BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe Review 2025: Price, specs & boot space

Coupes have always existed to add pizzazz to more mundane models, and the 2 Series Gran Coupe plays the same role for the 1 Series hatchback. In most respects, it’s the same car with only a small drop in practicality (a traditional boot rather than a tailgate), but for only a little extra money (around £1,500 to the equivalent 1 Series) you get a more stylish profile. If this sounds like a suitable compromise, the 2 Series Gran Coupe is probably up your street.

We’ll apologise to speed freaks in advance, since just as we did during our 1 Series review, we’re going to recommend the seemingly modest 1.5-litre, three-cylinder car here. It’s just more engaging to drive even if it can’t touch the performance of the 300PS M235, with livelier handling and a more responsive and better-sounding engine. That it’ll also nudge up against 50mpg in mixed driving and costs ten grand less to buy is the icing on the cake. That said, the M235 is still great value against similar models like the Audi S3 Saloon or Mercedes-AMG CLA 35.

Closest in spirit to the 2 Series Gran Coupe is the Mercedes-Benz CLA. There’s a new one of those on the way in the next year or so but the current one is surely one of the better-looking small four-doors on the road even in its basic form, with a smooth look that apes the larger Mercedes-Benz CLS which went out of production in 2023. A CLA45 model comfortably tops the M235 for performance – more equal is the CLA35.

Audi offers an A3 Saloon still, and like the Merc it has both a model that matches the 2GC range-topper, in the S3 Saloon, and one that eclipses it, with the mad five-cylinder RS3 Saloon – though also like the Merc, you can have it in more sensible flavours too. Talking of sensible, while it’s not a saloon, the Honda Civic remains one of our favourite cars of this size. It may not have a premium badge, but it certainly has a premium feel. The Mazda 3 is another Japanese challenger which punches above its weight for quality, and it’s available as a saloon too – though there’s no sporty version if that’s your bag.

No complaints here; the 2 Series Gran Coupe feels like a quality product inside and out. Inside especially, where as well as a striking design, the cabin feels well put together too. Prod at surfaces and they feel solid, squeaks are absent, and the choice of materials feels fitting for a car at this price point.

The highlights are probably the detailed aluminium trim pieces, which look and feel more like something you’d find from a manufacturer like Bentley (and the production process, which involves stamping and 3D-milling, is impressively bespoke for a volume product like this too). Likewise, the stitching on the M235’s dashboard is actually done by hand – though it’s a shame the artificial leather of this dash panel, one of the largest in your field of view, has a slightly unconvincing grain and a particularly synthetic feel.

This generation of 2 Series Gran Coupe has moved further away from the physical controls you’d find in previous small BMWs. Ordinarily, this would be cause for alarm, but BMW’s done a better job than most at making things intuitive.

There are still some physical buttons left. Most have migrated to the console between the seats (it’s where you’ll find the hazard light switch, driving mode button, and a volume knob, along with more significant controls like the gear selector and the parking brake). You do get little wheels and joysticks to control the direction of the air vents though, even if heat, airflow and other air conditioning functions are now touchscreen-only.

The infotainment is quick, clear, and fairly easy to navigate with brief glances and a finger prod in vaguely the right area of the screen. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are of course standard, you can use your phone as a digital key, and BMW is adding apps to the system all the time - YouTube is a recent addition.

Driving mode selection through first a button press and then screen tapping is a bit clunky though and requires eyes off the road for longer than we’d like. Disabling lane keep and speed warnings requires a similar process, though you’re more likely to do this at a standstill each time you turn on the car, so it’s less of an issue.

Ahead of the B-pillar the 2 Series Gran Coupe is essentially identical to the 1 Series, and as already mentioned, we’ve very few gripes about the front cabin. Looks great, feels great, and seems to accommodate most body shapes. Good stuff.

While it isn’t objectively much bigger in the rear - most of the 2GC’s extra length is behind the rear axle - it does somehow feel a little more accommodating in the second row. This five-foot-eight-inch tester can quite happily sit behind himself, with adequate foot room, a good six inches of knee room with the scalloped front seat backs, and around three inches of headroom. Do the maths based on how tall you and your offspring are though and you might start to run out of space fairly quickly.

The 430-litre boot is 50 litres larger than that of the 1 Series, and identical to that of its predecessor. It drops to 360 litres for the 220 thanks to the battery for the mild hybrid system occupying some underfloor space. Like the old car, the Gran Coupe is still a traditional saloon despite the roofline implying a hatchback, so actual boot access isn’t quite as good as in the 1 Series. 40/20/40 split folding seats at least give you some adaptability.

Engines are - and we apologise if we’re starting to sound like a stuck record here - identical to those in the 1 Series. The range opens with the 220 Gran Coupe, using a 1.5-litre turbocharged three-cylinder paired with a 48-volt mild hybrid system, which powers the front wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. Power is 170PS and torque is a pretty healthy 280Nm, and this little lot conspires to deliver a 7.9-second 0-62mph time and 143mph flat out.

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Soon to be heard popping and banging on a bypass near you is the M235 Gran Coupe, with a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol pumping out an even 300PS, and a chunky 400Nm of torque delivered through all four wheels. It’s right on the hot-hatch pace with a 4.9-second 0-62mph time and BMW’s usual electronically-limited 155mph top end.

Right on the hot-hatch pace in theory, anyway. It doesn’t feel quite as fast as the figures suggest; perhaps because the new test car was still a little tight, but also because the engine seems so unenthusiastic. Look down at the speedometer and more often than not you’re doing a fair old lick, but the droning engine (whether you’re in Dynamic mode, with its piped-in noise, or not) saps some of the fun from things. In the mid-range, it even sounds a bit diesely. Only an occasional turbo wastegate chuff adds aural character.

As with the 1 Series then, the 220 actually ends up being more satisfying to drive. While the three-cylinder thrum isn’t a traditional BMW noise, it’s more pleasant than the M235’s four-cylinder. With a small electric motor helping you out, it’s also more responsive to your right foot.

The Gran Coupe is among the more refined models in this class, whether you opt for the 220 or the M235. The solid build keeps squeaks and rattles to a minimum, engine noise is well insulated, wind noise is just about absent until you’re at higher motorway speeds, and road noise is minimal too.

Once again the 220 is the pick, which despite its extra vibration from the three cylinder (which is well controlled in most circumstances), has a smoother feel than the occasional harshness you get with the M235. Being the sportier of the pair the M235 is also happier to let you know there’s an engine there to start with, which may appeal to some drivers more than others.

Safety shouldn’t be a problem for the new 2 Series Gran Coupe. Neither it nor the smaller 1 Series have yet been tested by Euro NCAP in their latest forms, but BMW has a pretty good track record here, with several models in the current range getting full five-star ratings. BMW has, of course, loaded the cars with most of the latest safety features, from front collision warning to cross traffic alerts (which can also detect cyclists), to lane departure warning and steering intervention, and cruise control with a braking function. There’s also the active safety element of being in a car with accomplished, confident handling to begin with, giving you just a little more chance to avoid an accident in the first place.

Should you wish to disable some of the beeps and more invasive safety features, BMW makes this relatively easy. There’s a button on the centre console near the driving mode button which brings up a touchscreen menu, on which you can quickly un-tick all the functions you’d prefer not to use.

We don’t have ratings for the latest 2 Series Gran Coupe yet, nor its 1 Series equivalent given both are pretty new. Neither previous generation found its way into the previous HonestJohn.co.uk Satisfaction Index, though from the performance of some related cars BMW’s performance has been a mixed bag – the previous-generation 3 Series was a top-20 car, but the 2 Series Active Tourer, more closely related to the Gran Coupe, was in the bottom 20. BMW as a brand placed 12th from 29 brands, ahead of Audi and Mercedes-Benz.

New BMW models come with a three-year, unlimited mileage warranty.

The 2 Series Gran Coupe starts from insurance group 23 for a regular 220 M Sport. Full insurance group details haven’t yet been confirmed but we’d expect the range to top out in the mid-30 insurance group range, which is where the outgoing M235i Gran Coupe stopped. The equivalent 1 Series models sit in groups 26-29 depending on specification.

CO2 figures start as low as 120g/km for a 220 Gran Coupe, which puts the model into the £220 first-year car tax rate, while the car’s list price still undercuts the £40,000 expensive car surcharge, so subsequent tax bills will be £190 per year until the government deems otherwise. The M235 meanwhile has a 170g/km CO2 figure at its lowest, for a first-year rate of £680. As it also attracts the surcharge though, you’ll pay £600 a year for the next five years, before it too drops down to £190.

Neither Gran Coupe is likely to be hugely tempting to company users, given the Benefit in Kind system heavily prioritises electric car use now. The 220’s CO2 figure puts it in the 30% bracket and the M235 is in the top 37% band, for tax bills of thousands per year. Despite list prices of over £50,000, the best Gran Coupe to run as a company car is the i4 eDrive35 Gran Coupe, which drops the BiK down to only around £300 for lower-rate taxpayers and £600 for those in the higher band.

The 2 Series Gran Coupe range broadly follows that of its shorter 1 Series sibling, though there’s no basic Sport model for the Gran Coupe. That means the range begins with the 220 M Sport, with styling to match the M235. Equipment includes 18-inch alloy wheels, Alcantara and Veganza upholstery, air conditioning, adaptive M suspension, cruise control with braking, parking assistant, LED headlights, and BMW’s curved display including a 10.25-inch instrument display and 10.7-inch infotainment setup, with standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The M235 xDrive is hard to tell apart visually from the 220 M Sport, but the M quad exhaust system at the back is the big giveaway for the spotter’s guide. Another tell is the red centre marker on the M steering wheel inside, but otherwise equipment matches M Sport trim.

There are various option packs to differentiate things further though. The £2,075 M Sport Pro pack on both 220 and M235 adds shadowline lights, a rear spoiler, M seatbelts, and M Sport brakes with red calipers, with M Compound brakes with grey calipers an additional £750. For another step towards high performance, the M Dynamic pack on the M235 alone gets larger drilled brakes, 19-inch wheels with a choice of sport or track tyres, and retuned suspension. It costs £3,000.

A £1,550 Technology pack adds adaptive LEDs, comfort access, auto high-beams, a dimming rear-view mirror and a wireless charging tray, while the £2,750 Technology Plus pack gets all those plus a head-up display, Live Cockpit Professional (basically a more configurable driver display), and Parking Assistant Plus.