still not perfect. Again, measurable performance is not in doubt – on the smooth Spanish roads of our test route, the M235 was capable of generating cornering grip that delivered some eyebrow-raising figures on the car’s on-board G-meter. The nose is incredibly sharp to turn into corners too, to the point where you might poke around the rear axle to check that it doesn’t have rear-wheel steering.

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There isn’t the distinctive BMW rear-driven feel, however, because torque is sent to all four wheels, and tends to feel neutral rather than tail happy. Traction is very impressive, though. 

But in a similar vein to that engine, it’s the fizz and excitement that is missing. The steering may respond quickly off-centre, but the way it loads up through the corners doesn’t feel very progressive, making it harder to judge those high limits of grip.

BMW does offer buyers a more focused upgrade, known as the M Technology package. This will come to the UK (and soon be offered on the M135, too) with chassis changes that extend to quite a nerdy level of detail. Extra bracing bars reach forward from the back axle to the underside of the floor; dampers are beefed up (in terms of construction rather than actual response) and there are more rigid front suspension mounting points made from aluminum rather than plastic. 

Some of that bracing adds a little weight, but a near-identical amount is removed from the car’s unsprung mass. First, 19-inch wheels save 2.5kg per corner relative to the 19-inch items fitted to our test car (although 18-inch wheels come as standard), and huge front brake discs crammed behind them have an aluminium hub to further trim some grammes, making them lighter than the standard brakes. They’re gripped by beefier brake pads, too – the same as those fitted to the M3. Buyers can also add stickier tyres, because Michelin Pilot Cup 2 rubber is optional if you choose this pack. 

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Those tyres weren’t fitted to our test car, and perhaps they would make the other upgrades easier to appreciate. But on the same rubber as the standard M235 we sampled, finding tangible differences to cars with and without the packs was tricky. The M Tech pack was ever so slightly more keen to point towards an apex and the brakes were supremely strong, if still not overloaded with feedback – but that’s about it. We’ll fully reserve our judgement until we try the pack in the UK, because we suspect that the reduced unsprung weight might help add a touch of sophistication to the ride.

And on the subject of ride, again we’ll wait to confirm our opinions until we try one on home shores – although we’ve found that the M135 is a touch too firm for our liking. Adaptive dampers are standard, but unlike other cars where firmness adjusts with the driving mode, the 2 Series decides for itself based on road conditions and driving style. Refinement is good though, and road noise well contained.

Perhaps most disappointing for the M235 was that a brief encounter with a base 220i showed the latter to be more fun to drive. It’s lighter over the nose so it’s even more keen to turn into corners, and there’s still loads of traction from its front-wheel-drive layout. Its three-cylinder 1.5-litre petrol engine is a little more grumbly, but it settles down nicely at speed. Mild-hybrid tech allows the 220 to move off from a standstill using electric power impressively smoothly, although the transition between electric and petrol isn’t quite as seamless as the system in the latest X3. 

Value is on the BMW’s side in both instances, though. The M235 starts from £45,275 – that’s £1,410 less than the base Mercedes-AMG A35 Saloon and £2,840 less than Audi S3.

BMW 2 SERIES GRAN COUPE DEALS