Finally the BMW 2 Series is here. We’re not going to pretend it’s the prettiest coupé we’ve ever seen, but with the revised styling on the front-end alone, it’s a great leap forward in aesthetics from the 1 Series hatch on which it is based.
If you’re itching to get yourself into a 2 Series you’ll have to cool your heels until its market launch in March 2014. The public debut of the F22 coupé will take place in Detroit next January and its Australian sales launch is scheduled for the middle of next year.
BMW has published details on five models, which we’ve listed below:
BMW M235i
Power/torque: 240kW @ 5800–6000rpm / 450Nm @ 1300–4500rpm
Engine: 2979cc six cylinder turbo
Weight (unladen): 1455kg (manual), 1470kg (auto)
0–100km/h: 5.0s (manual), 4.8s (auto); 0–1000m: 23.8s (manual), 23.7s (auto)
BMW 220i
Power/torque: 135kW @ 5000–6250rpm / 270Nm @ 1250–4500rpm
Engine: 1997cc four cylinder turbo
Weight (unladen): 1350kg (manual), 1365kg (auto)
0–100km/h: 7.0s (manual), 7.0s (auto); 0–1000m: 27.3s (manual), 27.7s (auto)
BMW 220d
Power/torque: 135kW @ 4000rpm / 380Nm @ 1750–2750rpm
Engine: 1995cc four cylinder diesel
Weight (unladen): 1375kg (manual), 1390kg (auto)
0–100km/h: 7.2s (manual), 7.1s (auto); 0–1000m: 27.5s (manual), 27.4s (auto)
BMW 225d*
Power/torque: 160kW @ 4400rpm / 450Nm @ 1500–2500rpm
Engine: 1995cc four cylinder diesel
0–100km/h: 6.3s (auto)
*Provisional figures
BMW 218d*
Power/torque: 105kW @ 4000rpm / 320Nm @ 1750–2750rpm
Engine: 1995cc four cylinder diesel
0–100km/h: 8.9s (auto)
*Provisional figures
Like us you’re probably most interested in the M235i. Until the M2 arrives, it is the closest thing we’ve got to a replacement for the much loved 1 Series M Coupe after all. So you’ll be pleased to know, among its kit bag of M Performance Automobile tricks, it gets a proper slippery diff. BMW says, “the mechanical rear axle differential system optimises traction in suitably dynamic driving situations.”
You can read more about the M235i and the full 2 Series range after the break.