The Car Connection Expert Review
Likes
- Excellent handling in the coupe
- M240i’s explosive inline-6
- Styling and proportions of the coupe
- Wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay standard (coupe)
Dislikes
- Gran Coupe’s awkward roofline
- Small rear seat
- Options add up quickly
- No M2 or convertible (for now)
Buying tip
features & specs
The redesigned 2022 BMW 2-Series coupe offers more style and more fun than its four-door Gran Coupe counterpart.
What kind of car is the 2022 BMW 2-Series? What does it compare to?
The 2022 BMW 2-Series is a performance-oriented luxury coupe that emphasizes driving fun and handling. It competes against other small performance cars such as the Mercedes-Benz A-Class, Audi A3, Lexus RC, and Porsche 718 Cayman.
Is the 2022 BMW 2-Series a good car?
The 2-Series is really two cars in one, a sedan version that is front-wheel-drive based and a coupe with a rear-wheel drive platform. The redesigned coupe is the much more engaging of the two to drive. We give the two a combined TCC Rating of 6.4 out of 10 overall, but if taken on its own the coupe would score higher for its performance. (Read more about how we rate cars.)
What's new for the 2022 BMW 2-Series?
The 2-Series Gran Coupe (natch, four-door sedan) carries over but the coupe versions get a full redesign for 2022 that brings new styling, an upgraded interior, and added size.
The 2-Series coupe is 4.3 inches longer overall and the wheelbase has also grown by 2.0 inches. It’s 2.6 inches wider as well, giving it a larger footprint on all sides. The greenhouse seems to have been shoved backwards, giving the coupe very attractive, traditional rear-wheel drive proportions with a long hood and a short decklid. Up front, the 2-Series eschews the growing kidney grilles of its contemporaries with an attractive nose topped off by a slight power dome hood.
The Gran Coupe’s upward sloping beltline gives it a much different look than the new 2-Series and its proportions scream “Honda Civic” more than “luxury performance.” There is no mention of a convertible model.
Under the hood, the 2-Series Gran Coupe keeps the same engine options. The 228i features a 228-hp 2.0-liter turbo-4 and front-wheel drive, while the M235i offers a 301-hp engine of the same displacement and standard all-wheel drive. More intriguing is the rear-wheel-drive based 2-Series coupe, starting with the 230i’s 255-hp 2.0-liter turbo-4. The M240i comes with standard AWD and a 382-hp 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-6. All four models come with an 8-speed automatic transmission. There won’t be a manual transmission offered or an M2 for 2022.
Both varieties are comfortable for front passengers, but not so much for those sitting in the rear. The 2-Series coupe gets a new dashboard and updated technology that goes a long way towards modernizing its cabin, and it brings it more in line with what’s found on the Gran Coupe models.
Standard safety features including automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitors, and lane departure warnings on both body styles.
How much does the 2022 BMW 2-Series cost?
The 2-Series starts at $36,695 for the 228i Gran Coupe and $37,345 for the 230i coupe, with the more powerful variants of each starting in the mid-to-high $40,000s. Standard features include power front seats, a leather steering wheel, front and rear parking sensors, and Android Auto/Apple CarPlay connectivity.
Where is the BMW 2-Series made?
In Germany.
2022 BMW 2-Series Styling
The 2-Series coupe wears classic rear-wheel drive proportions, giving it a classic silhouette.
Is the BMW 2-Series a good-looking car?
It really depends on which version you’re looking at. The Gran Coupe has been a bit awkward since its 2020 debut, with its curved roofline and short overhangs sitting at odds with the rest of BMW’s cars. But the redesigned 2-Series coupe is the opposite. It’s perfectly proportioned and its cabin sits perched atop the rear wheels, giving it a classic look that delights. The 2-Series gets a point for the coupe’s exterior and another point for the upscale interior found in both models. It’s a 7.
The redesign has done wonders for the coupe’s interior, which felt old and outdated. It’s now on par with the Gran Coupe and both models now match up more closely with the 3-Series on materials, technology, and design.
2022 BMW 2-Series Performance
The M240i stands out with its 6-cylinder engine and handling prowess.
Each of the 2-Series variants offers a high baseline of performance, with a pair of strong base engines and good handling. Those traits earn it a 7 for performance.
Is the BMW 2-Series AWD?
It’s optional. Rear-wheel drive is standard on the base coupe, while front-wheel drive is standard on the base Gran Coupe. All-wheel drive is standard on both the M235i Gran Coupe and the M240i coupe. It’s also optional on the 228i Gran Coupe.
How fast is the BMW 2-Series?
It’s pretty quick in all forms. The slowest model, the228i Gran Coupe, hustles from 0-60 mph in just 6.0 seconds with its 228 hp turbo-4. The base 230i coupe has more horses (255 of them) that help it make the same sprint in 5.5 seconds. That time drops all the way down to 4.5 seconds in the M235i Gran Coupe, but the quickest of the bunch is the M240i coupe. Its larger turbocharged inline-6, making 382 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque, gets it to 60 mph in just 4.1 seconds.
How the two body styles deliver power is different. Gran Coupe models are based on a front-wheel-drive architecture and while they are good performers on their own with good handling and a limited-slip differential up front, they don’t hold a candle to the rear-wheel-drive based coupe.
The coupe is an utter delight on twisty roads. BMW’s other car models have grown too large and too heavy to be proper driver’s cars (M models excepted), and though the redesigned coupe has also added weight it retains a pleasant, throwback feeling of agility from behind the wheel. This is aided by the coupe’s nearly 50/50 weight distribution (the Gran Coupe is 60/40). The 230i offers a sport suspension that can be a bit busy in everyday driving, but the M240i’s adaptive suspension is a better solution. It softens in comfort mode for the day-to-day and stiffens up nicely when you want to drive with more vigor. Both do an excellent job of controlling rebound as the 2-Series coupe exits corners, providing enough balance to get on the power with confidence.
2022 BMW 2-Series Comfort & Quality
The 2-Series may refer to the number of people who ride comfortably inside of the vehicle.
The 2-Series loses a point for its backseat accommodations, but the interior quality in the coupe has taken enough of a step up in the redesign to earn one back and give it a 5.
Though the coupe has grown, its backseat has shrunk to 32.0 inches of leg room. It’s also hard to climb into and difficult to fit two adult passengers back to back. The seat comfort isn’t too bad and head room is better than you’d think, but the coupe is a car for two. Things are better in the Gran Coupe, which offers at least a usable backseat for shorter trips, but it’s not good enough to erase the coupe’s shortcomings.
The front seats in both vehicles are quite nice, with plenty of bolstering and good support. The coupe’s interior has also taken a jump forward, with plenty of metal accents and an overall feel that is closer to the 3-Series.
Cargo volume is 15.1 cubic feet in the Gran Coupe, but that drops to just 10.0 cubic feet in the coupe.
2022 BMW 2-Series Safety
The Gran Coupe has good crash test ratings, but the coupe has yet to be tested.
How safe is the BMW 2-Series?
The Gran Coupe earned a Top Safety Pick award from the IIHS with only its headlights holding it back from the agency’s top safety designation. But neither version of the 2-Series has been tested by the NHTSA so its score remains incomplete.
Standard safety features across both models include automatic forward emergency braking, blind-spot monitors, lane-departure warnings, and front and rear parking sensors. A surround-view camera system and adaptive cruise control are also available.
2022 BMW 2-Series Features
The coupe’s redesign brings its technology up to date with the rest of the BMW lineup.
The 2-Series offers a strong list of options, updated technology in the coupe, and a 4-year/50,000-mile warranty with complimentary scheduled service, which is enough to get it to a strong 8 out of 10.
Which BMW 2-Series should I buy?
It comes down to body style and backseat needs. For those who have children or plan to carry more than two people frequently, the Gran Coupe is the only option. If having fun behind the wheel is the goal the coupe offers more of that.
Both models offer similar technology now, in slightly different sizing. For 2022, the Gran Coupe is only offered with a 10.3-inch digital cockpit display and a 10.3-inch infotainment touchscreen. On the coupe there are smaller standard screens, 5.1 inches in the instrument cluster and 8.8 inches in the center. But a 12.3 inch cockpit display and the same 10.3 inch central touchscreen display are optional. The infotainment system is now powered by BMW’s latest iDrive 7, which adds wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity. Other standard features across both models include synthetic leather upholstery, power front seats, and two front USB ports.
An extensive options list includes several shades of leather upholstery, a wireless charging pad, panoramic moonroof (Gran Coupe only), heated front seats, and a surround-view camera system (coupe only).
The 228i Gran Coupe starts at $36,695 for the FWD version, upgrading to AWD adds $2,000. The more powerful M235i xDrive Gran Coupe starts at $46,495 and offers more standard performance features, such as M Sport brakes, a sport suspension, front limited slip differential, and M Sport steering.
The 230i coupe starts at $37,345.
How much is a fully loaded 2022 BMW 2-Series?
Topping off the range is the M240i coupe, which starts at $49,545. For maximum speed and fun, stepping up is necessary but the 230i offers a similar experience (though without the same level of acceleration) for less money.
2022 BMW 2-Series Fuel Economy
The 4-cylinder 2-Series models are the most efficient, but not by as much as you’d think.
Is the BMW 2-Series good on gas?
The 2-Series variants are all pretty close on fuel economy, but only good enough to earn a 5 out of 10 on our scale.
The 228i Gran Coupe gets an EPA-rated 24 mpg city, 34 mpg highway, and 28 mpg combined with FWD. Adding AWD to the mix drops it to 23/33/27 mpg. The more powerful M235i Gran Coupe is rated at 23/32/26.
The 230i coupe is the most efficient of the bunch at 26/35/29 mpg, while the M240i coupe surprisingly ties the 4-cylinder M235i Gran Coupe at 23/32/26 mpg, even though it has two extra cylinders and delivers a lot more power. All 2-Series models require premium fuel.
