New BMW 2 Series Coupé review

Not everyone needs the versatility of an SUV or five-door hatchback – or perhaps you’ve just got a bigger heart than head. If either applies to you, the BMW 2 Series Coupé should probably be on your shortlist.

The 2 Series Coupé is best thought of as a mini BMW4 Series. It shares many nuts and bolts with that car, which is a big change from the previous generation 2 Series, which was essentially a 1 Series with a saloon-style boot.

What does that mean? Well, it means that like some of the most iconic driver’s cars in BMW's history, most versions of the 2 Series Coupé have rear-wheel drive and are available with a fine range of petrol engines. Plus, the interior is suitably upmarket and you get the fantastic BMW iDrive infotainment system.

BMW 2 Series Coupé video review

Since the demise of the Audi TT, the 2 Series Coupé hasn't really had a direct rival, unless you count the muscular Ford Mustang Fastback, which has a similar price to the rapid BMW M240i model.

Does that mean you'll be simply "making do" if you get one or is it a great coupé car? Read on as we put the BMW 2 Series Coupé through its paces. Or if you really must have the very quickest version, check out our BMW M2 review.

What's new

- September 2025 – New 387bhp power output for M240i xDrive engine, plus reduced fuel consumption and CO2 emissions

BMW expects around two thirds of 2 Series Coupé buyers to go for the entry-level 220i, which has a 181bhp 2.0-litre petrol engine under the bonnet. Acceleration is strong enough (0-62mph takes 7.5 seconds), although you do need to rev the engine hard to get the best from it.

There’s a more powerful 241bhp version of the same basic engine – badged 230i – which is a bit more lively, but whether you need it is another thing.

Going for the M240i makes more of a difference. With a 369bhp 3.0-litre straight-six petrol engine and four-wheel drive, acceleration is explosive no matter what speed you’re doing. When you launch the car from a standstill, you’ll be doing 0-62mph in just 4.3 seconds – which is quicker than any Ford Mustang.

The M240i also sounds fantastic, with a tuneful exhaust note on start-up, followed by a soulful howl whenever you put your foot down – especially when you’ve selected the Sport driving mode.

Meanwhile, the 2 Series Coupé's standard eight-speed automatic gearbox is smooth when left in automatic mode, yet reacts quickly when you decide to do the job yourself by pulling paddles behind the steering wheel. (If you want a manual gearbox you'll need to go for the BMW M2.)

The 2 Series doesn’t disappoint in corners either. It’s no poor relation to the BMW 4 Series dynamically – it’s more compact than its bigger brother and feels it. The nose is eager to dart into corners, and grip levels front and rear are well balanced.

Perhaps surprisingly, we found the steering slightly more impressive in M Sport trim cars than the M240i. In the M240i you can lose the sense of connection to the front wheels when you hold a prescribed amount of lock to get around a corner, which was not such a problem in lesser versions.

We’ve tried the M Sport versions with optional 19in alloy wheels (smaller 18in wheels come as standard). With the standard M Sport suspension, the ride is fairly firm – not jarring or crashy but bumpier than in a BMW 4 Series.

The M240i we drove had optional adaptive suspension fitted, and when in Comfort mode, it was more comfortable than the 220i. There’s no option to add adaptive suspension to the 220i.

There’s a mild amount of wind and road noise at faster speeds, but the engines are subdued at a steady motorway cruise. Overall, the 2 Series Coupé is a relatively peaceful companion for a long journey, especially compared with more focused sports car alternatives, including the Porsche Cayman.

"The 2 Series is easy to drive when you want to cruise, but I prefer popping it into Sport Mode to liven up the commute, which sharpens up the response of the gearbox and accelerator pedal." – Lawrence Cheung, New Car Editor

There are so many similarities between the 2 Series Coupé and the BMW 4 Series inside that, from behind the wheel, you’d genuinely struggle to tell which of the two cars you were in. That’s a huge compliment to the 2 Series because it’s the cheaper of the two by a sizeable margin.

There are small differences, including a different design for the insides of the doors featuring larger door pulls. You also get cloth seats rather than the real leather seats that are standard in a 4 Series (real leather is standard only on the M240i). The rest of the interior is made with more appealing materials than in the Ford Mustang.

The 2 Series' seats offer plenty of manual adjustment, and have an extendable seat base to help longer-legged occupants get comfy. You also get electric adjustment for the side bolsters to hold you tighter in place, but it’s a shame you have to pay extra for adjustable lumbar support. You can also pay extra to add full electric adjustment for the front seats.

You sit low dow with good all-round visibility by coupé car standards. The front pillars don’t impede your view out by much and while the sloping rear pillars are quite chunky, you do get parking sensors and a rear-view camera to help out. 

The 2 Series Coupé's 12.3in digital driver’s display is sharp and offers a range of lay-outs, although it doesn’t offer the fun retro dial themes you get in a Mustang.

The iDrive infotainment system is brilliant. All versions get a 14.9in touchscreen paired with a rotary controller between the front seats. The controller is much less distracting to use when you’re driving than prodding the screen, and the operating system is super-intuitive.

All models get sat nav, plus Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring (so you can run phone apps through the touchscreen). It’s worth considering the Harman Kardon sound system upgrade if you love listening to music. Wireless phone-charging is on the options list too.

The only downside is that the latest2 Series Coupé has lost the physical buttons for the climate control and heated seats – you now have to use the touchscreen to set them. The small icons are trickier to aim for when you're driving, and having to delve into a sub-menu to do anything more than adjust the temperature is fiddly.

"The 2 Series Coupé's interior does feel upmarket enough when compared with a Ford Mustang but the new air vents feel cheap and they're fiddly to adjust." – Lawrence Cheung, New Car Editor

While the 2 Series Coupé has plenty in common with the BMW 4 Series, its interior dimensions are significantly more compact.

You won’t really notice the difference when sitting in the front because there’s still plenty of head room and the seats slide back a long way on their runners. With its sloping rear roof severely limiting head room, anyone taller than 5ft won’t fancy a long trip in the rear seats.

It’s better news when it comes to leg room, with a similar amount to an Audi RS3, but a Ford Mustang, Mercedes CLE or 4 Series are more accommodating.

If you plan to carry more than one passenger on a regular basis, you’d be better off looking at the BMW 2 Series Gran Coupé (which has rear doors). It’s not much better in terms of rear head room but the ease of access will make life easier.

The 2 Series Coupé's 390 litre boot capacity is a respectable size, and will take a set of golf clubs or a few small suitcases. The saloon opening means the aperture is quite small, so you can forget about squeezing in a bike.

While the 2 Series Gran Coupé also has a saloon boot, it has a much larger opening and a lower access height that is more user friendly.

"Access into those rear seats is tight, but the flip side of not having electric front seats as standard is that they’re easy to slide forwards quickly. You don’t have to wait for an electric motor to slowly do it." – Lawrence Cheung, New Car Editor

The BMW 2 Series Coupé is a relatively sporty offering from a premium German brand, so you're probably not expecting a bargain price tag. That said, it’s quite a bit cheaper than the larger BMW 4 Series and the M240i version is attractively priced compared with, say, the Ford Mustang or even the Audi RS3. 

The range-topping M240i is fairly thirsty, but the 220i promises a respectable 44mpg. Officially, the 230i isn’t much worse, but if you make use of the performance and the indicated MPG figure will range from low to high thirties.

You won’t have to worry about choosing a trim level because, in the UK at least, there’s only one: M Sport. That gets you a decent amount of standard kit, although you will have to fork extra if you want leather seats, a heated steering wheel, a sunroof, rear privacy glass or adaptive cruise control.

The M240i is considered a model in its own right (as is the BMW M2), so there’s no trim level as such. You do get a few more luxuries than on lesser engines, such as leather seats. We’d recommend adding the M Technology Pack, which upgrades the cooling system for the engine and brakes, and M adaptive suspension at the least.

The latest 2 Series Coupé is too new to have featured in our 2024 What Car? Reliability Survey but BMW as a brand finished eighth out of 31 manufacturers in the overall league table. The 2 Series comes with a three-year, unlimited mileage warranty, which is slightly better than the cover offered by Ford and Audi (which is limited to 60,000 miles over three years).

In terms of crash safety, the 2 Series was awarded four stars out of five by Euro NCAP when it was tested in 2022. It provided occupants with adequate protection (rather than good) in a frontal impact and didn’t score so highly when it came to protecting pedestrians.

All versions come with automatic emergency braking (AEB), lane-departure warning and traffic-sign recognition.

"It’s great to see a good variety of exterior paint options available with the 2 Series. I’m a particular fan of the purple finish, called Thundernight, for £595." – Lawrence Cheung, New Cars Editor

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